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.

I’m still reeling from the twist at the end of this book. I’m just mind-blown guys.

One of Us is Next is Karen M. McManus’s third book and the sequel to her first mystery/thriller, One of Us is Lying. It takes place 18 months after the events at Bayview High, only now there’s a new “Simon” and he’s playing a game of Truth or Dare with the students. Hint: always take the Dare. In this we follow Phoebe, Knox, and Maeve as their lives are affected by this new game.

I was sucked right into the story and could easily visualize all that was happening with this characters as if I was right there with them witnessing it all. For the most part I did enjoy these newcomers and even some of the side characters. Of course, there were those whom I couldn’t stand – Sean, Jules, and Brandon are just a few. The standout side character was Phoebe and Emma’s younger brother, Owen, and honestly I would love to see a book starring him sometime in the future. I might be the only one who feels this way though (but if not, please let me know I’m not alone!).

As you can see, I got a bit excited after I finished the book.

So yet again, McManus kept me on my toes with this mystery, having me guess and wonder who could be behind the Truth or Dare game and why they were doing it. Overall, it was a great follow up to her first novel and I honestly would love to see more of these characters in the future, whether it’s another novel or shorts of their lives after all this.

While you don’t need to read One of Us is Lying to know what’s going on in this book, it helps because there are quite a few references to the first novel. It definitely made me want to go back and reread it, which I might do very soon.

Rating: 5/5 stars