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You'll Be the Death of Me
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2022)Brought to you by Penguin.
From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new pulse-pounding thriller. Three former friends ditch school for old time's sake - with horrible and deadly consequences.
Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close - best friends back in middle school. So, when Cal pulls into campus late for class, and runs into Ivy and Mateo, they decide to ditch school. Just like old times.
But they're not the only ones skipping school that day. When the trio spot classmate Brian 'Boney' Mahoney acting suspiciously downtown they follow him into an empty building, and walk straight into a murder scene.
Brian's not the only one keeping secrets, and when their day of freedom turns deadly it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out.
Karen M. McManus 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new pulse-pounding thriller. Three former friends ditch school for old time's sake - with horrible and deadly consequences.
Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close - best friends back in middle school. So, when Cal pulls into campus late for class, and runs into Ivy and Mateo, they decide to ditch school. Just like old times.
But they're not the only ones skipping school that day. When the trio spot classmate Brian 'Boney' Mahoney acting suspiciously downtown they follow him into an empty building, and walk straight into a murder scene.
Brian's not the only one keeping secrets, and when their day of freedom turns deadly it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out.
Karen M. McManus 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Audible Audio
First published November 30, 2021
2418 people are currently reading
104481 people want to read
About the author
Karen M. McManus
31 books37.7k followersHi, and thanks for stopping by my Goodreads page! I don't visit this site often, so the best way to reach me is via my website at www.karenmcmanus.com or on Instagram, where I'm @writerkmc.
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Karen M. McManus is a #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thrillers. Her work includes the One of Us Is Lying series, which was turned into a television show, as well as the standalone novels Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins, You’ll Be the Death of Me, Nothing More to Tell, and Such Charming Liars. Karen’s critically acclaimed, award-winning books have been translated into forty-two languages. To learn more, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Instagram.
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Karen M. McManus is a #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thrillers. Her work includes the One of Us Is Lying series, which was turned into a television show, as well as the standalone novels Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins, You’ll Be the Death of Me, Nothing More to Tell, and Such Charming Liars. Karen’s critically acclaimed, award-winning books have been translated into forty-two languages. To learn more, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Instagram.
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August 22, 2020
June 14, 2023
might as well give karen m.mcmanus my card details cause she knows i’m buying every book she publishes
March 19, 2025
I believe now is the time for Karen to consider a different plot or type of character, and to abandon the obvious clichés in favour of a more original and engaging plot.
August 25, 2025
**3.5-stars**
After high-strung teenager, Ivy, loses the student council election at Carlton High to the class clown, Boney Mahoney, she's horrified. How could this happen?!
The following day, Boney is supposed to be giving a speech addressing the school, thanking them for his victory.
Ughhhh, Ivy can't face that.
Luckily, that morning she runs into her two estranged best friends, Cal and Mateo, in the parking lot before class and the three decide to skip school together and head into Boston for the day.
In a way, they are hoping to recreate the 'best day ever', a day they skipped school together and went into the city that happened to coincide with a celebration parade after the Red Sox had won the World Series.
But in truth, they're all just hoping for an escape. A way to avoid facing all the things that are bringing them down.
When they get into the city though, Ivy spies Boney! What is he doing skipping out on his speech?
She sees red and decides to follow him, with the hopes of an epic confrontation. However, what she gets instead is the honor of stumbling upon a crime scene with a newly murdered body.
From that point forward, their potential best day ever turns into the craziest day ever as the trio attempt to avoid the cops, the media, the killer and suspicion. Oh yeah, they're also hoping to solve the crime.
Taking place over the course of a single-day, this is a fun story, but I gotta say, probably my least favorite out of all of McManus' prior works.
I can't really put my finger on what it was about this one that didn't vibe with me. Perhaps I just built it up so much in my head, anticipating it for so long, that it was destined to disappoint.
If I had to point to any one thing, I think the mystery just wasn't compelling for me. I didn't feel invested in it at all.
I did enjoy Ivy, Mateo and Cal; learning about their friendship, what drove them apart and their current woes. I found them to be interesting, just not the crime itself.
Regardless, the ending did have McManus' signature final twist, which I always appreciate and because of that, I was leaning toward rounding this up to 4-stars, but have decided that just wasn't enough.
With all of this being said, this is still a fun book. I think it will work for a ton of Readers and would be a great introduction to the YA Mystery genre. If you've read all of McManus' other books, however, this one could seem lackluster in comparison.
Overall, McManus is an autobuy author for me and I will continue to pick up everything she writes.
Even though this isn't my favorite of hers, I will still proudly display it on my shelves!!!
After high-strung teenager, Ivy, loses the student council election at Carlton High to the class clown, Boney Mahoney, she's horrified. How could this happen?!
The following day, Boney is supposed to be giving a speech addressing the school, thanking them for his victory.
Ughhhh, Ivy can't face that.
Luckily, that morning she runs into her two estranged best friends, Cal and Mateo, in the parking lot before class and the three decide to skip school together and head into Boston for the day.
In a way, they are hoping to recreate the 'best day ever', a day they skipped school together and went into the city that happened to coincide with a celebration parade after the Red Sox had won the World Series.
But in truth, they're all just hoping for an escape. A way to avoid facing all the things that are bringing them down.
When they get into the city though, Ivy spies Boney! What is he doing skipping out on his speech?
She sees red and decides to follow him, with the hopes of an epic confrontation. However, what she gets instead is the honor of stumbling upon a crime scene with a newly murdered body.
From that point forward, their potential best day ever turns into the craziest day ever as the trio attempt to avoid the cops, the media, the killer and suspicion. Oh yeah, they're also hoping to solve the crime.
Taking place over the course of a single-day, this is a fun story, but I gotta say, probably my least favorite out of all of McManus' prior works.
I can't really put my finger on what it was about this one that didn't vibe with me. Perhaps I just built it up so much in my head, anticipating it for so long, that it was destined to disappoint.
If I had to point to any one thing, I think the mystery just wasn't compelling for me. I didn't feel invested in it at all.
I did enjoy Ivy, Mateo and Cal; learning about their friendship, what drove them apart and their current woes. I found them to be interesting, just not the crime itself.
Regardless, the ending did have McManus' signature final twist, which I always appreciate and because of that, I was leaning toward rounding this up to 4-stars, but have decided that just wasn't enough.
With all of this being said, this is still a fun book. I think it will work for a ton of Readers and would be a great introduction to the YA Mystery genre. If you've read all of McManus' other books, however, this one could seem lackluster in comparison.
Overall, McManus is an autobuy author for me and I will continue to pick up everything she writes.
Even though this isn't my favorite of hers, I will still proudly display it on my shelves!!!
December 2, 2021
another karen m. mcmanus book i thoroughly enjoyed. the climax? the suspense? the plot? all well written. fast pace books are something i crave and reading this book gave me just that. the twist and turns; another thing i could not predict. i love the characters and the thrill i got. definitely would recommend for anyone that's looking for that heart thumping experience!
December 3, 2021
a fast-paced, easy read that answers the question, “what is ferris buellers day off involved a murder?”
KMM has already done a ‘breakfast club’ murder mystery, so it was about time she tried another 80s classic. and i think this one works. the dynamic of old friends who lost touch with each other but are now forced to work with each other makes for an interesting read as all of their secrets slowly come to light during an intense day of ditching school.
the main thing preventing me from enjoying this more is the motive/reason behind the murder. its just so… bland. i personally dont enjoy mysteries that revolve around because i find it too common. it just just doesnt have the wow factor i want when it comes to a murder mystery.
but personal preferences aside, i can admit that this is a fun addition to KMMs bibliography.
↠ 3.5 stars
KMM has already done a ‘breakfast club’ murder mystery, so it was about time she tried another 80s classic. and i think this one works. the dynamic of old friends who lost touch with each other but are now forced to work with each other makes for an interesting read as all of their secrets slowly come to light during an intense day of ditching school.
the main thing preventing me from enjoying this more is the motive/reason behind the murder. its just so… bland. i personally dont enjoy mysteries that revolve around because i find it too common. it just just doesnt have the wow factor i want when it comes to a murder mystery.
but personal preferences aside, i can admit that this is a fun addition to KMMs bibliography.
↠ 3.5 stars
November 23, 2022
"It takes less than 15 minutes for me to realize this was a huge mistake."
My relationship with Karen McManus's books remains intact; I seem to enjoy her series more than her stand alone novels, although I might be getting to the point where I need a little more than the same formula from her from here on out. Don't get me wrong, I love a good YA mystery as much as the next person, but eventually we have to switch up the characters and their actions at exact moments in each book for things to feel fresh and new. This particular tale felt divided into two stark parts: the slow moving part one and the twist filled part two. While the ending had a lot going for it, it takes so long to sludge through the random, daily interactions that I feel are supposed to be red herrings, that I *almost* didn't care to finish it by 50% in. That said, I'm glad I pushed through, because part two? Man! Talk about not knowing where it was going. If you're a fan of the author, I definitely think you should give this one a try, and I'm hoping in the future maybe we will see something a little darker and more mature from McManus.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
My relationship with Karen McManus's books remains intact; I seem to enjoy her series more than her stand alone novels, although I might be getting to the point where I need a little more than the same formula from her from here on out. Don't get me wrong, I love a good YA mystery as much as the next person, but eventually we have to switch up the characters and their actions at exact moments in each book for things to feel fresh and new. This particular tale felt divided into two stark parts: the slow moving part one and the twist filled part two. While the ending had a lot going for it, it takes so long to sludge through the random, daily interactions that I feel are supposed to be red herrings, that I *almost* didn't care to finish it by 50% in. That said, I'm glad I pushed through, because part two? Man! Talk about not knowing where it was going. If you're a fan of the author, I definitely think you should give this one a try, and I'm hoping in the future maybe we will see something a little darker and more mature from McManus.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
December 1, 2021
Hmm I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I was definitely hoping for something a little more….thrilling? I mean, check that synopsis—”Ferris Bueller's Day Off with murder”. How could you *not* get excited with that description?
Like all McManus books, there’s a handfulwalking stereotypes students who end up thrown together in some sort of deadly situation. The hook here is that these three, Ivy, Mateo and Cal, are based off of the characters from the famous 80’s movie. They ditch school one day and through a sequence of terrible events end up in the immediate vicinity of a recently committed murder. And because they are teenagers and thriller protagonists, they do not go to the authorities (or their parents) for help and decide to try and solve it on their own.
I would be lying if I said it didn’t take me a while to get into this. The first half of the book was a lot of them just walking around. Getting donuts, sitting in the car, waiting in empty buildings, etc. The pacing picked up for me in the back half, but it still never reached what I think its full potential could have been. This might have something to do with the twists and the way they were revealed. Though some of the information we’re fed in the first part was a surprise, most of it didn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. By comparison the plot twists at the climax of the book were executed so well that they left me reeling. I didn’t see them coming until they were nearly on top of me.
But what is a thriller if you’re only thrilled for a fraction of the story? Even after all the big reveals, when the bad guys are unmasked and taken away, it dragged for me. Those after pages, the length of the book after the final climax/resolution, were way too long and explanatory. We don’t need five additional full-length chapters gift wrapping the ending for us.
The Cousins seemed to have a similar problem, although the slower pacing of that one made a little more sense with the tone of that book. There just has been very little action in her last two YA thrillers, and the only standalone of hers I really enjoyed was Two Can Keep a Secret. Obviously the author of One of Us Is Lying, a book that’s still on bestseller lists years after publication, is not in danger of ever not making money through writing. But with the announcement that her sixth novel is going to be another sequel to her runaway hit, I’m wondering if she’s doubling back to that familiar ground as a way to try and catch some of the initial energy that her earlier books contained.
If McManus is feeling a little uninspired by YA high school dramas, I feel like this would be a good time to pivot into New Adult territory. A lot of what she seems to want to do with her characters falls outside of this format she keeps going back to. Characters in college or their early-mid twenties might end up being a better fit. The way that You’ll Be the Death of Me played out, especially with minors being involved, felt very contrived. We’re beyond suspending disbelief at this point—because just about every major plot detail in this book would not be in the realm of possibility for teenagers.
And if I could get into a couple specific things: And I just realized I’m not going to have anyone to complain I about this with until December.🧍♀️
I do want her to keep writing, and I’m going to keep reading what she puts out because even her ‘less good’ material still a slump-buster for me. But there needs to be a shakeup after One of Us Is Back, because this is just not at the level she was a couple of years ago. Either someone on her team needs to keep pushing her in the drafting process or maybe put some more time between each release. I’d rather wait an extra six months for something spectacular from her if that’s what it takes.
*Thanks to Delacorte Press, Get Underlined & Netgalley for an advance review copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
Like all McManus books, there’s a handful
I would be lying if I said it didn’t take me a while to get into this. The first half of the book was a lot of them just walking around. Getting donuts, sitting in the car, waiting in empty buildings, etc. The pacing picked up for me in the back half, but it still never reached what I think its full potential could have been. This might have something to do with the twists and the way they were revealed. Though some of the information we’re fed in the first part was a surprise, most of it didn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. By comparison the plot twists at the climax of the book were executed so well that they left me reeling. I didn’t see them coming until they were nearly on top of me.
But what is a thriller if you’re only thrilled for a fraction of the story? Even after all the big reveals, when the bad guys are unmasked and taken away, it dragged for me. Those after pages, the length of the book after the final climax/resolution, were way too long and explanatory. We don’t need five additional full-length chapters gift wrapping the ending for us.
The Cousins seemed to have a similar problem, although the slower pacing of that one made a little more sense with the tone of that book. There just has been very little action in her last two YA thrillers, and the only standalone of hers I really enjoyed was Two Can Keep a Secret. Obviously the author of One of Us Is Lying, a book that’s still on bestseller lists years after publication, is not in danger of ever not making money through writing. But with the announcement that her sixth novel is going to be another sequel to her runaway hit, I’m wondering if she’s doubling back to that familiar ground as a way to try and catch some of the initial energy that her earlier books contained.
If McManus is feeling a little uninspired by YA high school dramas, I feel like this would be a good time to pivot into New Adult territory. A lot of what she seems to want to do with her characters falls outside of this format she keeps going back to. Characters in college or their early-mid twenties might end up being a better fit. The way that You’ll Be the Death of Me played out, especially with minors being involved, felt very contrived. We’re beyond suspending disbelief at this point—because just about every major plot detail in this book would not be in the realm of possibility for teenagers.
And if I could get into a couple specific things: And I just realized I’m not going to have anyone to complain I about this with until December.🧍♀️
I do want her to keep writing, and I’m going to keep reading what she puts out because even her ‘less good’ material still a slump-buster for me. But there needs to be a shakeup after One of Us Is Back, because this is just not at the level she was a couple of years ago. Either someone on her team needs to keep pushing her in the drafting process or maybe put some more time between each release. I’d rather wait an extra six months for something spectacular from her if that’s what it takes.
*Thanks to Delacorte Press, Get Underlined & Netgalley for an advance review copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
November 1, 2022
Ivy (rich parents, but living in the shadow of all-round genius younger brother), Cal (an outlier with very few friends if any) and Mateo (dark and brooding, but now working three jobs to help support his ill single mother, who recently loss her business) used to be best friends in their very early teens, and recall their highlight, the greatest day ever when they skipped school together. Circumstances pull these three together on a skip school day again, only this day ends in murder, with one of the as the prime person of interest!
...and yes, there's certainly more to this story, much more. This is yet another top-drawer Young Adult 21st century American mystery + romance thriller by Karen M. McManus who has the ability to take the trivialities of modern (middle to upper class) mostly White suburban senior year in high school life mix it up with crime (usually murder) and a 'will-they won't-they' romance and make it interesting reading, usually with a core mystery that keeps me transfixed all the way through! This is a prime example, and in my opinion one of her best efforts. 8 out of 12.
2022 read
...and yes, there's certainly more to this story, much more. This is yet another top-drawer Young Adult 21st century American mystery + romance thriller by Karen M. McManus who has the ability to take the trivialities of modern (middle to upper class) mostly White suburban senior year in high school life mix it up with crime (usually murder) and a 'will-they won't-they' romance and make it interesting reading, usually with a core mystery that keeps me transfixed all the way through! This is a prime example, and in my opinion one of her best efforts. 8 out of 12.
2022 read
July 4, 2022
3.5/5
This book definitely is Karen M McManus’ worst. It’s not necessarily a bad book, it just lacks the usual suspense, romance, and well developed characters her other books have. And I think it’s pretty obvious why that’s the case.
This book takes place over the course of a single day. One. The last chapters take place after of course but most of this book is an hour by hour account of what happens. And at first I thought this would make for a high stake and quickly paced plot, but it was really really slow. I know Karen can write slow books that still have good plot twists and keep you engaged (The Cousins) so this disappointed me.
I think overall the plot was lacking. Spoilers, the main plot of this book follows the death of a student because he deals drugs, and it’s all about who the main drug lord is, who ordered the victim, named Boney, to be killed, and stuff like that. Which wasn’t my jam. I prefer murders for revenge or romance or literally any other reason.
