this is one of those books that is sadly very realistic and relatable. and in today society this is beginning to be more than worrying. the power dynamic and those that sh* on those down, or lesser than. the way manipulation and control is used to often and yes once again power, influence and money. also the way woman are treated at points in this book was stark but so real.
this book was more than relatable. it was like we were watching an actual story play out. the themes touched upon were brilliantly done and woven throughout the plot. we get to meet a cast of characters who each kind of represent something to take note of in this book.
its such a deep, gets you right stuck into it kind of book and i do love them.
its told via Martin who has worked hard to get where he is. he was once best buddies with Ben. but then somehow was dropped. left. not good enough?now years later Martin is wondering why he is suddenly being accepted back into the fold. can it be old friends re-meeting. or is there some other gains to be had?. what Martin knows is this could be the perfect and long needed time for him to expose the underbelly of his old chum and seemingly from what he goes on to see of the family some darker undertone to this clan.
we have his friend who is no vying for PM. His wife and his daughter all involved and with their own agendas or secrets. not to mention a disgraced Mp who is now somehow in the mix. can Martin finally show the world that not all glitters is gold. and break another rich and powerful clique from taking hold?
and is the death that invited Martin back to this family really without its suspicious natures?
a great and absorbing read. it really took me into the lives of our characters. i likes how many characters we got to know on such a level that you truly do feel you can see this working of this group.
the parallel to real life is sometimes jarring seeing it written down. but still important.
its a great book whether you are into political natured books or not so don't let that be a stopper on reading this book. because its really a tale of so much more. with so many more people and all their foibles and flaws to digest and figure out.
a great read. really enjoyed it.

I'll start this by saying this is a sequel of sorts; however, it can be read as a standalone.
It took me a little while to get into the swing of this story, as there were four POVs to get used to; however, that did not detract from the story's overall appeal.
It's a story of power and politics, with privilege thrown into the mix.
Martin is a man from a simple background. He's worked hard to get where he is now. Out of the blue, he is invited to the funeral of the sister of a man whom he once considered a best friend, but who he has, for the last few years, been persona non grata.
Serena is the wife of his old best friend, Ben, a man on a mission to become the next PM.
Richard is a disgraced MP who finds himself needed by Ben to fulfil his political ambitions.
Cosima (Cozzie) is the eco-activist, eldest daughter of Ben - Ironic since Ben is the current Eco Minister.
So, yes, Ben is the thread that binds them all, but it's the events that unfold, as well as the revelations from the past and the more recent events surrounding Ben's sister's death, that make for an enthralling read. Honestly, I was reading until 1 am, and had to put it down forcibly as I had an early start the next day.
I read several reviews that mentioned this being a funny read.
I'm not sure it was funny. Yes, some situations raised a laugh, but there were a lot more serious issues at hand.
The way money and power are used to belittle the opinions and feelings of those less fortunate, as well as the treatment of women by certain key characters, really didn't make me laugh.
There are serious issues regarding the environment, substance abuse, and SA and rape that feature in certain scenes, which are decidedly unfunny.
But, still, a good read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for an ARC.

An unflinching look at privilege and just how dirty it can get. The Fitzmaurice family have it all: wealth, beauty, power, status but it’s difficult to keep treading on the plebs to keep on top and dark secrets start to emerge which threaten everything. There’s some horrible people here but also lots of shades of godliness. Very funny, very readable and a cracking yarn.

Good book. I enjoyed it. First book I read by the author and Im looking forward to reading more.
Would recommend

One of Us is a brilliant book. I savoured it (and I usually speed read!), and I didn't want it to end.
I also loved the previous book, The Party, but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this.
Martin and Ben have been friends since school, when Ben stood up for Martin against bullies. Ben has aspirations to be PM, whilst Martin has always lived in his shadow.
Ostracised from Ben's family, Martin comes upon the perfect opportunity to show people what Ben and his clique are really like.
This book is full of well-written characters - wives, children, associates. I highly recommend!

I hadn't read The Party which was a disadvantage. I really didn't like the characters and found their whining boring. I managed a third of the book and realised I still had about 4 hours to read. At that point I gave up so apologies to the author as the book might have improved in the latter half. I enjoyed Magpies but not this one.

Fabulous follow up to ‘The Party’. Easy to read and keeps you engaged. I re read the first book but Day goes over the main events throughout the new book so it is not essential.

A very timely novel, whoch feels very of its time, focusing on the exploits of the Fitzmaurice family and their various acquaintances. Filled with characters you can only hate, it looks at the decisions we have to make to get where we want to in life, and the secrets and lies it takes to get there.

A really compelling novel, where the characters may not be people you would want to spend time with, but who certainly pique your interest.

One of Us is a triumph from Elizabeth Day, an intelligent, gripping, and layered novel that pulls you in from the very first page. The characters are all brilliantly written, each one richly drawn with their own complexities, flaws, and emotional depth. They feel real, which makes the story even more compelling.

