Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥'s Reviews > Nothing More to Tell

I’m on BookTube now! =)

I relax my shoulders, thinking we're done, but before he goes any farther, he gives me one last, searching look. "That's the question that keeps me up at night. Why would you?”

Okay, I’ll admit it: This was fun! After reading “The Cousins” and being slightly disappointed by the story I went into this with a little bit of stomach ache, so I’m very glad to announce that “Nothing More to Tell” worked perfectly for me! Karen McManus’s books are always somewhat hit-or-miss for me, because I either end up enjoying the hell out of them or they just aren’t my cup of tea. I don’t know why, but it is the way it is and this time around, I was happy how the story progressed and unfolded.

"Tripp Talbot got unfairly and undeservedly hot, and worst of all, he knows it. All of which I added to my list of reasons to dislike him."

I think one of the main reasons I really liked this was the fact that we only had two POVs. We got Brynn’s and Tripp’s side of the story and this made it easier to follow the storyline and kept things on track and interesting. Sometimes too many POVs can ruin a story, but thankfully, this didn’t happen in here! Also Brynn and Tripp were great characters to follow around and even though they had a similar vibe as Nate and Bronwyn (Tripps real name is Noah btw.) the resemblance wasn’t as strong as in “The Cousins” and therefore didn’t bother me as much.

”Tripp, if you don't let whatever is inside of you out, I'm honestly afraid that it's going to kill you. And soon."
He jerks his head away, eyes burning into mine. "Don't do that," he says hoarsely. "Don't - you can't touch me like that when you know how I ... Fuck."

In addition, the chemistry between those two was nice and I liked their easy banter. While Brynn was a good student that returned to her hometown after four years, Tripp’s life didn’t treat him as kindly and he was getting by as good as possible. I found the dynamic of the three friends that found Mr. Larkin’s body in the woods extremely interesting and the different ways they developed after what happened could have been a study in sociology. They still stuck together but they didn’t really have a lot in common. I think of all three Tripp was the one who hurt the most, he obviously suffered from PTSD and his relationship with his absent mother and his coexistence with his withdrawn father most definitely didn’t help. That poor boy had a lot on his plate and no one he could trust with his secrets. He was the epitome of a broken boy and as you all know they’re my kryptonite. So of course I loved Tripp! He’s quite literally my BBK = Broken Boy Kryptonite and yes, I’m making this a thing now! *lol* I’m gonna spread that acronym into the world. Muahaha! *lol* Anyway! Charlotte’s and Shane’s privilege worked in their favour and they got out of the situation pretty easily and decided never to mention it again. That obviously worked for them, but not for Tripp.

”The man was a void. That son of a bitch got what he deserved. There’s more than one way to be awful. And I wonder, with another uncomfortable twist of my stomach, whether I ever really knew my favorite teacher at all.”

But after four years and lots of time to think about Mr. Larkin’s case Brynn is determined to solve the murder case and even pitches it at her internship job interview at a true-crime show. She’s so persuasive that she doesn’t only get the job but is also asked to investigate and find out more about the three kids involved. So of course, her first target is Tripp, her former bestie who acted strangely before Mr. Larkin’s death and before she had to leave. I really liked that part of the book and the way Brynn investigated the crime was fun to read about. Mr. Larkin was such a mystery, I had about a thousand ideas what could have happened that day, but I’m glad to say that none of my theories was right. McManus gives you a couple of clues, but it’s really hard to find out the truth. I usually like it if I can work my way through the mystery alongside the characters and even though that wasn’t really possible in here I still appreciated the way the author chose to reveal the truth.

“I haven’t felt like a kid since that day in the woods, and it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you can get back.”

Plus, I liked that McManus addressed a couple of other serious topics in here as well and showed how finding a dead body can affect people’s lives even years after it happened. Tripp’s trauma representation felt very real and comprehensible. Still, his mom Lisa Marie was horrible and I honestly hope Tripp will never see her again. He deserved so much better than that! I kinda wish we would have gotten a little bit more of Shane and Charlotte, though, but I get why McManus focused more on Tripp and Brynn instead.

“I know that secrets can eat you alive, and the truth can break your heart, and sometimes it's hard to know which is worse.”

This said I really liked “Nothing More to Tell” and it was a nice change to all the other books I read in January. The murder mystery around Mr. Larkin kept me guessing and took some really unexpected turns which is always an advantage in my book! Not to mention Brynn and Tripp as the two MCs who really won me over with their personalities. They made mistakes but that made them very human so I couldn’t help but root for them. Bottom line: This was fun and restored my trust in McManus’s books! I can’t wait to pick up the next one! =)

____________________________

This one was fun again! =)
“The Cousins” wasn’t really my thing but I really enjoyed the two POVs in here and the mystery kept me guessing with Brynn and Tripp! Maybe it’s because we have a B & N couple again?!
Bronwyn & Nate, Brynn & Noah aka Tripp. There’s a pattern here. *lol*
Anyway! I really liked “Nothing More to Tell” and I’ll make sure to write a proper review soon! Soo y'all know the drill:

RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
____________________________

I found another McManus book in my library and it sounds like this one could be good!
An old murder mystery and two former best friends? It sounds like Brynn and Tripp aren’t exactly on speaking terms but maybe that will change throughout the book?!
I suppose the only way to find out is by reading the story, so that’s what I’ll do! ;-)

Fingers crossed this will be a winner again!

P.S: The title "Nothing More to Tell" is kinda funny, because there obviously is A LOT to tell! XD

Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram