Audiobook Review: One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on May 11, 2020 | 1 Comment


Audiobook Review: One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManusOne of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
Series: One of Us is Lying #2
Published by Delacorte (1.7.2020)
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 377 pages
Length: 10 hours 24 minutes
Narrator: Fred Berman, Holly Linneman, Karissa Vacker, Maria Liatis
Source: Library


3 Stars

Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this.

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.

My thoughts

I really enjoyed One of Us is Lying, but sadly this one didn’t quite have the same magic. I adored the characters in the first book (and the amazing narrators brought them to life and gave them unique and distinct personalities), but I struggled with the characters in the sequel. Honestly, for the first half of the book I kept getting Maeve and Phoebe mixed up. Their narrators sounded too similar, and I had trouble keeping them separate in my head. I had to constantly remind myself who was who. The story also dragged really bad in the first half and felt rushed at the end.

Sadly, One of Us is Next was not memorable like One of Us is Lying was. Even months later, that one is still stuck in my head. A few weeks after finishing this one and I’ve already forgotten the majority of what happened. I had already forgotten the major reveal and how the book ended – I had to look it up to refresh my memory! There was a big twist ending on a cliffhanger at the very end that seemed farfetched to me, and I felt completely underwhelmed with the ending. I don’t know that I’ll bother reading a third book.

Overall, this book was forgettable. I still enjoyed it for the most part while I was reading, but it definitely won’t stick with me. Honestly, I feel like One of Us is Lying should have been a standalone and this one should have been completely new characters in a new setting.

The audio

The audio was still good, but I feel like Maeve and Pheobe’s narrators could have differed a bit more to make them more distinguishable from one another. Other than that, it was pretty good. I really enjoyed Knox’s narrator, Fred  (who was also in Daisy Jones & the Six).

Overall Assessment

Plot: 2.5/5
Premise: 3/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Originality: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 2.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Narration: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 3/5

Jessi (Geo)

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