I have read all of McManus' previous books and enjoyed them a lot. This one fell a little flat for me. I really liked the concept but I felt the action dragged a little and then was resolved quickly. I will recommend to fans of McManus, but it's not the best book to start with if you aren't already a fan..

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
You’ll be the Death of Me by Karen McManus is the author’s 5th book and similar to her previous, it’s a mystery.
The book starts with previous best friends Cal, Mateo and Ivy running into each other in the school parking lot and deciding to play hooky, each for their own reasons. While doing so they see another classmate of theirs and when they decide to follow him their day goes from “meh” to “someone should really, probably call the police, please call the police already” when they find him dead.
While the three try to unravel just what happened they also unravel how and why their friendship fell apart and reveal their own secrets in the meantime as they try to figure out just what is going on and their own ties to the dead student.
***
Fun, quick easy read. Maybe not my favorite of the authors but her writing can easily draw you in and keep you following along until you hit the finish line.
I liked all three of our main characters, not easy to really get a lot of development because the main story spans a day so you’re not going to get any supreme growth or changes in them, it is easy to see where and how things went wrong when their friendship first fell apart and the work they’re putting in now for it at the end. Would recommend for someone who wants an easy going mystery read.
Rating is more a 3.5, rounding up to 4.

First of all, thanks for the free book, @PRHGlobal @prhinternational in exchange of an honest review.

I have to say that this author is able to catch my attention in few chapters, this was no exception. Having already read One of Us is Lying (plus sequel), Two can keep a secret and The Cousins, I enjoyed so much the new structur of this book: in fact, the entire story develops itself in only one day.
The main characters are, as always, different from one another with personal stories that make them a little bit "grey". Yes, they're good people, but they make mistakes too (little o big ones) that in a way or another are related to the main plot, and it's always so interesting gradually seeing how they affect the present events o have had a great influence in previous ones.
Gorgeously written, I wasn't sure almost until the end who the main villain was.. .and that closure?! I love that kind of cliffhangers, but now I'm dying to know what has happened next!
Totally recommended.
I'm ready to be suprised (again).

#prhinternational #partner

YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen M. McManus has been widely anticipated by her many fans (watching One of Us Is Lying on Peacock anyone?). In another young adult mystery, McManus introduces three students who haven't really connected since junior high. Meeting by chance, Ivy, Mateo, and Calvin decide to ditch school; instead of spending a fun day recreating memories, they end up finding the body of a dead classmate. Suspicion soon falls on them and social media once again fuels the flames. Perfect for mystery fans looking for plenty of teen angst, secrets, and deception (including romance and rumored drug dealing), YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME is told from multiple perspectives and received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal.

I am a sucker for a McManus mystery! They are fast paced, engaging, and an overall fun read. Unfortunately, this one just fell completely short! I will start with what I liked- I liked the concept of Ferris Bueller's Day Off meets murder mystery, the rekindled friendships, and the couple of twists that happened! I thought those parts were fresh and fun. However, the plot seemed to drag a bit, the whole teacher/student bit made me uncomfortable, and many of the parts just seemed far-fetched and not realistic. It is a book with all the potential, but not all of the execution.

God I don’t know this one really missed the mark for me. After not liking the cousins at all I figured it had to get better than that but it really didn’t with this one. The mystery wasn’t all that interesting and I didn’t really connect to any of these characters like I did on OOUIL. This is the third time I’ve been unimpressed with her stand-alone so maybe I should just give up.

Another excellent thriller from Karen M. McManus! I've enjoyed everything this author has written since the release of ONE OF US IS LYING, and it's safe to say, YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME did not disappoint. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I like all of McManus's books, I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it.

Another tangled web of mystery from Karen McManus! Readers will get caught up in this one. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters through alternating points of view.

3.5 stars

Cal, Ivy, and Mateo go from the Best Day Ever memories to the Worst Day Ever, all while trying to rekindle their friendship. Lots of turns in this, and the ending seems to be setting up a second book, which I'll read if it comes to be!

When my students ask for a good YA murder mystery, Karen McManus never disappoints. This is true with her latest novel, You’ll Be the Death of Me!

Ivy, Cal, and Mateo were all once good friends, and all find themselves having a very bad day. They decide to ditch school, and find themselves in the midst of a murder mystery. As the story unfolds, we learn about the rocky pasts of the characters, and how they are all indirectly involved with the murdered teen.

This story has lots of suspense, plot twists, along with the angst of being a teen. I would highly recommend this book to my students looking for an exciting, engaging book.

A huge thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I was initially disappointed to get introduced to a new set of characters than those in the first two, but I grew to appreciate them all the same. This title was fast-paced and exciting, and will be an easy sell to teen patrons looking for something to keep their interest. (That ENDING. Ugh. I'm looking forward to the next installment.)

Karen McManus never disappoints. In her latest former friends Ivy, Mateo, and Cal are all having a rough time. Ivy lost the student council election to the class clown, Mateo is burned out having to work two jobs to help support his sick mother after the family business failed, and outsider Cal keeps getting stood up. When all three end up in the parking lot late for school it seems like the perfect opportunity to have a fun and irresponsible day, just the three of them, just like the old times. Then they run in another classmate and follow him to his death. Suddenly, they are on the run from a crime scene. They have secrets and connections to the murdered student.

