I love Karen M. McManus. this was not my favorite of her novels but fun nevertheless. i was intrigued by the concept but found all the characters extra frustrating. it really was a case study in a plot that would not exist if the characters actually talked on page 1?

I’ve loved every book by McManus, and this was no exception. The characterization in this one was captivating and I didn’t want to put it down, once the plot got rolling.

Three students, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be best friends. But then high school happened. Actually, there’s more to it than that, but too many things have been kept a secret, and some of them can’t come to terms with why their friendship fell apart. But then they fall together again, as the three of them decide to skip school – all for different reasons – and find themselves in a mess they don’t know how to get out of. A fellow student has shown up dead, and they don’t know who did it. But the news is making it out to be Ivy, as are her classmates back at school.

Playing detective, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal need to figure out what happened – but when their own secrets get in the way, and they discover further secrets about their joined past, things get a bit messy.

Definitely clever and filled with teenage indecision and insecurities, McManus captures the teenage voice beautifully.

If you haven’t picked up a book by @writerkmc you should change that as soon as possible.

Karen McManus produced another excellent YA novel full of mystery, suspense and danger featuring an unlikely group of friends. High school can be great when you're a senior. But not for Ivy. She worked hard to become student council president her senior year. Combine a badly timed case of stage fright with the empty promises of the goof ball running against her and her loss was inevitable. Ivy just can't make herself go to school. In the parking lot she runs into Mateo who is late and exhausted from working two jobs to support the family business. Cal, too, is having a crummy morning after being stood up again by the mysterious older woman he's been seeing. None of them feel like going to school. They used to be friends, good friends, in middle school so once again they join up and slip out of the lot. Then they spot another student, the goof ball who won the council election, sneaking into an abandoned building and trail in behind him. Shockingly what they find is his murdered body. In true McManus fashion things aren't as they seem. The three friends are each hiding something and they are all mysteriously connected to the dead kid. Fans of Karen McManus will not be disappointed in this thrilling, suspenseful novel. Anyone who enjoys a good, exciting read - no matter how old - will soon be a fan. Many thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read an ARC..

Although not as gripping as her other thriller/mysteries, You'll Be The Death of Me is a quick paced story. It has a lot of unforeseen twists and turns and readers will enjoy.

Ivy worked hard to be the top student and was class president for the last three years. That’s why she was shocked to lose the student council election to class clown Brian “Boney” Maloney. It upsets her so much that she decides to skip school on the day after the election results. She runs into her two former best friends: Cal and Mateo. Cal was just stood up for a date again, and Mateo is burned out from working two jobs and being lied to by his cousin. Ivy, Cal, and Mateo decide to skip school, to recreate the first time they met and skipped school years before. However, this time, they come across the body of a student who they’re all connected to. Each of them are suspects, so they spend the day investigating the death and running from everyone else.

This was another fabulous thriller from Karen M. McManus. It was fast paced and thrilling the entire time. It was so hard to put this book down. I needed to know how it ended.

I haven’t read many thrillers lately, because I’ve found them formulaic and easy to figure out. This one has so many shocking twists that kept me reading. I was truly surprised at every twist, especially the big reveals at the end. This was such a well written, suspenseful thriller.

You’ll Be the Death of Me is an amazing new thriller!

Thank you Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Karen McManus has done it again!! This book was a wild ride. The characters are well-developed and fun to read about. The switching perspectives gives you insight into each one of the three main characters, and it gives you different details about the case their wrapped up in. I wasn’t expecting the twist, and it was a bit underwhelming. Overall, it’s a good young adult thriller!

THis book had me guessing until the very end. Loved the characters in previous books more, but a great story.

Karen M. McManus is the queen of the young adult thriller genre, and she has added yet another star to her crown with "You'll Be the Death of Me." Not only did this book keep me guessing to the very last page, but it also did a wonderful job of building in real depth in both the characters and their relationships. There were several smaller plotlines that were introduced along the way that made this story much more than a "whodunnit." The mystery was captivating and I really had no idea who was behind the crimes, but the relationships that McManus built between our trio of characters and the tension she added to the already suspenseful murder mystery made it all the more enjoyable!!

Ivy, Cal, and Mateo were best friends for much of their childhood. They bonded after "the best day ever" when they wandered away from a grade school field trip and found themselves in the middle of a citywide celebration. Once high school hit, the trio found themselves drifting apart until they do no more than nod at each other as they pass in the hallways. Then fate intervenes as they find themselves together in the parking lot after the tardy bell rings. Each of them is tired, each of them has their own baggage, straight-laced Ivy suffered an embarrassing loss in her student council race, Cal has been stood up yet again by a mysterious girlfriend, and Mateo is carrying the burden of supporting his family after his mom's business closed. Cal proposes that they take the day off, together, and recreate "the best day ever" trying to recapture their friendship and the spontaneity that they once had.

When they arrive in Boston they see a classmate and Ivy is determined to catch up with him. They follow him into a building, only to find him murdered in cold blood. Now, as the police put out a bolo for someone matching Ivy's description, the trio is determined to solve the crime before they get pinned with a murder they didn't commit. Little could they imagine how far-stretching this single act of violence would be, as they are dragged into a mystery that could have deadly consequences.

A must-read for any thriller fanatic, "You'll Be the Death of Me" won't disappoint. You will be just as shocked as our three protagonists as you untangle the web of lies, deception, and danger that lurk in their seemingly peaceful town. As McManus forces the reader to grapple with the question "how well do you know the people you work, learn, and socialize with on a daily basis?" The answer might be "not as well as you think."

I started this one and the characters just felt very immature - different than her other novels. Not as savvy, if that makes sense. This one was a DNF for me.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the free Arc e-book.

