Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the newest thriller by Karen M. McManus, one of my favorite YA authors. Nothing More to Tell introduces us to Brynn, a high school senior who moved back to her hometown after four years only to find that the same mystery remains unsolved. A well-liked teacher was found murdered in the woods by three of Brynn's classmates and no new evidence has been discovered. As Brynn uses her internship at a true crime television show to reexamine the case, secrets from the past are revealed and loyalties are questioned right up until the very last chapter.

McManus creates such likable characters that will resonate with her young adult fans, and the twists will leave her readers guessing and second-guessing all the way through.

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Another huge hit by Karen McManus! Nothing More to Tell starts with a bang and ends with an explosion you will not see coming. The pacing is pitch perfect, the characters are well-fleshed out, the jumping timelines provide awesome context, and the callbacks to all of her other awesome novels were fun little Easter eggs. YA and school librarians are going to need multiple of copies of this one.

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did I immediately dump all of my other e-reads when I got the ARC for this one? yes, yes, I did.

I LOVE KAREN MCMANUS’S BOOKS WHAT THE HECK

they are always so creative and unique while still having the same quick-paced lovable characterization!! the two narrators, brynn and tripp, were both so so well fleshed out that I totally feel like I can sit down with them at a coffee shop and have a whole conversation with them

I also loved the true crime podcast backdrop of the murder mystery - I’m currently obsessed with only murders in the building so this was so fun to get invested in too!!

while I figured out the major plot twist about halfway through the book, the “whodunnit” aspect bounced around almost every single character and lost some of its power. however, the minor twists and turns kept my head spinning until the last sentence of the epilogue.

ALSO AHHHH [minor spoiler ahead] ARE ALL OF KAREN’S BOOKS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE??? when ellie mentioned maeve and the bayview four, I about peed myself okay

thank you so much to netgalley and delacorte for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! y’all CANNOT wait for august - this one’s a game changer!!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: niagara escarpment cabernet franc

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I adore Karen McManus books - I started with One of us is Lying a few years back and was hooked - I don't normally go for YA fiction being a middle aged woman, however I picked up the book and loved it - and have proceeded to read all her books so far. When the opportunity arose to be able to pre-read this book from NetGalley I jumped on the chance. The main character Brynn moves the book along as she starts looking into the murder of her old English teacher, for awhile there was something familiar about the character that I could not put my finger on until one of the other characters tells her to stop acting like Veronica Mars - YESSSS that is exactly what the book feels like - watching an episode of Veronica Mars - there are some twists and turns in the book that keep you guessing and I enjoyed the fact that some of the characters in the book alluded to characters/events that happened in some of her other books- like One of us is Lying and You'll be the Death of Me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - 5 stars all the way, if you like her others books you will not be disappointed with Nothing More to Tell.

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I had a harder time getting into <i>Nothing More to Tell</i> than I did with McManus's previous books, but it was still a fun ride once I finally became invested in the story (about halfway through). The storyline is totally different than any of her previous books, but McManus definitely has a distinct style of writing and storytelling, so if you enjoyed her previous works, you'll probably love this one also. I was pretty sure that this was going to end up being a 3-star read for me, but the second-half action was engaging enough to bump it up to a 4.

I always keep theory notes and predictions while reading mysteries, and I have to say that even though I guessed the killer's identity early on, there were a lot of twists and turns along the way that I didn't see coming.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for my review. </i>

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This is my first Karen M. McManus novel. I know, I know. I'm late to the hype. The well-deserved hype if Nothing More to Tell is any indication. McManus is a great storyteller. The way she effortlessly weaved together the various narratives from that night was masterful. Each revelation made me feel like we were closer to the truth then she'd throw in a curveball that has me questioning almost every character.

Now for small criticism. Told in dual POV, Nothing More to Tell was a novel that I couldn't put down while I was reading it but struggled to get back into when I did put it down. The mystery of what happened to Mr. Larkin kept me going, but I was rather indifferent to most of the characters. Which is why I think whenever I did put the novel down, I wasn't necessarily dying to continue since I didn't care what happened to the characters.

Still, this was a fun ride. It definitely kept me guessing until the end, which is not easy to do if you read this genre often. Usually, I pick out one or two viable suspects from the start and end up being right at the end, but not with this novel. There's not even much narrowing down because once you eliminate someone, new information comes out and you're back to square one.

I look forward to future novels by McManus as well as going back to read her previous publications.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Karen M. McManus for providing me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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I really love Karen McManus' work! She's an auto-read for me. This one wasn't a nail-biter but it was enjoyable start to finish. A murder at a school full of secrets is not a new concept but I really enjoyed all the character development in this one.

