One of us is lying

Not just a review…

What are freshly minted teens reading?

One of us is Lying by Karen.M.McManus

This one has swept Netflix as an engaging teen drama! Ooh yes! The book has mind blowing reviews and when I saw it exchange hands with amused smiles and raised eyebrows at school bus stops; I knew I had to get my hands on it.

As a facilitator of teen reading clubs, I’m always curious to know what’s on the grapevine. Seems I’m a little late to the party but it’s never too late. Right?

The book is a fantastic read. It does falter in between but then it’s also a page turner. For a debut novel, it’s done amazingly well! The characters are well thought of and young audiences instantly connect to them and get hooked to the story line.

Blurb – A Geek, A Jock, A Criminal, A princess. A MURDER! Who would you believe? Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule. Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond. Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime. Prom Queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.

An outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about them again. He dies 24hrs before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.

It’s interesting how authors are adapting at mixing entertainment and deeper underlying messages. At the surface, the bk feels just that. A fun, gripping read but it’s take on “creative crime”, being an outsider, desperately wanting to be part of the cool clan and how it affects one and what lengths is one ready to go for it is an eye-opener.

The social media has affected the life of multitudes of teenagers and it’s not going to slow down. However, open conversations, good counseling and being part of activities that take one away from the screen might be helpful. Sports ( especially team sports), theatre, drawing…..hobbies need to be encouraged. I do not mean that we need to fill up the calendars of our kids with constant enrichment programs but we definitely need to encourage them to pursue physical and mental activities other than academics.

My daughter’s friend asked me – “Aunty, why don’t you include such works in your reading club?” The answer is simple, I need to push them to read stuff which they won’t generally pick up or are not aware of. Also, something which their parents are willing to pay for. However, an idea just seeped in. How about I include such a book as a bonus read? Four sessions for a meatier work and one for this? Will that work? What are your thoughts dear reader?

Book rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