I had heard a lot by Karen McManus, she is totally famous for her well-written thrillers. This was an extremely quick read, and a nice surprise!

In Karen McManus’s You’ll Be The Death of Me, three high school seniors reconnect after years of living apart. Ivy who is the smart one but she has the need to prove herself. Cal, the outsider and Mateo the charming one.

But that day is not just an ordinary day since they witness a murder. Is this an unfortunate coincidence or do they have something to hide?

I really enjoyed the story which switches between three perspectives. I must admit that I had not read a YA thriller before but I liked it so much, McManus style is great and I enjoyed how she wrote each character with very different personalities and we are never sure who to trust.

Maybe I would have appreciated a little less romance and drama and more focus in the murder, and maybe this is why I found the book a little slow in some parts.

Anyway, I would love to read more by McManus.

Ivy, Matteo, and Cal used to be friends in middle school, but inexplicably, they grew apart. When their paths cross on the high school parking lot a few years later, things aren't as awkward as expected. They joke about their "best day ever", where they all skipped out on a field trip together. They each confide that they're dreading the school day and decide why not make a repeat of the "best day ever"? It should be even better now that they can drive, right?

But things quickly fall apart when Ivy's rival for student council president winds up dead and Ivy stumbles upon the body, quickly followed by Matteo and Cal. Each of the three former friends has secrets to hide and betrayals abound. But necessity keeps the three tied together. Will they wind up enemies or true friends by the time the day is over? Will they find the real killer, or will the killer find them first?

I greatly enjoyed this one. The characters are all distinct and it was easy to tell whose voice I was reading with three POV characters. It's hard to show meaningful character growth in three main characters in the course of a day, but McManus manages to make it happen. This is one I'll definitely recommend to students.

Everyone has secrets they want to stay hidden, but what happens when someone's secret results in their death?
Cal, Ivy, and Mateo are all desperately in need of a day off. They skipped school together once before in middle school, it's how they met and became friends. They refer to it as the best day ever and after some reminiscing of their past, they decide to do it again. They're all seniors and know their way around the rules to ensure they don't get caught...or so they think. Their excitement quickly fades as they realize they don't really know one another the way they used to. They are grasping at ideas to try and make this skip day just as fun as their last, when they spot a fellow classmate and decide to follow him. This skip day quickly turns into the worst day ever when they walk into a room to find their classmate dead. Who was he meeting with and why did they kill him? What will the reunited trio do next? They all have secrets of their own that they want to keep hidden...
This is the first story I have read by Karen M. McManus and I absolutely loved it! I flew through this book so fast, as I couldn't wait to read more and find out what would happen next! There was so many twists and turns, I didn't expect most of what was to come. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and bounced between reading and listening. I was a little nervous as I've tried listening to a thriller via audiobook in the past and wasn't the biggest fan (maybe it just wasn't the book/narrator for me). This book was narrated beautifully by multiple narrators! I really liked that each part (Ivy, Cal, Mateo, and the YouTube Channel) each had its own narrator. It helped make it really easy to follow along. I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, head spinning thriller! I look forward to reading more of Karen's work in the future!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you to Delacorte Press for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved Karen McManus' 2 previous books but this one was just okay. It started off very engaging and I couldn't wait to find out who the real culprit is. However, the middle dragged and it took me forever to finish this book which is surprising since it's supposed to be a thriller. I like the highlight on the opioid crisis amongst teens though.

Still look forward to her next book despite this one falling a bit short for me!

Teen thrillers are my favorite. They’re so less likely to have my least favorite thriller trope, the Unreliable Narrator. They’re also slightly more predictable, which I like since I’m a recovering Spoiler Addict. I used to feverishly hunt down spoilers so that I could relax and enjoy books knowing how it would end, only to sometimes quit the book if I felt I didn’t like the ending. More Karen M. McManus books, please!

I love Karen McManus. Was this the most suspenseful of her books? No, but that doesn't matter because it was still fun to read and easy to fall into.

I think this book will be among her others with popularity.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading some of Karen's other work. While I enjoyed it, it didn't really do much to "wow" me. The writing seemed a little dull. However, I do think my highschoolers will really enjoy this one, and I look forward to adding it to my classroom library!

Book Review
Rating 3.5

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus was an interesting read. The story was told from multiple perspectives which helps the reader stay engaged. I liked getting to know more about the characters separately rather than just focusing on one. This book has a strong plot but I don’t think it was executed well. While the book was interesting I did find myself getting bored at times. There wasn’t enough suspense or thrilling points to keep me fully interested in the outcome. I also wasn’t too surprised with the ‘twist’ ending. I’m not sure if I had too high of expectations but I can see others really enjoying this book.

If you haven’t read it, I also recommend “The Cousins” by Karen M. McManus which was a 5 star from me.

**Received a copy from #Netgalley in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

This was a pretty solid offering from McManus. There were plenty of twists and shocking revelations.

I am a huge Karen M. McManus fan. Her work introduced me to YA mysteries and I have read her entire portfolio since. However, this book needs a lot of work. The first third is incredibly slow. I get that we need to know a lot of this background information but I think the murder could have happened sooner. Then, a bunch of messy twists. In the end, the book just wasn't as polished as her other work. I would recommend her other books before this one.

Small thing: If I had to read the name Boney one more time! It drove me crazy! I would have much preferred his given name, Brian, over this nickname. It didn't quite fit with how he looked. Perhaps it wouldn't have been such a bit deal if I had a better understanding of who he was before plot point 1.

I can't deny this was fun, but it was also way too convoluted. At times, I was completely lost on what was happening and who was a suspect. It started out really interesting but quickly became dull and I was just eager to see it end.

And what was that ending!? Is there supposed to be a sequel? If so, I think I'll pass.