Plot
At Bayview High, Bronwyn, Simon, Nate, Cooper, and Addy attend detention with teacher Mr. Avery after he found mobile phones in each of their school bags, against his strict no-phone policy. The students were thought to have been framed because all of the students claim that the phones are not theirs and that someone has planted them there to get them in trouble. They hear a collision and some loud arguments in the school parking lot, and Mr. Avery leaves to investigate. Simon—creator of 'About That', an app that reveals secrets nobody knows about you in which the personal lives of students at Bayview High are posted for the rest of the school to see—begins a speech about the other four students and how he, through his app, is the omniscient narrator. He drinks tap-water from a plastic cup and suffers a fatal allergic reaction due to his peanut allergy. The others attempt to help, but it is too late and Simon dies in the hospital.
Initially, the incident is considered an accident, but after a Tumblr post claiming that Simon's death was planned and the killer watched him die is shared, the police begin to investigate and find an unpublished post by Simon that features the secrets of the other four students. Each of the secrets would affect the students' future: Bronwyn's cheating in chemistry class could impact her college applications; Nate's repeated misdemeanor could send him to jail; Addy's infidelity might end her relationship with Jake; and the accusation of steroid use could halt Cooper's potential baseball career. The four are initially suspicious of one another but begin to grow closer due to their shared situation.
The investigation receives media attention and the four are dubbed the "Bayview Four." After Simon's funeral, his post is leaked and the rest of the school learns the four's secrets, triggering the consequences: Bronwyn's parents are disappointed, Nate's house is searched for drugs, Addy's relationship ends, and Cooper's performance is investigated. This prompts Maeve, Bronwyn's younger sister, to investigate Simon's online activity, which brings to light an encrypted original post about Cooper, and Simon's activity on massacre-worship forums, where he mentions a similar desire.
Addy befriends Janae, Simon's friend. Bronwyn and Nate return to the latter's home to avoid the media and find his mother, who he claimed was dead, but who had in fact suffered from bipolar disorder and drug addiction and subsequently moved to Oregon, leaving Nate and his father behind. She claims to now be sober and wishes to reconcile with her son and help. The encrypted file regarding Cooper is opened by the police, revealing that the steroid accusations are false and that Cooper is actually gay. This in turn outs him, causing a rift between Cooper and his father, who is homophobic. When Cooper is bullied verbally in the cafeteria after this news is leaked, Nate defends him, and the group sits together, demonstrating their new solidarity and friendship. Evidence is found tying Nate to the murder and he is arrested. Bronwyn contacts Eli Kleinfelter, a lawyer she saw on television defending the Bayview Four on the crime show Mikhail Powers Investigates, asking him to help.
Janae hasn't been at school for a week and isn't responding to texts, so Addy goes to her home, where Janae confesses that Simon had been frustrated and angry for years that he wasn't more popular in high school, and so he rigged the Junior prom to become King. Jake heard him bragging about the plan and Simon was afraid he would be exposed, so he told Jake about Addy's infidelity with TJ. Simon then enlisted Jake's help with his suicide plan, telling Jake he could get even by framing Addy as Simon's murderer. Janae was supposed to plant the evidence on Addy, but when she couldn't bring herself to do it, she planted it on Nate instead. Jake has been harassing Janae for ruining the plan, and he arrives while Addy is still there. Addy attempts to record the conversation, but her phone rings, drawing Jake's attention. Addy runs into the woods but Jake follows, trying to strangle her and hit her over the head with a rock. Addy is saved by Cooper, who had accompanied her to the house and saw Jake arrive.
Jake is taken into custody. Janae accepts a plea bargain for her involvement, and Nate is released but is shaken from his time in the juvenile detention center, rejecting Bronwyn's concern and breaking off their relationship. Addy heals in the hospital and after, Ashton asks Addy to live with her, which Addy happily accepts. Cooper's college options begin to reappear and his relationship with his father starts to improve. Bronwyn applies to Yale and begins dating Evan Neiman, another student, though she does not consider it serious. She later finds Nate waiting for her after a major piano recital when he apologises for dismissing her. The story ends as she accepts his offer to a movie.
Reception
Reception of One of Us Is Lying has been mostly positive, receiving multiple awards and nominations, primarily within the Young Adult category. Reviewer Mary Cosola of Common Sense Media comments that the plot "raises lots of ethical questions" and "provides good discussion topics", receiving an overall rating of four-stars, with an age rating of 14+. [4] Nivea Serrao of Entertainment Weekly praises the author for the nuanced characters and their development, and for challenging the initial stereotypes, but notes that the slow reveal of the secrets leaves the reader with less time to engage with the ending's more fully developed characters. [5] USA Today said "This is no ordinary whodunit, and the author finds a way to make the resolution both surprising and relevant." [6] Kirkus Reviews acknowledges the "insights into common adolescent struggles" and "opportunities for self-reflection" for young readers, also rating the book for readers between 14 and 18, however criticizes that author's use of language and the plot, which they suggest "border on cliché". It also mentions how, although Bronwyn, Maeve, and their father's side of the family are Colombian, the cast is predominantly white. [7]
One of Us Is Lying has been described on several occasions as a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars . [8] [9] [2]
Awards and recognition
Nominations:
- A YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction Book nominee [19]
- A CBC Teen Choice Book Award nominee [20]
- A Goodreads Best Young Adult Book of the Year nominee [21]