I guess another issue is there are so few characters and character development in this book. Of course there are important events in their lives but it’s still one day. It’s not as well done as development over the course of weeks or a month or two. We mostly stay with just the trio for the entire book, plus their families and a few others, so it brings the possible suspects down to a very short list. There were some sub plots, mostly family related drama, that was annoying and only took away from the main plot, which already was struggling to find it’s way through this book.
The POV’s weren’t good. They were too similar, all the time I was confused who I was reading from, which is sad because usually Karen’s books have distinctive voices. The romance was awful, again because this takes place over the course of one day, and it just really didn’t have the same dynamics as her other books.
Ivy was super annoying. I just couldn’t care for her. She seemed too self centred, did the most infuriating things, and her internal monologue was extremely annoying.
Mateo wasn’t much better. He has lots of family based monologue which made his POV’s usually drag on and on.
I guess Cal was somewhat bearable but the fact he was in love with his art teacher made his POV overly naïve and such. Obviously it wasn’t his fault (I hate that teacher) but his POV made excuses for her actions far too many times.
And I guess my lack of enjoyment came from the fact I just didn’t get sucked into it or feel the stakes. I think when a mystery takes place over weeks, the dread and guilt and takes grow higher as the characters slowly learn more and get threats or whatever it may be. Here it was very linear in what happens which wasn’t all and but bored me.
I guess how the mystery was resolved and all was good, I just felt it was very anti climactic. Like I said when you already know the motive and there isn’t any motive twist (or who did it twist, as someone obviously was going something wrong) it isn’t as fun. There wasn’t as much information to go off on to make theories myself. I definitely think her other books excel at giving just enough information over the course of days. Obviously the format of this book doesn’t allow that.
Overall this is my least favourite of Karen M McManus’ books yet but I know as this is only one out of 5 published books I disliked, I still have faith in her future mysteries which I will read!
This book definitely is Karen M McManus’ worst. It’s not necessarily a bad book, it just lacks the usual suspense, romance, and well developed characters her other books have. And I think it’s pretty obvious why that’s the case.
This book takes place over the course of a single day. One. The last chapters take place after of course but most of this book is an hour by hour account of what happens. And at first I thought this would make for a high stake and quickly paced plot, but it was really really slow. I know Karen can write slow books that still have good plot twists and keep you engaged (The Cousins) so this disappointed me.
I think overall the plot was lacking. Spoilers, the main plot of this book follows the death of a student because he deals drugs, and it’s all about who the main drug lord is, who ordered the victim, named Boney, to be killed, and stuff like that. Which wasn’t my jam. I prefer murders for revenge or romance or literally any other reason.
I guess another issue is there are so few characters and character development in this book. Of course there are important events in their lives but it’s still one day. It’s not as well done as development over the course of weeks or a month or two. We mostly stay with just the trio for the entire book, plus their families and a few others, so it brings the possible suspects down to a very short list. There were some sub plots, mostly family related drama, that was annoying and only took away from the main plot, which already was struggling to find it’s way through this book.
The POV’s weren’t good. They were too similar, all the time I was confused who I was reading from, which is sad because usually Karen’s books have distinctive voices. The romance was awful, again because this takes place over the course of one day, and it just really didn’t have the same dynamics as her other books.
Ivy was super annoying. I just couldn’t care for her. She seemed too self centred, did the most infuriating things, and her internal monologue was extremely annoying.
Mateo wasn’t much better. He has lots of family based monologue which made his POV’s usually drag on and on.
I guess Cal was somewhat bearable but the fact he was in love with his art teacher made his POV overly naïve and such. Obviously it wasn’t his fault (I hate that teacher) but his POV made excuses for her actions far too many times.
And I guess my lack of enjoyment came from the fact I just didn’t get sucked into it or feel the stakes. I think when a mystery takes place over weeks, the dread and guilt and takes grow higher as the characters slowly learn more and get threats or whatever it may be. Here it was very linear in what happens which wasn’t all and but bored me.
I guess how the mystery was resolved and all was good, I just felt it was very anti climactic. Like I said when you already know the motive and there isn’t any motive twist (or who did it twist, as someone obviously was going something wrong) it isn’t as fun. There wasn’t as much information to go off on to make theories myself. I definitely think her other books excel at giving just enough information over the course of days. Obviously the format of this book doesn’t allow that.
Overall this is my least favourite of Karen M McManus’ books yet but I know as this is only one out of 5 published books I disliked, I still have faith in her future mysteries which I will read!
August 16, 2022
Una thriller que entremezcla el misterio con la amistad.
Me encantan los libros de Karen M. McManus. Todos en general tienen algo que los define: una narración deliciosa y un talento por el manejo del tiempo. Creo que, concretamente en esta obra, la autora brilla en esto segundo, ya que todo sucede en un mismo día.
Lo que más me ha sorprendido de Tú serás mi muerte ha sido sin duda que el foco no es tanto el misterio, sino cómo solucionarlo, las aventuras que lxs amigxs reunidxs después de tanto tiempo pasan, recuperar el tiempo perdido, el valor de la amistad y la familia. Sí, sé que suena un poco pasteloso –y odio ese tipo de cosas–, pero creedme que no lo es en absoluto. Cuando he cerrado el libro, la sensación que se me ha quedado es la de que es demasiado corto, de que necesito saber más de los personajes.
Este es un thriller de personajes. El misterio, aunque es importante y tiene sus subtramas, creo que es algo secundario. Lo que realmente marca la novela y la hace diferente (y lo que engancha, por lo menos a mí), es la relación de los personajes principales: Cal, Ivy y Mateo. Compartieron una amistad preciosa en el pasado y ahora el destino les ha vuelto a juntar. Se guardan secretos entre ellxs, pero no importa, porque tienen algo más importante en lo que centrarse: la muerte de un compañero del instituto.
Es un libro ágil y entretenido, con unos personajes muy bien definidos. Continuamente me encontraba a mí mismo queriendo saber más de sus familias, de cómo se iban a tomar lo que estaba pasando o cómo solventarían los problemas que tenían con ella. Y como digo, es una sorpresa ya que no dejamos de estar ante una novela de misterio, pero creo que la autora ha hecho muy bien trabajo en presentar de esta forma las consecuencias de los actos en vez de los actos en sí.
Sin embargo, una cosa que me pasa con McManus es que siento que los desenlaces se quedan a veces un poquito flojos. Son misterios, quizá, demasiado cotidianos. Aun y todo, se lo perdono en esta obra porque creo que puede tener una continuación y porque el foco, insisto, siento que no está realmente en eso, sino en cómo se desarrollan Cal, Ivy y Mateo.
Algo que me ha sacado un poquito de la lectura es la traducción de algunas frases, pero por lo demás, genial en ese aspecto.
Tú serás mi muerte se mete de lleno en el top de mis libros preferidos de Karen M. McManus: un misterio de estar por casa con unos personajes muy reales que hacen todo lo posible por mantenerse a flote. Me ha atrapado como ningún otro libro de la autora me ha atrapado. Y ahora, a esperar a octubre, donde tendremos un nuevo libro de la autora en España. ¡Deseando leerlo!
Me encantan los libros de Karen M. McManus. Todos en general tienen algo que los define: una narración deliciosa y un talento por el manejo del tiempo. Creo que, concretamente en esta obra, la autora brilla en esto segundo, ya que todo sucede en un mismo día.
Lo que más me ha sorprendido de Tú serás mi muerte ha sido sin duda que el foco no es tanto el misterio, sino cómo solucionarlo, las aventuras que lxs amigxs reunidxs después de tanto tiempo pasan, recuperar el tiempo perdido, el valor de la amistad y la familia. Sí, sé que suena un poco pasteloso –y odio ese tipo de cosas–, pero creedme que no lo es en absoluto. Cuando he cerrado el libro, la sensación que se me ha quedado es la de que es demasiado corto, de que necesito saber más de los personajes.
Este es un thriller de personajes. El misterio, aunque es importante y tiene sus subtramas, creo que es algo secundario. Lo que realmente marca la novela y la hace diferente (y lo que engancha, por lo menos a mí), es la relación de los personajes principales: Cal, Ivy y Mateo. Compartieron una amistad preciosa en el pasado y ahora el destino les ha vuelto a juntar. Se guardan secretos entre ellxs, pero no importa, porque tienen algo más importante en lo que centrarse: la muerte de un compañero del instituto.
Es un libro ágil y entretenido, con unos personajes muy bien definidos. Continuamente me encontraba a mí mismo queriendo saber más de sus familias, de cómo se iban a tomar lo que estaba pasando o cómo solventarían los problemas que tenían con ella. Y como digo, es una sorpresa ya que no dejamos de estar ante una novela de misterio, pero creo que la autora ha hecho muy bien trabajo en presentar de esta forma las consecuencias de los actos en vez de los actos en sí.
