**You’ll be the Death of Me was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to TheWriteReads for having me on the tour!**

Summary

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new addictive thriller.

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close – best friends back in middle school.

Now all they have in common is a bad day. So for old time’s sake, they skip school together – one last time.

But when the trio spot Brian ‘Boney’ Mahoney ditching class too, they follow him – right into a murder scene.

They all have a connection to the victim. And they’re ALL hiding something.

When their day of freedom turns deadly, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out . . .

It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder, perfect for fans of One Of Us Is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. This explosive new thriller is impossible to put down.

Review

You’ll be the Death of Me is a twisty, dark read that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time you’re reading it. The story follows three estranged friends, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, who come back together to uncover the truth behind a deadly crime.

Ivy is your typical straight-A student, smart and ambitious, who also happens to have a brother that is a certified genius. It took a while before I could connect with Ivy’s character as I found her a bit whiney and over-privileged initially. However, in context, she is a teenager constantly seeking her parent’s approval and always feeling like she’s less special than her brother. That’s the part of her character that showed there was far more depth to her than just an obsession with always being the best.

Mateo is a struggling teen whose family life is incredibly difficult. His mother is suffering from a condition that makes her daily activities a struggle, and a cousin that will do anything to help them all even if it puts her in grave danger. Mateo is protective of his family and doesn’t have a lot of friends anymore because he prefers to blend into the background. It enables him to keep his private life, private.

Cal is a bit of a loner, and I did feel genuine sorrow for his character. It came across to me that he tried hard to be bubbly and out-going but he just didn’t connect with people easily. He had a lot of insecurities where making and keeping friends was concerned. This lead him into situations that weren’t favourable, as you learn the more you read.

Yes, I admit, I thought it was far-fetched for the most part but that’s actually what I enjoyed about it the most. It is very unlikely you’d skip school to spend time with people you haven’t spoken to in years and stumble upon a crime scene. But I appreciated that they all grew together and became a proper team. They all seemed to be stuck in a difficult place in their lives and came back together when they needed each other most. There was plenty of drama, suspense, and even a touch of romance. I’m all for some romance, and it was super cute!

I also really enjoyed that it switched between Ivy, Mateo, and Cal’s perspectives as it gave you the opportunity to get more invested in their backstories individually. They all gave a unique perspective to the situation they were in concerning the murder and how it affected their lives. It definitely affected one of their lives more than the others, but I won’t spoil that part for anyone planning on reading it!

This is the first Karen McManus book I’ve read, and I’m thoroughly impressed. I’ve had ‘One of us is Lying’ on my TBR for many, many months and after reading this, I’ll be going to grab a copy of that as soon as possible! I enjoyed that it was paced well and gave enough pieces of information to keep it interesting the entire time I was reading it. I rate it 4/5 stars and recommend it to all Karen McManus and YA crime thriller fans.