I'm a big fan of Karen McManus.  She has been my go-to author for my students who like a good mystery but may need a little more than a typical middle grades book would offer.  Her books are often checked out in my classroom library AND our school library. 

Billed as Ferris Bueller's Day Off gone wrong, three friends decide to ditch school for the day and head to downtown Boston.  They each have their own reasons for skipping, but hints are given as to how intertwined their lives once were and how they will be once again. Later in the morning, they see another classmate skipping too!  Following him to see why he is in Boston, they come across a deadly scene and find their classmate dead.  The news reports the known details quickly.  Fellow students are texting all the gossip from school.  More questions than answers arise, and the plot to figure out how this student died and who is responsible consumes the rest of the day for Cal, Ivy, and Mateo.  So much for recreating The Best Day Ever!

I appreciated the pacing of this novel.  The plot doesn't lag, and the author uses the varying perspectives of Cal, Ivy, and Mateo to tell the story.  I liked how the history of their friendship is interwoven in with current scenes/events.  They each have a well-defined personality making them believable.  

My only issue was once the mystery around the student's death ended, the story continued a bit more.  However, readers get a glimpse of what happened to each of the friends and how they were ultimately impacted by the shocking events of that day.  I think teen readers will appreciate that.

Once the book releases, I will definitely purchase a copy for my classroom library!  I suspect it will become a favorite and have a waiting list for check out.  Mature 7th graders and older will devour this book once it comes out in November!

Three teenagers stumble onto the scene of a murder of a classmate and they solve the case the same day. If you can get beyond that premise, you’ll find the expected McManus style of entertainment, twists, and chills. The story flows well as you get to know these characters. The storyline wrapped up too nicely and quickly only for it to be dragged out with more of the aftermath.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus from NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In a chance meeting in the school parking lot, Ivy, Cal, and Mateo decide to relive The Best Day Ever, a throw back to a day in middle school where they ditched a field trip and hung out in downtown Boston. The three have grown distant since middle school, but what could possibly go wrong? The three head for Boston and walk into a murder scene--of a classmate of theirs. The three must come together, despite the secrets that they are keeping from one another, in order to figure out what happened and maintain their innocence.

Karen McManus created another fantastic YA thriller. Like her other novels, I read McManus' You'll Be the Death of Me in one sitting. She constantly keeps the reader engaged and questioning what will happen next. I really enjoyed the dynamic of these characters the connections that they shared with one another. I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults alike.

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.

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.

Another winner for Karen McManus! This book was just another notch on her great book belt.! Wonderful.

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!

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.

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!

"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*.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off takes a deadly turn in You’ll Be The Death of Me.
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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.
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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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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