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.

#YoullBeTheDeathOfMe:

Karen McmNus is back with her signature teenage drama, lots of mystery and suspense, and another ending with a “wowwww”, like always. It’s almost like a little wink and smirk at the end. Kind of like a “Gotcha”! That’s probably why I keep going back to Karen McManus and will usually only read her kind of YA books.

You get your three MCs perspective as separate chapters, and it really worked y’all. It pieced together the missing links from previous chapters and it really flowed. I enjoyed Ivy, Mateo, and Cal’s different points of view. I also liked how the YouTube video clips were inserted. Mixed media is my jam, this was no exception.

I thought it was great how every kind of all clicked together and kind of worked out in the end. Kind of 😂 (refer back to the shock and smirk) Another hit my Karen McManus and another win for me. Thank you so much @delacorte for the gifted copy. You’ll Be The Death of Me is out now!

Another McManus thriller that keeps you guessing until the reveal! I do have issues with representation of an educator in the book; it uses a trope I do not like. But even with the trope, I had to get to the end to find out the finale!

A fast-paced story of three estranged friends reunited on a day they all skip school. In a case of bring in the wrong place at the wrong time, they’re tied to the suspicious death of a classmate. It’s a story with complex characters and a great plot.

Karen M. McManus books are like a drug and I keep coming back for them. They are such enjoyable reads. Yes, they are predictable and oftentimes eye-rolling at the end. However, that is the joy of these types of books. The characters in this story were fun to tag along with and I loved where the story took things. I eagerly wait for my next dose from her.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for sending me an eARC for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars
This was so so good! I’m a huge fan of Karen M. McManus, and I was really excited to read this book. McManus has such a great writing style, and I flew through this newest book like I have all her others.
We follow Ivy, Cal, and Mateo in alternating first person POVs as these former friends bump into each other in the school parking lot and decide that they should skip school. Each one has their own reasons for not wanting to be there, and their reasons and motivations are revealed as the day goes on. The three of them head into Boston, and when they see another student they know from school, they accidentally stumble onto his dead body and a crime scene.
This kicks off the tension-filled stressful day that ensues, and I felt like McManus did a great job of writing the stress and tension into each POV. The characters felt fully fleshed out and realistic, and even though the majority of the story takes place in one day, I felt like I was able to connect with the characters and know them really well.
The mystery was well done, and I did figure some things out, but McManus kept me guessing the whole way through. The characters are also kept guessing as they find new clues and make new theories, and I liked the inclusion of the Youtube video transcripts. I thought the pacing was really good. There were lots of exciting moments, but there were also quieter moments of finding clues or of the characters bonding.
Overall this is another excellent book by Karen M. McManus, and I think that fans of her work and of the YA mystery genre will highly enjoy this story.

I think we’re at the point now where we know what to expect from a Karen McManus book: You’ll be entertained and compelled to keep going as you read, and in the end you’ll walk away feeling like the book was a little cheap but…ok.

I don’t love twists for twists sake, and McManus books are pretty much built on this premise. All of these stories have a lot of potential, but ultimately land in a place that is at worst misleading and at best silly fun.

This one lands somewhere in the middle. It doesn’t have that cheap, rip the rug out from under you feel of One of Us Is Lying, but it’s not as well crafted as some of her better work. The solve technically does work, but it’s absurdly contrived and the plot holes surface pretty quickly if you start to think about it to much.

On the plus side, McManus is as good as they come at pacing, and she writes likable, engaging protagonists. It’s never enough to wow you, but it’s definitely enough to keep you reading her work.

I finally started this book on it’s release day at the end of November. It took me 11 days to get through and I think a lot of that had to do with the first 40% of the book. We spend that portion pretty much just getting to know the three MCs; Ivy, Cal, and Mateo, and their alternating chapter POVs follow them around as they ditch school and try to recreate “The Best Day Ever”, a day that solidified their friendship in middle school. The trio had since drifted once they reached high school and it was simply fate that set this tumultuous day into motion.

