I started in on this one assuming I knew where it was headed, but McManus really kept me guessing. A solid job of laying believable false trails. I also applaud the effortless integration of lgbt and poc characters. These elements were mentioned but in a sort of off-hand manner that informs the character but isn't the entire character. Deftly handled. The mystery format is pretty standard, with kids doing the cop's job for them (though this fact is addressed in a couple of scenes where it's pointed out how they don't know what all the police are actually doing and how their meddling fouls things up). An exciting read.

I read One of Us is Lying last year and that novel was one of my absolute favourites of the year so I couldn't quite believe my luck when I received an e-mail from the publisher to read this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Two Can Keep A Secret, the book has a great start and plenty of mystery to keep you very happy but even with all the effort put into this novel, I can't help but love her debut more. I probably spoiled the whole thing myself though by comparing the books and expecting the same. I mean, I loved the characters in her debut so much (maybe a bit more than in this one because the secrets were so intimate that I felt like I knew the characters, I certainly sympathised with them a lot) and of course that whole read was such a rollercoaster of secrets and lies, I somehow expected that to happen here too.

This one's more of a stealthy read though, apart from the start that really grabs your attention there's actually a string of mysteries that follow and are intricately weaved together. It lets you simmer in your suspicions until the big reveal in the end. The author resorted to a somewhat more traditional plot style here with an unsolved case, a present mystery, and a possible link between them that I was searching for througout the novel. It's a good setup but to be outstanding you have to find that extra touch. I do think she did her best! The setting is brilliant and she gets all the points for the creepy location. Ellery and Ezra's Nan lives near a Halloween theme park called Murderland you see, now renamed as Fright Farm for a good reason :-).

The novel had a Pretty Little Liars vibe, especially with the blonde, brunette and redhead trio in school (two of them cheerleaders and one an aspiring journalist) who play a central part in the story and are targeted and threatened by someone unknown. I really warmed to the two POV's too, Ellery, the new-in-town girl, and Malcolm, younger brother of Declan Kelly who was previously suspected of murdering his girlfriend Lacey. I was happy though it it didn't turn into a big romance and the mystery received all of the attention. Ellery is a would-be detective and it was great to see her sleuthing, even if she gets it wrong a few times and she dragged me along into her pit of suspicion.

The novel kept me awake, it was really engrossing, but I can't say I was very surprised when the villain was revealed. There is a clue if you are a really attentive reader and although I'm sure a lot of readers won't pick up on it, this didn't get passed me unnoticed :-). But I did thoroughly enjoy the thrilling culmination. What surprised me even more in the end however was the person who got a spot in the limelight when I didn't expect it.

The best things are always saved as last though and I still had one last burning question on my mind. I didn't think I would receive an answer any more but she showed me her awesomeness again with a real OMG moment in the VERY LAST SENTENCE. Those last words... you have to read them to believe them, but really major chills!

This is a really good, quick read. I like Ellery and Ezra, the twins and main characters of the story. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I didn’t see the ending coming.

So, like most mystery books, I'm going to keep it simple and not go into the plot because I don't want to spill anything. I read Karen M. McManus first book, One of Us Is Lying, I liked it but I wasn't crazy about it. But this one I enjoyed a lot. I found the characters made you want to root for, the mystery wasn't easy for me. I always have a soft spot for twins, their relationship is strong and felt like real brothers and sister. I also liked the town that it was set in, I found that that town made the story stronger. I'm not the best at review mysteries books but I liked the characters, plot, the push and pull, the twists and how everything tied up. It was a page-turner of a small-town drama or secrets and the power of the truth.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title!*

Seventeen year old twins Ellery and Ezra are spending their senior year of high school with their grandmother in tiny Echo Ridge, while their mother gives rehab one more shot. They have never been there before; their mother left after her own twin sister was murdered as a teenager. This wasn't even the only murder in the town - beautiful homecoming queen Lacey was killed just a few years before Ellery and Ezra show up. Ellery, a true crime buff, is hoping she can find some clues to unravel both of those cases during her stay.

Of course, the more she looks, the more secrets come to light - and the more bad things start happening. From a hit and run, to open threats on the homecoming court, to a disappearance, things in Echo Falls just can't stay in the past.

