Name: Maggie Hotmer's review of Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen Mcmanus
Item: Two Can Keep a Secret
Rating: 3.5
Author: Maggie Hotmer

Karen Mcmanus

Echo Ridge is reeling.
This picturesque town, nestled near the Canadian border, experienced it's first tragic lord in 1995 when high-school senior Sarah Corcoran vanished while walking home from the library.
Then five years ago, homecoming queen Lacey Kilduff was found dead in the aptly names Murderland Halloween park.
Now, the killer claims to be back 
A small town that keeps losing its homecoming queens.
Two murders, still unsolved.
ECHO RIDGE IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE POPULAR.

Two Can Keep a Secret

Karen M. McManus

_____ A perfect town is hiding secrets. Two teenagers are dead. Two murders unsolved. And a killer who claims to be coming back. _____ Ellery's never been to Echo Ridge, but she's heard all about it. It's where her aunt went missing at age sixteen, never to return. Where a Homecoming Queen's murder five years ago made national news. And where Ellery now has to live with a grandmother she barely knows, after her failed-actress mother lands in rehab. _____ Malcolm grew up in the shadow of the Homecoming Queen's death. His older brother was the prime suspect and left Echo Ridge in disgrace. His mother's remarriage vaulted them to Echo Ridge's upper crust, but it could all change when mysterious threats around town hint that a killer plans to strike again. And the return of Malcolm's brother doesn't help matters. But his return is just a coincidence... isn't it? Ellery and Malcolm both know it's hard to let go when you don't have closure. Then another girl disappears. As they race to unravel what happened, they realise every secret has layers in Echo Ridge. The truth might be closer to home than either of them want to believe. And somebody would kill to keep it hidden.

Julia Krauß

I have a really strong feeling that on Wednesdays they wear pink

It's like Children of the Corn around here.

Franzi

People think I had something to do with that? What's next? Am I responsible for global warming now, too?

If it doesn't show up soon, I'm going to have to start school in the clothes my grandmother bought at Echo Ridge's one and only clothing store. It's called Dalton's Emporium and also sells kitchen goods and hardware, which should tell you everything you need to know about it's fashion cred. 

I could kill Katrin. Not literally. I feel like I have to add that disclaimer even in my own thoughts, given our family history. 

honestly, that's all i do all day everyday 

I've been walking around the neighborhood. It's pretty. Very leafy. I posted a couple of Instagram stories. And made a playlist. 

Ellie 

"I don't know how to relate to people. Like, I pretty much only ever had one friend before I moved here."

"It's just- I grew up never knowing what happened to my aunt. Nobody would tell me anything, so I'd read terrible crime stories to try to understand. But all that did was make me more confused and paranoid. Now I'm at the point where I feel like I can't trust anybody who's not my literal twin."

“As Julia twirls again, a bolt of hot, white anger pulesthrag. me. It's not a normal reaction to such an innocent moment but the common thread running through this store isit nomad either. Weve all lost our version of a princess, and none of know why. I’m sick of being tangled up in Echo Ridges seams and of the questions that never end. I want answers.”

Leila

Jocelyn Smith

This book was a good, quick-paced read. I read and enjoyed one of her other series, so I'm glad I picked this up. I flew through this book and constantly found myself wanting to pick it up to learn what happened. It is not a literary masterpiece or my favorite book in the world, but it is a good mystery. The ending was a total surprise, but I do wish we had gotten more questions answered at the end. 

Maggie Hotmer

Okay, so this one surprised me. It was a much better storyline than the last McManus book I read. While I did predict the big twist it was still entertaining learning about it in the book. I had a fun time reading this one. I liked the characters and I think they all worked to add something to the plot which was nice. 

Priscilla Stanfield

4/5⭐️

Okay, so this one surprised me. It was a much better storyline than the last McManus book I read. While I did predict the big twist it was still entertaining learning about it in the book. I had a fun time reading this one. I liked the characters and I think they all worked to add something to the plot which was nice. 