In this Ferris Bueller inspired novel, we watch a series of unfortunate events unfold over the course of their day that sends this book spiraling into murder and mystery after finding one of their classmates dead in an art studio that only Cal is supposed to know about. Around this part, things started picking up and the stakes were a little bit higher now. Especially for Ivy who was now a person of interest according to the local news source. All three of them are now essentially on the run from the cops, we find out Cal is in this weird semi-relationship with the art teacher but you can tell that it’s very one sided, there’s romantic tension between Mateo and Ivy, and there’s also a conflict that throws a wedge between the friends.

I didn’t really care for any of the characters except maybe Mateo. I felt really empathetic towards him because he was running himself so thin just to take care of his family and his sick mom. Cal was kind of pitiful and I just felt sorry for him the entire time. Ivy was just annoying, extremely petty and especially rude to her brother. I understand sibling rivalry, I am an older sibling and I totally get the dynamic, but she was just downright awful.

I really wanted to five star this book. I had anticipated this would be a five star read because that’s what I rated One of Us is Lying. However, a lot of this book just felt like a build up to a quick resolve and some parts, one in particular is Cal’s relationship with Ms. Jamison; the art teacher. That felt so weird and confusing and also the fact that Mateo and his cousin, Autumn, were working five jobs between the two of them (one of those jobs was Autumn being a drug dealer; which was the catalyst in this entire book) because Mateo’s mom was sick and then at the end of the book she’s all “sorry for that, lol”. I mean, I understand the resolve in that scene but it’s just something that didn’t really vibe with me.

The ending, though, was a great twist I did NOT see coming. The words “ohhhhh shit” definitely left my mouth. It was the perfect set up for a potential sequel. Despite the first 40ish percent being super slow and full of just random filler, it was definitely worth it for the last 60%. I will definitely read a sequel if one comes out!

Although this wasnt my favorite book from Karen McManus, I will still be back for more. Karen McManus is an auto buy author and always will be. She is the actual queen of YA thrillers. You'll be the death of me was slow at times but I still couldn't put it down. The twist near the end was pretty shocking as well. Didn't see that one coming. I can't wait to see what she puts out next!

We are Karen MacManus super fans in this house. Even though I got a free digital ARC to review we had it pre-ordered on Audible. If you are looking for a fun book that you and your teens can read together and speculate about- this is it. A sort of Ferris Bueller tale with murder- we loved it.

A murder mystery with a Ferris Bueller twist. Three former best friends spontaneously decide to skip school one day, for a variety of personal reasons, and while skipping, they stumble onto a murder scene involving one of their classmates. From there, the story takes several plot twists with each chapter being told through the voice of Ivy, Mateo, or Cal, the three main characters.

I found myself struggling to read parts of this book because the dialogue between the characters felt somewhat shallow and went on for a frustratingly long amount of time. Overall, I gave the book a 3-star rating because of the suspense and plot twists, however, I didn't like the characters much or the dialogue between them.

Thanks to NetGalley, Karen M. McManus, and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review.

You'll Be the Death of Me is another easy to fly through mystery! I always enjoy the characters that Karen M. McManus writes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Ivy, Cal & Mateo. I will say that the big reveal felt a little messy for me. Overall though, I think this will be another one that my students will devour as fast as I did.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this book and the overall feel of it! It definitely has Ferris Beuleurs day off vibes I’m it! I even liked that there was a bit of romance to it. Overall a great new Karen McManus book.

I will be adding this title to my classroom library. My students and I love Karen
McManus’s writing. I have added her other titles as well. I look forward to reading more of her offerings in the future.

This book was very twisty and had quite a few good surprises. It was a quick read that I didn't want to put down. The dynamics of the main characters were interesting and complex and telling each chapter from their perspectives really aided in their character development. I think that the answer to whodunnit was very unpredictable and the few twists leading up to the reveal were done really well. However, I feel like the answer was also a bit unsatisfying and I think I was hoping for something more personal or vindictive than what it turned out to be. That being said, the final twist in the last chapter was so eerie and shocking and packed a punch to the end of the book. This is definitely a book I would recommend to mystery-loving friends and patrons.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!