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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
[Fair warning: This review contains some (major) spoilers that I will tag as such.]
When their mother has to go into rehab, twins Ezra and Ellery have to move in with their grandmother – in a town where their aunt went missing 20 years ago. Not even home from the airport, they find the body of who would have been one of their teachers – a victim of a hit-and-run. But soon, the tragic death gets overshadowed by creepy messages appearing at school events, alluding to a murder from a few years back and threatening this year’s homecoming court …
As is the case with many of Karen McManus’s books, I read this one for the second time recently and liked it a lot!
When their mother has to go into rehab, twins Ezra and Ellery have to move in with their grandmother – in a town where their aunt went missing 20 years ago. Not even home from the airport, they find the body of who would have been one of their teachers – a victim of a hit-and-run. But soon, the tragic death gets overshadowed by creepy messages appearing at school events, alluding to a murder from a few years back and threatening this year’s homecoming court …
As is the case with many of Karen McManus’s books, I read this one for the second time recently and liked it a lot!
At this point, I think it is obligatory for me to mention how much I love the style of the UK paperback covers. While I think that the actual illustration does not really fit the story in this book’s case, it at least gives off the mysterious vibe that the story goes for. It is also really beautiful in its own right, and I like how a new color is introduced for the title and the sprayed edges (although it is a bit similar to the color chosen for One Of Us Is Next, which is a little sad since at this point, there are enough colors left so that the books could be completely different from one another).
I really enjoyed the main mystery or rather, the main mysteries . It is especially interesting to me since there is not one central incident that everything revolves around, but there are many twists, one after the other, and almost every one of them gets its time to be the focus of the main characters’ interest (and, I guess, police investigation). For example, for the first few chapters, I thought that the challenge would be to see how the death of the teacher is linked to the threatening messages. I did not really think someone else would go missing, and I was also surprised by who went missing, since the book’s description focuses on the town losing its homecoming queens – which, to be fair, mischaracterizes the first disappearance, too. It is also fascinating to see which events and details are coincidences and which are explicitly linked to each other in the end (and how everything is still loosely connected, even if it is only implicitly). For example, I never really questioned that the messages had something to do with the murderer, especially after Brooke disappears. It was interesting to see that this is very much a coincidence, at least as long as it is Viv responsible for the messages. Then again, there is an implicit connection, since it is not unreasonable to think that Viv got some inspiration from the local reporter who got her unexpected breakthrough by reporting on Lacey’s murder, and the same murderer is responsible both for that and for Brooke’s murder.
The ending is pretty satisfying – the main questions all get their answers, but there is still room for interpretation. I am especially fascinated by the implications of Sadie having been Peter's real target instead of Sarah. Does that mean that she, too, had a secret relationship with him? Or was his MO different back then, since she would have been – presumably – his first victim? Which also brings up the question of whether Sadie really had her first time with Vance or whether she simply reframed it after the fact as a way of dealing with the grooming/abuse she went through. Which, in turn, could be connected to her issues as an adult, some of which contribute directly to what is going on with her in the book itself. I also wonder if Peter actually planned to kill Sadie back in 1996 or if he was just desperate when he realized he picked up the wrong twin who could now potentially talk about what was going on between Sadie and him … These things are interesting, if horrifying, to think about (and I admit, I am quite curious to see whether there are fanfictions being written about this).)
Looking at the characters, I am especially impressed by the subtle characterization that is easy to miss, yet very telling if readers catch it. One of my favorite examples is Malcolm thinking about the living room or the TV in his newish home as »the Nilsson’s«, which creates a distance between himself and his stepfamily – it underlines how he does not really feel at home, although he does not express this feeling to other people.
To me, it also felt really refreshing to see characters and their theories being taken seriously when appropriate, but also sometimes being wrong, with all the consequences that I would expect in the real world. For example, it is nice that Ryan takes the clues that Ellery brings him seriously as long as they are actually helpful for the police investigation, but he is also firm – yet not unkind – in his attempts to make her stop investigating on her own and potentially getting herself into dangerous situations. It is also nice to see that the actual investigators are not completely incompetent or fooled by a mastermind serial killer into baselessly suspecting an obviously innocent teenager.
But as always, not everything about this book is perfect.
But as always, not everything about this book is perfect.
I think the biggest problem I have is that some plot points are too unbelievable for me. I mean, obviously some suspension of disbelief is required for me to accept that the exact teenagers who need to come together to solve some mysteries actually become friends and then accidentally stumble upon all the required clues, and that is totally fine. It comes with the genre. But details that turn out to be pointless and also unbelievable annoy me, and there are some of them in this book. The worst offender, in my eyes, is the fact that the school never cancels homecoming, even with one of the most popular teachers dying, creepy threatening messages appearing at school events, and one of the threatened girls disappearing after a party. It is especially annoying since nothing really happens that would have made it necessary to let homecoming take place.
Another little thing is the switching POV. I understand why Karen McManus chooses to show different characters' perspectives, and I totally get that the stories she apparently wants to tell do not involve readers questioning in the back of their minds whether some seemingly trustworthy characters who are crucial in solving the mystery because of the information they bring to the table are actually not that trustworthy at all, but it is a little sad to see that there is the potential for some additional tension without it ever getting used.
There is also the question of character development, which I think is hard to answer with regards to this particular book. Some character development absolutely takes place, but it feels as though that is mostly the case for side characters. For example, Sadie seems to learn to take accountability and accept that she has to work on herself and her problems, which is something that she does not do in the beginning. Looking at the main characters on the other hand, it does not feel as though they really changed in the end. There are some things that are different about their perspective and hopes, but most of those changes seem very minor to me. For example, Ellery contemplates going to college and becoming a lawyer, something that – as she states – never seemed realistic and therefore worthy of thinking about before. But since that does not really seem to impact her in any way – and readers also never really learn what she planned to do before this became a possibility –, it feels very inconsequential.
All in all, even though there are some minor problems/annoyances, I would absolutely recommend this book!
All in all, even though there are some minor problems/annoyances, I would absolutely recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Classism
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This like the 'One of Us is Lying' series was an easy read. The flow was smooth and the plot twists were unpredictable. But McManus could have increased the tenseness a little more in the last act because I didn't find it all that satisfying. Although a little flimsy, the conclusion wasn't too horrible. The book's final sentence had such a shockingly unexpected conclusion. At first, it wasn't very apparent, but once I got it, it was good enough to state that Karen McManus is a plot-twist genius.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugggggghhhh, the end was so fucked up🤢🤮 def a great read in time for the spooky month with a ton of suspense🤍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
first things first, THIS BOOK HAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE TWIST oh my god… towards the end there were such big plot twists and oh my lord- the last line of the book makes your hair stand. Like of all the twists you would’ve expected, this would not have been one of it (at least for all the countless ones i thought about.) SO I AM SUPER IMPRESSED WITH THE PLOT TWIST. What an incredible idea, twist and story line. But i found the book rather slow paced or, like draggy… so i found myself kinda bored at the start and not as captivated. But the ending was bomb man. Awesome! Loved the ending and the plot twist… really REALLY IMPRESSED with the plot twist and end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Car accident, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Blood
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Abandonment
Moderate: Biphobia
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“You might want to tell that sister of yours to lie low for a change. Doesn’t seem like a great year to be homecoming queen, does it?”
Someone in Echo Ridge has it out for prom queens. First, a girl named Sarah disappears on Homecoming night 20 years ago. Then, Queen Bee Lacey disappears 5 years ago. When Ellory and Ezra's mother - who also happens to be Sarah's twin - is admitted to rehab, they are shipped off to live with their Grandmother in Echo Ridge. That's when the threats start showing up; I'M BACK. PICK YOUR QUEEN, ECHO RIDGE. HAPPY HOMECOMING
Honestly... I've been spoiled. A Good Girl's Guide to Murderhas set the bar for YA mysteries, and unfortunately, Two Can Keep a Secret just fell short.
Told in dual POV, the story follows Ellory, whose aunt disappeared from town 20 years prior, and Marcus, the brother of the guy everyone thinks killed Lacey 5 years ago. Which is all fine and good, except their voices were so similar, I had trouble remembering whose chapter I was reading.
The side characters felt weak, indistinct, and honestly, kind of pointless. The only one who ended up mattering to the story was Officer Rodriguez. I was disappointed to see that even Ellory's twin Ezra was relegated to c-character status. You'd think he'd play a larger role, given that all that familial trauma (of not knowing their father, of losing their aunt, of their mother having a drug problem and needing to go to rehab) that affects Ellory on a daily basis should alsoaffect Ezra. And yet, we barely see him.
I had a large issue with pace, too. It's more than halfway through the book by the time any real investigating goes on. For a murder mystery, readers never really get that satisfaction of clues falling into place, of solving the crime alone with our MCs, of rushing to put the puzzle together before it's too late. Ellory is a self-declared true-crime aficionado, and yet we're barely following her and Malcom solve the mystery because every theory of theirs is wrong. The only real sleuthing they do is when
That aside, I still feel that One of Us Is Lying is the stronger mystery from McManus. More intrigue. More teen detective work. Better reveal. Better characters.
But credit where it's due. You seldom read a mystery where the antagonist doesn't spell everything out for the MCs in some forced villain speech (even A Good Girl's Guide to Murder does this), but that is not the case here. Our villain reveals very little, and readers don't find out the whole story until after the climax. Which is a nice reprieve from the expected.
Overall, not the best teen mystery I have ever read, but a quick, easy read that kept me turning the page nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Death of parent