Sin embargo, una cosa que me pasa con McManus es que siento que los desenlaces se quedan a veces un poquito flojos. Son misterios, quizá, demasiado cotidianos. Aun y todo, se lo perdono en esta obra porque creo que puede tener una continuación y porque el foco, insisto, siento que no está realmente en eso, sino en cómo se desarrollan Cal, Ivy y Mateo.
Algo que me ha sacado un poquito de la lectura es la traducción de algunas frases, pero por lo demás, genial en ese aspecto.
Tú serás mi muerte se mete de lleno en el top de mis libros preferidos de Karen M. McManus: un misterio de estar por casa con unos personajes muy reales que hacen todo lo posible por mantenerse a flote. Me ha atrapado como ningún otro libro de la autora me ha atrapado. Y ahora, a esperar a octubre, donde tendremos un nuevo libro de la autora en España. ¡Deseando leerlo!
July 24, 2022
BROOO DO I SMELL A SEQUEL???
edit (07/23/22): i originally rated this 4 stars because of the hyped feeling that the ending had, and even though the book gave me all that john-hughes-murder-mystery-goodness, it's realistically a 3 star book.
edit (07/23/22): i originally rated this 4 stars because of the hyped feeling that the ending had, and even though the book gave me all that john-hughes-murder-mystery-goodness, it's realistically a 3 star book.
January 8, 2022
i feel like Mrs. McManus needs to create some new characters.
April 16, 2023
You’ll Be the Death of Me is exactly what I needed it to be… until it wasn't anymore.
Sounds bitchy, I know, but let me explain: I started this book with an attitude and a serious lack of interest in reading, watching anything, couldn't even sleep. But then I forced myself because I don't want to be behind in my reading challenge when exam season will begin and then it struck me: this book was the perfect solution for my mood.
First chapter, we meet Ivy and I like it. Second chapter, Mateo’s life sucks and I'm interested. Third chapter, Cal starts this adventure and there’s no way I’ll put this book down until I’ll figure out what's going on.
A very important pro in all of this is the relationship between the main characters.
I’ve watched the television transposition of KMM’s One of Us is Lying, so I wasn't totally estranged from the possible scenarios and variety of characters. This is way less Breakfast Club and more Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but with murder.
Anyway, Ivy, Cal and Mateo knew each other very well, but before high school began they stopped talking; now, they have to work together or every one of them will have to deal with something worse than a detention.
A very important con is the motive, though: I’ll spend all book long questioning every single detail to try to figure out who might have done what, so I'm not particularly happy when the motive behindwhatever might have happened is something stupid or worse, boring.
I'm not a mystery/thriller type of girl so when I read one, I expect it to be good. I wanna gasp at the final revelation, I wanna find a good reason that explains everything that had happened until then, and I don't want to question the thing any further when I close the book. If you wanna kill someone, you better have a cool reason.
KMM’stories prior internal monologues over everything else, she has to do so since she likes to tell the stories from the povs of the different characters. But while others authors are not so good with them, she has perfectioned the right balance between going insane due to the situation and being sure the world isn't burnt into flames in the meantime.
I like her narrative style, I like how she has me doubting every piece of information, how she builds the thrill of getting to know the truth, and how she puts everything together at the end.
Also, predictable but likeable, there’s no end to the story.
The characters are friends again, the bad guy is in prison, and life is better than it has always been. But why is it the ending? Ivy, Cal and Mateo aren't dead, they’ll continue to live even if we stop reading.
So KMM leaves kind of an open ending: the big problem is solved but now there's another one they’ll have to deal with.
↠ 3.5 stars
Sounds bitchy, I know, but let me explain: I started this book with an attitude and a serious lack of interest in reading, watching anything, couldn't even sleep. But then I forced myself because I don't want to be behind in my reading challenge when exam season will begin and then it struck me: this book was the perfect solution for my mood.
First chapter, we meet Ivy and I like it. Second chapter, Mateo’s life sucks and I'm interested. Third chapter, Cal starts this adventure and there’s no way I’ll put this book down until I’ll figure out what's going on.
A very important pro in all of this is the relationship between the main characters.
I’ve watched the television transposition of KMM’s One of Us is Lying, so I wasn't totally estranged from the possible scenarios and variety of characters. This is way less Breakfast Club and more Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but with murder.
Anyway, Ivy, Cal and Mateo knew each other very well, but before high school began they stopped talking; now, they have to work together or every one of them will have to deal with something worse than a detention.
A very important con is the motive, though: I’ll spend all book long questioning every single detail to try to figure out who might have done what, so I'm not particularly happy when the motive behind
I'm not a mystery/thriller type of girl so when I read one, I expect it to be good. I wanna gasp at the final revelation, I wanna find a good reason that explains everything that had happened until then, and I don't want to question the thing any further when I close the book. If you wanna kill someone, you better have a cool reason.
KMM’stories prior internal monologues over everything else, she has to do so since she likes to tell the stories from the povs of the different characters. But while others authors are not so good with them, she has perfectioned the right balance between going insane due to the situation and being sure the world isn't burnt into flames in the meantime.
I like her narrative style, I like how she has me doubting every piece of information, how she builds the thrill of getting to know the truth, and how she puts everything together at the end.
Also, predictable but likeable, there’s no end to the story.
The characters are friends again, the bad guy is in prison, and life is better than it has always been. But why is it the ending? Ivy, Cal and Mateo aren't dead, they’ll continue to live even if we stop reading.
So KMM leaves kind of an open ending: the big problem is solved but now there's another one they’ll have to deal with.
↠ 3.5 stars
April 22, 2022
My obsession with Karen McManus’ books continues.
3 old friends who have fallen out of touch find themselves thrown back together in the worst of circumstances. When they all choose to skip school together and head into the city, they don’t bank on seeing another school mate there - a school mate who five minutes later ends up dead.
With Karen McManus’ signature addictive writing and secrets upon secrets, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Her characters are all flawed and relatable, I enjoyed watching them unravel everything and sometimes even having to fight for their lives.
As usual - I will pick up anything and everything this author writes.
3 old friends who have fallen out of touch find themselves thrown back together in the worst of circumstances. When they all choose to skip school together and head into the city, they don’t bank on seeing another school mate there - a school mate who five minutes later ends up dead.
With Karen McManus’ signature addictive writing and secrets upon secrets, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Her characters are all flawed and relatable, I enjoyed watching them unravel everything and sometimes even having to fight for their lives.
As usual - I will pick up anything and everything this author writes.
March 9, 2022
3 stars
I don’t know what it is about Karen M McManus, but I’ll read any book she writes. Even though I think at this point, I’ve disliked more than I’ve enjoyed by her.
Three former friends randomly decide to skip school one day, each of them not wanting to face what the school day has to offer. While out, they spot another student skipping school and follow him into an abandoned building, and then shortly discover his dead body. Now faced with being a the wrong place wrong time, they scramble to figure out what happened and who did it.
I thought this book was okay, I enjoyed it for the most part. I listened to the audiobook and all three narrators did a great job. I thought the story was a bit far fetched and a little bit… lazy? I thought everything relied too much on coincidence rather than actual possibility. I did like the main character and their different stories so that’s why I gave this book a three and not a two star rating. But I am wondering where all of this author’s magic has gone since her first book.
I don’t know what it is about Karen M McManus, but I’ll read any book she writes. Even though I think at this point, I’ve disliked more than I’ve enjoyed by her.
Three former friends randomly decide to skip school one day, each of them not wanting to face what the school day has to offer. While out, they spot another student skipping school and follow him into an abandoned building, and then shortly discover his dead body. Now faced with being a the wrong place wrong time, they scramble to figure out what happened and who did it.
I thought this book was okay, I enjoyed it for the most part. I listened to the audiobook and all three narrators did a great job. I thought the story was a bit far fetched and a little bit… lazy? I thought everything relied too much on coincidence rather than actual possibility. I did like the main character and their different stories so that’s why I gave this book a three and not a two star rating. But I am wondering where all of this author’s magic has gone since her first book.
September 26, 2022
Listened to the multi-narrator audio version of this book, which is a fantastic way to experience it.
Overall, this is a decent YA mystery, but nothing especially groundbreaking or memorable. The premise is interesting--three high school students who were friends when they were younger decide to skip school one day. They end up witnessing the death of another one of their classmates and others think they are possibly involved.
It's a little predictable, but the teen characters are endearing and interesting. There are some storylines about drug trafficking and there's a decent twist in the end. If you like YA mysteries, you can't go wrong with Karen McManus, and the audiobook is a great choice.
Overall, this is a decent YA mystery, but nothing especially groundbreaking or memorable. The premise is interesting--three high school students who were friends when they were younger decide to skip school one day. They end up witnessing the death of another one of their classmates and others think they are possibly involved.
It's a little predictable, but the teen characters are endearing and interesting. There are some storylines about drug trafficking and there's a decent twist in the end. If you like YA mysteries, you can't go wrong with Karen McManus, and the audiobook is a great choice.
May 9, 2020
Inject this straight into my eyeballs please
June 12, 2024
➼ 3 ☆ spoiler free 📹
↳ nothing new, nothing special, but just what i needed to confirm im out of my slump! something you can binge and read in a day while it still being mysterious <3 i will say when i found out what happened i wasn't spooked and my jaw wasn't on the floor. so that took things away. and i feel no attachment to the characters, but i understand them, yk? and augh the ending, i feel like i need a sequel, I HAVE QUESTIONS. 😭😭
↳ it was just like when i read five survive by holly jackson, and wanted more closure. ifykyk!!
↳ i will say im glad i found her books this year and i do recommend her to YA readers, i just have other authors i gravitate more towards in this genre !! but her more popular series one of us is lying i have a connection with some of the characters <3 overall a fun read, kind of lame at times, but i found myself laughing sooo! and thank you for all the other thriller/mystery recs ! 💌
*✧×✧*
preview!
its been a hot minute since ive read anything mystery related, so here we go. if you have any good thriller/mystery recs lmk! im tryna venture out into that genre more, even though im terrified of it irl😭😭🤞oddly enough i dont mind the people on her covers hahah <3
“silence falls as we get lost in our own regrets.” 🪐
↳ nothing new, nothing special, but just what i needed to confirm im out of my slump! something you can binge and read in a day while it still being mysterious <3 i will say when i found out what happened i wasn't spooked and my jaw wasn't on the floor. so that took things away. and i feel no attachment to the characters, but i understand them, yk? and augh the ending, i feel like i need a sequel, I HAVE QUESTIONS. 😭😭
↳ it was just like when i read five survive by holly jackson, and wanted more closure. ifykyk!!
↳ i will say im glad i found her books this year and i do recommend her to YA readers, i just have other authors i gravitate more towards in this genre !! but her more popular series one of us is lying i have a connection with some of the characters <3 overall a fun read, kind of lame at times, but i found myself laughing sooo! and thank you for all the other thriller/mystery recs ! 💌
*✧×✧*
preview!
its been a hot minute since ive read anything mystery related, so here we go. if you have any good thriller/mystery recs lmk! im tryna venture out into that genre more, even though im terrified of it irl😭😭🤞oddly enough i dont mind the people on her covers hahah <3
August 13, 2024
I’m on BookTube now! =)
“You can be right in principle and still wrong in approach.”
I think by now I’ve read almost every Karen M. McManus book that is currently existing under the sun and because there is always a new one I decided to go for “You’ll Be the Death of Me” next. Of course, this one followed the typical McManus formula, but for some reason the story worked better for me this time around. I mean yes, the characters were pretty predictable and as always we have three teens with different POVs that all struggle with something in their private lives. No matter if it’s Ivy who tries her best to reach perfection in order to be as good as her brother, Cal who is lonely and has no friends or Mateo whose family is struggling after their livelihood was taken away from them. They all have problems and all three of them have good reasons to skip a day of school when they meet on a fateful day in the parking lot.
”Maybe I’m just jealous of Gabe. I have a chip on my shoulder, lately, for anyone who has more than they need and doesn’t have to work for it. I have two jobs, and Autumn, who graduated Carlton High last spring, has three. And it’s still not enough. Not since the one-two punch we got hit with.
It starts good as well and for a while, they are able to forget about their troubles. Well, until Ivy spots Boney Mahoney – the reason why she skipped school in the first place - as he enters a building in Boston and decides to follow him. As the three friends stumble upon his corpse in a studio things escalate quickly and everything goes downhill from there. Of course, our three former besties don’t even think about calling the police or giving a statement and instead decide to solve the mystery on their own because that’s exactly what dumb kids these days do. *lol* Okay, okay, I’m reigning in my sarcasm, but it’s just so hilarious that McManus characters almost never do things the normal way and always try to do everything on their own.
"I understand his frustration. I really, really do, because I share it. We're doing so many things wrong that it's almost physically painful. But every alternative comes with its own set of problems, and I'm not ready to face any of them."
I suppose it’s good the author is aware that her characters are teens that do stupid things because otherwise this concept wouldn’t work that well. But I get it. You need your MCs to do stupid, reckless things while they try to solve a murder mystery in order to make it suspenseful for the reader. So this part of McManus books is always, the point where I turn a blind eye to the character’s antics because it does a good job at moving the plot along. AND the storyline in “You’ll Be the Death of Me” moves fast because the entire plot plays in the limited timeframe of just one day. As does the romance between Mateo and Ivy. ;-P
”Full disclosure: Mateo was my first crush. I spent half of eight grade desperately mooning over him while pretending not to, positive that he couldn't possibly feel the same."
Of course, he was. XD When it comes to romance the author always follows the same concept too because we once again have Mateo, the seemingly bad boy who tries to get by and therefore skips school and Ivy the perfect student who always tries to make everything right, but fails somehow. I knew Ivy and Mateo would be each other’s love interest right from the moment they were introduced. As I said, predictable characters. Cal however was a little different. Yes, he’s a rather insecure MC that has no friends and tries to find his place in the world, but there’s a lot more to him than initially meets the eye. From all those three characters, he definitely was my favourite because he was able to surprise me.
”Ivy,” I say as gently as I can. “I’m not sure we can fix this.” She doesn’t reply, and I add, “We’re in way over our heads.”
Not to mention despite Ivy being the brains of the group he certainly had more common sense and knew that their situation was dire. What I really liked about the story and what eventually caused me to give this book a rating of 3,5 stars rounded up to 4 was the fact that I was thoroughly entertained. There happened so many things during those 24 hours and many secrets were discovered and revealed! Even among our three friends and yes, those are quite the life altering secrets that are all kinda connected with each other. I mean one of my updates for this book was legit: “Oh wow! This is like all the skeletons in the closet decided to come out of it because they want to air their dirty laundry.” Which is to say, it were a lot of revelations that hit quite hard and in staccato. ;-) My inner gossip girl was thriving. *lol*
"He's standing with his back to us, shoulders hunched, and there's something so defeated about his posture that I feel a surge of protectiveness for the guy. Back when we used to hang out, Cal was this really open, friendly, carefree kid. I don't know who he's meeting, but if she's making him look like this, I already don't like her.
In addition, I really liked the close friendships of our main characters. They might have lost contact for a while but they still cared about each other and this was just lovely to see. As was the fact that Cal had two dads – Wes & Henry - and that you could feel their love for their son on every page on which they were mentioned. I love queer representation like this and it’s still so rare in books! So I was happy to see that we got one in this story. =)
Conclusion:
All told, “You’ll Be the Death of Me” was a fun read that kept me engaged until the very last page. All the small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book cumulated into a great ending and made the story interesting. For a McManus book this felt slightly different and I found myself enjoying those little changes. I dunno about you, but I’m ready for whatever Karen M. McManus throws at us next. ;-)
______________________________
Okay, to be honest the characters were pretty predictable.
For some reason this story worked, though. I think it were all those small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book and made the plot so interesting. XD
I had a great time!
Full review to come soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
_______________________________
What’s a sure sign I’m in a reading slump?
I have 7 books on my “currently reading” but I’m adding an eight one that’s a Karen M. McManus book to the list. *lol*
I honestly dread the day I’ll be through all of Karen’s books because for some reason they always get me out of my slumps. XD
Anyway! This one sounds promising because we have three friends that skip class and accidentally stumble upon a murder scene. Nice! Let’s see if the McManus formula will work for me. ;-)
Find me on:
My Blog
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“You can be right in principle and still wrong in approach.”
I think by now I’ve read almost every Karen M. McManus book that is currently existing under the sun and because there is always a new one I decided to go for “You’ll Be the Death of Me” next. Of course, this one followed the typical McManus formula, but for some reason the story worked better for me this time around. I mean yes, the characters were pretty predictable and as always we have three teens with different POVs that all struggle with something in their private lives. No matter if it’s Ivy who tries her best to reach perfection in order to be as good as her brother, Cal who is lonely and has no friends or Mateo whose family is struggling after their livelihood was taken away from them. They all have problems and all three of them have good reasons to skip a day of school when they meet on a fateful day in the parking lot.
”Maybe I’m just jealous of Gabe. I have a chip on my shoulder, lately, for anyone who has more than they need and doesn’t have to work for it. I have two jobs, and Autumn, who graduated Carlton High last spring, has three. And it’s still not enough. Not since the one-two punch we got hit with.
