This week we are discussing One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Chapters 1- 10.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post contains spoilers for One of Us is Lying.
Trigger Warning!!! Death, Mention of Suicide
Discussion:
Jacilyn: Hello friends, and welcome to our first discussion of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. We chose this book for October as a play on the “murder mystery” theme that are perfectly on-brand for the Halloween season. We’ve read a book featuring two points of view, but this one has four and they all have the potential to be unreliable. Can we trust what we’re reading? Or are there more secrets under the surface? This book recently received a sequel, as well, so we can look forward to reading more!
Like Michaela mentioned in pre-read thoughts, we start out with a very Breakfast Club-esque set-up; in Mr. Avery’s detention we find the jock (Conner), the popular girl (Addy), the troublemaker (Nate), the school gossip (Simon), and the “know-it-all” (Bronwyn). Five enter alive, and one leaves dead. Dunn dun dunnnnnnn.
Michaela: I am super here for this concept. I love things like Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars. I love the drama and suspense. Reading from four different points of view started out a little bit confusing, as any multiple POV’s can be, but after I got used to it I found that I love it. I’m really enjoying getting a look into their home lives and who they are outside their stereotypes. Don’t judge a book by its cover and all that. Reading through the lens of each main character makes it very interesting trying to figure out all the histories, relationships, and potential murderer(s). I find this type of story really intriguing and so far I think this book is doing a good job of filling the pages with interesting information and not just fluff to fill in the story. It seems like everything we’ve learned so far about each character is important for one reason or another.
Jacilyn: Y’know what, let's just jump right in. Do you think Simon was actually murdered? Personally, I’m not 100% sure yet. It’s possible. But, if he was murdered…. I don’t think it was at the hands of someone in detention. Honestly, with Simon being the creator of About That, any student who had something to hide is a potential suspect. I can’t imagine going to school where something like that exists. It was bad enough at our high school, where it was tiny and everyone knew each other’s business. I can imagine it felt like walking on eggshells at all times. There’s students like Leah, whose life was impacted so severely that she tried completing suicide, and then there’s students like Luis who seems to have just shrugged it off and kept moving on with his life. No one seems safe, that’s for sure.
I feel like About That really did start as a way to impress Jake. It seems like Simon got a taste of attention from outing the students who were sexually harassing those girls, which was something that does have noble intentions. And maybe when his friendship with Jake didn’t rekindle, he ended up taking it too far. Not that it’s an excuse to ruin the lives of everyone around you. But I feel for him a bit. And I feel for Cooper, Nate, Addy, and Bronwyn. They all have fucked up lives in some way or another.
Michaela: I’m not completely sure Simon was murdered but I also think it's really weird circumstances that his water bottle, which he takes everywhere because of his allergy, goes missing so he has to use a cup and it just happens to have peanut oil in it. I don’t know why a science classroom would be using peanut oil for experiments especially if there is a student allergic to nuts, I’m sure Simon isn’t the only one either.
I am really suspicious of the teacher, Mr. Avery, honestly. He obviously knew that the phones he found did not belong to those students and didn’t even care when Bronwyn took out her actual phone while he had the fake one in his desk! Like are you serious?! Flashbacks to all the teachers I’ve ever hated, for similar attitudes. He is also obsessed with the fact that the students use their cell phones like it's the worst sin in the world or something. Let it go man, technology advancement happens. Actually, for a very brief moment I was thinking Simon was faking everything to let the secrets creep their way out in a really dramatic way but I do not think that’s actually what is happening. That’s a step too far for this book I think…...or is it…...
High school is such a challenging time and having Simon’s app looming over their heads cannot make it easier. I hated that in our tiny high school everyone was on top of other people’s business. It was hard for anyone to go through any break up, having bad grades, or even private family issues, which I went through, without everyone knowing everything within a few hours. I don’t think Simon would have had very many friends in the school, it seems to me that he valued spreading secrets to the public over keeping friends. No one has mentioned Simon feeling bad about what Leah went through because of him either. So he doesn’t seem to experience much remorse for outing people. Simon seemed to like attention over relationships no matter if it was negative or positive attention.
Obviously some people bounce back really quickly from secrets and scandals, like Luis, but others don’t, like Addy. It’s clearly going to take a long time for Addy to come back from this and Luis, who did something similar, came back to popularity within a few days it seems. Cooper pointed that out to us. Such a double standard and it infuriates me so much.
Jacilyn: It seems like the police think that the peanut oil was put into the cup AFTER he got his water, but…. It makes way more sense to me if the peanut oil was put there BEFORE detention? All four of the other detention attendees had reasons to want Simon to go away, but it would be incredibly ridiculous to put yourself in the same place when Simon is murdered. I also have two different theories about the Tumblr poster; either they did commit the murder and framed the other four students by planting those phones, or they didn’t commit the murder at all and they’re just trolling. I could honestly see it going both ways.
Okay, I had the exact same thoughts about Mr. Avery! Hear me out. He refuses to let the students go when the phones were clearly planted. That crash happens and he runs out of the room so he’s not there when Simon drinks the water. And the cups were in HIS room. He had access to them. They also said that he searches everyone’s backpacks when they enter his classroom…. What if he took Simon’s epipen then? He would also have unchecked access to the nurse’s office, also. There’s just so many opportunities for him to have been involved.
Michaela: My problem with putting the peanut oil there before is that the sink had multiple beakers and cups around it so did they put it in each vessel or just hope that he picks the right one? Too many variables for me on that one. I agree that it would be ridiculous to be in the same place as when the murder takes place but we aren’t talking about seasoned assassins here so whoever it was might not be thinking through everything because they’re working with emotions and not logic. I think the Tumblr poster can go either way really. I think it’s more interesting if they are the killer and are one of the four but we can only wait and see.
Mr. Avery is the most suspicious to me by far. All the students have reason to want to get Simon out of the way but, to me, none of them seem to have good enough reason for such a drastic action. I think it's very possible for Mr. Avery to have taken all of the Epi-pens in the nurse’s office earlier that day and from Simon’s bag.
The police don’t seem to be questioning him as far as any of the four are considered which is some bullshit. Also, can we talk about how accusatory the police are being to teenagers?! I hate all the detectives we’ve met so far, none of them are actually trying to help the students.
Jacilyn: The tactics the detectives are using against the students are horribly manipulative. They’re kids. I’m honestly shocked that none of them broke and just started throwing around accusations to keep themselves safe, at least as far as we know. It happens all the time in real life, and leads to wrongful convictions more than people know. I’ve come to like all of the main characters in some way, but I have to remember that one or more of them are unreliable narrators and therefore, we’re definitely not getting the whole story.
I relate particularly to Bronwyn and Nate. Bronwyn has shouldered the burdens of her family’s academic expectations to keep Maeve away from the stressful pressure. Her whole life rides on her academic excellence, at least as far as her parents are concerned, and her anxiety and need for control definitely comes from that. And Nate has an alcoholic father who is completely absent as a parent, and a mother who has issues with addiction and mental health and has completely abandoned the family. His criminal activities are really just ways for him to survive and cope. Of course, my experience isn’t exactly like them, but there are relatable aspects. The budding romance between the two of them gives me life. Nate obviously sees Bronwyn as someone who is safe and steady, and I think Nate is starting to make Bronwyn realize that it’s okay to make her own decisions and step outside of the lines sometimes.
Michaela: I hate how the detectives are very clearly trying to just make them confess to everything or blame another one. It's horrible. It doesn’t seem to me like they’re even looking for the truth, just something that will fit into their theory. Also, I think Nate is right in believing they want to use him as the scapegoat. I don’t think the detectives are hiding it either. Whatever is easiest apparently, who cares about who actually did it? *eye rolls* So many things are wrong with the justice system in this book and in the real world.
The romance between Bronwyn and Nate is my jam, so here for it. I definitely relate to Bronwyn and Nate the most out of the four, though my life hasn’t been exactly like theirs have been. I’ve never been really sporty or popular so I don’t relate to Cooper or Addy very much at all, though I do understand where they come from. I think most people know what it's like to either have overbearing parents or absent parents in some way or another. I don’t fault any of the characters for how they’ve handled the pressures put on them by their families or family situations, it’s how they know how to cope. Doesn’t matter if it's the healthiest way or not, it’s all they know and they had to figure out on their own. Bronwyn needs to be in control because her sister's sickness was uncontrollable to her. Nate does what he can to keep a somewhat comfortable existence such as having food and electricity. Cooper is trying to exist outside of this very planned out future his father has for him. Addy is trying to not be her mother and doesn’t really know how to be fully independent.