Fast-pasted and riveting one discovery quickly leads to the next leading you to a surprising ending. As always the ending is satisfying on its own but it ends on a bit of cliff hanger and I would love to see these characters again.

Unfortunately, I think this is my least favourite Karen M. McManus novel that I’ve read so far. It just didn’t pack the same punch as some of her other novels. I liked the characters fine enough and there were a few twists that I did enjoy. But the main conflict and ending just seemed rushed and resolved way too easily.

Rating: 3*

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: You’ll Be The Death of Me

Author: Karen M. McManus

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Puerto Rican main character, Queer characters mentioned

Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, thriller

Publication Date: November 30, 2021

Genre: YA Mystery Thriller

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, death, parental death mentioned, language, drugs, drug use mentioned, underage alcohol consumption, underage relationship with teacher/child grooming, and romance)

Explanation of CWs: There is violence and death and it’s central to the plot, as is drugs and drug usage. Most of the drugs mentioned are pills. There is a parental death mentioned briefly. There are some curse words in the book. There is scenes that show underage alcohol consumption. There are scenes that show an underage relationship with a teacher (senior in high school) and show the child being groomed. The relationship isn’t neatly resolved as well. There are some small romance scenes shown.

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day.

Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out--he's been working two jobs since his family's business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up.... again.

So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They'll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they've barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say...

Until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school--and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it's about to get worse.

It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they're all hiding something.

Now they're all wondering--could it be that their chance reconnection wasn't by chance after all?

Review: I really liked this book for the most part! I thought that it was well plotted and it kept me guessing until the end. The book did well to develop the characters and I liked the use of the multiple POVs. It’s a fairly standard Karen McManus book, so if you liked the other ones then you’ll like this one as well. It follows the same formula layout and is entertaining til the end.

The only issue I had with the book is that the ending was fairly swift and confusing. The book didn’t resolve a few plot points as neatly as it could have, including the inappropriate relationship (read: child grooming).The ending was a bit messier than I would have liked it to be and didn’t feel as complete as the other books of hers did.

Verdict: It was good!

Karen McManus continues to deliver! Her mysteries have this quality of being both modern and timeless that I don't feel like I see in too many books any more. This one kept me guessing until the end, and I love the little last minute shocks she ends each book with. Looking forward to her next already!

I really loved the history surrounding Mateo, Ivy, and Cal. The drama and endearment that came from the former friends now running from the law dynamic was great. The plot felt a little recycled, I'm not going to lie. It just doesn't feel different enough from her other books for me to get too excited about it. It was good, it just felt a bit like the same old same old. The plot was much slower in the beginning than it was at the end, but despite that and despite the recycled feeling it was definitely an interesting storyline. The ending was so fast-paced and the beginning was a lot of slow setup. I liked all the mystery surrounding the drugs and the murder as well as the mystery surrounding the group's fallout. The way these two things combine was really well-done and helped the slower beginning remain engaging. There were some red herrings thrown into the plot and some were easy to spot but there were definitely some twists that I didn't see coming. I would recommend this to anyone who finds the summary even a little bit interesting.

Rating: 4⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

When Mateo, Ivy, and Cal come across the body of their fellow student, they are drawn into solving the murder, but they soon realize that are all connected to their fellow student in some way that makes people around them question the truth.

This was a fun mystery by one of my favourite authors. While it wasn’t my favourite, I still really enjoyed the story and the characters. I liked the connections that were made along the way. The secrets everyone kept were a little predictable but it still made for a fun story.

I was able to predict who the murder was which is usually the case but the end of the story really left it open for another book and I’m hoping we get another one. I’d like to read more about these characters.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I’m already looking forward to McManus’s next book!

For fans of the teen murder mystery, this is a fantastic title. McManus does a great job capturing teen angst/drama along with the occasional dead body.

Karen McManus is a YA Thriller QUEEN! You'll Be the Death of Me was my second novel by her, and it did not disappoint! I flew through it, mixing audio and ebook! I need to go and read all of her backlist books and binge the Hulu show, One of Us is Lying!

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal were once inseparable BFFs. Naturally, adolescence split them up, and they barely have anything in common anymore. At the start of a random day in high school, Ivy has lost the election for school President, Cal has been stood up by his secret girlfriend, and Mateo is exhausted and running late to class. They decide to hang out like old times and skip class together. One thing leads to the next, and they witness a severe crime. Trying to stay one step ahead of trouble and the police, they work together to try and solve the crime while uncovering years-long secrets that they've each been hiding.

With a Boston setting as the backdrop, some mystery and crime, romance, and teenage angst, you'll want to check this one out!

Well, because it is Karen McManus, I had high expectations coming into this book. I struggled with loving this one as much as the others. I don't know if it was me or if the writing was different. It didn't grab me like her other books. I am glad I stuck with it. The last 25% is pretty crazy.

It will circulate in libraries well because of who the author is. However, it's not my favorite book of hers.