One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying

By Karen M. McManus

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • There's a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there's a whole new set of rules. The highly anticipated sequel to One of Us Is Lying!

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 the rules have changed.

Fans of the hit thriller that started it all can watch the secrets of the Bayview Four be revealed in the One of Us is Lying TV series now streaming on NBC's Peacock!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780525707981

Reviews for One of Us Is Next

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This sequel picks up 18 months after the events in One of Us Is Lying. It takes a similar format, someone is sharing gossip about high school students and that leads to an unexpected death. It was fun to see how the characters from the first book were doing. It’s definitely more predictable than the first and pulls the major plot twist straight from a classic film, but it’s still entertaining. Recommended if you enjoyed the first book, but it’s not quite as good.

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This young adult book was a fun and intriguing read. In this sequel to the book "One of Us is Lying," some of the characters are carried through though most are new to us. There is a new social network game called Truth or Dare that quickly escalated, resulting in one teen's death. There are a number of unexpected twists in the story with a very dramatic ending.

[marykuhl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The sequel to One of Us Is Lying. The Bayview Four have graduated and moved on, but a new "Unknown" is taking over with a game of Truth or Dare that turns deadly. Maeve, one of the Bayview Fours little sister gets targeted by unknown and along the way she makes friends that she never let herself make before. Alternating between Maeve, Knox & Phoebe this book doesn't disappoint.

[michael frederick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this book was dull of some sort. not much action happening

[shellypya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A year after the Bayview four were cleared of Simon Kelleher's death, a new mystery has cropped up--a game with dangerous consequences that's targeting students at Bayview again. And if the creator isn't found soon, dangerous could prove deadly.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t really remember the first story and characters but that didn’t really matter because this featured different characters and different plot lines. This was hard to put down because each chapter ended on a cliff hanger. Even though the story was serious with cyber bullying there were some funny parts lightening the mood.

[sapphiremoonlight23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yay! This book was awesome :)

[quinton.baran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked this sequel - I think I liked it better then then first book. I was pretty engaged after the first couple of chapters, which established the new focus point characters. I liked that I was able to follow along, and make some good guesses about what was happening - a mystery that is unsolvable because of information that isn't given can be very frustrating (that wasn't the case here).

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of Us is Next did not fall short of my expectations, in fact it exceeded my expectations!!

I loved all the characters in this book and it surprised me until the very last page :)

[sarah220-732610 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the first book and quite liked this one as well. It has several characters from the first book and again it is told from multiple perspectives and there is someone who is playing a nasty game of Truth or Dare. Eventually a Dare leads to a death and the mystery becomes more serious. It actually takes a pretty surprising turn that I did not see coming. I think it lost a star because it didn't feel as innovative as the first book and the characters were a bit more annoying and dumb. Probably very realistic teenagers but I get enough of "real" teenagers at work so I want my fictional ones to have some more redeeming characters. Although it might be just that I read the last half of the book in one sitting but the last few pages on the next day so it sort of interrupted my emotional connection with the characters. I would still recommend it if you enjoyed the first book.

[carol420 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a sequel to [One of Us Is Lying]. It appears that it will become a trilogy perhaps and not a series but they need to be read in order or the reader will be completely lost. This one picks up a little over a year after the events of book one. The original Bayview four have graduated and a new set of Bayview students are up to play the game. Where the first book focused almost entirely on the “Truth or Dare” game…this time there were a lot of side stories that made the game almost seem like a sideline. It was still an “okay” story but I didn’t like these characters very much. During the time that I went into High Schools and Middle Schools when I was in the education field…I saw far too much of this behavior displayed and swept under the rug. The ending was also fairly predicable by the middle of the story.

[genieinanovel-389828 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

That ending...

[sheila1957 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bayview High is still having problems. This time it is the younger students from One of Us is Lying. Simon's website if revive and so is the game Truth or Dare. Trouble and death ensue leading to a stunning conclusion that I did not see until the last two pages. I cannot wait for the last book of this trilogy.I like these characters (well, the main ones at least.) The parents are a little more prevalent in this book but not intrusive. The kids still need to solve their problems on their own. I liked how the solution was found to the perpetrator but it was dangerous and I was on the edge of my seat. I also enjoyed watching new friendships form and hope a few go beyond just friends. Like I said I cannot wait to read book 3.

[librarianryan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't say what it’s about without giving anything away, but I think it is true to life. Without giving anything away what should a reader expect: a story that is part Nerve and part gossip girl, but all truth or dare. I really enjoyed this book and know others will to.#LitsyAtoZYA#Popsugar#beatthebacklist

[fred_mouse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Does a really good job of following on from One of Us is Lying. Not as strong, partly because it takes a very long time to set up the death that the reader knows is coming, while making things unpleasant for a lot of people, and I found that stressful. Having said that, McManus does an amazing job at looking at how life has changed for the people, the school, and the community affected by the events in the first book. And creating a new lot of characters which are beautifully rounded for the reader to love, while allowing several of the existing ones smaller roles. Content warning: extreme bullying, shaming people for both sexual activity and lack there of, possibly some body shaming

[lflareads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of Us is Next did not fall short of my expectations! Karen McManus is an author I can always count on to challenge my thoughts and emotions throughout the plot. Of course, I like to think of myself as quite the solver of crimes, but the twists and turns take you on an adventure you did not expect with suspects and underlying stories twisting together to create this crazy guessing game.

After One of Us is Lying and Simon’s death, I was convinced Bayview High would have learned some lessons about technology use and gossip forums, but this is not the fact of the matter, as a Truth or Dare game enters into the student body social media connections and just like “lemmings” the students latch on and do not let go. Simon’s revenge forum ignites with students waiting for the truth or dare, secretly interested in what they may find out and enjoying the dare task completion. The principal is in the dark, as is the parent community, as they are blinded believing their “zero-tolerance policy toward gossip and bullying has proven highly effective” (108).

Will the game stop before lives are altered forever? Will Bayview pull together or continue to act like “lemmings” encouraging the gossip and hurt amongst their own?

I highly recommend One of Us is Next! Must read!

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this sequel to One of Us is Lying, and revisiting the characters. In this novel, someone is out for revenge and decides to play a nasty game of Truth or Date.This is an intricate novel of teenage angst, coming of age, teen romance, revenge, and the dangers of social media and too much text communication. Widespread rumors ruining reputations are too easy on technology platforms.#One OfUsIsNext #KarenMMcManus