Review: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Title: Two Can Keep a Secret

Author: Karen M. McManus
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publishing Date: January 8th, 2019

Pages: 336
Genre: YA Mystery Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

I loved One Of Us Is Lying and was super excited to see another one come out for this author. I am happy to say this one did not disappoint. The story was well done. The mystery was very intriguing, the characters were well developed. This was a great read for me. 

Ellery and Ezra move to a small town to stay with their grandmother while their mother is in rehab. They aren't to excited for it. They have moved so many times in their life and don't want to do it again. Once they arrive, they are greeted by a dead body in the road... a hit and run. Soon after the homecoming queen nominees start to disappear. Ellery loves true crime and when decides to investigate. This isn't the first time this town has had girls disappear or die. Soon Ellery finds herself int he middle of something that has trouble chasing her down. 

This was a very well thought out mystery. The mystery in this story, in this town, goes back generations and they are all tied together. I found this aspect to be very interesting and I really had fun learning all about the past girls. The story was just impressive and written well. The mystery had me going for quite a bit and I really didn't know where it was headed, but when it got there.... I was like ooohhh! So thumbs up on the mystery. 

I think more than the story I just love the characters in this book. Ellery is a smart nerdy girl and I was able to connect with her quickly. I also really loved her brother Ezra. Their grandmother was great too and I loved how much of the story she was in. Not just simply a background character. I mean she was but she had much more of an impact than background characters usually do. The relationship that these characters have felt honest and real and I enjoyed seeing where it came from and where it was headed. 

There was romance and I truly enjoyed the romance. Malcolm, the love interest, was just so sweet and so cute. The romance was slow but steady and it grew easily. It never felt rushed or wrong. It was so adorable. 

This was a great mystery thriller, I would recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries and if you loved her first book, you will love this one too. 

Another winner from this author. I can't wait for the next book. Loved it. 

Karen M. McManus is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult thriller One of Us Is Lying, which has been translated into 38 languages worldwide. Her second book, Two Can Keep a Secret, will be released in January 2019. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master's degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels. For more information, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram.