Page Count 400
Publication date December 2021
Publisher Penguin
Synopsis
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Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Back in middle school they were best friends. So, when Cal pulls into campus late for class, and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They’ll ditch school and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Why did they stop hanging out, anyway?
As soon as they pull out of the parking lot Cal knows why. Ivy’s already freaking out about missing class, and heartthrob Mateo is asleep in the backseat, too cool to even pretend like he wants to be there. The truth is they have nothing in common anymore.
At least they don’t until they run into the fourth student ditching school that day. Brian “Boney” Mahoney is supposed to be accepting his newly won office of class president. Which is why Ivy follows him into an empty building, only to walk into the middle of a murder scene. Cal, Ivy, and Mateo all know the person lying on the ground of that building, and now they need to come clean. They’re all hiding something. And maybe their chance reconnection wasn’t by chance after all.
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Review
I so enjoy McManus novels, I’ve read each one and was lucky enough to get an ARC of You’ll Be The Death Of Me (YBTDOM, I swear titles get longer and longer) from the wonderful Dave @The_WriteReads.
If you’re not already one of the group now is when I hit you up to join us over on twitter in the biggest, most supportive blogging community I know of.
Anyway, Mcmanus- she knows what she’s doing. All of her novels build beautiful family focused characters around a fun central mystery. This time, who killed classmate Boney?
The questions mount up throughout the plot, dropping little clues as you read, enough that I don’t often guess the ending though I do love to try. I always find the characters endearing, though stereotypical, and often get invested in there being a happy ending for them all.
YBTDOM as with her previous novels is set around a handful of teens finding themselves in adult scenarios- without any violence or sexual content- making questionable choices as teenagers are wont to do.
I very much enjoyed the journey and read this book on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The point of view switches between three main characters and the pacing keeps up from start to finish spanning the course of one fateful day.
I particularly liked the addition of the two jokers running a school YouTube news channel, their intermittent audio script added great humour to the story.
Absolutely perfect for teens this Christmas or any YA readers in your life.
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Roxanne Reviews 
Fab review!
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