Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
[Blog Tour: Review + Givewaway]

Hello! Welcome to the next stop on the Two Can Keep a Secret blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. I'm really happy to share my thoughts on this book with you!

Title: TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET
Author: Karen McManus
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 336
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

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's 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. 

๐‘‹

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two Can Keep a Secret lived up to my expectations! Every review I'd read had been singing its praises, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. McManus has created a vivid, engaging, complex story that captured my attention until the very last page. All of the characters were detailed and interesting, and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery alongside Ellery, Ezra, Mia and Malcom.

Ellery has been obsessed with true crime for years, so she jumps at the opportunity to do her own investigation. At first I was hesitant, because I hate it when the teenagers in books appear more capable than the adults, but that wasn't the case with this one. The police and adults were all doing their jobs, and they weren't sharing their investigation with the public. We learn later that the police had information Ellery and her friends did not, and that their secret sleuthing only helped a little.

There are so many mysteries in this one story! The disappearances, murders, and lies all tangled together to make one big, ugly mess. It was hard to determine what was relevant, and what was important but not related. Sadie, Ellery and Ezra's mother, was shady when it came to her past. She never talked about Sarah (her twin sister that went missing in high school), so Ellery and Ezra knew nothing about her. They went to live with their grandmother in a very small town, so everyone knew who they were by association. Sadie's cagey personality kept the twins in the dark, and they had discover a lot of truths on their own.

I really liked all of the characters in this book. I particularly loved the sibling relationship between Ellery and Ezra. They were close and always supported one another (even when things were crazy). Everything felt so natural and comfortable between them, and it was obvious they shared a connection. McManus didn't make their friendship feel forced, but simple and easy. Mia was an amazing friend, and Malcolm was sweet and genuine. Both Mia and Malcolm have siblings that were tied to a previous murder, so their lives haven't been normal in years. However, they've stuck together and made the best of their respective situations.

I always try to solve a mystery before the characters do, but I can honestly say that McManus kept me guessing throughout the entire book. There was conflicting information, more than one mystery, and too many variables. Everything makes sense at the end, and it was amazing how she was able to tie everything together. I'm already looking forward to reading her other book: One of Us Is Lying.

If you enjoy books that make you think and keep you on your toes, Two Can Keep a Secret is definitely worth reading. Even if you don't normally like mysteries or suspenseful books, I'd recommend this one! Great characters, a twisty story, and one hell of an ending.

About Karen: 
As a kid I used to write books when I was supposed to be playing outside, and not much has changed. I'm a marketing and communications professional who also writes Young Adult contemporary and fantasy fiction in Cambridge, MA.

When not writing or working I love to travel, and along with my nine-year old son I've ridden horses in Colombia and bicycles through Paris. A member of SCBWI, I hold a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Which I have never, ever used professionally.

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/
Tour Schedule:

Week One:
1/1/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review
1/2/2019- Paper Reader- Review
1/3/2019- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review
1/4/2019- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

Week Two:
1/7/2019- Pink Polka Dot Books- Review
1/8/2019- Do You Dog-ear?- Review
1/9/2019- Adventures and Reading- Review
1/10/2019- The Phantom Paragrapher- Review
1/11/2019- Book Dragon Lair- Review

Week Three:
1/14/2019- A Gingerly Review- Review
1/15/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Review
1/16/2019- Sweet Southern Home- Review
1/17/2019- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review
1/18/2019- The Hermit Librarian- Review

Week Four:
1/21/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Review
1/22/2019- Owl always Be Reading- Review
1/23/2019- BookHounds YA- Review
1/24/2019- Popthebutterfly Reads- Review
1/25/2019- Eli to the nth- Review

Week Five:
1/28/2019- The Clever Reader- Review
1/29/2019- All the Ups and Downs- Review
1/30/2019- Two Points of Interest- Review
1/31/2019- EatingbetweenthelinesINC- Review

34 comments:

  1. I'm so excited for this one so I'm so glad it lived up to your expectations! I can't wait to read it.

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    1. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! I look forward to reading your review in the future. <3

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  2. So glad you loved this one. I adored one of us is lying so I have super high hopes for this one. It’s my next read after my current. Can’t wait. Love that you couldn’t figure it out. Yay.

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    1. Everyone keeps saying how much they loved her first book, so I’m definitely going to have to read it! I feel like I either have the book somewhere, or I’ve heard about it before, but I don’t recall reading it in the past. I actually think it might be on my iPad. Hmm — I’ll find it and read it soon! I really hope you enjoy this one! :)

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  3. I love one that can keep you guessing. It’s so disappointing when the outcome seems obvious and written on the wall for all to see. But one that can truly deliver some twists and surprises? Love it! Glad this one did just that.

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    1. I hate it when I figure a book out before I’m halfway though the story. If there are only somewhat obvious clues, and it takes me more than 75% of the book to solve the mystery, I’m okay with it. I understand that not every book is going to blow me away, but they can have decent stories. This one was both an amazing story, and one that I had trouble solving before the end. I highly recommend it! <3

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  4. I loved One of Us is Lying so I'm super excited about this one! Glad it lived up to expectations and thanks for the wonderful giveaway! :)

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    1. I haven’t read her other book, but everyone keeps talking about how amazing it is. I think that’s why there was so much excitement for this one, but I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about the author. It was wonderful! Everything was a surprise, and I enjoyed trying to sort through all of the details for an answer. <3

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  5. Glad you enjoyed this one. I've been considering reading it if I could only stop singing the Pretty Little Liars song whenever I hear it.

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    1. Hahaha — I cannot read the title (aloud or to myself) without thinking, “if one of them is dead.” ;)

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  6. It's great to hear that you had a good time with it as well!

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    1. Thanks! It was an interesting read that kept me on my toes! :)

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  7. Secrets always tend to make a story more interesting.

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    1. Haha! I don’t normally like books that are based on a single secret, because they can almost always be solved with a simple conversation. However, this secret was different, and way more complicated than I originally thought! <3

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  8. I've definitely been hearing good things about this one. And I like that you said it kept you guessing. I love stories that no matter how much time I spend trying to figure out, I still am surprised. Great review!

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    1. The author expertly weaves multiple threads and various possibilities, and I was really surprised by a lot of them. I think I’d have something figured out, only to find out I was wrong a little later. It was great!

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  9. Replies
    1. You should definitely give this one a whirl! Based on some of the other books you’ve liked, I think this one would be perfect! I hope you’re able to read it soon! :)

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  10. I agree about it being dizzying, the author definitely kept driving us poor readers toward red herrings.

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    1. I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns! I’m usually pretty good at figuring books out, but this one really surprised me. What did you think about the ending??

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  11. I hope to read this one, because I beyond loved McManus' debut

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    1. I haven’t read her other book, but now I really want to! I’ve heard it’s amazing, which is why people had such high expectations for this one.

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  12. Looking forward to reading this one, and ooh a killer ending too? Yay!

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  13. I need to dive into this series!!

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    1. I don't this it's going to be a series, but the author has written another book. I've heard wonderful things about it! This one was pretty stellar! :)

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  14. I didn't like the previous book of the author much. But I might give this one a try.


    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

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    1. Hmm -- you're the first person to say they didn't like her debut. What did you dislike about it? I was wanting to give it a shot since I enjoyed this one, so I want to hear your thoughts! :)

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  15. I've only heard good things about this book!!

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  16. Yay!! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much too! I love mysteries and can't wait to read this one!

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    1. I hope you like it! Have you read the author's other book?

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  17. This sounds so good and is on my TBR. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for highlighting and the giveaway chance.

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    1. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters were likable and savvy, but they're still teenagers. It was nice having characters act their age, and actually listening to the adults in the book. There were no small acts of rebellion, and they really tried to follow the rules. (It wasn't like they snuck out when they weren't supposed to, or disregarded the things that made them safe, and they didn't jump into dangerous situations because they weren't thinking. It was a nice change from what I'm used to!) Despite being rational and level-headed, they still manage to get tangled up in the mystery -- it was just really well done! I hope you have a chance to read it soon!

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless