chelseas_reads's review against another edition
5.0
so i haven’t finished a book in a long while. i’ve been in such a bad slump and no book would get me out of it. until this one (i hope).
i absolutely loved one of us is lying, and i was so excited when i received a proof copy from penguin in the mail. i didn’t think i could finish it based on my recent reading habits, but i decided to give it a go none the less.
good thing i did.
my absolute favourite part of two can keep a secret: i didn’t guess the ending!! i suspected so many characters but it wasn’t at all who i thought it’d be. usually my issue with ya mystery books is that it’s fairly obvious from the start (or the middle) as to who the bad guy is – however i didn’t realise until the events unfolded. it was genius.
i still have some questions about the ending, but i’m sure when more reviews/theories come out it’ll provide interesting discussion.
i love the authors writing style! it’s so easy to read huge amounts of in one sitting (something i struggle with). it’s fairly fast paced and constantly keeps you on your toes (mostly because you’re second guessing yourself every chapter or so as the mc’s discover new information).
unlike one of us is lying, two can keep a secret doesn’t negatively use mental illness. many readers criticised mcmanus for her use of mental illness in her debut novel.
there’s so many good thing about two can keep a secret, i wish i could list them all.
i have a love hate relationship with ellery (the mc). she’s fairly annoying, but i understand that it’s highly accurate. i think i’m very similar to her in many ways, which makes it hard to hate her even though i can’t stand her.
i also really didn’t like malcolm much. i couldn’t bring myself to trust him throughout the whole book, even at the end. and the romance????? it didn’t feel natural at all. ellery deserves someone better.
all the other characters were good, very well rounded and interesting. ezra is definitely my favourite, mia and daisy close behind.
negative reviews are the most informative ones in my opinion. unfortunately, aside from a little with the characters, the only bad thing about two can keep a secret is that everyone kept asking me “oh, is that a new pretty little liars book?”, which isn’t not. ugh. leave me to read in peace please.
i 100% recommend this book to anyone who’d listen to me ramble about it. please. it’s fantastic.
i absolutely loved one of us is lying, and i was so excited when i received a proof copy from penguin in the mail. i didn’t think i could finish it based on my recent reading habits, but i decided to give it a go none the less.
good thing i did.
my absolute favourite part of two can keep a secret: i didn’t guess the ending!! i suspected so many characters but it wasn’t at all who i thought it’d be. usually my issue with ya mystery books is that it’s fairly obvious from the start (or the middle) as to who the bad guy is – however i didn’t realise until the events unfolded. it was genius.
i still have some questions about the ending, but i’m sure when more reviews/theories come out it’ll provide interesting discussion.
i love the authors writing style! it’s so easy to read huge amounts of in one sitting (something i struggle with). it’s fairly fast paced and constantly keeps you on your toes (mostly because you’re second guessing yourself every chapter or so as the mc’s discover new information).
unlike one of us is lying, two can keep a secret doesn’t negatively use mental illness. many readers criticised mcmanus for her use of mental illness in her debut novel.
there’s so many good thing about two can keep a secret, i wish i could list them all.
i have a love hate relationship with ellery (the mc). she’s fairly annoying, but i understand that it’s highly accurate. i think i’m very similar to her in many ways, which makes it hard to hate her even though i can’t stand her.
i also really didn’t like malcolm much. i couldn’t bring myself to trust him throughout the whole book, even at the end. and the romance????? it didn’t feel natural at all. ellery deserves someone better.
all the other characters were good, very well rounded and interesting. ezra is definitely my favourite, mia and daisy close behind.
negative reviews are the most informative ones in my opinion. unfortunately, aside from a little with the characters, the only bad thing about two can keep a secret is that everyone kept asking me “oh, is that a new pretty little liars book?”, which isn’t not. ugh. leave me to read in peace please.
i 100% recommend this book to anyone who’d listen to me ramble about it. please. it’s fantastic.
courthrilly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jolietjane's review against another edition
3.0
Ive been on a roll with ya thrillers, so coming off absolute bangers like Burn our Bodies Down and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I think I just approached this one with my expectations too high. I did the audiobook of this one, and it was a slow read for me. The pace is fast and entertaining, the characters are okay...so where did we go wrong?
