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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I feel like all Karen M McManus' books are the same. It's always the person you least expect. It's always two or three kids. Two of them make a couple. This one was a little different, but kind of still the same.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found the pacing of the story a bit too slow for my liking. The ending leaves you hanging, which I dont really like either.
This is my second Karen M. McManus book, and my second time reading her for a book club (which I now cannot even attend, because, as previously mentioned, I have come down with The Plague). I enjoyed this book marginally more than The Cousins, which isn't, all things considered, saying a lot: truthfully, I think these books just aren't for me. I don't read a ton of YA mysteries in general, although the few that I have read, I've liked (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder comes to mind), so it's not just that the genre isn't for me...there's just something about these books that I can't quite put my finger on that I don't enjoy. And that's okay! But hopefully this is the end of book clubs choosing these titles.
4.5/5 stars!
I have to admit I will read everything that Karen M. McManus publishes but I also have to admit her last few books in my opinion, haven’t been very good. But I can’t help but keep reading on as I have to admit they are always entertaining. But this book was her best book since ‘One of us is lying’. I do love a cold case, murder mysteries in private schools, whodunnits and red herrings and multiple twists. The premise really did intrigue me this time so I did have some high hopes.
I found some of the other books by Karen McManus has followed a bit of a formula. I found her last few books weren’t really filled with that many twists and the conclusions were far from interesting. Yes this book still is very Karen McManus coded, but! This book did feel different to her others. It held such an atmosphere , it didn’t feel juvenile. I felt fully invested and her characters were sometimes questionable in personality. I have to admit Tripp was a character I wasn’t sure if I liked or not, but he’s a good character nonetheless. I really love Brynne but she also can be flawed but I liked that. I felt all the characters were well fleshed out and didn’t fall into the background they all served a purpose.
Karen does so well with pacing in her books and it did this time as well. I felt the book did takes in time in the best places. The plot was very intriguing I honestly could not put it down!You thought it was this person, oh wait it’s this person and this person and this person it totally kept me on my toes. I’m so pleased that I liked this book as I thought maybe if this book doesn’t turn out to be good I might not read anymore from McManus but this has saved it completely! Cannot wait for more to come!
I have to admit I will read everything that Karen M. McManus publishes but I also have to admit her last few books in my opinion, haven’t been very good. But I can’t help but keep reading on as I have to admit they are always entertaining. But this book was her best book since ‘One of us is lying’. I do love a cold case, murder mysteries in private schools, whodunnits and red herrings and multiple twists. The premise really did intrigue me this time so I did have some high hopes.
I found some of the other books by Karen McManus has followed a bit of a formula. I found her last few books weren’t really filled with that many twists and the conclusions were far from interesting. Yes this book still is very Karen McManus coded, but! This book did feel different to her others. It held such an atmosphere , it didn’t feel juvenile. I felt fully invested and her characters were sometimes questionable in personality. I have to admit Tripp was a character I wasn’t sure if I liked or not, but he’s a good character nonetheless. I really love Brynne but she also can be flawed but I liked that. I felt all the characters were well fleshed out and didn’t fall into the background they all served a purpose.
Karen does so well with pacing in her books and it did this time as well. I felt the book did takes in time in the best places. The plot was very intriguing I honestly could not put it down!You thought it was this person, oh wait it’s this person and this person and this person it totally kept me on my toes. I’m so pleased that I liked this book as I thought maybe if this book doesn’t turn out to be good I might not read anymore from McManus but this has saved it completely! Cannot wait for more to come!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun mystery that seeks justice but has plenty of twists that ultimately lead in the opposite direction. Wasn't my favourite ending but I enjoyed the journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment
Minor: Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Perfectly fine. Nothing astronomical, nothing cringe, just. A simple, mostly gentle sleuthing story with lots of good misunderstandings and distrust.
After intensely disliking the other McManus books, this was a nice return.
I’m very glad Trip was narrating the bulk of the action chapters, tho. Brin’s audiobook narrator was great at female voices but had exactly One male voice that sometimes was slightly lazier sounding as an effort to delineate characters. Not a great audiobook selection.
After intensely disliking the other McManus books, this was a nice return.
I’m very glad Trip was narrating the bulk of the action chapters, tho. Brin’s audiobook narrator was great at female voices but had exactly One male voice that sometimes was slightly lazier sounding as an effort to delineate characters. Not a great audiobook selection.
Waarom draagt Tripp altijd zijn schooluniform? Het is zondag broer, leef een beetje.
Ben wel echt klaar met YA. Dank je wel en tot ziens
Ben wel echt klaar met YA. Dank je wel en tot ziens
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
This was the second book I’ve read by McManus. I enjoyed One of Us is Lying but this one was even better. I thought I knew what twists and turns were coming but I was surprised!
Once again, Karen M. McManus delivers an entertaining read with engaging characters, although the plot does become a bit messy at times. While the story starts off slow, it gradually picks up momentum, keeping the reader hooked. It provided the perfect escape during the Easter break, keeping me thoroughly entertained.