It starts good as well and for a while, they are able to forget about their troubles. Well, until Ivy spots Boney Mahoney – the reason why she skipped school in the first place - as he enters a building in Boston and decides to follow him. As the three friends stumble upon his corpse in a studio things escalate quickly and everything goes downhill from there. Of course, our three former besties don’t even think about calling the police or giving a statement and instead decide to solve the mystery on their own because that’s exactly what dumb kids these days do. *lol* Okay, okay, I’m reigning in my sarcasm, but it’s just so hilarious that McManus characters almost never do things the normal way and always try to do everything on their own.
"I understand his frustration. I really, really do, because I share it. We're doing so many things wrong that it's almost physically painful. But every alternative comes with its own set of problems, and I'm not ready to face any of them."
I suppose it’s good the author is aware that her characters are teens that do stupid things because otherwise this concept wouldn’t work that well. But I get it. You need your MCs to do stupid, reckless things while they try to solve a murder mystery in order to make it suspenseful for the reader. So this part of McManus books is always, the point where I turn a blind eye to the character’s antics because it does a good job at moving the plot along. AND the storyline in “You’ll Be the Death of Me” moves fast because the entire plot plays in the limited timeframe of just one day. As does the romance between Mateo and Ivy. ;-P
”Full disclosure: Mateo was my first crush. I spent half of eight grade desperately mooning over him while pretending not to, positive that he couldn't possibly feel the same."
Of course, he was. XD When it comes to romance the author always follows the same concept too because we once again have Mateo, the seemingly bad boy who tries to get by and therefore skips school and Ivy the perfect student who always tries to make everything right, but fails somehow. I knew Ivy and Mateo would be each other’s love interest right from the moment they were introduced. As I said, predictable characters. Cal however was a little different. Yes, he’s a rather insecure MC that has no friends and tries to find his place in the world, but there’s a lot more to him than initially meets the eye. From all those three characters, he definitely was my favourite because he was able to surprise me.
”Ivy,” I say as gently as I can. “I’m not sure we can fix this.” She doesn’t reply, and I add, “We’re in way over our heads.”
Not to mention despite Ivy being the brains of the group he certainly had more common sense and knew that their situation was dire. What I really liked about the story and what eventually caused me to give this book a rating of 3,5 stars rounded up to 4 was the fact that I was thoroughly entertained. There happened so many things during those 24 hours and many secrets were discovered and revealed! Even among our three friends and yes, those are quite the life altering secrets that are all kinda connected with each other. I mean one of my updates for this book was legit: “Oh wow! This is like all the skeletons in the closet decided to come out of it because they want to air their dirty laundry.” Which is to say, it were a lot of revelations that hit quite hard and in staccato. ;-) My inner gossip girl was thriving. *lol*
"He's standing with his back to us, shoulders hunched, and there's something so defeated about his posture that I feel a surge of protectiveness for the guy. Back when we used to hang out, Cal was this really open, friendly, carefree kid. I don't know who he's meeting, but if she's making him look like this, I already don't like her.
In addition, I really liked the close friendships of our main characters. They might have lost contact for a while but they still cared about each other and this was just lovely to see. As was the fact that Cal had two dads – Wes & Henry - and that you could feel their love for their son on every page on which they were mentioned. I love queer representation like this and it’s still so rare in books! So I was happy to see that we got one in this story. =)
Conclusion:
All told, “You’ll Be the Death of Me” was a fun read that kept me engaged until the very last page. All the small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book cumulated into a great ending and made the story interesting. For a McManus book this felt slightly different and I found myself enjoying those little changes. I dunno about you, but I’m ready for whatever Karen M. McManus throws at us next. ;-)
______________________________
Okay, to be honest the characters were pretty predictable.
For some reason this story worked, though. I think it were all those small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book and made the plot so interesting. XD
I had a great time!
Full review to come soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
_______________________________
What’s a sure sign I’m in a reading slump?
I have 7 books on my “currently reading” but I’m adding an eight one that’s a Karen M. McManus book to the list. *lol*
I honestly dread the day I’ll be through all of Karen’s books because for some reason they always get me out of my slumps. XD
Anyway! This one sounds promising because we have three friends that skip class and accidentally stumble upon a murder scene. Nice! Let’s see if the McManus formula will work for me. ;-)
Find me on:
My Blog
June 17, 2022
DNF-ed at page 178
I just can't do it. I can't believe I actually paid money to get this shit. It's so bad on so many different levels. How did this get published?! I don't understand. Somehow I don't think I've read a book this bad in so long and I've read some pretty bad books.
RTC.
I just can't do it. I can't believe I actually paid money to get this shit. It's so bad on so many different levels. How did this get published?! I don't understand. Somehow I don't think I've read a book this bad in so long and I've read some pretty bad books.
RTC.
December 20, 2022
“You can be right in principle and still wrong in approach.”
So going into this book my expectations weren't too high since it's just a simple little murder mystery and I'm glad I wasn't expecting much because I would've been so mad. I read One of Us is Lying by this author and I quite enjoyed it, despite the fact that I quickly guessed who the murderer was and got it right.
I was meh about this book throughout the entire thing until the end, where it actually got interesting. But we'll talk more about that.
The Plot
The plot was okay, but in the beginning it seemed really....convenient. What a coincidence that three ex-best friends miraculously show up at the same spot at the same time. Sure, stuff was being revealed, but I didn't care much about it since there weren't really any suspects, though I did like the little twists that were being played out along the way.
I also didn't like what the mystery was revolving around.
Some plot points sure were interesting to read about, though one of them had me a little (a lot) weirded out.
Though I must admit, I really liked the plot twists, I just didn't like that they were revealed over halfway through the book, because then it just made the beginning a tad boring. But what do I know anymore.
The Characters
And this is where it all fell down. I cared about zero of the characters which dampened my enjoyment because when I'm reading I want to love the characters and care about what's happening but I didn't care at all. Ivy was annoying and made me want to scream (especially when she revealed what she did to Mateo- I was literally laughing when she revealed it, don't ask me why), I liked Cal until I realized what he was doing, though technically he was being manipulated, but still, and Mateo was my favorite but again, I didn't care enough.
My least favorite's definitely Ivy, I don't know why, but she was annoying me. So. Much. She was rude to her brother (who I know I shouldn't like because he's a jerk but I liked him better than Ivy), she did what she did to Mateo's family, and she was really whiny and judgy at some points and I just really dislike her.
I liked Cal with his sense of humor and personality and I do feel bad about what happened to him but he shouldn't have gotten involved in that in the first place because that's a whole 'nother issue.
I enjoyed Mateo's character decently enough, but he's only slightly better than Cal. I loved when he told Ivy off and said all of those bad things to her which is kinda not a good thing but yeah. He's caring and protective of his family, which I appreciate and admire.
The Friendships and Unneeded Romance
I did like the friendships of the main characters, though they did get into many little skirmishes.
And now here's the thing: I love romance in books and I typically NEED some sort of romance in the books I read, but I really didn't want one in this one. I hate romance in murder mystery books but it always distracts from the mystery at hand which I despise, because I just want them to figure out the mystery and all that.
The only exception is Pip and Ravi from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder because I love both of them and they've got great chemistry. I might've liked the romance in this if I'd actually cared about the characters but I didn't. And it annoyed me so much because Ivy only cared about Mateo at some points and completely left out Cal, who also thought that Ivy didn't care about what he himself did when Mateo was right there.
But anyways, I liked the friendship but hated the romance.
So this was just a little thing for me to read and it was decent enough. I liked the mystery at the end and some of the plot twists but I didn't like the romance.
3 stars
“Silence falls as we get lost in our own regrets.”
<><><><><><><>
The end saved this book
Rtc
So going into this book my expectations weren't too high since it's just a simple little murder mystery and I'm glad I wasn't expecting much because I would've been so mad. I read One of Us is Lying by this author and I quite enjoyed it, despite the fact that I quickly guessed who the murderer was and got it right.
I was meh about this book throughout the entire thing until the end, where it actually got interesting. But we'll talk more about that.
The Plot
The plot was okay, but in the beginning it seemed really....convenient. What a coincidence that three ex-best friends miraculously show up at the same spot at the same time. Sure, stuff was being revealed, but I didn't care much about it since there weren't really any suspects, though I did like the little twists that were being played out along the way.
I also didn't like what the mystery was revolving around.
Some plot points sure were interesting to read about, though one of them had me a little (a lot) weirded out.
Though I must admit, I really liked the plot twists, I just didn't like that they were revealed over halfway through the book, because then it just made the beginning a tad boring. But what do I know anymore.
