Scan barcode
A review by abbeyroad1410
Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book, like One of Us Is Lying, a book I read a few years back, is a compelling teen mystery. Karen McManus has a gift of writing teenage characters with depth and complexity that empathizes with their problems but still has them act on teenage impulses. Brynn can see that her ambition gets in the way of her friendships, but she's a teenager and continues to act on this desire to achieve.
Additionally, the gun you see in Act 1 always comes back in Act 3. Charlotte being unnecessarily mean and defensive through the majority of the book is going to be given an explanation by the end of the novel. That being said, sometimes there are too many tidbits that need to be wrapped up. In this case, because so much needed to be given a meaning, the ending seemed a bit rushed which left me with a lackluster feeling. Even some parts in the middle of the book were wrapped up a bit too quickly (aka how did one character recover from alcoholic tendencies in a week).
One thing this book does extremely well is show the sometimes exploitive nature of the true crime industry. The show Motive has good intentions, but commercializing it causes it to take more capitalistic approaches and shy away from stories that may need attention. The rival show it is contrasted with is worse, paying people to alter stories to their benefit. This underlying and not always obvious critique of true crime was an interesting addition to the novel.
Additionally, the gun you see in Act 1 always comes back in Act 3. Charlotte being unnecessarily mean and defensive through the majority of the book is going to be given an explanation by the end of the novel. That being said, sometimes there are too many tidbits that need to be wrapped up. In this case, because so much needed to be given a meaning, the ending seemed a bit rushed which left me with a lackluster feeling. Even some parts in the middle of the book were wrapped up a bit too quickly (aka how did one character recover from alcoholic tendencies in a week).
One thing this book does extremely well is show the sometimes exploitive nature of the true crime industry. The show Motive has good intentions, but commercializing it causes it to take more capitalistic approaches and shy away from stories that may need attention. The rival show it is contrasted with is worse, paying people to alter stories to their benefit. This underlying and not always obvious critique of true crime was an interesting addition to the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse