#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You’ll never feel the same about family again.Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting … So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.
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, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious–and dark–their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over–and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
Fans of the hit thriller that started it all can watch the secrets of the Bayview Four be revealed in the One of Us is Lying TV series now streaming on NBC’s Peacock!
more
Whenever Karen McManus releases a book, I feel obligated to read it since I loved her first book, One of Us Is Lying. I also read the sequel, Two Can Keep a Secret. When The Cousins was released, it was one of those books that I had to read. While it wasn’t as good of a read as her first two books, it was still a decent book.
Mildred Story cut ties with all of her children twenty-four years prior. All of her children swear they have no idea what they did to be cut off. However, when Mildred’s grandchild receive a letter from Mildred inviting them to stay and work on her island, her grandchildren are a little suspicious but end up going. However, when they decide to try to figure out the mystery, things take a dangerous turn.
The plot really reeled me in. I love a good mystery, so The Cousins was right up my alley. While the story did flow together really well, I felt that the pacing was a bit on the slow side. It wasn’t painfully slow, but it made it where The Cousins wasn’t one of those books where you can’t put it down. I guess I was just hoping for more action. There were a few plot twists which were a bit unpredictable which was enjoyable. The setting and world building were done nicely. It was easy to feel like I was on the island with everything that was going on. I enjoyed the flashbacks from Mildred’s children – Adam, Anders, Archer, and Allison. I felt like there were no cliff hangers and that all my questions were answered by the end of the book. I suppose McManus could make a sequel from this book, but I think that this book would be better left as a standalone.
The characters in The Cousins were written decently enough although I never really cared too much for any one character. I just had a hard time relating to any of the characters, so it was hard to really care for them. Milly came across as being too standoffish and stuck up a lot of the time. While I liked that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, sometimes I felt like she went a bit overboard. Jonah was an alright character, but I felt like he lacked enough depth to really like him. I just felt like there was something missing with his backstory. Aubrey was an okay character too, but I felt like she wasn’t much of a main character. I would have liked to see more of Aubrey because I felt like she didn’t really add anything to the story and that her character was kind of pointless. Aubrey’s character felt more like a filler in the book. I would have also liked to see more scenes with Mildred as she isn’t in many. Knowing the whole story, I can see why she wasn’t as present, but it would have been nice to at least have her in the book a bit more.
Trigger warnings for The Cousins include swearing, murder, death, minor violence, drinking (including underage), miscarriage, and teenage pregnancy,
Overall, The Cousins does have an interesting plot despite the execution. The world building is done fantastically, and the plot twists are plentiful. I would recommend The Cousins by Karen M. McManus to those aged 15+ that like mysteries.
I finished out my reading year strong with this wonderful YA mystery about a family full of salacious secrets. Karen McManus has officially become my go-to YA author.
Book 277 towards my goal of 280! 4/5 stars for this YA Family Drama! A really interesting family story. Great characters. Great narration. Some of those twists and turns tho definitely recommend if you’ve enjoyed her other books.
Family can be terrifying and McManus proves this in her latest release, COUSINS. This book was a pure JOY to read. Not only because I was shocked at the twist and turn of events towards the end but because I was able to DEVOUR this book at warp speed. You guys, I have had the HARDEST time when it comes to being able to read a book in a day (I used to be able to, but the past few months has changed this). With this one, it was NO TROUBLE AT ALL. That’s how good it is; the novel is intriguing, mysterious, and downright FRIGHTENING when it comes to what is actually happening. AH! I loved it. If you’re a fan of young adult mysteries (yes, this book is more of a mystery instead of thriller like her other books), then this is the book for you! Sometimes readers can be turned off by the age of the characters but trust me, you really don’t notice that these kids are teens in this one. You’re so sucked into a story of secrets, shame, and lies that you forget how old they are!
Alright, so now we’re getting into my specific likes and dislikes for the novel (this is a fairly new thing I’m doing so I hope it helps potential readers who want something a bit more specific in reviews they read). You can read them below. I’ll keep spoilers out of it as no one wants to know a plot twist before they read a mystery like this one!
Despite the beachy setting, this book has some dark undertones. Normally a setting can set the tone for a story but with this one that’s not the case. What seems like an idyllic location to spend the summer is actually a mask for the crazy things that go down in the story. It’s as if the scenery itself is HIDING all the lies behind it. I loved this so much! I don’t always need to read about a gothic setting when it comes to dark family secrets and issues (although that type of setting always works and sets the tone) and that’s proven here.
The way the story is presented through 3 POV’s works so well for this story. Usually, I prefer the POV’s stay at 2 because I get confused when too many characters are talking to me (LOL) but I think Jonah, Milly, and Aubrie’s POV was NEEDED to bring this one full circle.