The plot is engaging and propulsive, full of aspects that keep you turning the pages. That said, it’s also frustrating in the best possible way full of tension and ambiguity that leaves you questioning every character’s motives.

What surprised me most was finding out after finishing that this is actually a sequel. I had no idea while reading, it absolutely works as a standalone, but now I’m desperate to go back and read the first book. If this is the continuation, I can only imagine how good the beginning was.

All in all, One of Us is a compelling drama and another triumph from Elizabeth Day.

Thanks to 4th Estate for an advance copy.

Set in a world of privilege and society, One of Us is a tale of revenge and entitlement. There are numerous characters in the story and we are quickly introduced to them:
- Martin Gilmour
- Ben Fitzmaurice
- Serena
- Cosima
- Fliss
After years of absence, Martin is invited back into the fold of the Fitzmaurice family after a recent tragedy. But this is just the opportunity for revenge as their intertwined stories reveal a tale of politics, family and consequences.
With plenty of references to current political situations and also climate change, One of Us manages to be both a current and relatable read - even if you are not a politician!

‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ sums up this story. Set in the world of privilege, wealth, good manners its about getting even with a bully. Lots of oblique references to current Westminster MPs and their rise to power. Climate change activists are also in the mix. Not a ‘gripping’ narrative but interesting all the same.

I always enjoy Elizabeth Day's books, both fiction and non fiction, and when I saw she'd written a sequel to The Party, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy from Net Galley. Here's the blurb:

"In this compulsive story of betrayal, old bonds and buried scandals, one British establishment family comes face to face with the consequences of privilege and the true cost of power.
Martin and Ben were friends for decades ― best friends, Martin would have said ― before the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can’t resist the chance to get his revenge.
Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can’t help but notice certain flies in the ointment… Ben’s wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there’s Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family – and a nation – unravelling under the weight of its secrets.
With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It's time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything―family, power, and loyalty―is on the line."

Having said in the opening sentence that I was excited this was a sequel to The Party, I'd then forgotten about this before starting it - and so I hadn't read back the synopsis of the initial book in the series - and I actually think this would stand alone as a book - as the relevant elements of the back story are explained in summary as and when required - but equally it was interesting to revisit old 'friends'.

The book is told from multiple points of view - and I quite like that, as it keeps momentum - and you see different 'takes' on the same situation.

There were lots of unlikeable characters in the book - and seeing how their unpleasantness interacted and unfolded was interesting! I fundamentally liked both Martin and Cosima - although they could have done with a good talking to sometimes.

Whilst the main threads of family, power and loyalty are fairly timeless - this did feel like a book of the moment with regards to politics, sexual politics and environmental issues all thrown in.

I always feel that a lot of care and attention has been made in both the writing - and editing - of Elizabeth's books - it's incredibly unusual to find a typo / grammar / continuity error - and I was not disappointed.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed 'One Of Us' and would definitely recommend you pre order before it's release in late September 2025.

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC.

Prior to "One of Us", I'd only read "Magpie" by Elizabeth Day, which I absolutely loved. I'm not so sure about this novel. Perhaps it is because it is a sequel or perhaps it is because it is embedded in the seedy world of politics. There were many characters in the book and very few of them likeable. However, I persisted and towards the end, I really liked the bond that was formed between Cosima and Martin.

This novel features many of the characters from [book:The Party|33229392] which was published in 2017. I read this novel when it was first released but didn't remember it well and would like to re-read as I enjoyed this so much. It does work as a stand-alone but if you are a completist like me then you will probably prefer to read The Party before this.

Martin Gilmour is in his late forties. He used to be great friends with the wealthy Ben Fitzmaurice, now an ambitious politician. They are estranged and Martin feels the loss of Ben in his life, so he is surprised to be invited to a family funeral. His return to the family home reintroduces him to Ben, his wife Serena and their children, including their daughter, Cosima.

I found this to be a really immersive novel. When we first meet the characters, nobody is happy or content. There is rebellion, resentment and revenge. Cosima wants to hit out at her parents, while Serena feels humiliated and hurt. I loved the character of Richard Take, a politician caught up in a scandal which has damaged his career, but who is desperate to bounce back. Also, the sinister Jarvis, an old friend of Ben and nemesis of Martin.

This is about the desire for revenge and the reality of what that means. I found it an excellent read, set in the world of wealth, power and politics. There is the suggestion that these characters may appear again. If so, I will gladly read the next novel and intend to go back and revisit the earlier book featuring these characters.

For me, this didn't live up to the promotional write-up.
It's a tale of upper class entitlement, bullying, corruption, and comeuppance where most of the chara ters have few, if any, redeeming features, yet the underlying story is very good. It is told through the eyes of several of the cast of characters, and on several occasions, I had to scroll back to remind myself whose point of view I was reading.
I found parts of this book witty and entertaining, but however, I found that there are a lot of overly long passages that gave a lot of detail that turned out to be unnecessary, resulting in a book that is longer than it needs to be.
It is apparently a sequel, and perhaps I should have read the first book, The Party, before this one.

I somehow missed this was a The Party sequel, which I read a few years back and remember enjoying, but the lack of context from that didn't diminish the enjoyment (apart from perhaps not quite remembering what did happen at that 40th...)

I was gripped, and overall enjoyed the read - Elizabeth Day is a wonderful pair of hands and you know you'll never go wrong. The characterisation good, although at points I couldn't quite tell if it was trying to be satirical, or realistic.

I read The Party when it first came out eight years ago and although I remember loving it, I was a little hazy on the plot when I picked up One of Us. But it mattered not. Though this is a sequel, it can be read as a stand-alone, although if you want the down-low on the central characters I recommend you read The Party first.
The Party centred around scholarship-boy Martin Gilmour’s friendship with privileged Ben Fitzmaurice and his glitzy set. A friendship that papered over long-buried secrets and lies until the night of Ben’s 40th birthday party when everything imploded.
One of Us picks up seven years later. Martin, now a lecturer in art history at the rather depressing University of South Anglia, is seeing his therapist after almost being cancelled for making an inappropriate comment during a lecture.
It sets the tone for the rest of the story, which takes a deep dive into the good, the bad and the ugly about modern-day Britain.
Ben, an MP in the last book, is now Environment Secretary with his sights set on becoming Prime Minister.
Martin receives an invitation to the funeral of Ben’s older sister, Fliss – the black sheep of the family - and is catapulted back into the Fitzmaurice family’s world of privilege and power. When an opportunity comes along to right the wrongs of the past, Martin grabs it with both hands, even if it means betraying his former best friend.
The book is told from several other POVs: Richard Take, a disgraced Tory MP; Cosima, a teenage climate activist, and Serena, a brittle, pampered Tory wife. They all have one thing in common - their worlds all orbit around that of the charming, charismatic Ben Fitzmaurice.
What follows is an occasionally acerbic, always entertaining look at the ruling classes and the power they wield over the rest of us, all because they were lucky enough to be born on the right side of the tracks - or have made enough money to buy themselves a place there.
Capitalism, greed, misogyny and self-interest are all examined with searing honesty and wit in this satisfying story of revenge and redemption.
As always, Day’s writing is eloquent, satirical and beautifully observed. She is at the top of her game and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next. I loved it!

I absolutely loved One of Us, which is an incredibly gripping and darkly comic satire of privilege and power. I was so thrilled to learn that Day's earlier novel, The Party, is in fact a prequel to this (although rest assured that One of Us works perfectly as a standalone). If you, like me, enjoy reading about awful rich people getting their comeuppance then this is the book for you.

Teenage rebellion versus Tory establishment and family background intrigue. Apparently, this is a sequel or follow-up of the family, and friendship of two teenage boys who have now grown up and grown apart. However, they are thrown together after the death of one of their sisters. I did enjoy some of the family intrigue, I particularly enjoyed the rebellious teenager who was a member of an environmental activist group.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to offer this ahead of publication and exchange for an honest review.

4.5* One of Us - Elizabeth Day. A tale of politics, immense privilege, power and wealth which is held together by a torrid undercurrent of lies and deception.

Martin and Ben were friends for decades. Martin the scholarship boy (and fish out of water) at boarding school, Ben the son of landed gentry and power. A cloying relationship of power imbalance and obsession, it unravelled spectacularly some years earlier at Ben's 40th Birthday.

Since then Martin has followed Ben's political career from afar, all the way to government and a position as Secretary of State, secretly wondering if he could ever bring Ben down. He knows secrets and those secrets are powerful. When Martin unexpectedly gets an invite to a Ben's home and a family event, he jumps at the chance to re-join the inner-sanctum.

As Ben's ambitions for high office take shape, he may have the family name and the family 'pile' but he lacks the money and the backing. Reliant on his old friend Andrew Jarvis to fund his lavish lifestyle, the secrets, potential crimes and intrigue are soon stacking up. Among the elite many are in it for themselves and so it proves as the paper thin relationships and loyalties become exposed.

Wow. What a book Elizabeth Day. One of Us is a follow up to The Party where we were first introduced to Ben and Martin, concluding more or less with the events of Ben's 40th birthday party. I enjoyed but didn't love The Party but One of Us is an absolute barnstormer of a book and would work perfectly as a standalone.

Many of the characters are those from the establishment that we see from afar and often dislike immeasurably ... suspicious of what really goes on in the halls of power. Elizabeth Day captures those characters and all that they stand for. Few of the characters are likable and the novel is all the better for it (and Martin is much less creepy than he was in The Party).

The plot zips along. You genuinely don't know which secret or event will be the next to bubble to the surface and cause a catastrophic change of direction or bump in the road for one of the protagonists. There are many heart stopping moments to see who will win out and who will get their comeuppance. It's a rollicking good and timely page turner.

Thanks to 4th Estate and Netgalley for an ARC.