You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Holy shit! Once again Karen M. McManus delivers with an amazing and addictive teen mystery. I legit didn’t put it down until my eyes were dying on me. Love the characters and the plot, probably not as much as the Bayview High characters but still Ivy is me and I hope one day I will find my Mateo.
Please visit
Slrtbooks.home.blog on or after Dec. 5th for a full review!
-
-
-
Thank you to the publisher and TheWriteReads Tours for access to this eARC. Receiving this material in no way affects my opinion of this work.
Slrtbooks.home.blog on or after Dec. 5th for a full review!
-
-
-
Thank you to the publisher and TheWriteReads Tours for access to this eARC. Receiving this material in no way affects my opinion of this work.
I have discovered that I might be a sucker for all things Karen M. McManus. Usually, I read a lot of true crime and gritty murder mysteries. Occasionally, I’ll pick up a YA book just to break away from heavier themes and topics.
The characters in this book were very well written. Ivy, Cal, and Mateo were fleshed out characters. There was not a single point in the book where their responses didn’t make sense (through a teens POV). Karen has mastered flushing her characters out. Every time Ivy said some thing I would think “Yup - this is exactly what I’d expected from her”.
The story line itself was good. There were a some loose ends which I guess might have been left as such on purpose? Maybe to pay homage to “fade to black suspense” that most mysteries have.
There were times where I saw the twist coming or where it was predictable but again - it’s a YA book.
I finished this book within two days? It’s a true 6 hour ish read. It’s light hearted, the dynamic between characters is fun!
I recommend if you’re looking for a cozy read!
The characters in this book were very well written. Ivy, Cal, and Mateo were fleshed out characters. There was not a single point in the book where their responses didn’t make sense (through a teens POV). Karen has mastered flushing her characters out. Every time Ivy said some thing I would think “Yup - this is exactly what I’d expected from her”.
The story line itself was good. There were a some loose ends which I guess might have been left as such on purpose? Maybe to pay homage to “fade to black suspense” that most mysteries have.
There were times where I saw the twist coming or where it was predictable but again - it’s a YA book.
I finished this book within two days? It’s a true 6 hour ish read. It’s light hearted, the dynamic between characters is fun!
I recommend if you’re looking for a cozy read!
Creo que el problema soy yo: el género YA no va conmigo.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me an arc of You’ll Be the Death of Me in exchange for an honest review.
Being a big fan of Karen McManus’ works, you can imagine how excited I was to receive an arc of her newest book! The only thing to then make that even better was for me to enjoy the book, and I am so happy to say that I loved it! Having not liked The Cousins, I was worried this one would fall flat as well. On the contrary, You’ll Be the Death of Me instantly became my favourite McManus book alongside One of Us is Lying.
In true McManus fashion, You’ll Be the Death of Me is written in first-person alternating between 3 different POVs (points of view). We follow Ivy Sterling-Shepard, Mateo Wojcik and Cal O’Shea-Wallace, 3 students who used to be close friends after they spontaneously skipped school together one day. Now, they don’t speak anymore, but when they run into each other before school, on a day where they could all really afford to take a break, it’s decided they’ll skip school again, like the good old days. Right? Except it’s not like the good old days when they see a fellow student acting suspiciously and follow him straight into a crime scene. In a whirlwind of drama and worry spanning the space of a day, McManus takes us on a journey with these 3 characters as they try to figure out what happened and why.
McManus certainly knows how to capture the mindset and responses of her teenage characters. Too often in young adult books, especially those written in first person, I’ve found the main characters to be very difficult to read about as they act and think unrealistically and even come across as whiny. This was not the case in You’ll Be the Death of Me at all, with all 3 characters being fully fledged out and in particular, I thought the dialogue and the characters’ internal thoughts were written really well to reflect how teenagers actually speak. This made for a really immersive read as the characters felt more real, and it was as if you were on this journey with them. McManus took her time to develop each character, showing us why they acted as they did now, and giving us windows into their pasts. While I would have perhaps liked a bit more information on Cal, I really liked Ivy and Mateo’s stories and how they linked together.
The relationships between the 3 main characters with not only each other but the other characters present were also done very well. I especially liked the family relationships and the main romantic relationship. With the majority of the book taking place over the span of one day, I was worried that any romance would feel rushed but yet again McManus managed to hit the nail on the head with this side-story too. The chemistry between both characters was tangible and didn’t feel rushed in any way, adding more depth to each character as they struggle with feelings of self-doubt related to this, on top of everything else going on.