I loved Brynn + Tripp and would love to see more of them in the future!

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Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus is an amazing YA mystery that will appeal to fans of They Wish They Were Us and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The story is told from two first-person perspectives: Brynn and Tripp. Brynn's teacher Mr. Larkin was murdered years ago, and the case was never solved. When Brynn starts interning at a true-crime show, she suggests solving the murder as her contribution. Her ex-friend Tripp was one of the three students who found Mr. Larkin's body. But will he reveal his secrets to Brynn? Is it safe for her to be investigating this case at all? And what will happen when she finds out the truth?

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Brynn's point of view:

""The job description didn't say you have to be in college," I point out.
"That was an oversight," Carly says.
I deflate, but only briefly. She wouldn't have brought me in if she weren't at least considering waiving that requirement. "I'll work twice as hard as any college student," I promise. "I can be in the office anytime I'm not in school, including nights and weekends." Because I have no life here, I almost add, but Carly doesn't need that much context. "I know I'm not the most experienced person you're talking to, but I've been working toward becoming a journalist since I was in middle school. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to be."

Overall, Nothing More to Tell is a gripping YA mystery with plenty of twists and turns. One highlight of this book is the main character, Brynn. I love when the protagonists of books try to solve murders by themselves and investigate the clues, Veronica Mars-style. Another highlight of this book is the mystery aspect. There were several twists in the plot, and I did not see the murderer reveal coming at all! I would have never suspected that it was that person! If I had to complain about one thing, I would say that the book is pretty slow until the climax, but the climax itself has plenty of thrills. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA mysteries, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

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Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 4.5/5 stars

Karen M. McManus is a legend in YA thrillers and Nothing More to Tell shows you why. This mystery follows Brynn, an aspiring reporter who moves back to her hometown after four years away. She is still haunted by the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin. When she pitches the story to a true-crime show she is interning for, they are very interested. They are also interested in the fact that Brynn knows the three students who found their teacher’s body and the fact that Brynn thinks they are lying about what truly happened.

This is definitely one of my favorite McManus thrillers. I love the true crime element and all of the callbacks to characters from previous books. This was just a fun, fast-paced read with great characters and a great plot. I did not have any idea where the plot was heading and McManus threw in some late twists that were excellently executed. Definitely one of her best and a great book for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

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Nothing More to Tell occurs four years after the mysterious death of Mr. Larkin, a beloved teacher at Saint Ambrose School where our main characters attend. The book is told through two different POVs, similar to McManus’ other books. We have aspiring journalist, Brynn, returning after four years to find things haven’t changed that much. Tripp, who was part of the group of three who found Mr. Larkin that fateful day. Charlotte and Shane, both incredibly privileged students at Saint Ambrose, are the two others who found Mr. Larkin. Then we have Tripp who has always served as a strong link to the other two in their trio’s innocence as he firmly defended them when questioned after the death. Now that Brynn is back and an intern at the up-and-coming crime show, Motive, she has the power to discover what really happened to Mr. Larkin. I’m incredibly grateful I got an ARC of this book. I love Karen M. McManus, I always devour her books as soon as I can get them. This book was no exception. It left me wondering everyone’s motives (hehe) and backgrounds until the end. I absolutely recommend you pick up Nothing More to Tell! Also, I would love a whole book of Ellie just going on adventures and solving crimes.

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As a fellow McManus, I’ve read all of Karen’s books and so far this one is my favorite. I love the mention of the Bayview Four. I love that Ellie is gay and absolutely no one in the book was any kind of weird about it- she just was and they were just like “ok”. Brynn is a total badass and I love her. I did feel like the crush on Tripp came on suddenly and strong and without little background info on it, it just happened one day there was no build up to me. Otherwise it was really great! I thought I had it figured out in the middle and was positive I was right but so many twists and turns! I really did enjoy it.

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I loved how this book kept you guessing until the very last page. The characters were so likeable and enjoyable to read. McManus has very quickly become a must read author for me and I still can't figure out how these stories are going to end until she gives us the big reveal.

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Nothing More to Tell follows Brynn who left the Saint Ambrose school after her favorite teacher gets murdered. Four years later her family moves back and Brynn is back at the school. Brynn gets an internship working for a true-crime podcast. While working for the true-crime podcast, Brynn thinks the murder of her teacher would make a good episode. So she starts looking into the murder. As Brynn keeps digging into the murder she starts learning more secrets about the school and people around her. But will she be able to find out who killed her favorite teacher? Or will the killer strike again?

