Karen M. McManus new book "You'll be the Death of Me" comes out November 30th! In middle school, best friends Cal, Mateo and Ivy had the "greatest day ever" when they snuck away from a field trip. Fast forward to highschool, the friends reunite and decide to skip school again for the day... only they end up with a dead classmate on their hands and everyone thinks they had a part in it.

This book is told from multiple POVs: Cal, Mateo and Ivy, which I really like and the writing was fun and interesting. The story follows the three friends journey over the course of the day, as they try to figure out what's going on and reveal the secrets they've been hiding from each other. There were so many twists and turns, but it still felt a bit slow to me. Are you a fan of Karen McManus' One of Us is Lying? How about YA murder Mysteries? If so then I think you'll really like this one!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A story about three friends who skip school and end up with a dead classmate. It is a suspenseful read with good plot twists. Karen M. McManus is an expert at shifting the plot and making you doubt yourself on who did it. A great young adult read for 2021.

Can’t go wrong with a Karen McManus read! This one was again focused on students and teachers, which as a teacher, I like. I was left completely unsure of the ending for a good majority of the book, so that I liked. However, I found it hard to connect with the characters.

McManus's books never disappoint, and this newest one is just as good as her others. The story is about three friends who decide to skip school for various reasons and wind up embroiled in the mysterious death of one of their classmates. The story was suspenseful and kept me guessing until the very end. I liked that there are life lessons about forgiveness that young adults can learn from as they read this book. I look forward to recommending it to students who have enjoyed her previous novels. Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

Another fun book from Karen McManus. This one is about three friends who skip school t ol go into the city, Ferris Bueller style. But then one of their classmates turns up dead and everyone thinks they're in on it. A fun mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved it. I have read every book by this author and have enjoyed most of them. After reading The Cousins and not liking as much as some of her other books, like One Of Us Is Lying, I was a bit skeptical to read this one but oh boy I’m so glad that I did.

It was full of twists and turns and suspense. And that ending…epic and unexpected! I recommend this book…highly!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy.

Best McManus book yet - and that’s saying something! So many twists and turns meant that I was truly surprised by the ending. What more can you ask for? Thoughtful characters who are real and flawed but who still make you want to root for them long after you close this book. Realistic family dynamics and teenage pressures. I loved this book!

This book was extremely good. I love a drifter friends coming together even more than a romantic relationship rekindled story. I like being in each of these characters POV. I couldn’t put this one down!

This was a blast of a YA novel.

I don’t know why, but it reminded me more of Riverdale than Ferris Bueller. It was dark, just edgy enough, and a seriously solid thriller.

I was absolutely engaged with these characters and was so worried about some of them.

Super quick read, but a very satisfying read – it would make a seriously fun movie.

Enjoyed this one!

*ARC provided via Net Galley

I’m always excited to read a new KMM mystery. I thought One of Us Is Lying was one of the best YA mysteries I’ve come across and though her next two books were not as sharp, her last one, The Cousins seemed to break out of the mold she’d set herself in. Unfortunately with this latest one, the author has gone back to familiar territory and I found it rather disappointing.

In middle school, Ivy, Cal, and Mateo had the “Greatest Day Ever” when they sneaked away from a field trip. They became fast friends for a while but drifted apart in high school. Now seniors, they bump into each other in the school parking lot and decide to bunk off school to see if lightning can strike twice. But instead of fun and laughter, they stumble across the body of a classmate and find themselves implicated in a murder. If this set up sounds a little familiar that’s because it is - the author’s One of Us Is Lying also threw near strangers into a similar situation where they end up having to investigate for themselves because the evidence all seems to point at them.

The characters all felt a little One of Us is Lying too. Ivy is a type-A smart girl who feels she is the shadow of every extremely gifted younger brother. Personally I found her a little irritating. Cal is a lonely comics nerd, though it’s never clear to me why he doesn’t have friends. Mateo is broodingly handsome and cool and is working two jobs to help support his mother (Cal and Ivy are white, Mateo has a Puerto Rican mother and Polish father). Would you believe they all have secrets? Well, yes they do.

The mystery is set up and resolved in the course of a day and relies heavily on coincidence and unlikely decisions. Though always readable, I felt the author was treading old ground and the novel lacks the fresh zing of her some of her previous work.

Thanks to Delacorte and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I’m a huge fan of Karen McManus and have read each of her books. I’ll certainly eagerly wait for the next one. That said, this one was only okay.

I called the killer pretty early on, which I usually can’t do with her books. I’m also a little sick of seeing pedophile teachers, but I do recognize that female predators aren’t shown as often. I did like the twist at the end.

It was a fine mystery, and I’ll still recommend it to mystery fans. But, it isn’t the top one of hers that I’d go to recommend.

I was really looking forward to this book as I've loved most of what the clever and talented Ms McManus has written, but "You'll be the Death of Me" is definitely my least favorite of hers. Compared to The Cousins, which I seriously LOVED, and One of Us is Lying, I found her latest to be less impressive; the murder mystery never seemed to grip me enough to anticipate the reveal. The writing though was really good and engaging. I was just hoping for a more gripping, original read from this author.

It is hard to believe that this author can write a mystery set in one day. My granddaughters love her books and I have to buy each of them their own copies. There are lots of characters which makes it harder to decide on who the killer is. Lots of twist and turns and a different ending than was expected

I've read and enjoyed all of Karen M. McManus's books . One of Us is Lying is my favorite, but this is probably tied for second (with The Cousins). The mystery is engaging, and I thought I knew the answer (but was wrong). It's got some twists and turns and great characters. If you're looking for a teen/YA mystery, this is a great choice.

I loved the One of Us is Lying and can't wait to review You'll Be the Death of Me.

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. It's Ferris Bueller's Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly--and fatally--wrong.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy!

teens just want to have an innocent ditch day but end up witnessing a horrible murder. the friends come together to solve this murder mystery.
this is definitely a page turner, could not put it down once I started it.

Another fun, fast read from the author. I enjoyed the character development and most of the plot. I find stories like these with a relatively close world easy to get absorbed by, but it also minimizes the options for who the perpetrator could be. I thought the twists were, for the most part, well executed. Would definitely recommend, especially as a vacation/beach read. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Karen McManus is incredibly consistent in her storytelling. Nothing is given away too soon, nothing is obvious, but also nothing is thrown away and pointless either. Billed as “‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ meets a murder mystery,” it couldn’t be anymore accurate. When old friends Ivy, Cal, and Mateo reunite and decide to ditch school one day, the three of them have no idea how quickly their lives are about to change. And the reader has no idea how much everything is about to unravel. So much fun. Something near the end made me audibly gasp. One of her best.

Young adult is totally not my genre, but I love McManus' storytelling and books. However, this one missed the mark for me. While it was a page-turner, I didn't relate with the drug themes. What I appreciate about this author is the young-adult theme, while also making an unbelievable story semi-believable. This one didn't have that feel for me.

This was a fun, fast read, perfect for vacation. I didn't find it as realistic as some of her other books, especially in how the climax was resolved, but overall I liked it. The ending was somewhat a surprise, and I'll be interested to see if the author writes any future books with these same characters.

This book follows three former friends who decide to skip school one day, each for their own reasons, only to find themselves in the middle of true life murder mystery, with one of the three as the main suspect. They hold some of the key clues, such as the victim's phone, and therefore are able to follow leads the police don't know about. It feels very...Scooby Doo-esque, where they're kind of bumbling around and making a big mess of things but still managing to solve the mystery at the end.

Overall a 4 star read. Would recommend if you enjoyed her other books, as it is very similar.