In addition to the well-constructed characters, the pacing, in my opinion, was excellent. There was never a dull moment and I had trouble putting this book down. The writing style is so easy to get into, and you honestly just find yourself flying through page after page. The many twists and turns as secrets get revealed left right and centre propels the story forward, leaving you gasping out loud. I also liked the use of the interview transcripts that broke up the prose as a method to communicate information regarding how the school students and the local news were reacting to and reporting the crime. I really liked the final twist and am intrigued to see if there will be a sequel. I think there definitely could be and I would certainly like to see one bit in particular be properly resolved!
Overall, I cannot recommend this enough! Perfect if you’re looking for a quick read to lose yourself in! I can’t wait to see what Karen McManus has in store for us next.
Being a big fan of Karen McManus’ works, you can imagine how excited I was to receive an arc of her newest book! The only thing to then make that even better was for me to enjoy the book, and I am so happy to say that I loved it! Having not liked The Cousins, I was worried this one would fall flat as well. On the contrary, You’ll Be the Death of Me instantly became my favourite McManus book alongside One of Us is Lying.
In true McManus fashion, You’ll Be the Death of Me is written in first-person alternating between 3 different POVs (points of view). We follow Ivy Sterling-Shepard, Mateo Wojcik and Cal O’Shea-Wallace, 3 students who used to be close friends after they spontaneously skipped school together one day. Now, they don’t speak anymore, but when they run into each other before school, on a day where they could all really afford to take a break, it’s decided they’ll skip school again, like the good old days. Right? Except it’s not like the good old days when they see a fellow student acting suspiciously and follow him straight into a crime scene. In a whirlwind of drama and worry spanning the space of a day, McManus takes us on a journey with these 3 characters as they try to figure out what happened and why.
McManus certainly knows how to capture the mindset and responses of her teenage characters. Too often in young adult books, especially those written in first person, I’ve found the main characters to be very difficult to read about as they act and think unrealistically and even come across as whiny. This was not the case in You’ll Be the Death of Me at all, with all 3 characters being fully fledged out and in particular, I thought the dialogue and the characters’ internal thoughts were written really well to reflect how teenagers actually speak. This made for a really immersive read as the characters felt more real, and it was as if you were on this journey with them. McManus took her time to develop each character, showing us why they acted as they did now, and giving us windows into their pasts. While I would have perhaps liked a bit more information on Cal, I really liked Ivy and Mateo’s stories and how they linked together.
The relationships between the 3 main characters with not only each other but the other characters present were also done very well. I especially liked the family relationships and the main romantic relationship. With the majority of the book taking place over the span of one day, I was worried that any romance would feel rushed but yet again McManus managed to hit the nail on the head with this side-story too. The chemistry between both characters was tangible and didn’t feel rushed in any way, adding more depth to each character as they struggle with feelings of self-doubt related to this, on top of everything else going on.
In addition to the well-constructed characters, the pacing, in my opinion, was excellent. There was never a dull moment and I had trouble putting this book down. The writing style is so easy to get into, and you honestly just find yourself flying through page after page. The many twists and turns as secrets get revealed left right and centre propels the story forward, leaving you gasping out loud. I also liked the use of the interview transcripts that broke up the prose as a method to communicate information regarding how the school students and the local news were reacting to and reporting the crime. I really liked the final twist and am intrigued to see if there will be a sequel. I think there definitely could be and I would certainly like to see one bit in particular be properly resolved!
Overall, I cannot recommend this enough! Perfect if you’re looking for a quick read to lose yourself in! I can’t wait to see what Karen McManus has in store for us next.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this book up after reading the “One of Us is Lying” series that I LOVED and it did not disappoint!
This mystery is full of so many twists and turns and all the clues and plot elements are so interwoven with each other that I think I suspected everyone at some point or another!
I loved all three of the main characters! They were all so likeable while also having secrets of their own which kept things even more exciting and intriguing!
The plot was constantly moving and things were always being revealed and discovered which made it a very fast read.
I would highly recommend this book to any fans of mysteries and of course to McManus fans as well! I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping
After reading McManus' four other murder mystery novels, I came into this one with low expectations. The question nagging at my brain leading up to the first chapter was, "Could hse really stretch this plot for a fifth book?" The answer is yes. Even though The Cousins and One of Us Is Next left me unfulfilled and slightly disappointed, this one made up for it. I quite literally could not put the book down for the life of me. The story of three old friends reuniting and getting caught in the middle of a drug scheme by happenstance is enthralling despite the loud presence of how fictional the plot is. It's a fun story that was the start of me rediscovering my love for personal reading after being burnt out from reading classics for four years straight of undergrad.
It’s not that I actively disliked reading this book, but I got nothing out of it and it was honestly a waste of my time. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and the plot was unimpressive, hard to follow, and disappointing. Far from the “pulse-pounding thriller” it’s advertised as. I loved McManus’s debut novel, but every book since then has been a cheap recreation and it’s only getting worse.
I don’t recommend the book, it was just boring
I don’t recommend the book, it was just boring