One of Us Is Lying

“Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club” (Entertainment Weekly) in this addictive mystery about what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive.

These book club questions are from the State Library of Louisiana Educator Discussion Guide, submitted by Kathryn Martin.

Book club questions for One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

What are some of the assumptions you made about the characters? How did those perceptions change?

What is the importance of social media in One of Us is Lying? What message do you think the author was trying to convey regarding social media?

Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?

What are some of the assumptions the characters make about each other at the beginning of the novel? How do those perceptions change?

What is the importance of traditional media in the novel? What message does the author convey about the media?

Was it important that this story be told with high school students? In other words, could the author have told the same story or conveyed the same messages with characters who were older or younger than the main characters of One of Us is Lying? Explain your answer.

If there was a fifth narrator in this novel, which character would you like it to be? Why?

What did you like about the novel? What did you dislike?

Of the secrets the main characters were keeping, whose surprised you most? Whose surprised you least? Why?

Do you feel the title is appropriate? Why or why not?

What do you think of the main characters’ parents? How do their relationships with their parents impact their experiences in this novel?

How would the characters’ lives have been different if they had been allowed to keep their secrets? Would things have been better or worse for them?

The John Hughes film that partly inspired this novel, The Breakfast Club, has one iconic song associated with it, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. What song would you pair with One of Us is Lying? Why?

Which character did you find to be the most compelling narrator? Why? 3

Several main characters in the book are dealing with unhealthy relationships and/or destructive behaviors. Select an example of either an unhealthy relationship or destructive behavior. Write about why this is unhealthy, ways it could get worse and, alternately, what could happen to improve the situation.

Through the book the character Addy changes a lot from the opening scene to the conclusion. Explain some of the changes Addy undergoes and why you believe she makes these changes. Use examples from the text to explain. Do you believe these were these good or bad changes? Why or why not?

Did you suspect Jake was involved at any point before it was revealed in the novel? Why or why not? What about Simon? Janae?

One of Us Is Lying Book Club Questions PDF

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