It’s no secret, I was slightly obsessed with One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (my review). Therefore, I couldn’t wait to start its sequel, One of Us Is Next. Was is as good as the first? No. But it definitely didn’t disappoint me either.

Attention: This review contains minor spoilers for the first book of the trilogy!

One of Us Is Next

One of Us Is Next takes place 18 months after the events of One of Us Is Lying. The Bayview four have graduated, but a new gossip king is terrorizing their old high school. This time, an anonymous person sends Truth or Dare questions. If a student refuses to play or if they pick truth, a horrible secret is revealed to the entire school. But dares do come at a price as well…

This book has three protagonists: Maeve, Bronwyn’s younger sister who we already met in part one; her best friend Knox; and Phoebe with whom both others are somewhat vaguely acquainted. Can they figure out who is behind this new lethal game?

An adequate sequel

I quite liked this sequel. Did it blow my mind like the first one did? Unfortunately, not. However, I have to admit it took me until about 80% of the book before I had an “aha” moment and even then I wasn’t sure I wasn’t simply getting paranoid. Could be that I’m rather slow, but I hadn’t seen the full picture until then.

The story is clearly slower than the first one and it takes a while for the action to start. I did appreciate the characters though (their friendships and struggles seemed very real) and I also loved that some of the original characters made appearances too.

One of Us Is Next is marketed as the second book in the series, but could in theory also be read as a stand-alone. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t advise it. I think the story is more powerful if you have read the first novel and this contains major spoilers for One of Us Is Lying.

Although this book was not as amazing as the first part of the series, I greatly enjoyed reading it. Three out of five gemstones:

Age Category: young adult but also suitable for an older audience

Representation:  gay supporting characters

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Mild. Warnings for bullying and alcohol abuse.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Paperback Edition

Amazon.nl: Hardcover Edition

If you like this series, you might want to check out the TV show by the same name. Aaaaand *drumroll* it has been confirmed that the TV series is renewed for a second series! This will NOT follow the plot of One of Us Is Next, though, meaning that we’re up for some additional new storylines <3 Update: Definitely check out the second season as well, it was amazing!

Similar to this

If you are also sold to the One of Us Is Lying Series, I have some good news for you. Part three, One of Us Is Back, is expected to be published in 2023!

Karen M. McManus has also published various stand-alone YA thrillers. The next one on my TBR list is Two Can Keep a Secret. It tells the tale of Ellery who moves to a small town which might be “picture-perfect” but which has its own secrets to hide. Ellery soon learns that everyone is hiding secrets but that it’s always safest to keep them to yourself. Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?

A while ago, I read another YA thriller which vaguely reminded me of this series. I’m talking about They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. While it might not be my all-time favourite, it’s definitely a stand-alone to check out if you are into high school mysteries. Check out my review here.