You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Dates Read: 8/21/23 - 8/22/23

    Three former friends at Carlton High, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, find themselves facing a terrible day together. Ivy, once a class leader, is now humiliated after losing an election. Mateo, once popular, is now exhausted from working two jobs due to his family's business failure. Cal, an outsider, is stood up once again. Seeking a break, they decide to ditch school and spend the day in the city. However, their plans take a dark turn when they witness another student's murder. Suddenly, they find themselves connected to the victim and entangled in a web of secrets. As they unravel the truth, they realize their reconnection might not have been coincidental at all.

    This book takes place in just one day, with a bit more after that. I expected it to be fast-paced, but it turned out to be slow and lacking excitement. The story's limited timeframe made it hard for the characters to develop, and there were too few of them to create a compelling mystery. 

    The different characters' perspectives were too similar, making it confusing to follow. The romance in the story felt shallow because of the short timeline. The ending was okay, but it felt boring because there weren't any surprising twists. 

    Overall, the book didn't pull me in like the author's other works usually do. It was okay, but I'll still be keeping my eyes peeled for new novels from McManus.