That... ENDING!! OMG. I don't even know what to do. I didn't think anything could be more shocking than Simon's story from the first book, but wow. I am floored. I did not see it coming at all, and trust me, I was speculating this whole book.
Rating: ★★★★☆
I should preface this review by saying that I gave One of Us Is Lying 3 stars. I thought it was kinda basic, but in retrospect I think I was too harsh with it. I won't change my rating now, I would need to reread it to do that in good faith, but I do believe that if I read the actual book (not listen to the audiobook as I did the first time) I would give it a higher rating.
This book, however, did not disappoint. This series is entirely up my alley of the Pretty Little Liars / Gossip Girl brand of high school drama supplemented by secretive gossip blogs. Seriously, if you want to read this series, DO NOT LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK. If at all possible, read the book in its natural form. The audiobook isn't bad, per se, but the book IMO is much more impactful when you read it via eyeballs.
The justice system works very differently when you're white, male, rich, and good-looking.
PREACH.
Okay, so having admitted my caveat with the first book, I should mention that there might also just be things about this book that I liked more than the first one. First of all, I think I like these characters more. Bronwyn and the other three of the Bayview 4 grew on me, but I wasn't upset that this book focused on a different group. I particularly liked Knox, I thought he was hilarious and sweet, even if he was petty at some points (because honestly, who isn't?). I really liked his style of narration, and I also appreciated Maeve's POV. Maeve actually reminded me a lot of a girl I know IRL, so it was fun reading her. Phoebe was my least favorite narrator, but she too grew on me throughout the book to the point where I was totally shipping her with her LI at the end of the novel.
Let's talk plot. As with all other teen dramas, this book has a healthy (unhealthy?) amount of cheese. But, I loved it. I was living for those cheesy, unrealistic movie moments. Just because it wouldn't happen in my life doesn't mean I don't appreciate it in their lives!! Also, as for the mystery portion of the story, I am still stunned. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, they throw a curveball in there in the last three pages!! The utter audacity. It was wonderful. Beyond that (the ending specifically), I was just really invested in this story. I wasn't bored, I didn't find it basic, and all in all I devoured it.
Brief things I didn't love: the author, in this book and others, has the tendency to overdescribe teenage boys' hotness. Not like with one, grossly descriptive paragraph, but like every time said guy comes into a scene the internal monologue is like "he's just so hot I can't even" or "I almost forgot how hot he was" or "his T shirt fit his arms ridiculously well". Like, we get it, he's hot, moving on. I know this is not right for me to think, but it gets me thinking "does she only like him because he's hot?" I just feel like much more time is spent talking about these boys' physical attributes instead of the fact that they are sweet and funny, which they are, given their actions (Luis, I'm looking at you).
Other than that, some of the plot was a little convenient. Like SPOILER: the fact that the handwriting font was the same for the death threats Eli was getting and for the note Phoebe got. It just seems too obvious, and like they could've figured out the notes were from the same source with some less obvious clue. END SPOILER This rarely distracted from my enjoyment though, and overall I was quite pleased with this read.
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