3.5 stars

The Cousins by Karen McManus is a dark, twisty family mystery set at an island resort where three cousins are invited by their rich and reclusive grandmother to work for the summer. The cousins' parents were disinherited by their mother many years ago with only a note stating that each of them knew what they had done. Now, with this new invitation, the parents are curious - why are their kids getting an invite back to the resort? And why now?

As the cousins settle in at the resort, they realize that their grandmother has plans for each of them - and they realize that their families secrets are finally going to be revealed this summer. What will they learn about their family's past?

I thought this was a quick read with some great twists. I have always enjoyed McManus's YA mysteries and this is no exception. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a nice mystery for young adults or advanced middle graders. It wasn’t as predictable as I thought and that was a pleasant surprise. The characters will appeal to a lot of McManus fans. It was a quick read that kept me interested throughout.

I didn't find this to be quite as suspenseful or captivating as the other McManus books I've read, but I still enjoyed it. I got a lot of "We Were Liars" vibes from it, in terms of the setting and characters (rich kids on an island resort during the summer), but not nearly the Aha! factor of that other book. Still, a good mystery with twists and surprises that I did not see coming. Also interesting was that I was simultaneously reading Time Will Tell by Barry Lyga which has the same basic setup (teens of today unearthing/investigating crimes committed by their parents) but which I found much more entertaining.

A mysterious relative sends out invitations to three cousins to work at her luxury resort for the summer. When these cousins meet they are drawn into an unusual mystery and it's left to them to solve it before the summer is up.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not upset I read it. It follows an old-money family whose adult children have been disinherited from the family fortune. The grandmother who is a recluse allows the grandchildren, a group of cousins, to visit the family estate on Gull Cove Island. Family secrets start coming out into the open. Did not see the twist coming.

While I didn't enjoy this as much as the other books by Karen McManus, I did purchase it for my library. A great YA mystery for teens and a good additional purchase for high school libraries.

I enjoyed this book, and definitely didn’t see the ending coming, but I had a hard time getting through it. I’m not sure why, I just think the characters were hard for me to like. I think the ending was intriguing, but also felt like something was missing.

Karen M. McManus dos it again! It gripped me from the first paragraph and hooked me until the very end! Every detail was thought out and I could not get enough of the characters! In terms of a YA thriller this is the gold standard!

Good story and characters. McManus is a fantastic YA thriller author. This is my least favorite McManus book simply because the stakes were never as high as some of her other stories. I'll read everything she writes, but this one that I probably would never pick up again.

I have really liked McManus past titles but this one I had a hard time getting in too. I just found it to be super predictable and quite boring.z I would definitely try another one of her books though.

I actually never got the chance to finish this title. I had a difficult time getting pulled into it which is not the usual case for McManus' other titles that I've enjoyed very much.

Karen McManus is truly a modern day Agatha Christie and her work speaks for itself. I love the rollercoaster ride that her stories take us readers on!

Karen M. McManus does not disappoint! I've enjoyed her previous books, and this one was no exception. If you love easy read murder mysteries, this one is for you.

I read this book ages ago and don't remember enough for a proper review. I did order it for my library.

I've read many of Karen McManus' YA mysteries and I was excited to get my hands on this one. I enjoyed it, though I think I like some of her other books better. The premise of a wealthy family disinheriting all of their siblings and then mysteriously calling the grandchildren to visit for the summer is very intriguing and I think my students will go for that. But there were some pacing issues that sometimes made me feel that the story was stalling a bit. The mystery of the island and the family setting were ultimately much more satisfying than the revelation of the "whodunnit".

I will still recommend this book to my students and I think many of them will really enjoy it, but I suspect that her other books will be more popular.

Straight up spooky! While this book took longer to read than I had hoped, I did enjoy the experience and what the story had to offer. The cover is what drew me in, evoking a foreboding and almost gothic atmosphere. The story itself is similar, a dark and dramatic tale dealing with family and history. One aspect that stalled complete enjoyment was the end. It completely went off the rails and, while I appreciate a nice jaw-dropping moment as much as the next gal, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Overall, enjoyable but not completely what I was expecting.

Karen McManus often hits home runs, and this one was no different. I love a story about family secrets on a semi-mysterious island -- it makes for the perfect summer read. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this one!

Mysteries are the top genre in my high school library. Karen McManus is one of the most requested authors. She is an auto-buy. Needless to say--they love this one.

Three cousins are invited to spend the Summer with their grandma on the family's island resort, but they have never met one another, or their grandmother. Full of twists and turns and family secrets, The Cousins is sure to keep the reader guessing and trying to figure out who the Story family really is. As we all know, things are not always as they seem.

So far I have read and loved every book Karen M. McManus has written. She does such a great job on the teen thriller. The Cousins is about Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. to say they aren't close is an understatement. Their families have a ton of baggage. Most of the three have had little to no contact with each other, and none know their grandma. They are surprised when they get the invite to come to her resort - and they are all forced to go by their parents, who have also been cut out of grandma's life. When the teens arrive at the resort nothing is what it seems. As family secrets unravel, the more dangerous it becomes for our three main characters. The ending was definitely NOT what I expected. Karen M. McManus kept me on my toes the whole read. I cannot wait for her next book.