One of Us is Next, Karen M. McManus’s sequel to One of Us is Lying, begins when a mysterious person creates a game of Truth or Dare to reignite Simon’s gossip legacy. The goal of the game is to force Bayview High students to either complete a dangerous dare or face the exposure of one of their deep secrets. Maeve, Bronwyn’s younger sister; Knox, Maeve’s best friend; and Phoebe, the first target of Bayview’s new threat, somehow find themselves working together to solve the mystery of who is behind the game, and why they would ever try to bring back something that triggers so many students’ bad memories.
One of Us is Next is written exactly how One of Us is Lying is, so if you liked the first book, you will absolutely love the sequel as well. However, because it follows a very similar storyline to One of Us is Lying, it becomes a bit predictable; it was much easier to guess who the culprit is in this sequel. That being said, McManus’s characters were on point yet again; the differences in their personalities yet their compatibility with each other makes reading the novel incredible. If One of Us is Next taught me one thing about high schoolers and people in general, it’s that as different as people can be, they will still unite and work together to conquer a challenge. This is evidently present in the duology. Combining the awesome characters with elaborate plots and at least a couple twists, One of Us is Next will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for the ending!