Another great book by Karen M. McManus. I really enjoy her writing style and the different character perspectives throughout the book.. This book had all the twists and surprises I expect from the author. It was a fun read.

Karen McManus is an automatic buy for my classroom library. I have multiple copies of her each of her books and this one will be no different. She understands what her audience is looking for and writes mystery books worth reading for my high school students.

I enjoyed this very original YA suspense and will be looking for other books by this author!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The children and, consequently, grandchildren, of a prestigious and elite New England family were cut off from their family fortune and estate over two decades ago with a cryptic note from their mother’s solicitor: You know what you did. As the four siblings drifted apart, three having a single child each, all professed to their children ignorance as to their disownment and equal astonishment when letters arrived for their children asking them to come to their mother’s island estate and work for the summer.

Eager to get back into their mother’s good graces and pocketbook, they force their children to comply. Yet each of their children (Milly, Aubrey, Jonah) have secrets of their own to keep in addition to their parents’, and none know what surprised await them when they arrive. For history has a way of repeating itself and lies begin stacking upon one another when it’s clear the reason for their parents’ banishment has less to do with ignorance and more to do with murder.

Told in alternating perspectives amongst the cousins, there are titillating flashbacks to Molly’s mother’s POV during the summer that began a sequence of events that it all. An engaging mystery read for young adults.

Wow! This one took me for a wild ride. I liked the alternating chapters of the main characters with their points of view in the story. I did not see that ending coming for sure. Lots of big and small twists and turns made for a very enjoyable ride.

I was prepared for twists and turns in plot, as this is a Karen McManus novel, but the twists still caught me off guard! When the reader gets to the frantic resolution, details that seemed irrelevant on previous pages suddenly jump from the page as key to the mystery. Some characters were difficult to root for (or even like) and the plot does require a reader to suspend disbelief at times, but overall a very satisfying read. Recommended to fans of Karen McManus (and who isn’t?).

(3.5 stars)

This was a really fun, twisty YA thriller, and probably my favourite book by Karen McManus. It was a good pick for my first read of 2021!

I liked the island setting. It gave the story a small-town feel but also, given the island’s tiny size, a remoteness which became almost claustrophobic as the story progressed.

I also thought the multiple POVs worked. Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah’s voices seemed distinct, although combined with the flashbacks, it was initially a little confusing and hard to keep track of who was who.

The mystery was so enticing! Years of family secrets and identity issues made for quite a page-turner here. Recommended for YA mystery readers!

Review from : https://bookgems.co/2021/01/05/the-cousins/
The Cousins is written in McManus' signature style - great characters who hook readers into a story that is fast paced and unique. It is, however, different than her other books, so readers who go in expecting another One of Us is Lying will likely be disappointed. The dialogue is great and the plot is clever and original. I appreciated how each of the cousins was their own person and held their own secret which in a way defined them.
This story has moments of realism and moments of exaggeration, but the blend of the two leads to a story that is engaging and clever - unique enough to draw readers in. Also, knowing that each of the flawed characters is desperately seeking out the truth about their damaged family, I couldn't help but root for them to unearth the truth so that they could better understand themselves.
The ending was different than I expected, but I loved working to puzzle everything out. Even though I hadn't guessed the whole ending, some of my hunches paid off. The Cousins is absolutely worth reading and will be a hit with fans of realistic mysteries and coming of age suspense stories.

An estranged family gets the chance of a lifetime when their long lost, mysterious mother invites her grandkids (whom she has never cared to learn about) to spend the summer with her. As the cousins, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah make their way to an island for the summer, they realize that their grandmother is completely surprised to see them there. They must begin to unravel the mysteries of why she disinherited their parents and who truly invited them to the island.

This was my first time reading a book from Karen McManus and I can truly say that I am a new fan of her work! On the surface, this mystery novel looks like a simple plot, but as you read through the multiple timelines (the cousins and their parents), you begin to see how intense the situation is for all the characters involved. The topics of secrets, deception, arson, and murders surround this family.

This was a pretty good mystery about three cousins who meet each other after receiving an invitation to spend the summer on their grandmother's estate. This is the same grandmother who disinherited her children 24 years before with no explanation other than, "you know what you did."

Millie, Aubrey, and Jonah get to know one another while working at the camp on the island where their grandmother lives, waiting for the opportunity to meet the elusive matriarch of the Story family. Their parents are holding out hope that the kids will be able to repair the relationship and gain access to the family fortune.

This was a quick read with enjoyable characters and enough intrigue and questions to keep me interested. My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In true McManus fashion, mystery, intrigue, and friendship all wrapped into one book. Just as you think you've started to figure it out, the plot twists and introduces a new element! Three cousins who've never met, are drawn together one summer at the behest of their mysterious grandmother--or so they think! The summer draws the three closer together while also revealing family secrets, lies, and perhaps more than they bargained for. Hand to fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and a sure-fire page turner for McManus followers and mystery lovers.

One of Us Is Lying, Karen McManus's debut novel, is what really turned me on to the mystery/thriller genre. And each of her subsequent novels just sucked me in further. The Cousins is no different. Twisty, engulfing, and oh so full of secrets, the plot drives you along, but the characters ground you in the story. You follow along with Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah as they spend time on a island filled with so many secrets the place is choking with them.

Karen definitely has a deft hand when writing characters. While making the final "reveal" in a mystery as surprising as possible is important, it is the characters that you really have to care about. Who wants to read about these crazy twists happening to characters you hate? Karen really makes the reader invested in what happens to these three, and then the Story family at large. What happened to make their grandmother disown all her children? What secrets are being hidden, both from the past and in the present? And can they figure it out to "heal" the family rift, if it's even worth it?

I enjoyed that the setting change up in this book, heading outside of high school. The focus on family, while present in her other books, is so important to this story. I enjoy when I get to see the family dynamic of teens, as family was (and is still) so important when I was a teenager. Parents, siblings, etc. can really effect your life in so many ways. This is handled beautifully, and in a very real way through texts and phone calls for the most part.

You will definitely have your assumptions and theories as you read, but they will change by the ending (unless you are a super sleuth, which I am not). I really loved the whole book, and found myself eating it up in one sitting. That really nails it for me if it was a successful thriller/mystery.

This one did not disappoint! It was my first Karen McManus, so I cannot compare it with her other books, but when it comes to family secrets and murder, she knows her stuff! Ok yes, it happens during Summer on an island, so not the most winter-y setting, but I was hooked all the same. Here again, great characters, so many secrets to unravel, mysterious deaths from the past coming back to light, there is no rest for us in this book! Here we join three teenager cousins who have been invited by their super rich grandma to her resort island to work for the Summer. And this might be the chance to go back on her will, as she had cut all her children from it years ago. What happened all those years ago? What are the secrets in each cousin’s life? That is what we discover in this captivating book!
Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing me with an eARC of the book!

Sadly, this is a DNF for me. I got through about 30% of the book and I coudn't keep going. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and the writing fell flat for me. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, I can see reasons why others would love this story!

Karen McManus knows how to keep you interested in all of her books and her new title is no exception. The Cousins does move a bit slower than her previous titles, but fans of her previous work will stay for the end. Each and everyone of her books has me surprised at the ending and I truly appreciate the story build up in order to do that!

I’ve read every book by this local to me author, and have highly enjoyed each and every one immensely. This book was another five star book for me, which surprised me in no way. One of my favorite things about this author is all of their plot lines are extremely unique. This one kept me guessing and questioning every character until the very last chapter.

The character development in this book was unmatched. The author made me feel connected to each character, whether it’s loving them or not being able to stand them. For a few of the character’s I was changing my feeling toward the until the ending. I was a huge fan of how the story was told in the three perspectives of the cousins, it’s what made me feel like I was actually in their heads and connected me to them the most. The random chapters of backstory were a great addition, that only added to the mystery.

The setting itself, Gull Cove Island was absolute perfection. It reminded me exactly of being an island on Cape Cod, I’m sure the author being local had a lot to do with the amazing descriptions. The way it was a bit remote and accessed by ferry made it a wonderful setting for a mysterious and thrilling ride. Catmint House was yet another perfect addition in my mind. I could picture this large mysterious manor looking over the whole island.

