Title: Two Can Keep A Secret
Author: Karen M. McManus
Published: 2019
Genre: Young Adult/Mystery
Rating:
Synopsis
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.
I didn’t expect this book to blow me away, and for the most part I was right. The plot follows a teenage girl, Ellery. She is sent, with her twin brother, to live with their grandmother in Echo Ridge. Their mother, a small time actress, is doing another stint in rehab, so the twins have to make the best of their new lives. Ellery’s only interest is the murder of the homecoming queen that took place five years prior.
This is a dual perspective narrative, which I didn’t anticipate. We get Ellery’s point of view, but we also get Malcom’s, whose brother was the prime suspect in homecoming murder. I didn’t like one perspective more than the other, which I find is good when it comes to books that alternate narratives. However, I did think that Ellery was always jumping the gun when it came to sharing her theories. She didn’t take the time to think things through fully, and went for the easy suspects.
One thing’s for sure, I couldn’t get behind Ellery and Malcom as a couple. Their relationship started instantly, without any development. I didn’t see the chemistry between the two characters. I was fond of, Mia, who is Malcom’s best friend. And, Ezra, Ellery’s twin brother. It was nice that they were both diverse characters, as Ezra is both biracial and gay. While Mia is a bisexual Korean. I could sense that Mia added some spice to Malcom’s life, while Ezra was more level-headed than Ellery. Also, I cannot get over the fact that his name is ‘Ezra’ and the book is titled ‘Two Can Keep A Secret.’ Pretty Little Liars Easter egg?
“I thought she was your mother.”
Something that I am not a fan of when it comes to books is multiple plots. In this book, we are trying to solve the homecoming murder from five years ago. But than there’s this hit and run accident, absent mother story-line and even some found family side plot. As if that wasn’t enough, Ellery is also trying to uncover what happened to her mother’s twin sister, who disappeared many years ago. All the pieces do come together at the end, but I think that was way too much for one book to handle.
The ending has got to be the best part. I think that somewhere around the last two chapters, you get a sense of whose the killer. Personally, however, I was still shocked at the reveal. The motive was done well, and it was jaw-dropping. At one point, you don’t think the characters are going to make it out of alive. Also, the final page had a major twist that I never saw coming.
Even though the book didn’t wow me like ‘One Of Us Is Lying’ did, Karen M. McManus is still an exceptional author. I probably wouldn’t give this one a reread, but I do wish that it was a bit longer since there was sort of a cliffhanger ending. I needed to know more.
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Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny
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‘Living Dead Girl’ and ‘The Quiet’
I was very excited for this adaptation, since I was a fan of the book. However, I noticed many changes. Of course, most adaptations are modified, but something felt off about this one. There were a lot of character differences, which could turn out to be a good thing. However, throughout the book none of the main characters suspected each other. Sure, they had their doubts at times, but they stuck by one another for the most part. From the looks of the trailer, they aren’t as united. Still, I will probably be giving the first couple episodes a chance. Here’s hoping it surprises me.
Although, I wanted to give the movie version the benefit of the doubt. Yet the trailer looks as dull as the book. No offense to anyone who liked the book, because I know a lot of people did. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Netflix does a lot of book-to-movie adaptations, but sadly I haven’t cared for many of them. But I might watch the film at one point since I do love my horror movies. And, I am genuinely curious to see if the story works better as a film.
This is another series release, and after seeing the trailer I am highly disappointed in the direction of the show. I loved the original movies, because they were scary without being gruesome. But, I guess Amazon saw the attention the Gossip Girl reboot was getting, and decided to go the sexualized, glamorized route. It seems like some weird Gen-Z version of a horror series. I am not into it at all. Out of all the adaptations, this is the one I am least likely to watch.
Title: Lucky In Love
Title: The Dazzling Heights (Thousandth Floor, 2)
If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich, Sophie Gonzales (December 7th)
This is a set of companion novels marketed as a series. The first book is ‘My Lady Jane’, which is a historical reimagining of Lady Jane Grey. The next book follows Jane Eyre, and the last Calamity Jane. I have only read the first book, but would like to finish the series fairly soon. This author trio does have a new book out about Mary, Queen of Scots, which I’d also like to eventually read.
Truth be told, I started the series because of its stunning cover. Yep, it was a cover buy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed by the story. The overall plot was interesting enough, but I found the book slow and boring at times. Also, the love story was a snooze. And there are 10 books in the series? Seriously? What is this ‘The Immortal Instruments’? Do I really care enough about these characters to read nine more books? Probably not.
Sadly, another likely DNF series. If you remember the old days of Booktube and book blogging, then you have probably heard about these books. A young adult dystopian trilogy with a bachelor-type plot, sounds cool, right? Wrong. Maybe I’m strange, because I didn’t love the first book. I didn’t exactly hate it, but, eh. Also, I can’t seem to bring myself to finish the series. I fear that reading it will put me into a reading slump. On top of everything, the author released a companion duology that wasn’t well received. I’m just not sure I want to force myself to read something I have no interest in.
This series is pretty special to me. I remember getting the entire trilogy for my 15th birthday. But for some reason, I’ve never picked up the last book in the series. I remember enough of the first and second books to not have reread of them, at least. So, I just need to bite the bullet and pick up the final book. Plus, I’d like to finish the series so I can watch the HBO series adaption that I’ve heard about.
I am dying to read the next book in this YA sci-fi, dystopian trilogy. The books follow multiple characters perspectives, and the ending of the first book took me completely by surprise. I am curious to see where the author takes the story. In case you’re interested, I have a 
This series gives me Sherlock Holmes energy and I am here for it. The characters, forensics aspect and slow burn romance is magnificent. I have been putting off these books, because they take me a while to read. They are mainly plot-driven and are somewhat drawn out. Still, the writing and stories are fantastic.
I am probably one of the only people in the world that hasn’t read this series in its entirety. To my surprise, I enjoyed ‘The Hunger Games’ a lot. Tried picking up ‘Catching Fire’ soon after, but wasn’t in the mood for it. But I would like to finish the series off, since I have seen mostly all the film adaptations. Can one truly be a book lover if they’ve only seen the movie, and not the book its based on. I think not!
This series got me hooked on audiobooks! The books are read by Sarah Drew (April on Grey’s Anatomy), which made for a great reading experience. The story takes place in a dystopian world where love is seen as a disease. I was riding high on this book after I read it back in 2013, but my taste in books has changed and the story doesn’t interest too much anymore. Maybe too much time has past for me to continue with the series. I’m not writing it off forever, but I’m also not 100% sure I’ll ever finish the series.
Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.
I wouldn’t call this book a YA, but it isn’t exactly adult either. It falls somewhere in the middle, which I would call new adult. First off, I want to say that I tried really hard to enjoy this book. Also, I’m proud of myself for not DNFing it. I just had so many issues with the book, and can already say I wasn’t a fan. The premise of the book sounded very intriguing, and had the potential to be a 4 or 5 star read, if executed well.
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