*My Notes* - I really love Karen M. McManus's writing style, and I love that the twists and turns are both believable and unpredictable. I can't wait for her next novel!

This reminded me so much of Veronica Mars. I enjoyed this much better than One of Us is Lying. I thought it was a classic Whodunit YA edition. It drew me in and kept me hooked all the way through and While the killer wasn't surprising I was still satisfied with the ending. I also really enjoyed our main character. They actually made rational decisions and I like their dynamic with the group. Overall, not a bad YA mystery.


I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ellery and her twin brother Ezra are forced to move to the small town of Echo Ridge for their senior year of high school, the same town their mother escaped and never wanted to return to. Now they are living with their estranged grandmother while their mother is in rehab, but it seems like there is a lot simmering under the surface of the town. Threats keep showing up, hinting that another girl will go missing, living up to the past- and Ellery could be in danger.

This, folks, is no sophomore slump book! I loved Two Can Keep A Secret, maybe even more than Karen's first book (sorry, One Of Us Was Lying was good, don't get me wrong!) but I was so wrapped up in the mystery and characters with Two Can Keep A Secret that I was not sure how to function in real life until I got to the end and unmasked the killer. I am pretty sure that YA mysteries are one of my favorite genres to read because the suspense, the realness of the crimes, the jacked up situations, the guessing of who is the correct suspect...basically everything about them appeals to me and Two Can Keep was another prime example of why this genre is the best. A town that has a murder-themed amusement park should be a dead (ha, you like that?) giveaway that something terrible lurks in town. As per the rule, this will be a pretty short review (for me- I do like to ramble so deal with it) because I do not want to slip and spill any detail and potentially be spoilery.



"I should probably preface this by saying...I think about crime a lot. Like, an abnormal amount. I get that. It's sort of a problem. So you have to take what I say with a grain of salt, because I'm just this...naturally suspicious person, I guess."


Told through two narrators eyes, Ellery the new girl who has tons of dark family history in town, and Malcolm the outcast who tries to keep his head down and survive his family name. I loved Ellery's intense-crime-investigation-mind and how everyone could be a suspect in some crime to her! It was like watching those true crime shows but in fast forward, how she kept coming up with theories and motives for people, even when she was so off base it was interesting. Her upbringing, the unsolved/unspoken nature of her aunt's disappearance and her reading hobbies makes for a great basis for crime obsession- and geez, it doesn't hurt that the town has a murder theme park, I mean really who does that. Malcolm was such a sweet, kind character, yet I kept wondering if evil could be brewing under the surface (Ellery might have been rubbing off on me!). He kept finding himself in the middle of mess after mess and it make me start to question what he was really doing.
And yes, a clown museum is creepy- I don't care who is asking!

Karen does a fantastic job of presenting the reader with multiple options for suspects, keeping me on my toes and I love all the misdirection. I was 85% confident I knew who the killer was but I can honestly say that I was pleased to be wrong (now don't get my Mom started because she said she knew right from the beginning but doubted herself the whole way- and was yet still correct). So regardless of who you suspect, know that you will get a great mystery with tons of twists and surprising turns that will keep even the most astute mystery fan guessing (at least for motivations). I can't wait to see what messed up mystery Karen will provide for us next.

Come visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

I wrote about this title on my blog and will provide details and a link in the next stage directly to the publisher

4*
Pros: Engaging and entertaining writing style. Interesting characters, even secondary ones. Full of twists and turns. Unpredictable and thrilling. Delves into family dynamics and relationships.

Cons: Slice of life portion was lacking. Disappointed by the Asian Hair Streak troupe included.

Just like McManus's first book, the answer to the mystery eluded me to the very end. A great murder mystery!

Loved One of Us is Lying, but this one fell a little flat for me. I didn't guess the ending, but it wrapped up kind of abruptly without a really clear thread that made the killer make sense. Also, felt a little disappointed by the character development, I wanted more!

What a fun read! Strap on your crime-solver cap because you'll be sucked into this story from the first page.

