Nothing More to Tell | 
so-soI think that some people would like this novel, but the ending just ruined it for me. I think students would love this because of the traditional whodunnit feel, but I‘m not sure if I would necessarily bring this into the classroom. It has a lot of explicit language and some of the themes are a little mature at times, but nothing high school students couldn‘t handle extracurricularly.
The ending was such a let down for me! First of all, there are countless suspects throughout the entire novel. The dead body in the beginning is found by three kids, so the natural inclination is to think they‘re suspicious right? Wrong. For the entire novel, the author sets up one person to be her killer, but she kills him off with like 30 pages to go. To make matters worse, you don‘t even figure out who the killer is, only the fmc‘s suspicions.
The plot is also very entertaining, and like any classic “whodunnit” book, there are many suspects for our leading characters to investigate. The stakes are always high, as well as the two of navigating some obvious tension between them. I think this book would be great for kids who love true crime/crime shows, or ones interested in journalism.
The beginning of this book is a little confusing because it switches back and forth in time and it also switches between two character perspectives. For some students, I think this might be a little annoying/confusing because it was like that for me at first. The characters are very intriguing from the get go and the author does a brilliant job of keeping you wanting to know more! The level of suspense is great so far!
pickI love McManus and will read anything she writes. This one didn‘t disappoint! It definitely kept me guessing.
#bookspinbingo - free space
pickI enjoyed this one. It‘s a soft pick for me. It isn‘t my favorite McManus book but I will be reading her next book. They‘re entertaining and hold my interest.
#BookSpinBingo #FabulousFebruary #ISpyBingo #Roll100 #readyourTBR
pickKaren M. McManus doesn't disappoint in this fictional true crime YA drama. High school senior Bryan moves back to her hometown and immediately lands a coveted internship at an emerging true crime show. She begins investigating the murder of her 8th grade teacher and opens old wounds that get the community buzzing.
pickI tend to enjoy McManus‘ YA mysteries. This one was no exception. Read my thoughts here: https://debbybrauer.org/#nothing-more-to-tell
#Roll100 for February. I‘ve added them to my #BookSpinBingo list for February. #26 is also on my #SeriesLove2023 list.
pickAnother YA crime book from the author, a group of kids involved in the murder of a teacher, Brynn returns to Saint Ambrose school after 4 years away. She interns at a true crime show and tries to solve the murder. It was a good read.
so-soI think I‘m done with the high school tropiness of unsolved murder with clues from texts, social media, videos etc. I liked the first 2 McManus books from several years ago; but when a new one appears, i can‘t resist…
#Pantone2023 #Bookspinbingo @Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks
so-so🔍The mystery plot is decent. I actually really liked the true crime TV angle, even though it‘s an over the top detail, especially for a HS intern. But the angsty teen romance subplot with swooning, gazing, and body language tells made me puke a little every time they were mentioned, which was too much for me. The female narrator who read the Brynn chapters was mostly good, but the poor dude who got stuck with Tripp‘s chapters. Yikes! 🧀🧀🧀
pickI liked the ambiguity, the twistiness and the true crime show framing - this reminded me (in a good way) of Sadie and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
Brynn Gallagher pitches an idea to her true crime internship - to investigate the murder of her English teacher 4 years ago. He was found by 3 13yos, one of whom used to be Brynn's best friend.
Clever and full of twists and turns, I enjoyed this one.
so-soThis is my Buzzword Book for November...ING in the Title
3⭐
Honestly, this was just okay for me. I usually love Karen McManus‘ books but this felt like every other book by her, including the cover with the X‘ed out faces (always with the X‘ed out faces), I seriously think I‘m over her books with their formulaic/trademark plotlines and her interchangeable characters.
#buzzwordathon
pickQuick pacing, enjoyable characters and a solid mystery that keeps you engaged. I found myself unable to guess the true identity of the killer - it's one more great book from KMM :) Recommend it!
pickThis was another great Karen McManus mystery! Four years ago, three students found one of their favorite teachers dead in the woods behind their school. Brynn Gallagher, a fellow student, gets an internship with a local true crime show because she's sure there's more to the story, and she wants to be the one who finds out what really happened. Will she find out more than she wants to know, though?
#LitsyLoveReads
pickOh, this was good. I loved that it stayed twisty and compelling without leaning into cynicism or despair. Everyone was flawed, yes, but it wasn't a morally gray bacchanal like so many thrillers are now. #yathriller #yalit
pick4 stars- This was probably my favorite one of her books. I didn't care for the rather ambiguous ending, but I did like that the killer wasn't glaringly obvious from the beginning. It also dealt well with trauma and how people deal with trauma. I could have lived without the romance, but it still at least made sense.
I carve out my 17-yr old self to settle into a KM thriller, always have fun on the twisty ride, and never resolve the mystery until it fully unfolds. There was an early desire for Brinn to attend North Western that was dropped along the way and I wanted that element to play out, but otherwise a solid story. It‘s a Pick - sometimes I accidentally hit blurb instead of review and don‘t catch it before posting ;)
Finished this on Saturday. My first book for #Scarathlon2022 #TeamMonsterMash. Unfortunately it doesn‘t fit the team theme. It was a library book I didn‘t get to in September. I have a couple more of those to power through. 32 words for the word search. 326 points
so-soNothing compares to my first KMM, One Of Us Is Lying but a lot of that probably comes from having years and years of self and peer editing before a debut novel. Since then, and I've even abandoned a few, they've felt rushed somehow. This one did keep me guessing more than others but a lot of that has to do with slow information coming in throughout the story. Maybe I'm wrong but I just feel like our author could do so much better...
pickAnother winner thriller YA novel by McManus. Lots and twists and turns but interesting characters that I liked. A definite pick.
pickBk3 of September is done! Another brilliant edition to the authors school crime series, she has a knack for grabbing you from the first chapter and not letting go. And I must say, the killer ended up being a complete surprise. Not to mention the other secrets revealed by the end. I really hope she resurrects something of the characters in future novels. Totally recommended👍 #BookspinBingo
Giving my hands a break from knitting tonight & getting stuck into the new McManus mystery/thriller. Even though they‘re officially classed as YA, they don‘t read that way at all. I enjoyed all her previous books & so far this is no exception. Brynn is forced to move back to the school she gladly left behind 4yrs ago, but this time she‘s undercover. Looking into the murder of a teacher for a tv show, she finds a bit more than she bargained for.
Some more pretty Waterstones #bookmail came yesterday! I‘d forgotten how many preorders I have. But who‘s complaining! Now I just need to get my damn book brain working properly again coz the rather large #TBRstack in my library is starting to make the hubby suss🤔I love the authors YA mysteries & can‘t wait to read this installment.👍
I got to attend a virtual webinar today about upcoming YA books and was excited to hear Karen McManus talk about her new book! She's amazing! 😍 #librarylove #librariansoflitsy
Their beloved teacher, Mr. Larkin, was murdered behind the school and three of his students found him. Now that they are older, secrets behind to spill….
