One of Us Is Lying

Finished December 22
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

This teen novel begins with five high school students held for detention for having their phones in class. The odd thing is that all of them had the phones planted on them. Their own phones were in their lockers as they were supposed to be. When one of them collapses after drinking a glass of water, showing the symptoms of anaphylactic shock, the rest react in different ways. Some remain calm and some panic, not knowing what to do. The young man, Simon, dies as a result of the situation and many odd circumstances lead to a murder inquiry.
Simon had many enemies, mostly from his writing and publishing an online and print gossip newsletter. The history of the newsletter is that most of the gossip turns out to be true. There have been rumours that he was about to publish revealing stories about each of the four students in detention with him. And how is it that all of the Epi-Pens in the school nurse's office are missing?
As we get to know the four students, we find that they are all hiding something.
Bronwyn is an A student, with plans to follow in her parents' footsteps with a Yale education. She is very close to her younger sister, who has had health issues. Her drive to please her parents is strong, but would she compromise herself to succeed?
Addy is a popular girl, a winner of beauty pageants, and girlfriend of one of the most popular boys in school. Addy's mother is divorced and struggling to keep her much younger boyfriend. Her older sister's marriage is having issues, and Addy sometimes feels her life is not her own due to her controlling boyfriend. Does she ever rebel against this control?
Cooper is a star baseball player, whose game has improved significantly lately. There is lots of interest from scouts, and he is at a critical moment that will determine his future. What would he sacrifice to ensure that future?
Nate is a young offender. His father is a barely functioning alcoholic and his mother isn't in the picture. Nate must find money to keep his home and stay out of trouble with the law under his probation. But someone needs to pay for necessities and how can Nate do that?
Lots of motives, lots of secrets, lots of lies and misleading clues. A story that will keep you guessing.

Who I Kissed

Finished April 27
Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler

This teen novel tells the story of Samantha, a young swimmer at the top of her game. Her father and her have moved to a new community in the same area to allow her to work with a better coach, and she is hoping for a new start there and a chance to make the nationals. When one of her team members invites her to a party she goes, but something happens there that changes her life forever. She kisses a boy she meets (something she has never done before), who then has an asthma attack and dies. She finds out he is highly allergic to nuts, and she had eaten a peanut butter sandwich before the party. Her feelings of guilt paralyze her and she begins withdrawing into herself. How her situation leads her down other avenues, good and bad, that she wouldn't have otherwise gone down shows the emotions that often affect teens. We also see how Samantha's own history has affected her choices.
The author's own son has both strong nut allergies and asthma and this led her to the idea for this story.