Reviews with content warning for Murder - You will be the death of me

I enjoyed this book a lot. I really liked Karen M McManus’s “one of us is lying” series, and this was another win for McManus in my opinion. Her other books, like “two can keep a secret”, we’re really a miss for me, but this new one was actually very good. I think McManus’s mysteries are far better than anything I’ve read in months. Again, it’s one of those books that you can binge in one sitting. I am a big fan of her writing style. I love the format of a main character group of 3-4 people, and the story is told while shifting POVs between the main characters. It adds a lot of depth and knowledge/understanding to each character that is sometimes missing in books with only one POV.
It had suspense, and some shocking twists that I didn’t expect. I was interested and wanted to keep listening to the audiobook. I really liked how interconnected the characters and plot were, and how McManus tied them all together. I wouldn’t say that it was quite as good the “one of us is lying” series, but it was still very good. The ending was a little ambiguous, and it leaves an opportunity for a sequel, so maybe there will be one. I would read it if there was a sequel.

Age rating: 14+

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janetsu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

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duckie619's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Vibes: Ferris Bueller's Day Off crossbred with an episode of Law and Order: SVU (because they’re kids, not because of sex crimes).

Rating: 2.25 of 5

Recommend: Maybe, but it’s definitely the weakest offering by McManus

Favorite Character: The Charming and Totally Loveable Lacrosse Coach

Least Favorite Character: Cal

Favorite Scene: When the Big Reveal happens and the mystery comes together. It didn’t really make sense but at least it meant the book was almost finished.

Least Favorite Scene: When Ivy spills her dark and dirty secret to Mateo - really cemented this as a book written for fans of Riverdale who eat up absurd out-of-left-field type drama.

My take: I guess I am too old now to be the target audience of young adult mystery novels because this book was such a letdown. I’ve read everything else McManus has written and even though the reveals are always a little nutty, You’ll Be the Death of Me takes the cake. It seems like the author was more focused on the relationship between the 3 teens instead of building up the rest of the plot, so the reveal really didn’t make much sense to me and trying to tie all the different outside characters together in the end was a bit forced. The storyline was pulled in too many directions and ended up a scrambled mess, especially the ending, which was clearly a set up for a sequel.

I do think McManus is a good writer in the technical sense - the story is easy to read and flows well so it was a pretty quick read. But that’s really all it has going for it. The reveal of the student/teacher relationship was off putting and while it’s essential to the plot I just don’t think it was handled correctly. The darker elements of the story just get thrown at you which makes them more jarring than if there had been more of a build up.

Overall I don’t have much to say about it except that it was very meh. If you really like everything else she’s written then maybe you’ll like this too, but it’s definitely geared towards a teen audience in my opinion.

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froggybooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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rey_reads's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Very typical of the YA genre - the writing was good, but not outstanding. I tend to be drawn towards more poetic writing, or intricate, clever descriptions, and this book didn't really have that.
Interesting mystery and plot idea, but I didn't like any of the characters enough to really connect with it. Minor plot holes. Characters made bad/ ill thought-out decisions throughout, but I'm not convinced they showed any development.
Pacing towards the end was a bit odd and left me feeling unsatisfied.
I did enjoy parts of the book, and the plot was strong enough that it was an overall enjoyable and quick read, but ultimately the characters didn't feel realistic or compelling enough for me to really connect with the story.

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nononononononono's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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