Synopsis:
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.
Review:
When I saw One of Us Is Next is a sequel, I wondered what they could do next with the original characters. I’d only seen the TV show until I read the first book last year and as that ends completely differently, I did wonder if the second book would follow a similar story. Instead, it follows a new group of characters, one of which being Bronwyn’s sister Maeve. This was a really nice way of linking the second book to the original group without drawing out their stories further.
I wouldn’t say I loved this book, but I do think it was a good sequel. With just three character narrations to follow this time, I found I was a little more invested and I think all three narrators did a great job. Knox’s narrator sounded so familiar to me, almost nostalgic, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen or listened to anything he’s done before.
Anyway, I thought the truth or dare game was a very inventive way of continuing the gossip that Simon loved to spread but in a way that felt much more high stakes. There is a part of me that hates that Phoebe was the only main character that had actually done something bad, but the budding friendship between her and Knox was my favourite part of One of Us Is Next – Knox was such a great guy, he deserves the world.
If the ending wasn’t so explosive (pun intended), I don’t think I’d be giving this book more than three stars, but the stakes were raised extremely high and the action really brought this book to life.
I do think a lot of One of Us Is Next could have been cut and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. There’s a lot of filler. I would have liked to see more of the truth or dare game and the fallout it caused – there is a pretty severe incident though and that’s when it really gets interesting.
I’m now really looking forward to listening to the final book in this series. From what I can tell, it brings all of the characters together, and I’m always up for more Robbie Daymond in my life.
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