Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the advance Kindle copy of this book. It is out tomorrow! All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this We Were Liars readalike. Out of nowhere, three teen cousins receive invitations to work at their estranged grandmother’s resort for the summer - the same grandmother who cut off her children over twenty years ago. When they arrive, they find out that their grandmother was not expecting them at all, and that the mystery of their parents’ exile may not be what they think. Less murderous than the author’s others, but still good. I would say it’s doable for grades 8+.

Can I please just say I so love Karen McManus? I'm always excited to see she's got a new book out, and The Cousins is no exception. In fact, I read it in one day and dragged all day at work the next day, I stayed up so late to finish it!

The Cousins is a family tale in which four siblings are disinherited by their mother. The children of three of the siblings receive invitations out of the blue to come work at their grandmother's resort and get to know her. Of course, the parents are totally in favor of sending their offspring to Gull Cove Island in the hope of being re-inherited.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah barely know each other, but over the course of their time on Gull Cove Island, they become closer and start to realize that the Story family secrets are very well buried. Jonah is harboring a deep secret as well. As they keep digging for the truth about the event that led to their parents' disinheritance, they discover that maybe they've bit off a little more than they can chew.

McManus is an expert with suspense, and the book drew me in and kept me there all the way to the end, following the twists and turns faithfully with the three main characters. Told in alternating points of view, clearly delineated in named chapters for the viewpoint characters, The Cousins takes readers on a wild ride through the Story family history, where the motto is Family First, Always. A GREAT read!

I could not stop reading this book!

I've loved every book McManus has written, and "The Cousins" was no exception. I was absolutely riveted by the story and the twists and turns it took. I really enjoyed unraveling all the dark secrets of this family, and the twist at the end was totally unexpected. I highly recommend this book for all YA collections.

Karen McManus is the queen of YA mysteries and thrillers. The Cousins is filled with family drama and secrets you won't be able to put down. Three cousins are summoned by a long lost grandmother. Will the narrow down the secrets lurking in the shadows?

Millie, Aubrey, and Noah are cousins, and members of the prestigious and estranged Story family. They have all been invited to work at their grandmother's summer resort on the island where their parents grew up, even though none of them have ever met her, or each other. Their parents are adamant that they go, so they can rebuild the relationships that were shattered years ago, when the "kids" all received a letter from their mother's attorney with the same message: "You know what you did."

I really really loved "One of Us is Lying", and I wanted to love this too, but it just didn't have the same power and punch. The ending didn't really surprise me, because the clues were too obvious, which was kind of a letdown. I did enjoy the book, and maybe if I hadn't read One of Us is Lying I wouldn't have such high hopes. For me, it was just ok.

I received this ARC courtesy of Netgalley in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The first thought I had after finishing this novel was that I desperately want a sequel. I hope we get a sequel!

Karen McManus is one of the queens of YA. Her mysteries are ALWAYS good, and I always finish them in one sitting. I have to know how they'll end, and I'm always so surprised and satisfied by these endings.

The Story family, famous on the East Coast, are a mess. Mildred Story disinherited all four of her children suddenly and without warning, sending only a cryptic letter to each child: "You know what you did." Except not one of them has a clue.

Mildred has never tried to get to know her three teenage grandchildren, either. Until all three of them receive a summons to the island where she lives for summer employment so she can get to know them. When they arrive, however, nothing is quite what it should be.

This novel is told from three points of view: swim star Aubrey, fashionista Milly, and super-smart science nerd Jonah. All three have secrets of their own and they must learn to trust one another as they learn the secret history of their family.

This book was excellent, and I enjoyed every second of it. It hooked me from the first page and kept me going through every twist and turn until the end. I hope we return to the Story family!

This was my first Karen McManus book. I enjoyed it so much! It had the sharp drama of family secrets with a little bit of suspense. It's true that you have to go in with the expectation that teenagers can pretty much manage their own lives, despite being across the country from home, but as long as you can imagine that....it's a fun story!

Estranged cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah receive an unexpected invitation to work at their wealthy grandmother’s summer resort. Their families see it as an opportunity to rekindle relationships with the elder Mildred and her vast fortune. Difficult family expectations and secrets layered upon secrets make this an eventful summer for the trio. While the cousins try to sort out their own drama and family relationships, they are also getting to know each other and discovering different pieces of the family mystery.

A fast paced book full of plot twists that will keep readers guessing and gasping until the very end. All of McManus’s books are wildly popular in my high school library. I anticipate this one will be as well. Multiple narrators will keep a wide audience engaged. The balance of drama and vicarious living of the uber rich will draw readers in and the surprises and tension will keep the pages turning.