The most troubling to me out of all of them is Addy. At first I thought Jake was really nice and considerate but after getting to know him a little bit more he is actually really manipulative and Addy is so afraid of being rejected and being alone that she let’s it happen. It’s not even that she doesn’t see it because she does, she just doesn’t want to lose him. His reaction to her admitting to having cheated was so troubling and I almost wanted to cry with Addy. That would be so, so scary to be in the same room with. I don’t support cheating on a partner but the reaction he aimed at her was not okay.
Jacilyn: Jake is 100% abusive. Ashton sees what’s going on. She’s trying to get Addy to see how toxic it is, but she won’t do it. Their mother has conditioned her to find her worth in the men she’s with. She only feels like she’s worth anything because she has Jake. He controls their social life, the things she wears, she never turns down sex…. He *acts* like he’s giving her a choice, but that’s never the case. When she told him the truth and he says he treats her like a queen… I wanted to puke. And punching the wall like that? Red flag. That’s abuse. There’s no way around it. Addy deserves way better.
Do you think Cooper is actually using steroids? I can’t really tell yet. He’s kind of hinted both ways, as far as I’ve been able to tell. But he’s clearly cheating on Keely. And I feel like there’s something more to that affair. We don’t know much about it yet… just that the person’s name is Kris. Cooper honestly seems really sweet, and it’s clear that the pressure his father has put on him from such a young age is really heavy on him. They moved away from comfort and apparent happiness in life just so that Cooper can be somewhere he can have a better chance of being scoped out for minor leagues? How can you put that pressure on a fucking child? So far, I feel like him and Bronwyn are hiding the most. Bronwyn admits that she cheated to her parents, but she lied to her dad when he asked if there’s anything else she has against Simon.
Nate doesn’t really have any secrets, except the fact that his mom didn’t actually die in a car accident. Everyone knows he deals drugs. Even his parole officer. Who, by the way, is the only person who seems to care about him, as far as adults go. Addy’s secret is out. So is Bronwyn’s, apparently, and Cooper is questionable. I don’t want any of them to end up being the culprit, honestly. I’m becoming attached to them all, which is of course the point.
Michaela: You said, girl! Totally agree with all of what you said. So many red flags. Jake is 100% trash, throw the whole man away! It really hurts to watch Addy go through this and she clearly has no friends to talk about it with either. At least her sister seems to actually be supportive right now, unfortunately their Mom seems to be useless with this stuff.
I feel doubtful that Cooper is using steroids. I thought possibly Cooper’s dad has been slipping him some but that seems like it could be far fetched but parents can be that extreme sometimes. I think Cooper’s main secret, or the one he’s most afraid of getting out, is him cheating on Keely. He was relieved when he saw that Simon was writing about steroids and not him cheating. I really feel for Cooper with having moved so far away from the home he loved and then the pressure being put on him. I’m really confused as to why he’s cheating though. Does his family expect him to date someone like Keely? Or maybe Kris actually is another boy from baseball that he has feelings for and he’s feels like he needs to hide his sexuality? I’m not sure. I’m very confused about it right now, I need more information!
Bronwyn’s lie about not holding anything else against Simon threw me for a loop. Such a small sentence with so much meaning. I have no idea what her other secret would be. I wonder if all four of them have two secrets they’re hiding rather than just the one that Simon was writing about. Addy’s secret so far seems to have just been her one night thing with TJ but who knows, maybe that’s just what’s important to her right now. Nate really doesn’t seem to have secrets and I don’t know that anyone finding out about his mom would trouble him that much that he would want to get rid of Simon. Right now I don’t think it was Nate, but everyone else is up in the air for me really. I’m so glad that Nate has his parole officer at least, he needs some adult.
I’m also getting really attached to all of them, even though I don’t agree with all their choices. They all need a hug, a hot chocolate, and someone to talk to, that’s for sure.
Jacilyn: I have the unfortunate feeling that all of this is going to be pinned on Nate in some way, because of his extracurricular activities. And the fact that he has multiple burner phones laying around…. Unfortunately, the police are going to see that and find it suspicious. So at this point in the story, we really don’t have any evidence pointing conclusively to anyone. I’m dying to know the tea about Kris and whatever Bronwyn’s other secret is, so I’m excited to keep reading.
What do you all think? Does someone seem extra suspicious? Do you have an idea what Bronwyn’s other secret is? What are your theories of who did it? Let us know in the comments below!
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