Bria

Julia McKenzie

Honestly more of a 3.5 star rating but i’ll round up. Story flowed at a good pace to keep you interested but idk didn’t hit my spot of where I expected it to end. All came together quickly at the end.

Victoria

I still cannot wrap my head around that ending. When I first read it, I swear to god, it gave me literal chills... like up and down my spine, my arms, everywhere.

Full review soon.

---

Last week, I found out that Mx Karen wrote a sequel to One of Us is Lying, a Young Adult Mystery novel that I loved and read back in 2018.

Needless to say, I was excited. But after having read the book, all I felt was extreme disappointment. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. And for the most part, it was really just corny and boring.

But I wanted to give the author another chance (like I’m some kind of New York Times Bestseller review panelist… psshh). So I picked up another one of her books, Two Can Keep A Secret.

I didn’t have any expectations going into this. I didn’t even bother reading the synopsis and other reviews of the book. I wanted to read this with no other knowledge than it being a Young Adult Mystery novel.

For the first few chapters, things were a little slow. Sure, there were questions but the need to know the answers feeling is something that wasn’t too heavy on me just yet.

And I think for Mystery books, that’s a pretty important feeling to have, even in the beginning. It’s what keeps you hooked. It’s what pushes you to read through and finish the damn thing. What the hell happened? Who killed who? Who kidnapped who? Who the fuck was involved??

I think…. now that I’m really thinking about it. Maybe this doesn’t warrant 5 stars after all (I’m gonna change that Goodreads rating a little later).

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good book. The whole mystery was something. All the secrets were actually juicy that you really do just want to know what they all are. But I guess, it just wasn’t enough.

I will tell you, though, that the whole reveal and the ending (mostly the ending) is what made me think then that this was worthy of 5 stars.

The reveal wasn’t as grand as I hoped it would be. But… but I actually wasn’t expecting it. A lot of the Mystery novels that I’ve read in the past, I was able to catch on and figure out the whole thing before it was even revealed. But this one, I really had no idea.

The ending, though, oh that fucking ending. It gave me literal chills up and down my spine. And every time I think about the last line (please, if you’re like me from 5 years ago, don’t read the last page of the book just yet because it’s one of the best parts), it still gives me the same chills.

I guess what I’m saying is (after all this rambling), it’s not a book that I would recommend but it’s not half bad either.

If you want to read something that would get your mind off of the chaos that’s happening around the world today, then sure, go ahead with this one.

Susan 

I thought this book was going to be a three-star, maybe four depending on how it ended. Unlike her other two books, I could not get into this one right away. The past few days, I was able to read two or three chapters and be done for the time being. When I picked up the book today, I was a little less than halfway through and figured I would read a chapter or two. Next thing I know, I finished the book. 

In her other two books, I was able to figure out who was behind it but this one, not a single clue. Looking back now, yes there were a few signs about who did it but nothing that didn't fit with another character. This is the reason I am giving this book five stars. While I had theories, I was wrong on all accounts! I cannot wait to read more of her books.

Alexa M

Definitely one of the better YA thrillers I’ve read! Didn’t see the twist coming

So yeah I just finished this book and I was wrong about everything I ever guessed lol but it was so good. I gave it a 5 star mostly because it kept me guessing and I love books like that. People were being framed that really shouldn’t have been and you think you have all the pieces of the puzzle and you think you have an answer but you don’t. I love it. I can’t wait to read more of her books. 

Kaitlyn Grooms

3.5* rounded to 4.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than the last KMM book I read but it still can't compete with the lying series. I do really love how the author comes up with all these twists and interlocking information but sometimes I find myself forgetting who's POV im reading from or forgetting who side characters are because theres always so much to learn in standalones.

