Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus – Review

Well hello! Hope you are all having a fantastic day. Today, I’ll be reviewing Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus. This was a four star book. The two main characters were relate-able, the plot was full of slowly built-up suspense, and the ending was a huge shock to me.

Book: Two Can Keep a Secret

Author: Karen M. McManus

Rating: ★★★★☆

Summary: 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.

Quote: “Why do you look like you just swallowed a grenade?”

The Good:

*Plot. I loved all the secrets, the mystery of the missing girls, and the family drama that was going on. I tried so hard to connect the dots and I still couldn’t guess the ending.

*Characters. Malcolm quickly became my favorite character because I love championing people who are wrongfully accused. And reading his point of view was really interesting. Ellery was also a wonderful character since she is a crime addict ~~like me~~ and seriously obsessed with solving all the mysteries thrown at her ~~like me~~, including her mother’s sisters’ disappearance, the homecoming threats, Brooke’s disappearance, Declan and Daisy’s mysterious return to Echo Ridge, and everything else that she stumbles upon. Mia is so stubborn and kick-ass and I really really want to have as much confidence as she has! It would be lovely to have a book in which she’s the main character.

*The twins. The twins, Ellery and Ezra, are so sweet together. They know each other inside out, they support each other, and the story probably wouldn’t have been the same without the two of them. I wish Ezra got more attention in this book, though.

*Diversity. There were Asian characters, Ellery and Ezra are supposed to be part Latino, and some of the characters were gay/bisexual.

Quote: “I wish I had, because I’ll spend the rest of my life hoping he never repeats the words he thought I’d take to my grave.”

The Bad:

*Pace. The first half/two thirds was pretty slow. It wasn’t until the last third (or about that) that things got hot and stuff was happening pretty fast.

*Questions. The ending left me with some questions that didn’t get answered, but I’m not going to spoil anything!