Karen M. McManus is one of the best young adult murder mystery authors that I have read recently. From the page turning mysteries she writes to the subplots of romance, her books are some of my favorites to recommend. You’ll Be the Death of Me is my favorite book of hers that I have read so far.

The mystery is told from the point of view of three characters who used to be friends- Ivy, Mateo, and Cal. After losing the student council election to fellow classmate Brian “Boney” Mahoney, Ivy can’t stand the thought of having to listen to him giving a victory speech. In the school parking lot, Ivy runs into old friends, Mateo and Cal, who don’t want to be at school for their own reasons. The group call themselves out of school by imitating each other’s parents and drive into Boston looking to recreate “The Best Day Ever”-when they left a fieldtrip to see the parade after the Red Sox won the World Series. While recreating “The Best Day Ever”, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal end up coming across another classmate, who also happens to be skipping school.

The group follows their fellow classmate, and, to their surprise, they end up following their classmate to his own murder scene.

In a Ferris Buellers Day Off style day, the three friends try to figure out who actually killed their classmate, all while the characters discover that they themselves have quite a few secrets that they don’t want to get out under any circumstances. The day consists of many ups and downs, pushing the group together and then pulling them apart.

Do they find the killer? Did one of them, do it? What drove the group apart originally? What happens next?  If you have any of these questions, you’ll have to read the book to get the answers.

At 337 pages the books twists and turns keep you hooked the entire time, right up to the shocking ending that’ll have you flipping back looking for clues that you missed.

I loved this book so much; the characters are so awesome, and the mystery had me on the edge of my seat up until the very end. I was so sure I knew who the killer is for the majority of the book, only to find out that I was way off. I would totally recommend this to anyone and I’d give it a 4.5/5 stars, only taking half a star off for one small twist that did have me shocked but I didn’t like. I would recommend anyone to read this book, whether you’re a teen or not it’s so great! Just make sure you check trigger warnings before reading, as some content may be triggering to some.