From the get go, "Two Can Keep A Secret" follows what is becoming an archetype for the genre. A girl with a messed up family moves to a smell town and gets caught up in a mystery with some relation to her family. Or two mysteries. Three? I think a big issue for me was how hard it was to keep track of all of the threads of the story, because at some point I found myself asking "Wait, what exactly are we trying to solve here? Where are these leads coming from? It's not that the story was confusing, as much as I felt like it was ambitiously trying to create a web of red herrings but not doing a great job stringing them into the details of the primary mystery. It was disjointing to read at times.
The main characters Ellory and Mal were adorable and genuinely likable, along with most of the main cast, though at times, I felt like many of the interactions (especially between the two leads) felt a bit forced. Listening to the story on audiobook, both narrators were full of personality and had beautiful voices that did a great job defining the characters.
The Audiobook also helped a little with the pacing- it was easy listening and I found myself listening to it while working out, doing chores, etc.
Still, I think Two can Keep A Secret will sadly go in my "forgettable but not bad" pile.
From the get go, "Two Can Keep A Secret" follows what is becoming an archetype for the genre. A girl with a messed up family moves to a smell town and gets caught up in a mystery with some relation to her family. Or two mysteries. Three? I think a big issue for me was how hard it was to keep track of all of the threads of the story, because at some point I found myself asking "Wait, what exactly are we trying to solve here? Where are these leads coming from? It's not that the story was confusing, as much as I felt like it was ambitiously trying to create a web of red herrings but not doing a great job stringing them into the details of the primary mystery. It was disjointing to read at times.
The main characters Ellory and Mal were adorable and genuinely likable, along with most of the main cast, though at times, I felt like many of the interactions (especially between the two leads) felt a bit forced. Listening to the story on audiobook, both narrators were full of personality and had beautiful voices that did a great job defining the characters.
The Audiobook also helped a little with the pacing- it was easy listening and I found myself listening to it while working out, doing chores, etc.
Still, I think Two can Keep A Secret will sadly go in my "forgettable but not bad" pile.
anniii1711's review against another edition
3.0
The definition of ✨average✨. Starting a petition for Ezra to be more relevant.
jess_scuffham's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
misskatt's review against another edition
4.0
After reading and loving One of Us is Lying, I was ecstatic to read Two Can Keep a Secret. I loved her first book and was excited to jump into her second one.
Twins Ellery and Ezra have to move to stay with their grandma once their mom checks into rehap. The town they move to is a small town with a tragic past. Two dead home coming queens, one which happens to be Ellery and Ezra’s monther’s twin. As soon as they arrive, threats to the current homecoming court begin and a girl goes missing.
I will admit I was a bit disappointed. I felt like she was trying a little too hard to make it as good as One of Us is Lying and it fell a little flat in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it didn’t grab me like the other one did.
Twins Ellery and Ezra have to move to stay with their grandma once their mom checks into rehap. The town they move to is a small town with a tragic past. Two dead home coming queens, one which happens to be Ellery and Ezra’s monther’s twin. As soon as they arrive, threats to the current homecoming court begin and a girl goes missing.
I will admit I was a bit disappointed. I felt like she was trying a little too hard to make it as good as One of Us is Lying and it fell a little flat in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it didn’t grab me like the other one did.
graceburts's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
Despite the well crafted and multilayered mystery, this book was excruciatingly boring. Totally incomparable to the ride of a novel that is One of Us is Lying. The characters seemed inconsequential and flat, and even though I was interested in solving the mystery, that intrigue wasn't enough to make me want to read on. The pacing was off, and despite the well-written mystery, I found this completely dull... what a miss.
Despite the well crafted and multilayered mystery, this book was excruciatingly boring. Totally incomparable to the ride of a novel that is One of Us is Lying. The characters seemed inconsequential and flat, and even though I was interested in solving the mystery, that intrigue wasn't enough to make me want to read on. The pacing was off, and despite the well-written mystery, I found this completely dull... what a miss.
sallytv13's review against another edition
3.0
I think the whole book was slower than other mysteries I've read, but the last 30 pages and the last line were really good, and I would recommend it to a friend :)