My only complaint about this book is that it cost me sleep because I couldn’t put it down. Sometimes stories told from multiple points of view can be hard to follow, but no such difficulty here. A very modern tale of twisted morals and power plays, I loved it.

This is my first read of Elizabeth Day and I have to say I enjoyed the experience overall.

One Of Us is the story of a family of privilege in modern day England and their dysfunction as they bury secrets and use the class system to its full to try and attain absolute power, a power in its search alone that corrupts and suppresses the skeletons in their closets. That is of course until events conspire for those who feel wronged to plot a path for their downfall.

This one is told from multiple characters points of view and, going into it blind I was unsure of where it was going and what it was going to be. Initially very witty and funny, it seemed like a little humorous dig at the obvious class system in England that is still so prevalent with some less than savoury characters peppering the story.
But as we get to know them and the story evolves so does the tone as it goes down a darker path and suddenly becomes more “real”.

It’s a weird one. It’s a cast of unlikeable, self absorbed characters that are totally narcissistic and with whom you spend the whole book with. It’s tonally a little uneven, changing from straight up humour to very serious and disturbing topics while shining a light on that class system and how power corrupts. It shouldn’t really work but it somehow does. You still feel like an outsider looking in when spending time with these characters rather than being invested in them and their stories but at the same time I found it hard to put the book down, I needed to find out what happened next.

So it’s an oddity. One that’s hard to put a badge on but I thought it was a great and interesting read and one that I had a really fun time reading.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

This was incredible and funny!! When I began reading One of Us, I had no idea that this was a sequel. This reads like a standalone, so you don't have to read the first book (I came to know it is a sequel when I checked the book online). Really funny and GREAT characters, definitely worth a read!

While I can absolutely appreciate why so many have rated One of Us so highly, I personally found it quite dull. Day is a fantastic, witty writer but reading about a bunch of unlikeable (with the exception of Fliss and Cosmina), privileged characters who always seem to come out on top regardless of what they did felt too close to reality for me to get much enjoyment out of. I loved Magpie from the author and it was much more my reading style so perhaps a case of wrong reader, wrong book on this occasion.

When I first heard that Elizabeth Day had written a follow-up to The Party, I was a bit dubious about it and yet, I found myself requesting it and reading it in great big gulps.

I had forgotten most of the events of The Party and had no difficulty following what happens in this sequel. You will be tempted to go back and read it, if you haven’t already.

Our narrators are Serena who is the pampered wife of a privileged Tory MP; Cosima, her Extinction Rebellious daughter; Richard Price, another more centrist Tory MP; Martin, who was ‘one of us ‘ in The Party but got kicked out and, fleetingly and least usefully, Cosima’s sister-in-law Fliss, whose death kicks the whole story off.

As a longstanding journalist who hosts the How To Fail podcast, Elizabeth Day must have quite the insider’s view of what goes on in the portals of privilege, arts, culture and the media. She brings all of this to jaw-dropping life.

Packed with moral quandaries about family life, family loyalty, the compromises we seek for an easy life and whether revenge really is a dish best served hot, cold or even at all, this was an easy read and post-Covid 2020s in a nutshell.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from Elizabeth Day. The plot was superb and the whole thing was very well put together. I couldn't put it down.

I reviewed and loved Magpie, which is why I was offered One of Us. Luckily, this, too, did not disappoint. Although I had no idea that it was a sequel to The Party, which was published eons ago, not having read it did not take away from my experience. Yes, an incident that took place at the party was often alluded to, but was not essential to follow the modern-day plot.

One Of Us reads as a typical story of the upper echelons of British society, entitled, titled, affluent characters whose ambition warps their sense of what is good and right and whose station in life comes with its own set of (admittedly very first-world) problems.

A book full of unlikeable characters that nevertheless had me drawn in with its intrigue, political machinations, and familial relationships. I particularly loved the examination of motherhood (as so often in Day’s works!) and the push and pull between purpose and duty, desire and social obligation. This was so so so well done.

I very much enjoyed reading this one and will definitely pick up a copy of The Party to find out what happened back then!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC copy.
Unfortunately I was very disappointed, as a listener to the articulate & intelligent author I found this clumsy, cliched, lacking in characterisation and woeful in plot.

I finished, but through determination not enjoyment and I can’t find a positive.

This is a straight to bbc style political domestic thriller that I could visualise so well. I fully enjoyed the different characters and how it played out.

This is a beauty of a novel, commentaries on power, class and riches intertwined with a hopeful revenge attempt by an old friend.

This book is one you can lounge with and in and it is guaranteed to get you thrilled very quickly.

Drawing upon very familiar events from British politics, One Of Us is a story of greed, wealth & corruption sprinkled with Day's wit & humour. Told from 4 perspectives which build the narrative. I didnt realise this was a sequel so it can definitely be read as a stand alone. I'll be interested to read The Party with a knowing eye though.

Trigger warning: substance abuse and rape

Thanks so much for the proof

This follow up to The Party is a gripping Political read and is just perfect.

It is both gripping and with a sense of reality it held my attention and I really enjoyed reading about martin and his exile from the most influencial families and how it affects his life.

it is well written and brilliantly told and I loved it

Ms Day is fast becoming one of my fav authors..

The sequel to The Party and a novel all about privilege and power and abuse of both
compelling and razor sharp writing
One of us is just the book you need

Obsessed!! I LOVED The Party so when i heard about this follow on I was so excited I cannot begin to explain!
Firstly I think that you do have to have read the Party to fully appreciate this book as it refers a lot to events in the past . The same bunch of characters are there and you will hate them even more than you di in the first book! It's satirical in parts, a thriller sort of read in parts and also a sort of coming of age novel . It's also a very 'British' book and if you enjoy reading about the upper classes, about wealth and privilege and are not easily offended then pick this up . I would love to see both novels adapted for the screen as it shouts binge watch!
A great read

What an absolute TREAT to get to read this before publication?! I am SUCH a fangirl. I am so grateful to be allowed to immerse myself in the grimy world of Elizabeth’s creation; get up close to the cast of complicated characters and fully appreciate the clever plotting involved in this political saga. I was absolutely HOOKED and really enjoyed piecing the satisfying threads together. Themes include ecological protest, obnoxious sleazebags and unearned political power. IT CAN ONLY BE 2025! This will be another well-deserved smash hit - no question.

Ben Fitzmaurice is a cabinet minister, and when the PM resigns he's in line to replace him. Martin, an academic at a minor university, was at school with Ben and they were best friends (or so he thought) until they had a terminal but-up at Ben's 40th.This is a story of family and political intrigue which doubles as a satire of the last days of the Conservative regime and a gripping story. Thoroughly entertaining - highly recommended.

Razor sharp, well written, intriguing and right on trend - that's One of Us by Elizabeth Day.
Martin, a former art critic and now working as a university professor at Cambridge - but not that university - has a secret about his old school friend, Ben, who is now an eminent Tory politician on a star-studded trajectory to becoming prime minister. Everyone around Martin has secrets. In a ruthless world of political scandal, privilege, passion, insecurity, betrayal and lies, his desire for revenge has repercussions far greater than he could ever have imagined
Told from the viewpoints of all the major players, this was a cracking read, a kind of House of Cards for 2025 but told on a much more personal level, with humour, insight and keen observations.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this novel.

I don't think I really liked a single character in this book but that made it more fun to read, the premise was interesting and the shifting perspectives kept the story moving seamlessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. A political satire involving best friends Ben and Martin. Ben has ambitions within his political party but has some dark secrets and has to keep Martin on his side as he is party to them. Martin however is seeking revenge. Well written this is definitely a must read.

The book tells the story of Martin and Ben’s friendship over the years and the corruption that occurs if one has the power and money to distort the truth. Martin and Ben were originally best friends until an unfortunate event took place at a party. I must confess I read Elizabeth Day’s novel The Party quite some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it but didn’t realise until after I had read this latest book by Day, that it was a sequel to it, although the story of the party did make me think that I’d heard this before in a novel!
The book is very contemporary and explores current issues such as eco warriors, disgraced politicians and the power of social media.
The two friends are estranged from one another when Martin receives an invitation in the post to attend the funeral of Fliss, Ben’s sister and black sheep of the family. Curiosity leads him to accept the invitation and the story unravels from here.
I have enjoyed reading all Elizabeth Day’s novels and this one is no exception. I like her style, social and cultural observations and humour. There were a couple of passages that I found so amusing that I had to read them out to my partner.
Day very cleverly weaves all the stories together to produce a very satisfying conclusion. In fact from the half way point I read voraciously as I was so keen to find out how all the stories intertwined.
As you can tell from my review I really enjoyed reading this book and thoroughly recommend it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a review copy.