Another hit from McManus. While her loyal followers will love this book, I dare say that it may also bring around new fans and or previous skeptics.

McManus writes fun books with a lot of intrigue and this one is no different. I know that my patrons are excited about this one.

This multiple-perspective young adult psychological thriller/murder mystery is FABULOUS and iconically all of the many trademarks that make Karen McManus novels wonderful!

We hear the story of the Story family from the perspective of three grandchildren and estranged cousins—Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah. They’ve been invited to their grandmother’s island to work for the summer even though no one in the family has heard from Grandma Mildred since being disinherited 24 years ago. The cousins’ parents see it as a way to get back into the will.

The cousins form a quick bond, working to overcome their own demons, the result of generations of unsettling family drama, and stumble upon the greatest mystery of all—the real reason for the disinheritance.

Interspersed is also Milly’s mother Allison’s perspective from the summer before being cut-off. As an adult working through some of my own struggles similar to hers, I found Allison to be a character deserving of empathy. Archer, her brother, deserves it, as well.

This was a twist I didn’t see coming until the characters themselves finally figured it out.

I can’t wait to get this for the shelves of my classroom. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest review!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited that Karen McManus had another YA novel coming out. She always delivers a great mystery to get lost in.

When Milly, Aubrey and Jonah are invited to stay and work at their grandmother’s resort, it comes as a shock. Their grandmother Mildred hasn’t spoken to anyone in their family in over twenty years. Not long after their grandfather’s death, Mildred disinherited her four children. The only reason was in the form of a letter that stated, “You know what you did.”

The desire to unravel the mystery of what drove the family separation, inspires them to spend the summer with their grandmother. A woman that none of them have ever met. As they settle into their new summer positions, they begin to learn more about each other, their grandmother, and their parents. Likewise, they begin to uncover secrets and lies that have been hidden for twenty years.

I love multi-generational family books. So, I was invested from the very start. The fact that it’s also a family mystery only added to my enjoyment. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I love Karen McManus. She is one of the few young adult mystery writers out there and her books do not disappoint. While I didn’t love this one as much as her others, I still enjoyed it. A story of 3 siblings written off by their mother years ago for something they did. While they haven’t seen their mother for years, they receive an invitation from her, inviting her grandchildren to come work for her during the summer. What happens next is a spiral of secrets, some of which were just too unbelievable for me. Still a worthy read, just not what I thought it was going to be!

This was a fun read, The female characters were well-drawn, the setting was unique, and the end was satisfying. I could have done without the romance, but teen readers may appreciate it.

The Story children were suddenly and mysteriously disinherited by their mother one summer nearly 20 years ago, so it is shock when their children Millie, Aubrey, and Jonah each receive an invitation to spend the summer at their reclusive grandmother's island resort. The three cousins barely know it each other and have little in common other than their curiosity about their family's secrets.
I have enjoyed all of McManus's previous books, but this one was disappointing. None of the characters were likeable and the big twist was neither shocking or thrilling. This one may be a pass for me, but I still look forward to more thrillers from the author.

A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book!

The Cousins is a great book if you love a good mystery/thriller without all the gore and graphic details we get so often in YA books nowadays.

It takes place on a fictional island that is supposed to be a smaller, less luxurious version of Martha's Vineyard, and centers around three cousins who have grown up without much contact with each other or other members of their family. Their grandmother, who broke contact with their parents year ago, has summoned them to the family island under mysterious pretenses. They all show up in hopes of getting back into her good graces (and her will).

The book alternates point of view among the three cousins. Thankfully, each character is written with a unique voice, so it's easy to keep track of which cousin we're hearing from. If you've read any of McManus' other titles, you know that she uses multiple viewpoints in her writing, and I feel she's getting better and better at it with each novel.

The twists in this book did not disappoint! I don't want to delve too deeply into any part of the plot for fear of giving anything away, but just know that even if you figure out a twist before it happens, the writing is good enough that you won't care that it was slightly predictable.

I honestly had no complaints about this book. Nothing dragged, I didn't feel like any of the characters were completely unlikeable, even though I didn't love Milly at first. Over the course of the book, she grew on me, and by the end, I was rooting for her (again, I won't say why because *spoilers*).

If you liked McManus' previous novels, you'll love this one, too. I will definitely be adding this book to my library's YA collection!

I've enjoyed all of McManus's books so far and COUSINS is no exception. The Story family is infamously estranged, Mildred cutting ties with her children in the 90s for mysterious reasons, and the Story siblings slowly lose touch as they lead their adult lives. Until now, when the new generation of Storys, the three eponymous cousins, receives letters from their grandmother, inviting them to stay and work at the family resort on a Martha's Vineyard-like island. The teens begrudgingly accept the offer, at the urging of their parents who hope to be "re" inherited now that their mother has reached out. Until Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah realize something is wrong and that their grandmother Mildred definitely wasn't the one to invite them. The narration switches between the cousins in the present and the Story siblings in the past, intertwining the two mysteries -- why Mildred cut ties with her children and why someone would lead her grandchildren to the island under false pretenses.

This was a very fun read and I tore through it in one day on Thanksgiving break. Some parts are on the predictable side, but the unexpected twists more than make up for it. Already have copies on order for my school's collection and will definitely recommend it to ONE OF US IS LYING fans and mystery-lovers.

In The Cousins, McManus shifts from the high school setting of her previous books to a summer resort. The focus is a wealthy and deeply dysfunctional family. The mystery of who the family really is and what secrets they all hide is engaging, but not as memorable as her first two novels.

Teen fiction makes for great escapist reading. My latest escape is New York Times bestselling author Karen M. McManus's new book, The Cousins.
The Cousins has all the right elements - three teens who are related, but haven't seen each other since they were young. Their parents don't speak to each other either and everyone has been estranged from the family matriarch for twenty five years. Her choice. She made it clear with a "You know what you did' letter to her four children. So, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are quite surprised to be invited to Gull Cove Island to work for their grandmother's resort. The three are excited and hope to meet her. But things don't go quite as imagined...

The three leads are great - all with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Their interactions ring true with believable dialogue. I think Aubrey was my favorite character - she grows as the book progresses. They are each given a voice with their own chapters. Also given a historical voice are the parents - from when they were teens on the island. This gives the reader a chance to have a different perspective, knowing more about the why and the what of that ' You know what you did' letter.

The setting is well imagined and easy to picture. (I want to be on the beach!) But it is the mystery of what happened all those years ago that drives the book forward. The three are slowly putting things together....and then BAM....McManus throws in a twist, a revelation and promptly turns things in a different direction. I love being caught off guard and kept on my toes. And the last page provides one last gotcha.

The book moves along at a good clip with those twists. There's a romantic subplot that is well done and doesn't overshadow the mystery. There are some truths woven into the book as well - family relationships are complicated and messy sometimes.....

The Cousins was a fun, lazy Sunday read for me.

Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an e-copy of The Cousins!

All four Story kids have been disowned by their rich heiress mother, Mildred, for decades for something they did. However one fine day, all 3 grandchildren receive a letter from Mildred, inviting them for a summer job in her estate. Milly, Aubrey and Jonah reluctantly accept the invitation in order to unlock old family secrets and heal ties. As you can expect from McManus books, the 3 cousins embark on a wild ride with a lot of twists and turns, lot of deceptions and lies and even some good old murder.

This was my first McManus book and certainly won’t be the last. I lost couple days of solid sleep because I had to keep turning the pages and experience a lot of “Oh My God” moments! If you love family drama, rich people drama, YA mysteries and mind-bending final twists, then run and get this book!! The book also has some cute romance that fitted perfectly with the overall theme. I’m so glad I started December with this book! 5 stars!

THE COUSINS is a highly devourable and engaging family drama/mystery. The Story family is very wealthy, running a bunch of properties on a small island. However, about 24 years ago after the death of their father, the matriarch of the family, Mildred, cut off all the children with an ominous message that they know what they did. The four children mostly went their separate ways though they all claim they did not know what they did to get removed from their will.

Now, three of the Story children have had children of their own who are close to turning 18. Letters arrive for the three asking them to spend the summer on one of their family properties, working as their parents did long ago. Although each Milly, Jonah, and Aubrey are reluctant to go for their own reasons, not going is not an option. They each arrive on the island, carrying their own secrets and wanting to know the answer to the bigger family secret, especially as things seem to get stranger and stranger once they are there.

What I loved: This was a twisty book with plenty of new information that keeps the reader enthralled. I definitely wanted to learn more and devoured this book. The ending was shocking - although I could guess some of what happened, the big twist definitely surprised me. The book is told in each of the cousin's perspectives as well as that of the Story children many years ago. I really liked this method, as I felt I could get a deep dive into the characters and get some first-hand knowledge of the past, so to speak. This is masterfully crafted, and I really enjoyed reading it.

Final verdict: THE COUSINS is an intricate, twisty, and unexpected read - highly recommend for people who enjoy summer settings, family mysteries, and compelling characters. I would definitely recommend for fans of I KILLED ZOE SPANOS and THE INHERITANCE GAMES.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.