Review of One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

McManus, Karen M.  One of Us is Next.  Delacorte, 2020.

After the tragic death of Simon Kelleher, the “Bayview Four” were cleared of all charges, and they graduated and moved on with their lives.  Even though Simon’s “About That” gossip app has disappeared, people in the suburb of Bayview, near San Diego, have not forgotten what happened a year prior.

Someone wants to keep playing the shaming game and has started group-texting students at Bayview HS.  Students are being coerced into taking part in an online game of “Truth or Dare”.  The first dare taken is harmless, but the second dare falls on Phoebe’s shoulders.   The truth revealed when she doesn’t take the dare is a piece of gossip that causes the whole school to shame her.  The next victim is Maeve, the sister of one of the original “Bayview Four”.  She ignores the dare, and her former boyfriend, Knox, who is now her friend, is ridiculed and harassed when her truth is revealed.  The next dare is taken, and it results in a student’s death.

Despite each facing personal problems, Maeve, Phoebe, and Knox work together to discover who is behind the new game while following anonymous threatening posts on a Reddit site.  At the same time, Knox, who works at “Until Proven”, a local law firm, tries to figure out who is sending anonymous death threats to their office.  Could the game and the death threats be connected?

This companion novel to One of Us Is Lying is written in chapters of three different viewpoints, that of Maeve, Phoebe and Knox.  However, some of the characters in the first book do show up in this sequel.  All three main characters are going through some family and personal issues.  Maeve is worried about her leukemia coming back; Knox feels he is not valued by his father; and Phoebe is dealing with her father’s sudden death.

The pacing of the novel is quick and full of action.  Although there are a lot of characters in the book, there are a lot of diverse personalities—a family who owns a Hispanic restaurant, a gay baseball player and his boyfriend, and Maeve’s Columbian ancestry.  The tech elements keep the plot fresh and new.  There are many underlying themes within the book—bullying, sexual harassment, slut-shaming, forgiveness, and criminal justice issues.  Although this is a mystery, there is no lack of romance, so those readers will not be disappointed.  There are plenty of twists, turns, and shocking moments to keep readers engaged and the pages turning.

One of Us Is Next will keep the reader guessing until the very end!  Hand this edition to those who read the first book, fans of the Gossip Girls series, and those looking for a suspense novel.  I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries, and I give it five out of five fleur de lis!

Review of Thin Space by Jody Casella

Casella, Jody.  Thin Space.  Simon and Schuster, 2013.

Marsh Windsor loses his twin brother, Austin, in a car accident in which he is the driver.  He feels extreme remorse and guilt over what has happened and wishes he had been the one to die, instead.  After getting out of the hospital, Marsh begins to hunt for a “thin space”—a type of doorway where living people can enter the world of the dead and where the dead can return.  Mrs. Hansel, his neighbor, told him that she had a thin space in her house before she died.  Marsh’s goal is to find a thin space, go through, and change places with his dead brother.

Marsh has been looking for a thin space by going barefoot because that is the only way to pass through.  He has given up all his activities at school and is getting in a lot of fights.  His school counselor, Mrs. Golden, who also lives on his street, has taken an interest in him and his altered personality.

When a new family moves into Mrs. Hansel’s vacant house, Marsh feels like this is his ticket to get in and look for the thin space.  Maddie, his new neighbor, tries to help him by doing research on thin spaces because she would like to see her late father again.

The pair eventually find a thin space right when they are about to give up.  However, Mrs. Golden has already found the space and has crossed over to see her dead husband.

Thin Space, the author’s debut novel, starts out as realistic fiction and ends up being a paranormal story.  The novel is extremely character-driven.  The guilt and grief that Marsh feels for the part he played in his brother’s death is so thick that they practically ooze off the page.  He is insanely obsessed with finding a way to reach his brother in order to avenge his death.

Marsh’s new neighbor, Maddie, is a strong female character.  Although she seems vulnerable, she is more than able to take care of herself.  She urges Marsh to keep up his search, even as he is wavering.

There is a huge twist that happens at the end of the story that I did not see coming.  As I look back, all the signs were there, but I missed every one of them!   Additionally, the last line of the book is genius!  I highly recommend this novel for high school and public libraries.  I give it five out of five fleur de lis!