Book Review #139: Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus

 

A crazy time in Vegas sees Kat and Liam being step-siblings for a total of 48 hours. Years later after a chance encounter, the pair reunite, discovering both of their scammer parents are working a job that targets the same family. But after a member of this elusive family is shot dead, Kat and Liam must work together to get out of the killer's crosshairs before they become the next victims.

One of my favourite parts of a new year is reading the new Karen M. McManus book. It's the way I start every year and I'm always looking forward to it.

I absolutely loved this book!

I love the characters and stories McManus creates. They are always similar enough that it's clear McManus has created her own style that works for her, but the advantage of them being similar is that they always feel familiar, like catching up with old friends, and I love that.

There are things that McManus does in every book, and this book is absolutely classic McManus.

Both Kat and Liam's points of view are equally interesting. Sometimes with dual pov books you end up speed-reading one view because you're more interested in the other, but that's not the case here. I liked both of the characters a lot and both of their viewpoints were great.

Even having read the description and knowing the basic premise, everything that happens feels unexpected, which just makes the events that much more entertaining. It's also somewhat unpredictable, even though I did guess a few aspects of the reveal.

All the characters are written really well. They have very distinct personalities and after only reading a bit about each one, they feel real. I also found it interesting that I loved Augustus as much as Kat and Liam, despite him not having a point of view.

The story is teased out really well. Things are revealed slowly in a really intriguing way that keeps you reading.

The last few chapters are so wonderfully tense. My heart was racing and I couldn't put the book down for a second. Sometimes great books give you an adrenaline rush when you're reading the most exciting parts, and this is one of those.

The reveal was great, everything was explained and tied up well.

The only negative I have, which isn't wholly a problem as I get this with many of McManus's books, but as much as I loved reading the story, it's not the kind of story that's particularly memorable. I know that I will remember loving it, but I don't think I'll remember anything specific about the book in a year's time (given that I can't remember much about the McManus book I read last year).

This is probably the only of McManus's books that I feel would make a better TV show than One of Us is Lying. There would be so much to play with here.

Overall, I loved this book. It was really captivating, the kind of story you can't put down. For me this was in my top 3 of McManus books, which is a high bar to pass. Definitely read this if you want a great YA thriller!

4/5