#TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour Review: You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Another solid young adult mystery novel by Karen M. McManus.

Thank you so much to The Write Reads, Penguin, and Karen M. McManus, for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary eARC and media kit!

Purchase this book (affiliate link): Amazon

About the Author

Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thriller/mystery novels, including One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, Two Can Keep a Secret, and The Cousins. You’ll Be the Death of Me will be her next novel, publishing December 2021. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels. For more information, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram.

Review

Book CWs

For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new addictive thriller.

Ivy, Mateo and Cal used to be close – best friends back in middle school.

Now all they have in common is a bad day. So for old time’s sake they skip school together – one last time.

But when the trio spot Brian ‘Boney’ Mahoney ditching class too, they follow him – right into a murder scene.

They all have a connection to the victim. And they’re ALL hiding something.

When their day of freedom turns deadly, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out . . .

It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder, perfect for fans of One Of Us Is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. This explosive new thriller is impossible to put down.

Review (No Spoilers)

You’ll Be the Death of Me is another solid YA Mystery by Karen McManus. The story follows three ex-friends who decide to skip school on a whim and end up coming across the dead body of one of their classmates. With suspicions shrouding the three of them for being absent on this fateful day, they set out to uncover the truth behind what happened, all while trying to hide their own dark secrets.

I’ve read many books from Karen M. McManus (all of them possibly?) and I’m disappointed to say that while this was as readable and twisty as the rest of them, it was probably my least favorite of the group. In particular, I was terribly annoyed and disappointed by the ending. I’m not sure why mystery novels feel the need to leave things untied at the end when they are standalone novels (which I think this is). It’s possible that it’s a nod to the fact that real life isn’t so clean cut, but often it just makes me feel unsatisfied.

Something that I thought this novel handled well, however, was the miscommunication/unnecessary secrets trope. Typically this trope annoys me to no end, especially when teenagers in mystery novels often spend the entire novel not telling any adult for no good reason, but I thought McManus did a good job balancing this. Secrets were kept but for reasons that I found both believable and understandable. Relationships grew and fell apart naturally, though there were a few things at the end that I felt were a bit too convenient.

Overall, if you’re a plan of YA mystery novels like McManus’ previous books, Diana Urban, or Holly Jackson, I think this will be a fun ride for you. If you’d like to follow along with the rest of the tour, you can find the tour schedule here!

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