The twist at the end was EPIC. I love an EPIC TWIST especially when I don’t figure it out before it happens and that’s what we get here. I was SHOOK. It’s also what freaked me out to be honest because I didn’t see it coming and I could only IMAGINE that being real life **shudders*
The book is compulsively readable. It’s so intriguing and you WANT to know the answers so bad that you continue reading despite the time. I love a book that can take over and this one did that! When my son gets a little older, I’m going to have him read these books because I KNOW he’ll find them to be awesome!
We know that there is something seriously wrong within the Story family (you can literally FEEL it though her writing) but things don’t really present themselves until the end. AS I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I am not a big fan of slow-moving mysteries or suspense and that’s what this book is. I did enjoy how the story unfolded but it was a tad slow getting there.
The kids parents were all morons. I hate seeing the parents of children act so childish and horrible and you see a lot of that in this book. A LOT.
In McManus’s latest release, readers are going to uncover that not all families are perfect. The Cousins is one heck of a young adult thriller and reading it in one sitting won’t be difficult at all. If you’re like me then you won’t be able to stop! It’s compulsively readable, engaging, mysterious, and TWISTED. I very much recommend it!
:
Twisty-turny goodness–read this one in a single day, *and* it was a workday to boot! I didn’t manage to fit in a walk too, but hopefully my dog will forgive me for my lapse one day…
(If he doesn’t, it was probably worth it anyway. But don’t tell him that, ‘kay?)
Now that that’s out of the way, I’m left with the dilemma of how to review this without giving anything away, which is definitely tricky. I guess I can say that there are secrets galore here, and family drama, a dual timeline (it’s mostly in the present time with “the cousins” but some chapters are 24 years earlier, from the POV of the lone girl in the family), and waaaaay too many people whose names start with the letter A. Thank goodness for the mini family tree at the beginning; I had to refer to it more times than I’d like to admit, reminding myself of who was whose kid. (I’ve got it now. But it was tricky for a while there…)
I haven’t read Karen M. McManus before–I picked up this one at the very enthusiastic urging of my coworker–but I gather that her books are usually more mystery/thrillerish than this one ends up being, and I was fine with that. There are absolutely mysteries here, but overall it’s more of a thriller lite situation–main characters are only in danger in one climactic scene (apologies to the many characters who die–but we don’t get to know them well, so… 🙂 ). There’s a sweet romance as well, and though the tagline is “Family first, always” it’s the chosen/found families here that end up winning the day, as they 100% should.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go add Ms McManus’s backlist to my TBR…
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This book was so clever and full of drama, secrets and twists. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the characters and felt a kinship to them. The relationship dynamic of each character with their family was well demonstrated of what happens when you are a product of your environment. But not all are destined toward a negative path if they choose consciously to be different unlike the old verbiage of “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. It was definitely a page turner full of non-stop action & drama. You never know what to expect and that’s what I loved most. I can’t wait to read more by this Author.
******
Imagine having a parent that hasn’t seen their wealthy mother for over 20 years due to be disowned and disinherited without rhyme or reason. Because their father passed on before this happened, they have no choice but to respect her wishes.
This was such the case for the grandchildren of the now reclusive Grandmother of the Story family; Audrey, Jonah and Mildred. All young adults, they receive an invitation from their Grandmother, inviting them to come stay and work at her island resort for the summer. They accept the offer each for their own reasons but they all would like to get back into their Grandmother’s good graces and to find out exactly what happened for her to disown their parents.
They wonder why now of all times would she want to see them and why she never reached out to her own kids. These are things they are hoping to get answered. But when they arrive on the island things seem to be a little off. Hearing gossip from the locals make the family secrets of the past even more scandalous. Why do they feel as if someone wants them off the island and what happens when the truth implodes. I definitely recommend this read.
4.5
Book source ~ Tour
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are the grandkids of Mildred Story who disinherited her own four children twenty-four years ago. The kids, Adam, Anders, Allison, and Archer, never understood why. They only received a letter through the family lawyer that said, “You know what you did.” But they don’t. Or so they say. When the now teenaged grands each get an invitation to work the summer at the family resort, they are resentful, but also a bit curious about the grandmother they never met. So they go (with much pushing from their parents) and, whoa boy, they have intrigue coming out of their ass. Not literally.
Strap yourselves in because this is going to be a wild ride. Not so much action-packed, but full of questions, a few answers, more questions, holy shit moments, and finally answers. Wow. There’s a few spots where the story drags just a tiny bit, throwing me off my stride, but on the whole, it flows smooth as delicious frozen custard. Mmmmm. Where was I? Oh yeah! The cousins are fully fleshed out (and likeable!), there are multiple POVs, so I was able to see it in 360º technicolor and the plot, while being a teensy bit over the top, is still a doozy. I highly recommend this twisty-turny YA Mystery.