Member Reviews
Of course it's a four star read, it's Karen McManus! Another excellent book from the most prolific YA author in the last several years. McManus is consistent with churning out great murder mysteries, and this one was no different. Great character development, and as usual a fast paced read- managed to finish this one in a single day.
Karen McManus does it again. Her ability to weave a story and leave you totally convinced of one outcome and then BAM, you never see it coming. The story of Brynn and Tripp is a great tale of true crime at its best. Brynn is trying to solve a 4 year old murder of her beloved teacher and Tripp is just trying to forget it all ever happened. Their story will wrap you in and not let you put it down until you’ve reached the conclusion. A must have for my classroom!
Karen McManus doe sit again! Another engaging YA mystery! I love how her connections come together and just when you think you know, there is a twist. This story is told in 2 alternating perspectives. First, Brynn, who gladly left the town 4 years ago as her relationship with her BFF had just blown up and her favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin, mysteriously died/murdered in the woods next to the school. Second, Tripp, the former BFF and now 4 years later, has been elevated to the popular inner circle, although he himself is at the prestigious school on scholarship. And it all has to do with the death of Mr. Larkin. Tripp was in the woods at the time of the death and how could he be lying for 2 other students that he wasn't even friends with at the time...although now he is! As Brynn return to her former school, she wants to know what really happened in those woods and what is connecting Tripp with is new best friends. This just touches the surface and there is a lot going on. Plus shout outs to the other McManus characters. True fans will appreciate that. Thank you to NetGallery for the preview
I always pounce on a new McManus novel, and this one was my favorite since One of Us is Lying! It hits the ground running, draws the reader in, and offers a compulsive and compelling read. I liked the characters and kept thinking I solved the mystery only to get thrown another bread crumb, curveball, or red herring. A fun and engaging novel that I will have fun discussing with my high school students who love this genre and author!
In Nothing More to Tell we follow Brynn. Brynn is a high school student who is very passionate about journalism. She and her family have to move back to their previous hometown and Brynn has to finish high school there.
One of her former teachers got killed before she left and she's suspecting the killer hasn't been caught despite the case being closed.
She's not too thrilled about being back as she and her former best friend, Tripp, got into a fight before she left and they never made up. Also Brynn never kept in contact with her other friends.
But Brynn manages to get an internship spot at a true-crime show and she's hoping the true crime show will help her figure out what really happened to her former teacher.
I really enjoyed reading Nothing More to Tell. It's got al the ingredients you'd expect from a Karen McManus book and then some. I think this might be my favorite of her yet.
The author has such a nice writing style that will have you flying through the book without realizing it. Nothing More to Tell is written from a dual POV. We read from both Brynn and Tripp’s perspective while the truth gets uncovered and I must say, I think I liked this more than the multiple POV the author had in her previous books. It’s just two people so we get to know Brynn and Tripp a lot better. There’s more room to focus on their character growth and besides that, they are both really likable characters.
The story is full of twists and turns which really kept me guessing how the story would end and I wasn't even close with my guesses!
If you’re looking for a deep and multilayered novel this isn’t the right book. However if you are looking for an easy read, a murder mystery and something that will grip you from te beginning till the end, Nothing More to Tell is one hundred percent the right choice.
Thanks for the free book PRH International
I mean, are we surprised?
I just love how fast paced and fun these mysteries always are even though they aren't the smartest thrillers they are still just enjoyable and i had a fun time reading this one.
Karen is literally the queen of YA mysteries and she serves us a new one nearly every year. I love how they are all interconnected or at least they are leaning towards that based on events we witnessed in this book.
Ok, so with this book, I feel like if you are like me and read a lot of books in this genre and or are adept at picking up on cues and hints you'd be able to figure this out pretty easily but we read for the enjoyment right. And that's what I got. An enjoyable ride to an ending that I more or less figured out along the way with the characters.
The one critique I have is that the two main characters are pretty bland in terms of personalities. I wanted a bit more depth to them.
Thank you to the publisher and Karen for the advanced copy of yet another addictive and fun book.
Thanks Netgalley and Delacort Press for the eARC, these opinions are my own. Karen McManus is one of my favorite mystery writers! I know she releases a new book I want to read it! Nothing More To Tell was no different and I think my favorite book she’s written so far! Brynn’s family is moving back to small town Sturgis after having been away for a long time. She’s not happy about this move but after an incident at her previous school moving back and getting an interview with Motive, a true crime show, may her last opportunity to be a journalist. She also wants to pitch her school teacher Mr. Larkin who was murdered right before her family moved. She feels the events never made sense especially what her ex best friend Tripp had to do with it. Tripp, and two others, found the body and ever since he’s been living with the nightmare. But what eats him more is what really happened. Will Brynn solve Mr. Larkin’s murder? Did Tripp do it? Can the two fight their growing attraction to one another? I loved reading from Tripp’s point of view, knowing that he was lying but not about what really added to the intrigue of this story! As typical with a Karen McManus story the twists and turns take the reader on a wild ride and don’t stop until the very end! I kept thinking I had it figured out and then I kept getting it wrong! I enjoyed this book so much and couldn’t put it down! If you like mysteries I highly recommend checking this book out, can’t wait to read it again!
Thank you so much to Random House Children’s for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Karen M McManus wows me again! One of Us is Lying was one of the first thrillers I read and since then, I’ve come back every year for her newest book.
Four years ago, Brynn left behind her school, right after her teacher was murdered. Two kids and her ex-best friend, Tripp, found his body in the woods. Brynn is back now with an internship at a true-crime show and determined to find out what really happened. The case was left unsolved. Why? Four years ago, Tripp told lies of his own. Brynn starts to investigate and discovers that there’s not always nothing more to tell.
This was a journey! The plot was written extremely well and I was guessing right along with Brynn. I never saw any of the plot twists coming. I also loved Tripp! Dual POVs added a lot to the story and I loved seeing both sides of the coin.
This was a chilling mystery (at least to me, I read it home alone at night 😂 ) and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed any of her past books or a Good Girl’s Guide to Murder!
(*small spoiler here)*
This was one of my favorite parts! The McManus Universe is real :)
" Ellie cocks her head. “Mikhail Powers Investigates? The Bayview Four? I could be the next Maeve Rojas.” "
My Instagram review will be out on Friday, August 29.
4.25 stars
Where was McManus when I was a YA
Thankfully books are for every age, and I’m still able to enjoy a good YA
This book was phenomenal. So much going on, and a couple of good surprises too. Fast paced and enjoyable characters.
Although this is my first book by the author it will not be my last.
NOTHING MORE TO TELL 🤫
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* a “who done it” mystery 4 years later
* intertwined characters and backstories
* keeps you guessing until the end
* insane secret reveals
* romance/true crime aspects
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this one was amazing. i think my favorite karen mcmanun’s book to date. it truly kept me guessing until the end and had such a larger tangled web than i could ever think. about halfway through, i thought i figured it all out, but was so so wrong.
“nothing more to tell” follows brynn gallenger, a high school senior who moved back to her old town, and gets a job at a true crime company. she wants to tackle the truth of william larkin’s murder, an unsolved case from 4 years ago of her favorite teachers murder. but as she starts digging, the web of what happened keeps getting more and more tangled.
i HIGHLY recommend this one. an amazing YA mystery that really kept you hooked from the very start. super interesting characters, and all tied together so well. she truly didn’t leave any loose threads, and its exciting to go through brynn’s investigation with her.
Karen M. McManus is always a must read for me and my library. She is the most checked out YA thriller writer.
This book is a must read for true crime lovers.
I love all the YA books coming out featuring young people as aspiring detectives or true crime enthusiasts….my students have shown an increased interest in that as well so it will relate well to them! This book was great, a small town murder 4 years ago that ostensibly seems solved is the focus of Brynn’s pitch to her internship at a true crime channel. The only problem is that as more and more info comes out the pool of suspects becomes wider and deeper as Brynne is forced to confront the idea that she may not know these people as well as she thought she did! The story is fast paced and has readers constantly switching suspects. A fun read!
This was a fast paced read written in Mcmanus’s usual style. It had nothing unexpected or new to present to the readers and the ending was also in some ways predictable. It’s a quick one time read which doesn’t leave a lasting impression and if you are looking for something easy that will help you pass the time, then this can be considered.
Man, I love me a good Karen McManus novel! This did not disappoint. In fact, it is probably my second favorite of hers (because One of Us is Lying is just unbeatable, I think).
Brynn is looking for answers in a case where her teacher was murdered years before only to discover that maybe she didn’t want to know the circumstances as much as she thought she did. There were a lot of twists and turns in this - and even I was left guessing until the end!
I loved the journalism aspect, the characters (well, some of them I despised, too), the storyline, and the relationships that are formed throughout the book.
I could have used more Regina and more Ellie, to be honest (loved them). 😁
I didn’t want this one to end - and the ending made me think that maybe there is more to come from Brynn’s true crime investigations (or at least I’m hopeful that she and the students at St. Ambrose are not gone for good).
This may be my favorite book by McManus since One of Us Is Lying. Great plot and mystery! Brynn and Trip have a complicated past and when Brynn returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her former teacher for a true crime show, their lives intersect again. The story moved quickly and mystery was not predictable. I will continue to read anything that this author puts out. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
Karen McManus is the Caroline B Cooney of our generation. This book has to be one of her best yet - I loved all the characters and their motivations/goals. The plot twist at the end was a tiny bit lackluster in the reveal, but still satisfying. I love the dual POVs and I love how everything about this book came together like a puzzle! I was guessing the whole time
This was another great installment by Karen McManus. She is easily one of the best YA mystery/thriller writers and Nothing More To Tell was another really good novel by her. I loved the premise of the private school and as usual, there were two really great leads and wonderful side characters. The ending was surprising and satisfying and a few really cute references to her other books.
I love a good crime book and so far Karen’s book have been enjoyable and easy reads, but this is my favourite yet. The story has good flow, but interesting twist. Finished it within 24 hours!
I hope Netflix picks this one up for a show
After reading some glowing reviews for McManus’ other books, I decided to take a chance with this new to me author. Well, I have mixed feelings about Nothing More to Tell.
With the exception of characters Shane and Charlotte, both Brynn and Tripp were so similar that I frequently got them confused with each other. I really had to pay attention to the chapter titles to keep me on the straight and narrow. Other than that, the characters in the novel are varied and developed enough. Though I didn’t get a sense of what Brynn’s parents were like.
The story is told from two points of view and two timelines. If you’re not paying attention, you can easily get lost in the narrative — necessitating backtracking. You can probably guess that it happened to me at several points in the novel.
While the whodunnit aspect of the story was engaging, I thought that the idea of high schoolers performing their own murder investigations seemed a bit of a stretch. But given who the target audience is (Teen & YA,) I can see how the narrative was written that way.
There were a few unanswered questions at the end. So I’m guessing that a sequel is in the making. Nothing More to Tell is a decent read. It didn’t have the wow factor that I was expecting though. But from a Teen & YA perspective it probably will rate four glowing stars.
I received a digital ARC from Random Children’s House through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
My last reading experience with a book by Karen M. McManus couldn't have been more different than this one. I read One of Us Is Lying back in 2018 and found it underwhelming, to say the least. Very predictable, average writing, and nothing really that made me understand the hype.
Cut back to 2022 and I saw the cover and synopsis for Nothing More to Tell and it sparked my curiosity to read this book, and here I thought I wasn't going to read more books by the author. The funny thing actually is how more and more I'm experiencing firsthand that you don't have any guarantees when it comes to books, weather it's a favourite author that releases a book you hate, or an author that you previously read and disliked and now puts out a book that you love. This has been a very strange fact to come to terms with, and I'm only saying that because this happened with Nothing More to Tell.
I really, thoroughly enjoyed, my reading experience of this book. From the very first pages I was already invested in the characters and the plot, and I felt like the story progressed in a way that was never dull. Brynn and Tripp were such likable main characters that it became impossible to not root for them, fear for them, and when there were seeds of doubt to be apprehensive of the outcome alongside them.
Although this book has a background of being set in a preppy school, this one is neither a dark academia nor a campus novel, because most of the time isn't even spent at the school, and there is as little as possible in terms of atmosphere or descriptions related to the school per se, so I'll call this book what it is, a murder mystery. And a good one at that.
I also really enjoyed the way the author inserted Brynn to work in a true crime show, and that helped the character gain access to certain types of information, plus it showcased her character and ambitions towards investigative journalism really well. In fact the whole features and nods to true crime were really cool as well.
Overall, I don't have major complaints or dislikes with this one, aside from the fact that the ending did turn out to be a little rushed. I do feel like this might be a setup for another book, which I don't know how I feel about yet. But I did like the conclusion, and the numerous threads that formed a web around the case, how there were ramifications that ended up having explanations, and how the big picture formed. I feel like this is a solid murder mystery, and being targeted towards a young adult audience I feel like it takes itself seriously its right amount so this is believable yet not too easy or dumb like other books with crimes for younger audiences.
I ended up debating what my rating would be, thinking that I might lower it because of the end, but it turns out it doesn't feel right so I'll just stick with the rating of five-stars for this one. A quick, fast-paced read, easily devourable, and satisfying story, that will keep you guessing until the end.