Cover Image: You'll Be the Death of Me

You'll Be the Death of Me

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Member Reviews

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 

4+ stars

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with a deadly twist. Ivy, Mateo and Cal were best friends in middle school but drifted apart. One morning of their senior year they all decide to cut school for the day even though they haven’t hung out in years. They witness a murder and spend the rest of the day searching for clues to the killer. 

I really enjoyed the book. Told in alternating voices of Ivy, Mateo and Cal, you really get a feel of each of them and what is going on in their lives. I read the book in a day and was eager to get back to reading. There is a possibility for a sequel.
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This review will be posted to Goodreads on November 16, 2021

It’s been a good while since an ending of a book made me go, “Oh, dang!” so for that, I’m grateful to Karen McManus. You’ll Be the Death of Me follows three former best friends—Ivy, Mateo, and Cal—as they decide to once again cut school together. Their day off goes horribly wrong, and their choices continually put them in ever increasing danger.

I really did enjoy this novel, more so than some of McManus’s newer works (so far nothing is quite as good as One of Us is Lying, but who can fault her for that). There were points where I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to figure out what would happen next. I love that she can create a genuine feeling of suspense. I felt that her different narrative voices weren’t all that different, so the characters didn’t stand out from one another. Was this a horrible thing that kept me from loving the plot? No, not really. But I do admit I wish her writing was stronger in this area. Since I’ve read all of her previous work, I found myself trying to anticipate what would happen next based on her previous twists. Fans of McManus will definitely notice some tropes forming, but McManus does enough to keep you on your toes.

I’m excited to see if McManus will continue this story—there’s plenty of room for a sequel, but this novel can stand on its own, too. We’ll have to wait and see!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Another winner for Karen McManus! This book was just another notch on her great book belt.! Wonderful.
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Another masterful book by Karen McManus! This one ranks up as high as One Of Us Is Lying in my book, and I'm sure our readers, both teens and adults, are going to gobble this one up as soon as it's published. 

What I loved about this book:

1) Shifting perspectives, as McManus always does, but ending the chapters on enough of a cliffhanger that I didn't want to stop reading!

2) The way chapters are blended together to create a wonderfully suspenseful narritave while also keeping each character unique. 

3) The door is open for a sequel (is it too early to start begging for one?) 

What I didn't love about this book:

1) It's not out until November, so I can't brag about how everyone needs to read it until then!
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Absolutely unputdownable! Another McManus winner. Twists and surprises to keep you guessing and enough shadows cast to make you keep doubting. The position these characters are thrust into does not seem too contrived and the situations actually are believable. Kudos to McManus for creating another teen murder mystery that rings true and doesn’t make my eyes roll.
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4.75, rounded up. Great murder mystery! It is fast-paced & you become invested enough in the characters that you are worried when things go wrong. There were only a few details that didn’t seem plausible. Nice wrap-up & twists throughout!
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"We're going scorched earth."

Oh my goodness, what a ride! I loved the multiple perspectives, the slow unraveling, the overlapping histories; who am I kidding? I loved the whole thing! I'm excited to see if this turns into a series, but even if it doesn't, this book was *chef's kiss*.
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Another good who done it suspense story.  This one involves 3 Seniors who had been friends but grown away from each other.  They have secrets they are still hiding from one another and now have to solve the murder of one of their classmates.  Drugs, inappropriate teacher-student relations, sibling rivalry all play apart in the suspense.  Good quick read.
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Karen McManus does it again! When a trio of high school friends try to recreate their best day ever, they fail epically. Before their day of playing hooky is over one of them will be accused of murder and the other two will find out secrets that will change their lives forever. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.
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Karen McManus does it again. Her YA thrillers have such good twists and turns and are unputdownable. It's no surprise that her latest/upcoming, YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME, does the same. Also love the cover! I know this one will fly off my library shelves in our teen room.
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You'll be the death of me has to be one of my favorite suspense novels!

I was provided a digital copy of this novel by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This novel, like the authors others, contains a plot driven by characters and settings, that keeps you hooked from page one all the way past the end. 

I loved this book because the characters felt real. They had their struggles and their good things. They had flaws, and those flaws led to pain, but also to positive occurences. 

The plot moved at the perfect pace and it constantly threw you clues so you felt like you were apart of the book, fighting to find the guilty party. The writing was consistent and stable, helping the readers through the novel. 

