Another absolute win from Karen McManus! I did not see the end twist coming, and I love when a book can surprise me. The family relationship in this book was interesting; I enjoyed the peer into this elite, complicated family. When this comes out in December, readers will long for the lazy summer described at the resort. McManus has become a must-read author for me, and many of my teens feel the same!

I don't think you can go wrong with a Karen McManus book and The Cousins is no exception. I could not stop reading! It was filled with twists and turns that readers will love. The multi-voice narrative was effective in giving insight into each of the character's background. I certainly wasn't expecting the ending, which is exactly what I expect from this author. Thank you to #Netgalley and the Random House for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was expecting a murder mystery based on her previous books, but enjoyed the slightly lighter mystery in this book. It is a great summer read because of the setting and I really liked the characters.

This is the fourth book I've read by Karen McManus, and once again, it did not disappoint.

The book follows three cousins, Jonah, Milly, and Audrey, whose parents on all estranged from their mother. Twenty years prior, their mother collectively disinherited and excommunicated all the siblings. Out of the blue, all three cousins receive a letter from their grandmother, inviting them to work at her fancy island resort. The three agree and set off to meet the grandmother they never met. Once they arrive though, something is off. Their grandmother almost seems surprised to see them, as if she never invited them. As the summer progresses, all three discover secrets about their family that their parents never shared, and try to figure out why their grandmother has been elusive for all these years.

This book, which is told from alternating perspectives of the three cousins, is compelling, twisty, and a book that I couldn't put down. McManus has so many twists and turns in this beach thriller. A lot of these twists surprise me, especially as we got closer to the conclusion. Each of the cousins had a very distinct voice, and it was interesting following them through the summer. I highly recommend this thrilling read.

The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2020
Read courtesy of NetGalley.com

I was intrigued. And I first I thought the solution to the mystery was presented too soon, but then additional action at the end restored my faith in the story. But then the ending's end messed me up again. I felt like I had to, um, not think too much but stretch my thinking in order to make the ending work.

SPOILER ALERT: The last paragraph here will list my thoughts regarding the ending, so you've been forewarned not to read the last paragraph if you don't want the Storys to be spoiled.

The mystery and twists and turns were tight and made for a good tale of conspiracy. I enjoyed the romance, the forming of friendships, the cattiness of the relatives, and the back-stabbing of the family's 'trusted' long-time employees.

The story about the Story family had interesting, well-thought out characters. Unfortunately, their names all started with 'A's, so it made it difficult to keep the family plot lines separated. As other reviewers have noted, "I found myself having to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was narrating at times." I did, however, like the flashback chapters to help create background and set up the mystery.

I couldn't decide between a 3 or 4 star review, but decided on a 4 ☆☆☆☆ star benefit-of-the-doubt review because I was entertained and engaged in the story.

SPOILER ALERT: Next is the last paragraph where I will list my thoughts regarding the ending, so you've been forewarned not to read this next paragraph if you don't want the Storys to be spoiled.

Aunt Paula. Jonah North. Anders Story. They aren't related. They didn't know each other until the end of the story. Paula writes a note to Jonah advising him to keep his parents away from Anders, so they don't end up involved in one of Anders' schemes again, and signs the note, "Family first, always." Her family? His family? I guess maybe it's both. But would Paula really have known about the family's motto, "Family first, always"? She might have since it is written on the patriarch Abraham Story's grave. But would she have known it's significance to the rest of the Story family? And Jonah wasn't even in the graveyard to have seen the marker with that motto on it; he wouldn't necessarily know the significance of Paula's use of the motto. Furthermore, why would Paula feel the need to protect Jonah if he's not related? Does this mean she really only wants to harm the Storys? It seems to me that signing the note "Family first, always" was more of a literary device for the reader to pull the story full circle or reflect the irony of the motto rather than a meaningful, significant sign off to Jonah. So, like I said in the beginning, "I felt like I had to, um, not think too much but stretch my thinking in order to make the ending work."

Overall, an interesting mystery: Three cousins who barely know each other are invited to visit their grandmother on an elite resort island that she owns. They know there's a story to figure out because their parents were disowned 24 years ago. When they get there, grandmother makes herself scarce... who knows maybe they'll still be able to salvage the relationships regardless? Little did they know...

If there's one thing I can count on it's Kate McManus writing the BEST YA mysteries each year and The Cousins is no exception. The way she weaves a story is always so interesting to me. I get lots of surprises and I'm usually good at figuring those out. Plus her endings ALWAYS leave me wanting more. This was a great who-dun-it about cousins who never met trying to solve a decades-old mystery involving their parents at the home of their childhood mansion on an island. It was creepy in all the right ways. Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC. All opinions are my own. I will purchase this for myself and my library in December.

Usually cousins Are quite familiar, but not in this case. Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Mildred is rich and reclusive and maybe eccentric. After all she disinherited the cousins’ parents before their children were even born. One day out of the blue they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised, yet curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point– you will go. So Milly, Aubrey and Jonah all converge at the luxury resort. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them and from her reaction, she had no idea they were Even coming. The longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious and dark their family’s past really is.

The entire Story family has secrets. The biggest mystery is what was it that pulled them apart years ago. Whatever the case it isn’t over, and with great satisfaction to the reader, this summer, the cousins learn everything.

This was an interesting and well paced mystery

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day!

After reading One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next, I was super excited for the next book from Karen McManus and she definitely delivers with The Cousins. This book hooked me right from the start and kept me guessing to the very end. Characters are likable and I like the growth they exhibit from start to the end of the book. Story has many twists and surprises and is a super quick and easy read. Once I got started, I could not put it down.

I must confess I am a huge Karen McManus fan. I found Cousins to be a cross between One of Us is Lying and Two Can Keep a Secret with the multiple points of view from the former book and dark family secrets from the past in the latter. It is both a family drama and mystery about revenge and greed, with unexpected twists. The title of the book is a little lackluster but I can understand why the author didn’t want to put a number in the title (even though there were conveniently three cousins) and be locked into numerical titles forever. Although I like the multiple POV format and the way it fleshes out characters and their thoughts, I found myself having to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was narrating at times. Throwing in untitled chapters from a character in the past was an effective way to give a first hand glimpse of what had happened a couple of decades earlier. It was interesting how the actions from one generation impacted the next. Aside from the first scene in the book, which in my opinion added nothing to the story and made me strongly dislike one character from the start, I found the book fast-paced. I did end up liking that character later, and the newly formed bonds between cousins is one of the things I liked most about the book. I liked how clues came from various places including old photos, microfiched newspapers, and first hand accounts like in old whodunits. These clues led to an exciting scene with a dramatic rescue where all was revealed. There was some sweet romance in the story as well, and it wasn’t overdone. McManus likes to save the last twist for the very end, and here it was both unexpected and chilling. Students at my school will race to gobble this book up.

Okay, how do I love this more than the authors last series? Creepy and compelling. A definite 5-star read

This is my first time reading a title by McManus. I like The Cousins, I was not blown away by it. It is told from several points of view. including some flashbacks and I just couldn't keep up with who was speaking at a given time and how they relate to the story. For me, it took too long for the "action" of the book to begin and once it did I was hooked. It just took a long time for me to reach this point.

I'm going to admit I hadn't read anything by Karen McManus before reading The Cousins. I know all her books are wildly popular and now I understand why! This is an enthralling thriller that kept me guessing until the end - and my guess was completely wrong!

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins who barely know each another. When they each receive a letter inviting them to work at their wealthy grandmother's island resort for the summer, they are shocked - because they've never even met her! She disinherited their parents years ago and has shown no interested in getting to know them at all. Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, they realize things aren't as they seemed.. The entire Story family has secrets, even the cousins. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

This was a mystery filled with twists and surprises throughout, and thoroughly likeable main characters. It did not disappoint!

The book keeps your attention from beginning to end and when you think you have everything figured out, you are surprised yet again.

I love Karen McManus novels. As a tenth grade ELA teacher and a strong advocate for independent reading simply for pleasure, I keep my classroom library shelves stocked with books by this author, and my students love them!

In “The Cousins” Karen McManus weaves a clever mystery set on a posh resort island. Gull Cove island is home to the mysterious Mildred Story who disowns her children without explanation many years ago. As a result, Mildred does not know any of her grandchildren. When the grandkids all receive an invitation to come meet their grandmother and spend the summer working on the island at her resort, who can refuse?

The grandchildren are well developed characters, as are their parents. McManus has a gift for easy, believable dialogue and in creating characters my teenage students love to read about. As an adult reading a YA novel, I am always engaged and interested in the outcome and Karen McManus always manages to surprise me.

Loved this book and am looking forward to her next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Every family has secrets and this is a family that will suck you in! A fast summer read that made me want to head to an island resort to read! The characters had depth and the ending surprised and satisfied me!

The Cousins is a story about three cousins who receive a letter from their wealthy grandmother to work on her estate for the summer. The three cousins have never met their grandmother because when their parents were younger, she disowned them all for a mysterious reason,

This story wasn’t as interesting as Karen McManus’ other titles. It entertained me enough and kept me curious about what the real story was, but by the end I was disappointed with the big reveal. Every one of the cousins’ characters weren’t likable or interesting enough for me to care about them. The entire story was just a letdown for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three cousins are about to meet their grandmother -- the one who disowned their parents under mysterious circumstances -- for the first time. Though they barely know each other, they have no choice but to work together to find out why they were brought to this point, why their parents were rejected by their grandmother, and what is going on on this island. This entry from Karen McManus is definitely a different feel than her other books, but the mystery is still intense, and the outcome unexpected. A definite purchase for my library.

The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Read an Excerpt
Random House Children's
You Are Auto-Approved
Delacorte Press
Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA
Pub Date 01 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 01 Jan 2021

This book disappointed me. It was a slow read for me. I couldn't get into it. And all A's for names... Hard to tell the characters apart.
For me this was just an ok read.

3 star