Overall, I was completely enthralled with this book. It is yet another five star read by this author for me. I was loving every bit of intrigue and mystery throughout the story. I really hope that a sequel comes out of this one!!

WHY DID I READ THE COUSINS BY KAREN M. MCMANUS?
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus INSTANTLY appealed to me. After all, I had previously listened to the audiobooks of One Of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep A Secret. So, I knew in advance that I would enjoy the audiobook. I made the assumption that it would be able to keep my attention as well as that I would be easily able to follow the story. Plus, I was hankering for something of a mystery-thriller bent. Thankfully, this audiobook delivered.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Three cousins from the Story family are invited to work at their estranged grandmother’s island resort. Turning it down is absolutely not an option – at least not according to their parents. Jonah, Millie, and Aubrey aren’t exactly sure why their parents were cut out of their grandmother’s will. However, this is the summer where they find out what happened. At the same time, they also get to know each other as well as their Uncle Archer “(who is a pretty excellent character). Meanwhile, we discover that the cousins each have some secrets of their own. The Story family history is about to get really dark really quick.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE COUSINS?
One of the things that I loved about this book was that it kept surprising me. I would assume that the book would go in one direction or that I had it all figured out, only for the plot to twist. When it comes to a thriller, that is exactly what I want. If there’s no twists, what is the point? I liked that each of the Story cousins had chapters from their perspectives and point of views. Plus we got chapters from the past as well. McManus delivers another book that is compulsively readable.


HOW’S THE NARRATION?
From now on, I am just going to listen to all of Karen M. McManus’s books. The Cousins, similar to the other two books I’ve listened to by McManus, is well produced. There’s not a flaw in this audiobook production that I could perceive. There are four narrators – Sarah Skaer, Kate Reinders, David Garelik, and Julia Whelan who each narrate chapters based upon the character they are assigned. The change up in narrators made the book go by fast and kept the intrigue going. Plus, I felt like it helped to really differentiate between points of views and characters. The audiobook is 9 Hours and 28 Minutes long and a superb listening experience.

So this was quite a bit different than the other two books I've read by Karen McManus. This one is about three cousins in a really dysfunctional family-Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. They grew up apart from one another and all of their parents are messed up in some sort of way. Their uber-wealthy grandmother Mildred Story disowned all of their parents so it seems more than a little odd when she invites them to work at her island resort for the summer. This starts off a mystery which continuously pulls the three Story cousins further in. I didn't love it as much as One of Us Is Lying and One of Us Is Next but it had a lot of twists and secrets piling up as it went along. The three main characters were distinct-Milly the flashy pretty one, Aubrey the quiet unassuming cousin, and Jonah who takes every opportunity he can to be a jerk. I think teens will love this one. It was an easy read that had no problem keeping my attention.

After over two decades of silence, the matriarch of the Story family has seemingly reached out to offer her grandchildren the opportunity to return to the family's island and work at her summer resort. For the parents of Aubrey, Milly, and Jonah Story this seems like the perfect opportunity to get back in their mother's good graces. But for their children, the prospect seems much more daunting. After all it's not just the elder generation of the Story family that is good at keeping secrets. As the cousins return to the island it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems with their grandmother and the island residents. Who can they trust as their summer quickly begins to unravel along with the Story legacy?
VERDICT is that this is an excellent addition to Karen M. McManus' collection of thrillers. My favorite read of hers by far since One of Us Is Lying. The multiple perspectives is handled masterfully really keeps the narrative moving along. This is a fun thriller that I will recommend to any YA fans who love a good mystery with a twist!

Thoughts: McManus is back with another hit YA thriller! While the three main characters come from money and affluence, and the premise is for these three cousins to get back in the good graces of their rich but estranged grandmother, each of the teen characters was relatable and realistic. The suspense doesn't really hit its peak until after halfway through the story, but the first half is interesting and will keep readers looking for what's to come even before the real suspense shows up. There's enough going on in the backstory for readers to wonder what is going on and try to put the pieces together. Overall, there could be more twists and turns, but the ones that are there are well-placed to help drive the plot. The ending also had a few good surprises thrown in! I'll definitely be adding this title to my HS library collection to share with my students.