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, and I look forward to the possible second novel!
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Ferris Bueller’s Day Off takes a deadly turn in You’ll Be The Death of Me. 
⚠️ 
Ivy, Mateo and Cal used to be best friends after they snuck out of a field trip in middle school in Boston, but drifted apart when they got to high school. Senior year when they run into each other in the parking lot before school each has their own reasons for wanting to ditch. Trying to recreate their Best Day Ever, they head back to Boston…only to discover a dead body of one of their classmates. Suddenly everyone’s secrets have something to do with the murder. With so many twists and turns, the group begins to wonder if they didn’t get paired together by chance.
⚠️
In case you weren’t aware, Karen M. McManus is the YA murder mystery QUEEN! Any time her books come out they never stay on the shelf in my library. This novel had me hanging on every word, each chapter was a cliffhanger and I finished it in one sitting! Obsessed is putting it mildly. This title releases November 30. Add it to your preorder list NOW!
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YA thriller with the twists and turns of an adult thriller. Surprisingly serious subject matter - opioid use. Entertaining but more predictable than her earlier titles.
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Another exciting teen thriller from Karen McManus.  Three teens who used to be close rediscover each other on what turns out to be the Worst Day Ever.  In McManus signature style, nobody is exactly what they seem, and everything you think you know comes into question.  Plenty of plot twists and a gripping style with a little romance tossed in casually.  If I have a single complaint it would be that a lot of the plot rests on teens showing poor judgement and making poor decisions but maybe that represents the reality of what these kids would do in these situations!
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off with a murder mystery twist. Ivy, Cal, and Mateo were once best friends. But they haven't really spoken to each other in a long time. They meet up before school and for individual reasons, they decide to skip school together. They want to reconnect and have the best day ever, just like old times. But then they witness another student at their school who also skipped get murdered, their day gets infinitely worse. Especially when they realize they all have a connection to the murdered student. And all three of them are keeping secrets. A twisty, dark, sometimes funny adventure novel wrapped up in a mystery, this book is the first in a series that will be sure to keep you reading-and guessing.
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Another great book from Karen McManus.  Another three high school students who use to be close decided to skip school and spend the day in Boston for a great day turns out to be the worse day when they follow a fellow student of there’s and ends up finding him dead and all the questions start. When you think you know something Karen adds a another twist to it. Another five star reading
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Well guys. Karen McManus has DONE. IT. AGAIN. finished this one in less than 24 hours. You’ll Be The Death of Me has all of the appeal, mystery and tension of the first 4 books shes written, but this is the first book of hers that actually made me tear up at one point. Mateos mom. Just. She got to me at the end there yall. As a mom, the stuff she said Hit me super hard. 
I love the friendships in her books. They make me miss high school, which is SUPER HARD to do. 
Let’s just say, It was a whirlwind of a ride, everytime I thought I had it figured out I was wrong. Karen kept me guessing, and then left me hanging a bit also. 
I need more of this crew guys. Please give me a second book Karen! NOWWWW. Before I go SCORCHED EARTH
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I received an ARC of this from NetGalley - and there is only one thing wrong with that - now I am done with the book.. what do I have to look forward to?? After the resounding, deserved, success of One of Us Is Lying, McManus has amassed a following, eagerly awaiting her next book. Thankfully, McManus is prolific enough that we never have to wait too long (although it feels like an eternity). You'll Be the Death of Me is classic McManus - a murder mystery with the perfect pace, teens with the perfect mix of flaws and root-for-me personalities. Overall, this book is the perfect YA murder mystery  - the right blend of humor - dare I say, romance - and suspense. No doubt about it, if you loved OOUIL like I did, you will love this book, too. McManus, is it too much to hope for more from the Carleton crew? xo
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Karen McManus literally can't miss and her latest mystery about three former friends who discover the dead body of the class clown is full of suspense, unexpected twists, and McManus' trademark pacing. You never know where she's going, and to tackle the opioid crisis, student/teacher relationships, and the pipeline to prison complex is no mean feat.
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So, I've become slightly obsessed with Karen McManus? I know, I didn't see this coming either, but "You'll Be the Death of Me" is a perfect example of why. It's well plotted, lightly funny, suspenseful without being anxiety inducing, and, overall, a story that feels current and relevant.
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