The Characters
And this is where it all fell down. I cared about zero of the characters which dampened my enjoyment because when I'm reading I want to love the characters and care about what's happening but I didn't care at all. Ivy was annoying and made me want to scream (especially when she revealed what she did to Mateo- I was literally laughing when she revealed it, don't ask me why), I liked Cal until I realized what he was doing, though technically he was being manipulated, but still, and Mateo was my favorite but again, I didn't care enough.
My least favorite's definitely Ivy, I don't know why, but she was annoying me. So. Much. She was rude to her brother (who I know I shouldn't like because he's a jerk but I liked him better than Ivy), she did what she did to Mateo's family, and she was really whiny and judgy at some points and I just really dislike her.
I liked Cal with his sense of humor and personality and I do feel bad about what happened to him but he shouldn't have gotten involved in that in the first place because that's a whole 'nother issue.
I enjoyed Mateo's character decently enough, but he's only slightly better than Cal. I loved when he told Ivy off and said all of those bad things to her which is kinda not a good thing but yeah. He's caring and protective of his family, which I appreciate and admire.
The Friendships and Unneeded Romance
I did like the friendships of the main characters, though they did get into many little skirmishes.
And now here's the thing: I love romance in books and I typically NEED some sort of romance in the books I read, but I really didn't want one in this one. I hate romance in murder mystery books but it always distracts from the mystery at hand which I despise, because I just want them to figure out the mystery and all that.
The only exception is Pip and Ravi from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder because I love both of them and they've got great chemistry. I might've liked the romance in this if I'd actually cared about the characters but I didn't. And it annoyed me so much because Ivy only cared about Mateo at some points and completely left out Cal, who also thought that Ivy didn't care about what he himself did when Mateo was right there.
But anyways, I liked the friendship but hated the romance.
So this was just a little thing for me to read and it was decent enough. I liked the mystery at the end and some of the plot twists but I didn't like the romance.
3 stars
“Silence falls as we get lost in our own regrets.”
<><><><><><><>
The end saved this book
Rtc
October 20, 2024
🩸| 2 stars
!! caution hate rant incoming !!
my hopes were too high 😔😔 Don't get me wrong I do really like Karen McManus's writing style, but the more books I read of hers, the more they feel the same. Tbh I think it is partially my own fault that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping too, as I read nothing more to tell and loved it, which made me so excited to pick up another one by her, but I think I should've spaced them out more 😭😭 Another problem I had was that I generally couldn't care less about the characters, they just like rip offs of all of Karen McManus's character and it felt like I'd read the book before, just in a different font 😞😞 The plot was ok, but by far the weakest one I've read so far, it just felt so unrealistic for everything to happen in one day 🫤🫤 I would still recommend her books, but I would suggest maybe skipping this one 🥲🥲
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Playlist
❥ This Is Me Trying - Taylor Swift
❥ Bad Blood - Taylor Swift
❥ No Body No Crime - Taylor Swift
❥ Mess It Up - Gracie Abrams
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Characters
➸ “𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓮'𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮: 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓪 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮.”
❥ Ivy: I mean she was ok ig? She just felt like a rip off version of Bronwyn and Brynn (characters from the authors other books). There were many points in the book where it seemed like I was feel bad for her, but tbh I couldn't care less 😭😭 She came off as so petty, having to have everything exactly how she wanted and honestly it just made me get sick of her even quicker 🥱🥱 Overall she was a pretty weak fmc, which is so sad, bc she had so much potential 🥲🥲
➸ “𝓢𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓼 𝓪𝓼 𝔀𝓮 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼.”
❥ Cal: My fav but at the same time least fav character 😐😐 At the start I hated him sm, I mean the way he kept defending Lara...ughh 🙄🙄 I do have to admit he does have ok character growth, but it was too little too late 😔😔 I think the main reason I couldn't like him was bc how annoying he felt to me, like who's petty enough to stop his two best friends getting together 😒😒 Ig I felt a little bad for him at the end, but honestly I couldn't care what happened to him, he was just to annoying, basic and bland 😓😓
❥ Mateo: My least fav character 😭😭 Honestly I thought he might be promising at the start, but he started giving me the ick pretty quickly 😔😔 The way he would take out his problems on Ivy and Cal and then want to leave them THE DAY THEY ALL BECAME WITNESSES 🙄🙄 And I get it must have been hard learning about Ivy's role in closing down his mums business, but that reaction was a little extreme 😐😐 Ig he kinda redeemed himself at the end, but it still doesn't make up for everything else 🥱🥱
➸ “𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓮𝔁𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓵𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓭𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹. 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓶, 𝓲𝓼𝓷’𝓽 𝓲𝓽?”
❥ Other Characters: Honestly why were all of the other character ***holes 😒😒 Like I can't think of anything positive to say about Gabe, Lara, Coach Kendall, Zach, Mateo's dad, and Ivy's parents. Cal's parents, Mateo's mum and autumn were ok ig, but I didn't really care about them either 🥱🥱
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Romance
❥ Ivy + Mateo: I mean they were ok? Again, I just don't know how I'm meant to root for two people when the book goes on for ONE DAY 🫤🫤 Not to mention how they were mad at each other for almost half of the book 🫤🫤 They were kinda cute in the last few chapters when it was set a month later, but other than that...eh 😭😭
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ In Conclusion
Overall, not the best read ever, but I would still recommend the author in general if you are looking for a quick, ya mystery, just not this book 😞😞 I would read one of us is lying or nothing more to tell over this any day. Sorry for the hate rant 🫣🫣
✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*
🩸| pre-read
Am I in my Karen McManus era again? 🤭🤭
!! caution hate rant incoming !!
my hopes were too high 😔😔 Don't get me wrong I do really like Karen McManus's writing style, but the more books I read of hers, the more they feel the same. Tbh I think it is partially my own fault that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping too, as I read nothing more to tell and loved it, which made me so excited to pick up another one by her, but I think I should've spaced them out more 😭😭 Another problem I had was that I generally couldn't care less about the characters, they just like rip offs of all of Karen McManus's character and it felt like I'd read the book before, just in a different font 😞😞 The plot was ok, but by far the weakest one I've read so far, it just felt so unrealistic for everything to happen in one day 🫤🫤 I would still recommend her books, but I would suggest maybe skipping this one 🥲🥲
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Playlist
❥ This Is Me Trying - Taylor Swift
❥ Bad Blood - Taylor Swift
❥ No Body No Crime - Taylor Swift
❥ Mess It Up - Gracie Abrams
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Characters
➸ “𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓮'𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮: 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓪 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮.”
❥ Ivy: I mean she was ok ig? She just felt like a rip off version of Bronwyn and Brynn (characters from the authors other books). There were many points in the book where it seemed like I was feel bad for her, but tbh I couldn't care less 😭😭 She came off as so petty, having to have everything exactly how she wanted and honestly it just made me get sick of her even quicker 🥱🥱 Overall she was a pretty weak fmc, which is so sad, bc she had so much potential 🥲🥲
➸ “𝓢𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓼 𝓪𝓼 𝔀𝓮 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼.”
❥ Cal: My fav but at the same time least fav character 😐😐 At the start I hated him sm, I mean the way he kept defending Lara...ughh 🙄🙄 I do have to admit he does have ok character growth, but it was too little too late 😔😔 I think the main reason I couldn't like him was bc how annoying he felt to me, like who's petty enough to stop his two best friends getting together 😒😒 Ig I felt a little bad for him at the end, but honestly I couldn't care what happened to him, he was just to annoying, basic and bland 😓😓
❥ Mateo: My least fav character 😭😭 Honestly I thought he might be promising at the start, but he started giving me the ick pretty quickly 😔😔 The way he would take out his problems on Ivy and Cal and then want to leave them THE DAY THEY ALL BECAME WITNESSES 🙄🙄 And I get it must have been hard learning about Ivy's role in closing down his mums business, but that reaction was a little extreme 😐😐 Ig he kinda redeemed himself at the end, but it still doesn't make up for everything else 🥱🥱
➸ “𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓮𝔁𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓵𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓭𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹. 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓶, 𝓲𝓼𝓷’𝓽 𝓲𝓽?”
❥ Other Characters: Honestly why were all of the other character ***holes 😒😒 Like I can't think of anything positive to say about Gabe, Lara, Coach Kendall, Zach, Mateo's dad, and Ivy's parents. Cal's parents, Mateo's mum and autumn were ok ig, but I didn't really care about them either 🥱🥱
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ Romance
❥ Ivy + Mateo: I mean they were ok? Again, I just don't know how I'm meant to root for two people when the book goes on for ONE DAY 🫤🫤 Not to mention how they were mad at each other for almost half of the book 🫤🫤 They were kinda cute in the last few chapters when it was set a month later, but other than that...eh 😭😭
.ೃ࿐⁀➷ In Conclusion
Overall, not the best read ever, but I would still recommend the author in general if you are looking for a quick, ya mystery, just not this book 😞😞 I would read one of us is lying or nothing more to tell over this any day. Sorry for the hate rant 🫣🫣
✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*
🩸| pre-read
Am I in my Karen McManus era again? 🤭🤭
June 16, 2022
Ah, you know what you are going to be getting with McManus; always a teen drama/mystery with lots of cheese that reads like a scripts for a teen drama TV show (uh, I only know about that because my wife watches those . . . uh, yeah . . . that’s it!) But, while you know what you are getting, you can never be sure if you are getting something good or something mediocre. McManus has been up and down for me after reading a few of her other books. So, how did this one stack up?
