Reading Between the Wines book review #81/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: Nothing More to Tell
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Brynn is a young sleuth trying to solve a murder case of her favorite teacher. Only thing is that it happened 4 years ago, and she has since moved away and moved back. The main problem is the only person who can help solve this mystery is her ex-best friend and also the person lying about the whole night. I enjoyed watching Brynn put the pieces in place that the police could not do. It was pretty clear to me early on who the killer was but I did not know the reason. This book is titled a Y&A book and reads as such which is not a bad thing if you like Y&A books.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @RandomHouseChildrens for an advanced copy of @NothingMoreToTell.

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Any book by Karen McManus is guaranteed to be a page turner for me.

In Nothing More To Tell, Brynn returns to her hometown and starts an internship for a true-crime show. She begins to investigate the murder of her teacher, Mr.Larkin, who was murdered four years ago right before Brynn moved away.

Again with a multiple POV book, it is a writing style I really enjoy as I feel it keeps the story moving.

There were some unanswered questions and a bit of suspended disbelief leading up to a rushed ending. That being said, McManus always does a great job providing a YA popcorn thriller that keeps me interested.

Four years ago, three eighth students found a favorite teacher murdered in the woods. Brynn was suppose to be with them working on a class assignment, but chose to work on a story for the school paper instead. Moving away shortly after, she continued to be interested in her writing career until she was stopped in her tracks by a malicious prank. Her family has now moved back to Sturgis and Brynn has secured an internship with Motive, a true crime show. Pitching her idea of finding out what happened to Mr. Larkin opens the floodgates and answers questions that have been simmering for years, healing some relationships while breaking others. Were the students innocent that day or could they be guilty of murder? With many a twist, McManus takes us on a windy journey from start to finish until we eventually find out what happened to Mr. Larkin on that disastrous day, or do we??? Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book

First of all, thank you to @prhinternational for the free book, especially because it's written by one of my favorite authors!
And McManus in this work, confirms herself as one of the mystery authors of my heart! Her writing style is amazing, fast paced but not for this sloppy, and I've found myself again intrigued by all the charaters she depicted.
You have no idea how hard I tried to figure out who the murderer was, but as in the majority of her works, it is virtually impossible to disentangle the web of connection McManus created until the very end. The rule remains to never trust anyone. In this case, the network of relationships and domino effects linked to this story is dense, intricate, with absolutely unexpected implications. The ending? Bittersweet but somehow with an opening that I really liked! Plus, an adorable tidbit: you'll find mini references to her other books.
What could I possibly want more?
Another book of her, please!

I picked up this book because I really liked The Cousins by Karen McManus. This book, while it had all of the aspects of a good high school based young adult book, simply didn't capture my attention like The Cousins did. I feel like a young adult might find the book more relatable than I did. The ending was unpredictable and good but didn't make up for the fact that the middle of the book just meandered along.

Karen McManus is a favorite YA thriller author, and Nothing More To Tell will fly off the shelves. Brynn has landed a podcast internship, hoping the narrator will cover the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher four years ago. Brynn moved away after, and has to try to reestablish the relationships she had with the three students who found him.
The story alternates between her and her former best fried, Tripp, one of the three. She knows he isn't saying everything, and is determined to get to the truth.

I loved the mystery in this book! I never knew what to expect next. I fully enjoyed the story and how it all played out. I have been interested in reading her books for a while and glad I finally did! I can’t wait to check out more of her work!

Four years ago, a beloved teacher's body was found by three students in the woods back of Saint Ambrose School. The murder weapon is a large rock found at the scene with blood and the fingerprints of one of the students on it. The three students give authorities the exact same story - a rehearsed tale of how they stumbled across the body together. Two of the students, Shane and Charlotte, are from rich, elite families and the other, Tripp, is not and yet he's reluctantly recruited into their closed ranks. Shortly after, Tripp turned on his best friend and crush Brynn, humiliating her in front of her classmates so when her father announces they're moving, she accepts that it's probably for the best.

Now, Brynn's family has returned to the area where Brynn will return to Saint Ambrose School for the last five months of her high school career. During her years away, Brynn has followed the unsolved murder case as well as her friends' activities online. It's with trepidation that she enters the school once again only to find nothing has really changed. It's still a place of haves and have not's who are only there due to scholarships. Much to her chagrin, the elite three including her old friend Tripp are still thick as thieves. However, unknown to them, Brynn has acquired an internship with the highly regarded crime show Motive. She takes a chance and pitches her idea of doing a show on the stagnated cold case of Mr. Larkin, and much to her surprise the producer gives her the green light to delve in, rattle some cages and see what happens. The deeper Brynn digs, the more convoluted the story becomes until it's clear she's making someone extremely nervous. Obviously, the murderer still lives in the area, but who is it? A resident? Or a student at Saint Ambrose School? Is Brynn prepared to accept the truth of all she discovers? The story that ensues is one of lies, secrets, and shocking revelations that rock the small town.

Nothing More To Tell is a great paradigm of young adult mystery and dark academia. The story is narrated by two high school students, Brynn and Tripp, with brief escapades into the past which gives readers some first-hand knowledge. As layer after layer is peeled back, the real story emerges and readers are introduced and get familiar with all the players and their individual motives. Most characters are well-developed although at times, I questioned the depth of which teenagers are secretly involved in the investigation of a brutal murder, especially their access to confidential police files, etc. However, it comes across as plausible because of Brynn's position and access to files at Motive. Several characters are represented as possible suspects which grants readers a few red herrings to sift through. Plot lines are well executed and neatly woven together by the end. There's no doubt McManus has expertise at manipulating the world of young adults as she renders a well-crafted, entertaining story in Nothing More To Tell. I think the intended audience will find this story highly entertaining. Highly recommended to fans of young adult mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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Overall, I did like this book. It's pretty typical of what you'd expect from McManus at this point - she's the queen of YA Teens-Find-A-Body mysteries. This one didn't hit the same mark the last few have, though. I loved the idea of a true crime show or podcast being introduced, but that aspect of the plot just petered out. I wanted more of that, and more from the side characters - like Ellie and other unnamed friends who were reduced to plot points (keeping it vague!). I think the plot dragged at times, but not enough to really irk. The biggest thing that kept me from giving this book five stars is that the climax is blink-and-you'll-miss it - things were wrapped up far too quickly, with too little explanation.

Regardless of those drawbacks for me, this book will be perfect for YA mystery fans looking to scratch that itch and have things neatly tied in a bow at the end. There are lots of clues to follow and readers will have fun trying to solve the mystery alongside the characters.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read that sucked me in. I love when I can escape and just shut out the world. It kept me guessing for the most part and I would definitely recommend it.

This book has restored my faith in YA again after reading several mediocre YA books in the last few months. The character development is great and I enjoyed reading from the alternative points of view from the two main characters. Each had a distinct voice and I was equally interested in each perspective.

The book kept me guessing the entire time and I didn’t even suspect the ending. It was a page turner and kept me interested the entire time. This was a great thriller!

Review of Nothing more to Tell by Karen McManus

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this author snd her fun, quick YA thrillers. This one is one of my faves of hers so far. I enjoyed the story a great deal and there were many twists I didn’t see coming. I loved the true crime aspect of it as well.

Quick synopsis: Brynn has returned to her private school after leaving a few years earlier. At that time a popular teacher was found dead in the woods and his murder was never solved. 3 of her classmates had been in the woods as well and discovered his body. One is her former best friend, Tripp. Brynn is back in town and scores a coveted internship at a true crime show. She is determined to help solve the cold case murder of her teacher.

Brynn's returned to her hometown after a scandal at her previous school. She's nervous to reconnect with her former best friend, but there's no avoiding him. She and Tripp are working on a commemorative garden to honor their beloved former teacher who was murdered. Tripp was among the three students who found Mr. Larkin, and he's hiding something. Brynn is determined to uncover the truth for two reasons: 1. Mr. Larkin was her favorite teacher and she doesn't think justice was served and 2. She's interning at a popular true-crime show and thinks it's the perfect story.