I am a huge fan of Karen M. McManus I have loved every book I've read by her. And this one was no different. This book kept you on the edge of your seat. And made you want to keep reading to find out what happened. You also never knew who you could trust in this story. Which I thought really added to the overall mystery of the plot. I will say the ending did leave you with a lot of questions. And it was kind of up to the reader to make up their own mind. I do, however, hope there is a follow-up to this because I really liked this book. But if you want to read a good edge of your seat mystery highly suggest this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Karen M. Mcmanus, and Random House for the ARC of this book.

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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Random House Children’s and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Riveting to the very last word. Fans of suspense, thrillers and mystery will be delighted with this one.

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Karen M. McManus has come up with yet another mystery book that is full of unexpected twists and turns! Almost every character is a potential suspect or involved in the crime in some way. It will keep you on your toes and remind you not to believe all you hear or think you see! And it all comes together perfectly in the end. A fun read recommended for the target audience of young adult, and also may appeal to a more general adult audience.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

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I'm a long-time fan of Karen M. McManus, and Nothing More to Tell falls solidly in the middle range of her books. As usual, the story had a group of smart teenagers, a multi-layered mystery and a small town with lots of suspicious characters. While it wasn't as fast-paced or suspenseful as some of her other books, I still enjoyed it.

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Thank you to Netgalley for allowing to read and review this book!

I can’t even speak. Like I have no words. This book was so good. I just finished and i’m still in shock. “One of Us is Lying” was one of the first books I read when I got into reading and when I got an ARC of this I knew I was going to love this. The plot was amazing like I don’t even know what to say. I had like so many theories but I was always proved wrong which just shows that this is already a good mystery book. I was interested the entire time and then the characters. Brynn was such a good character, she was so strong minded and she was such a good detective like its so crazy to read about teenagers being like that, I was obsessed. And the romance omg. Tripp and Brynn were so cute I just loved their banter, and I liked how this book wasn’t just about them but more about the mystery. This was definitely a 5/5, I suggest everyone add it to their TBR’s and read it for when it comes out August 30!

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Karen McManus pulled off another great YA thriller, no surprise there! Where most of her titles have a 3-4 main character rotation, it was kind of refreshing to have only the two this time. The twists and turns in this story really kept me engaged and the characters were likable and easily relatable. This is going up there with one of my favorites from her.

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This week I started my YA readathon: in two days I found two BIGGEST WINNERS! Which is like hitting the jackpot. Because sometimes in one year I nearly read more than hundreds of books written in same genre, sulking with disappointment. But right now I’m truly feeling euphoric, a little exhausted because of extra adrenaline rush!

Firstly I read Agathas and gave my five blazing stars! And now I just read Karen M. McManus’ best book!

I read all of her works including her most popular duology of One of us is lying! But this book is definitely my favorite: better developed characterization, well executed dark academia mystery and dual POV story telling blew my mind!

Choosing to tell the story from two likable characters’ perspectives was the main strength of this book make it better than her previous works. ( multi POVed storytelling was a little riskier because it gets confusing and when you don’t root for each character, it turns out as excruciatingly painful experience)

This time: both Tripp and Brynn ( the author always chooses interesting names for her heroines! ) are main characters, students of St. Ambrose School, who were once close friends, till Tripp does something extra mean to humiliate Brynn.

After their teacher Mr. Larkin’s bludgeoned body is found in the woods, Brynn moved to Chicago when her father gets a new job offer. But she is haunted by the mystery and she never gets over it. After 4 years later, they’re back! Brynn has to return back to same school where her teacher was killed, his murderer has never found and three students: two elites: Shawn and Charlotte and her ex best friend- her new nemesis Tripp made a pact not to talk about it!

Brynn gets accepted by her dream job: true crime show “Motive”, pitches her idea about Mr. Larkin’s unsolved murder, encouraged by the producers to dig out more!

That means she has to work undercover, investigating her school friends including elite trio who found the body. That means she has to bury the hatchet and reluctantly make peace with her nemesis Tripp to learn what secrets he keeps from everyone!

What if Mr. Larkin is not an angel as everybody mentioned? What if there are so many people have motives to get rid of him?

Well, I truly enjoyed the mystery! My favorite character was Tripp. I truly felt sorry how much burden he had to carry for his young age. Interestingly both Tripp and Brynn were most likable characters the author ever created.

That’s why I’m giving my first five stars to one of her works. ( I enjoyed the previous ones but character department always failed for me or some plot hole always bugged me to give more stars)

I can honestly say! This is one of the best works of the year! You shouldn’t dare to miss it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

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This one was fast paced and kept my attention from the jump. Veronica Mars-esque with a side of GGGTM - I loved Brynn and her relentless pursuit to uncover her teacher’s murder. The ending felt a bit rushed but it was enjoyable

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