I am going to go 4 stars, but I want to stress that through a lot of it I was leaning heavily towards three and, at times, even two.
The book starts off well, but the middle is mired in unbelievable plot twists and confusing dialogue. The reason that it ramped back up to 4 after the middle is that there was an a-ha moment near the climax of the story that actually made me vocalize “OH DANG!” and from that point on I was back into it. When I have a physical or vocal reaction to a book, it gets a star back!
Should you read it?
Do you like McManus’ other works? Do you enjoy teen drama TV shows? Do you ask for extra cheese on your pizza? Yes, you should
Do you not like books with a lot of cheese, unbelievable twists, and convoluted dialogue that might make it difficult to stay focused through the middle of the book? Then you should proceed with caution!
I am going to go 4 stars, but I want to stress that through a lot of it I was leaning heavily towards three and, at times, even two.
The book starts off well, but the middle is mired in unbelievable plot twists and confusing dialogue. The reason that it ramped back up to 4 after the middle is that there was an a-ha moment near the climax of the story that actually made me vocalize “OH DANG!” and from that point on I was back into it. When I have a physical or vocal reaction to a book, it gets a star back!
Should you read it?
Do you like McManus’ other works? Do you enjoy teen drama TV shows? Do you ask for extra cheese on your pizza? Yes, you should
Do you not like books with a lot of cheese, unbelievable twists, and convoluted dialogue that might make it difficult to stay focused through the middle of the book? Then you should proceed with caution!
January 16, 2022
Karen M McManus, known for her thrilling murder mystery plots and excellent choice of characters amongst them, You'll Be The Death of Me is another well plotted book by the author.
Our three main characters - Ivy, Mateo, Cal find themselves stuck between the murder of a fourth high school student who, they three know at individual level. Although the plot was very well articulated, I felt the characters could have been better.
In terms of plot and characters, I would also want the author to experiment and bring something new to the table. There was a lot of predictions as well as cliché plot twists in the book. A definite one time catchy read for me, which I will read once and end up forgetting by the end.
Our three main characters - Ivy, Mateo, Cal find themselves stuck between the murder of a fourth high school student who, they three know at individual level. Although the plot was very well articulated, I felt the characters could have been better.
In terms of plot and characters, I would also want the author to experiment and bring something new to the table. There was a lot of predictions as well as cliché plot twists in the book. A definite one time catchy read for me, which I will read once and end up forgetting by the end.
January 6, 2022
I'm so disappointed that I didn't like this book more! And it's my first read of 2022 :(
This is my third book by the author, and while her books have never been my favorite, I usually have a fun time reading them. But in You'll Be the Death of Me, I had so many issues with the plot and mystery elements of this story that I just couldn't overlook.
My main issue is that most of this book reads like a contemporary. McManus is good at crafting teen characters and creating friend groups. All three main characters have great backstories, are fully fleshed out, and their interactions and dialogue between each other are compelling and interesting.
However, most of the plot of this book is focused on things that have taken place in the past that have caused this group of friends to have a falling out. This book is all about realizing their past mistakes and coming back together as friends once again.
The mystery element isn't even a major focus of the book until the last five or so chapters. And the ending is absolutely absurd and comes out of left field! It's clearly set up that way to make it possible for a sequel to happen. Also, there is a relationship between an older and younger character that feels so unrealistic.
If the mystery was removed from this story and it had focused more on this group of friends and their interpersonal relationships, it would have been a stronger book for me.
If you'd like to read a book by this author, I'd recommend The Cousins and pass on this one. Even the One of US is Lying series is better.
This is my third book by the author, and while her books have never been my favorite, I usually have a fun time reading them. But in You'll Be the Death of Me, I had so many issues with the plot and mystery elements of this story that I just couldn't overlook.
My main issue is that most of this book reads like a contemporary. McManus is good at crafting teen characters and creating friend groups. All three main characters have great backstories, are fully fleshed out, and their interactions and dialogue between each other are compelling and interesting.
However, most of the plot of this book is focused on things that have taken place in the past that have caused this group of friends to have a falling out. This book is all about realizing their past mistakes and coming back together as friends once again.
The mystery element isn't even a major focus of the book until the last five or so chapters. And the ending is absolutely absurd and comes out of left field! It's clearly set up that way to make it possible for a sequel to happen. Also, there is a relationship between an older and younger character that feels so unrealistic.
If the mystery was removed from this story and it had focused more on this group of friends and their interpersonal relationships, it would have been a stronger book for me.
If you'd like to read a book by this author, I'd recommend The Cousins and pass on this one. Even the One of US is Lying series is better.
March 17, 2022
This was a buddy read with my grandson. It was cute, not great, but we had some nice discussions.
High School students Ivy, Mateo,and Cal were once best buds but a black cat crossed their paths and since middle school they haven't spoken - that is, until Ivy lost her bid for class pres when the biggest jerk in her class managed to garner enough votes resulting in her humiliating defeat.
When the three meet up in the parking lot of school the day the winner is to be announced, they decide to band together and skip school, each for their own reason. When they discover the newly elected class president dead on the floor of an abandoned building (he clearly skipped too), the three of them find themselves in an awkward position which gets more and more complicated as the hours pass.
In the space of just a few hours, secrets are exposed, as are feelings of anger and disappointment while the three buds, with the aid of a few others, solve the mystery of their classmate's death and resolve some past issues. Wrongs are righted and everyone (probably) lives happily ever after.
The book deals with drug trafficking and inappropriate teacher student relationships - but not on a gritty or graphic level.
High School students Ivy, Mateo,and Cal were once best buds but a black cat crossed their paths and since middle school they haven't spoken - that is, until Ivy lost her bid for class pres when the biggest jerk in her class managed to garner enough votes resulting in her humiliating defeat.
When the three meet up in the parking lot of school the day the winner is to be announced, they decide to band together and skip school, each for their own reason. When they discover the newly elected class president dead on the floor of an abandoned building (he clearly skipped too), the three of them find themselves in an awkward position which gets more and more complicated as the hours pass.
In the space of just a few hours, secrets are exposed, as are feelings of anger and disappointment while the three buds, with the aid of a few others, solve the mystery of their classmate's death and resolve some past issues. Wrongs are righted and everyone (probably) lives happily ever after.
The book deals with drug trafficking and inappropriate teacher student relationships - but not on a gritty or graphic level.
November 6, 2023
wow just wow. this book is so amazing I love it so much. Karen M mcmanus is my favorite author because she just writes the best mystery thrillers, and I love how she always adds a bit of cute romance on the side. I ship ivy and Mateo so hard, they are the cutest and I totally almost cried when they had that huge fight lol.
⚠️SPOILER⚠️
I was not expecting that twist!! like I was over here like "omg it's totally Daniel!!" and then it turned out to be the coach???? like what ?? I was so convinced it was Daniel lol and I was so wrong lol. totally was not expecting that and it was amazing!
⚠️END OF SPOILER⚠️
I love this book sm and I definitely recommend this to literally everyone!!
⚠️SPOILER⚠️
I was not expecting that twist!! like I was over here like "omg it's totally Daniel!!" and then it turned out to be the coach???? like what ?? I was so convinced it was Daniel lol and I was so wrong lol. totally was not expecting that and it was amazing!
⚠️END OF SPOILER⚠️
I love this book sm and I definitely recommend this to literally everyone!!
April 4, 2023
1.5 stars
What a disappointment. The characters were okay, but the plot was so underwhelming. Instead of there being a huge plot twist, a shortcut was taken. The culprit didn't even show up 20 pages in the entire book, so it was impossible to even guess the whodunit. Not the mention the ending felt so incomplete and this is a STANDALONE. This was definitely not the thriller mystery I was looking for.
What a disappointment. The characters were okay, but the plot was so underwhelming. Instead of there being a huge plot twist, a shortcut was taken. The culprit didn't even show up 20 pages in the entire book, so it was impossible to even guess the whodunit. Not the mention the ending felt so incomplete and this is a STANDALONE. This was definitely not the thriller mystery I was looking for.
December 5, 2021
McManus did it again. I couldn‘t put this one down. Didn‘t see the last pages coming. Overall loved the book so much!
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