Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus Published by Random House Children's Books on January 8, 2019
ISBN: 9781524714727
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Social Themes, Friendship, Thrillers & Suspense
Pages: 336
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"A must-read YA thriller" (Bustle) from the 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.
Praise for Two Can Keep a Secret 2 STARRED REVIEWS!
"Tightly knit and well-placed plot elements...keep pages turning until the revelation of the murderer's identity and motivations, as well as some other secrets that turn out satisfyingly well." --Bulletin
"[A] twisted mystery...[that will have readers] speeding their way to the end."-Booklist
Praise for Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is LyingA New York Times BestsellerAn 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
"You'll tear through this juicy, super-fun (if murder can ever be fun?) thriller." --Bustle
"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
Ellery and her twin brother Ezra arrive in Echo Ridge after their mother, Sadie has a mental breakdown. Their introduction to the town is somewhat foreboding of what is to come after discovering a dead body on the road. Ellery discovers that the town is drowning in secrets, several murders and disappearances of girls. The one things in common is that they are all homecoming queens or in the present day scenario, voting into homecoming court. Ellery is especially interested in the dark history of the town as her Mother’s twin sister, Sarah disappeared around twenty years ago in similar suspicious circumstances.
Lacey is the next victim who is found dead by strangulation. Fast forward 5 years and Ellery is caught up in the re-emergence of chilling messages, another girl gone missing. The events that take place seem on the surface to be unrelated but are they?
I gave this book a solid 4 stars out of 5. I really enjoyed this book, when I really emersed myself in the story I couldn’t put it down. This was my first outing with this author and can categorically say that I will read others by her too. I enjoyed the two perspective takes in the chapters and it gave us a useful insight too the multicomplexity of the themes used throughout.
It was a suspenseful book and it had me gripped especially in the second half. The plot was well developed and the flow just worked beautifully in my opinion. I enjoyed the character arcs of all the intertwining personalities – it just WORKED. I had estimated a guess at who was responsible and I was completely wrong (and usually I’m not too far off). It was a shock!
If you enjoy Young Adult and thrillers then give this a go, you will not be disappointed.