That said the twists and turns in this one were really good and I enjoyed the overall plot a lot and how the past linked with the future. It was a really fun read I do recommend!

brianna

i was about to give this 2 stars but it deserves an extra star just for the last sentence ... am shook to my core

fizzy

so apparently this is an unpopular opinion but this one was better than the first one!! or at least i thought so

I liked it but it was sort of predictable but I still loved it, the romance tho 

amelia <3

"When it comes to YA suspense, Karen M. McManus is in a league of her own. Fresh off her best-selling breakout One of Us Is Lying . . . the author has returned with a juicy second novel. It's even better than what came before." --EW The "must-read YA thriller" (Bustle) from #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying! 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 has 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. 2 STARRED REVIEWS! Praise for Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying A New York Times Bestseller An EW.com Best YA Book of the Year A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of the Year A Popcrush Best Young Adult Book of the Year "Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club....so make room for One of Us Is Lying in your bags, because this is one carry-on you won't want to put down." --EW.com "A whodunit with a Breakfast Club twist...following four unique voices on a chase to find the killer, this one will keep you guessing until the very, very end." --Popcrush "This is no ordinary whodunit...surprising and relevant."--USA Today

Stef

The ending like what I predict from middle of story. But still awesome and surprising. 

Buku kedua dari mbak Karen ini sedikit beda dengan buku debut beliau yang One of Us is Lying yang sedikit lebih seru karena di ceritakan dari perspektif masing-masing suspect, sedang kan di buku ini cerita hanya diambil dari sudut pandang Ellery dan Malcolm tanpa melibatkan tokoh-tokoh lain yang di curigai. 
Pembangunan plot misteri dan ketegangan nya cukup oke cuman menurut aku pribadi masih ada beberapa plot hole disana sini yg sedikit butuh penjelasaan. Ending nya yang lumayan cukup seru dan beda dari buku sebelumnya. Dan plot romance nya juga sih menurutku ga gitu perlu malah terasa hambar.

Marloes

9.43 on Cawpile

I absolutely loved this story of a town with dark secrets that are seemingly resurfacing again. The spooky vibes throughout the book kept me wanting to read more and more, and I didn't want to put it down! From the first page to the last, this books keeps you on your toes. There are twists thrown at your left, right and centre and I didn't expect ANY of them! Highly recommend this one for a fun, spooky & 90s vibe read in September/October.

majka

disappointed

i was so excited to read it after one of us is lying and one of us is next, it didnt live up to the standard i thought it would

Annabella

I hate being so busy that I can't read as much as I would like, damn it. Anyway, I enjoyed this a lot more because I read it without a botched up translation, but the mystery felt a little weaker

Rachel Evans

(3.75/5) 3 hours 12 minutes - I was enjoying this book immensely up until the ending was revealed, and don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but I was slightly disappointed, mainly because I didn't like how a lot of the information was relayed to Ellery via Ryan, almost an infodump of facts that the author couldn't figure out how to relay in a more natural way. However, I do think the reveal was good for the most part, unexpected but not unrealistic/far-fetched. I thought the character's were fairly interesting: Ellery maybe fell a little flat as a character but for the most part she was mostly fleshed out.

Alice Myles

I AM SHOOK! When I went into this I wasn't loving it as much as One Of Us Is Lying and it took me a little longer to get in to but that's because the strength of OOUIL lies in the characters and I just wasn't as connected to the characters in this one but HOLY SMOKES THAT ENDING. Karen M McManus has such a gift for keeping you hooked on a story and still be left surprised by the ending. Let's just say this one was *darker* than OOUIL.

Azaura A

Kristina

Pretty fun!Started off as a slow read but eventually it got good🦋

Great mystery! Not too complicated but not predictable until very close to the end. Great character relationships and personalities. Overall an amazing YA mystery read. I also finished it in two days, so it definitely pulls you in. 

Taiha Morton

my favorite of her books yet!!! the mystery was the hardest to guess yet, and i liked that this one had like, actual murder in it unlike the other two. the last line is sooooo good; i was waiting for the “they could imitate each other really well” thing to come back :) i read it so fast & didn’t predict the killer

Jocelyn Smith &
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen Mcmanus

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