Hi all!
Today I am going to be reviewing Karen McManus’s latest release Two Can Keep A Secret. You may remember this author’s debut novel, One Of Us Is Lying. I absolutely loved that book when I read it early last year. You can check out my mini-review for it here. That book had some serious Breakfast Club vibes whereas this one felt very Pretty Little Liars meets Riverdale. If you’re interested in acquiring a copy, please click here. I will be keeping this review entirely spoiler-free so do not fear to read on. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
THE PLOT
Echo Ridge is a small town on the Canadian border. It’s beautiful, picturesque and filled with secrets. 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 and her twin brother Ezra, have to move there to live with a grandmother they barely know. The new school year is set to start but before it even does, someone has declared open-season on whoever is crowned the illustrious title of homecoming. Echo Ridge is the one place where you do not want to be popular. Will Ellery discover what happened to her aunt Sarah before it’s too late and history repeats itself?
THE CHARACTERS
Similar to One of Us is Lying, Karen introduces a plethora of characters into her novels, which can make it difficult to keep up, but also adds to the richness of the plot. I believe it’s important to have plenty of characters in a murder mystery so you can be kept guessing. Everybody is linked in some way so you may find yourself having to flip back and forth to remember who is who and how they are connected to one another. This book is told from two points of view: our protagonist Ellery and Malcolm, the younger brother of Declan, who was the main suspect in his ex-girlfriend’s murder that occurred five years ago at Murderland Park (now renamed Fright Farm). Ellery is obsessed with true crime, having never been told much about her aunt’s disappearance as a child. Malcolm is a talented drummer in the school band. The pair find one another in the new school year and together, they strive to solve the mystery of the homecoming killer. Their search becomes especially urgent once yet another teen queen goes missing.
THE WRITING STYLE
Karen McManus is a brilliant writer. She is able to keep her readers on their toes and create a world worthy of a Netflix mini-series. Honestly, both her books felt incredibly cinematic to me. Her characters are diverse and come from a range of backgrounds and cultures. She is an expert at pacing and making sure her plot twists are not too predictable. I particularly loved the ending. The very last line of the book will have you gasping. That’s all I’m going to say! You’ll have to read it yourself to find out what happens. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this story. It was well-developed, action-packed and extremely emjoyable. I am trash for teen thrillers let’s just be real. I really hope anyone who reads this picks it up and loves it as much as I did.
STAR RATING
I gave this page-turner 5/5 stars!
I hope you enjoyed this honest, spoiler-free review. Feel free to order a copy for yourself from the link above.
Thank you for reading
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Book Depository Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own
So agree with you that the more characters in a story, the more interesting it can make the story. That reminds me of your books where you write about quite a few characters and still make the story come together. Hope you are well my friend 🙂 xxx
Thank you my friend that is so kind of you to say! Hope you are well too xoxo