It's a quick, immersive read. A solid mystery that readers will love.

The first chapter of this book hooked me. It starts with Brynn interviewing for an internship at Motive, a true crime show. During her interview Brynn pitches the murder of her high school teacher who was found in the woods by 3 students. I loved the concept of a student investing a murder with the help of a true crime journalist. Unfortunately that concept doesn’t really go past the beginning of the book.

The book is told from 2 perspectives; Brynn, who is returning to the school where her teacher was murdered and Tripp, one of the students who found the teacher. I found Tripp and Brynn’s relationship to be annoying. I know they have a history but it seemed odd how he tried to ignore her to only then become extremely close to her. Also, Brynn is easily able to tell when Tripp is lying. She uses this technique numerous times to get the truth out of him. To me it seemed like an easy way for the author to get to where she wanted to be without Brynn doing more investigative work. The side characters were forgettable and I did confuse them at times.

Overall the book was slow and there were too many unnecessary red herrings. I was surprised by the book’s ending but somehow it was still anticlimactic. The story went in so many different directions that it ended up feeling convoluted. To me the ending didn’t really make sense, there were too many pieces that didn’t add up. I wish the book stuck to the original plot of a teenager working with a true crime show but instead it ended up being a story about teens investigating the murder on their own. I think having the true crime journalist involvement would have added an interesting element.

I’d recommend this book to fans of Karen M. McManus books, YA thrillers and to people who enjoy a lot of plot twists.

As always, Karen M. McManus delivers! This was a compelling read- I couldn't put it down, and I know teens at my library will be the same!

When Karen M. McManus is good - One of Us Is Lying and The Cousins - she is very very good and even when she’s not particularly on form, she still writes very readable and satisfying YA mysteries. Nothing More to Tell falls into the latter category and while it’s still a superior entry in the genre and will find many readers, it’s definitely not her best work.

Four years ago, when Brynn Gallagher was in 8th grade, Saint Ambrose’s popular and well-liked English teacher Mr Larkin was murdered. Now, after four years living away from Sturgis MA, Brynn’s family is back and she is determined to use the resources of true-crime podcast Motive, where she is interning, to solve the case.

It turns out, of course, that everyone from Mr Larkin to the three kids that found him, has secrets and, as these are brought to light, Brynn, and the reader jump from resolution to resolution. This gives the plot something of a jerky flow and it never really settles into a rhythm. In fact, the crucial break in the case is not made by Brynn at all, and her discovery of it feels like something shoveled in to keep things moving.

The author seems much more interested in the three kids that found Mr Larkin’s body: Tripp, who had been best friends with Brynn until just before the murder and rich kids Shane and Charlotte. Tripp has clearly got something on his conscience and Brynn manages to pull it out of him in a somewhat unbelievable fashion. There is a tickle of an idea about scholarship kids (dregs) and full fee-paying kids (elites) but that doesn’t really get any traction and fades away.

Ultimately, after further dubiously credible shenanigans, a sort of resolution is reached, and though it feels like the set up for a sequel I can’t see how that would work.

So while this isn’t a particularly positive review, it’s because I’m frustrated as I know the author can do so much better. Nonetheless, I ripped through it in a couple of days and I anticipate it will fly off the shelf as soon as it hits it in my library.

Thanks to Delacorte and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Once again Karen McManus writes a thoroughly enjoyable book that kept me enthralled until the end. I love her masterful writing!

Full of twists, red herrings, and likeable characters, this is another knockout by Karen McManus, sure to devoured ravenously by teens and young adults.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

This was such a fan paced and fun thriller! Definitely a YA, so if you do not like reading about teenagers making bad decisions, then this one is not for you. I loved the dual POV rotating between Brynn and Tripp and both just added so much to the story. Definitely full of unexpected twists and kept me guessing until the last chapter. McManus truly never lets you down.