One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Next

by Karen M. McManus
Published: Delacorte Press, 2020
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

Here's a little advice for the next time we play: Always pick Dare.

About the book

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it's not an app, though—it's a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.

Review

One of Us is Next is a fast-paced, thrilling follow-up to the best seller One of Us is Lying.

Like the first book, One of Us is Next follows a group of students at Bayview High School must play what ends up as a deadly game of Truth or Dare. This is similar to the plot of the first novel in which Simon's blog exposes dark secrets, but in the sequel students must decide between the Unknown Person reveling a secret or completing a dare. 

Though containing some of the same characters as the first novel, new personalities are introduced to the storyline, such as feisty Phoebe and sweet Knox. The narrators are switched between Maeve (Bronwyn’s sister), Phoebe, Addy and Knox. I feel like this structure helps in keeping the story moving along quickly while keeping it interesting. The characters and their relationships amongst each other felt real; I especially enjoyed Knox and Maeve.

The plot, which is appealing, does kind of fall towards the end as the story takes on a hint of unbelievability towards the climax. This issue is the main reason why I rated it four stars instead of five. 

I really enjoyed One of Us is Next and recommend it to those who enjoyed the first book. 

RATING (out of five puppies)