I read One of Us Is Lying when it was published and really liked it, but I think I liked Two Can Keep a Secret even more. The threatening messages reminded me of Pretty Little Liars while the murder mystery kept me tearing through the pages. It was a fantastic way to spend a few hours.

The story is told from two points of view, Ellery, who moves with her twin brother to the small town her mother grew up in, and Malcolm, the younger brother of the boy everyone thinks murdered his girlfriend five years ago. The book dives right into the good stuff, with Ellery and Ezra (her brother) discovering a dead man in the middle of the road on the night they arrive in town. Things just get more complex and weird from there.

Soon, threats and secrets start piling up while Ellery taps into her love of true-crime mysteries to try and discover who is behind the murders and threatening messages.

If you are a fan of YA thrillers or whodunits, add this book to your TBR! It's a top-notch murder mystery that will keep you guessing!

Content: Some language (including F-bombs), suspense, and kissing (male/female).

Awesome book. I think too much happened in this little town of less than 5000, but it’s book. It’s cool.

It was an excellent read! I book talked TCKAS to my class. I commented something like “there was a Scooby Doo moment when I realized there were so many characters, I had no clue who could have possibly done what!”

Twins move to a small town where their aunt mysteriously disappeared many years ago, and a homecoming queen had died. The town seems to have moved on from its past horrors, until strange things start happening again. A fast moving book that had me guessing until the end. My students will love this!

4.5 stars
TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET is another terrific mystery by Karen M. McManus (author of One of Us is Lying). In this story, twins Ellery and Ezra Corcoran move from California to Echo Ridge, Vermont to live with their grandmother because their Mom is spending time at a rehab program. They know that at least some of their Mom's poor choices stem from the fact that her own twin disappeared when they were in high school decades ago. In fact, another girl from Echo Ridge, named Lacey, was found strangled just five years ago and the current classmates face disturbing new threats. Ellery has a big interest in true crime and plenty of theories about who may be involved, especially when suddenly another girl goes missing after being with Malcolm Kelly, the younger brother of Lacey's boyfriend, himself a murder suspect. Yes, TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET is complicated with interconnected mysteries and some implied commentary on a justice system that can dramatically impact a young person's reputation. McManus adds to the suspense by placing some of the action at a local Halloween-themed park and by utilizing multiple narrators to once again provide surprising twists. TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Read an excerpt here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/548794/two-can-keep-a-secret-by-karen-m-mcmanus/9781524714727/

I really like McManus' writing style. She parcels out her stories in a very interesting way that keeps me reading.

Karen M. McManus is really, really good at this. She has great YA characters, good storylines, and compelling mysteries with satisfying endings. This is her second book in as many years, and both are equally satisfying. Loved it!

anuary is a busy month when it comes to all the books coming out! So much to read and so little time. Thank you @prhinternational for sending the ARC of ‘Two Can Keep A Secret’ my way.
This is Karen’s second book and she keeps getting better. It’s been a long time since I read a thriller and this one kept me guessing of who the killer would be!
I really enjoyed the relationship between the twins! The brother and sister duo is adorable. The reason I took 0.5 star away was only because I found the protagonist a bit annoying and nosy at times. But then I had to remind myself that a) it was her nature to be inquisitive b) it’s a YA book. I think maybe I have out grown this genre now 🙈🙈

*THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR MY E-ARC. **
(All opinions are my own)

So I read One of Us is Lying and it was decent but I didn’t love it or even like it that much so I was prepared to not care for this one. And for about the first 40% I was a little bored I can admit but than it started picking up and I couldn’t put it down.

I really loved the different POVs and the characters in general. They were realistic and likeable they felt very real. I liked the small town vibes.

The mystery doesn’t seem like it’s a jaw dropping one but it actually gets very twisted around and you start thinking everyone is involved. I thought I had it figured out more than once and I was completely wrong in the end! I really really liked the ending and the reveal. Also that very last sentence of the book.... jaw dropper. I took a huge breathe and then turned my kindle off and said “yep. I liked that”.


I also went in to this without reading the synopsis or knowing anything and I think that made it better for me too!

A fast-paced and tense YA thriller! Filled with twists and turns, told from multiple viewpoints that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. If you enjoyed "One of Us is Lying," you'll love this new novel.