One of Us is Next by Karen McManus

October 10, 2021

One of Us is Next by Karen McManus

Welcome back to Bayview High! A year has passed since Simon's death, and there's a new class of seniors. No one has filled the gossip void left by Simon's app - until now. But it's not an app, it's a game on social media. Truth or Dare. It soon becomes apparent that if you're targeted, you always take the dare. But when the game turns deadly, some of the students team up to figure out who is the mastermind behind the game in order to stop them.

This is the sequel to One of Us is Lying and feature the younger siblings of some of the characters in the first book. There are a lot of characters with multiple POVs, and they have complicated love lives. Like many YA books, the characters' actions and dialog will make you cringe at times, and some characters are TSTL. But it's a quick read that will keep you turning the pages.

You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

August 25, 2022

You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

Ivy, Cal and Mateo have been friends since grade school, when they had a memorable day cutting school. Now seniors in high school, after each experiences a devastating event, they spontaneously decide to recreate "the greatest day ever." They cut school for the day and head into Boston, where they unexpectedly encounter a classmate who winds up dead. At least one of them is implicated in the murder, and they find themselves trying to stay one step ahead of the murderer, the police, their parents, and the news media, while they attempt to figure out who the killer really is.

Lots of drama here of all varieties, which is to be expected since this is a young adult book (and YAs love their drama). There are several narrators here. I listened to the audiobook and it was easy to differentiate which character was speaking. I've read several of the author's books, and I think this is the last one. They all have a similar flavor, but YAs in particular will like them.