This one is maybe my favorite McManus title! Loved the mystery and will be recommending to students (It will make a great title for book talks to reluctant readers).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARCs.

I absolutely loved Karen M. McManus' other books, but this one took a little longer for me to get into than her previous works. It wasn't until almost halfway through that I was really invested. The wrap up of the plot felt a little rushed and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as I hoped. I still enjoyed it, though.

Karen McManus is one of my new favorite authors! I've loved her previous 3 mystery novels and this one was no exception. The characters were well drawn, the atmosphere was palpable and the mystery was top notch. Love it! Highly recommend! Can't wait for her next one.

I read this book in almost one sitting. I found it very creepy, fast-paced, and thrilling. I kept wanting to see what was going to happen next! It was very well written and you could imagine yourself being in their shoes! This is the first book I’ve read by this author but will definitely pick up more! Really a fun ride!

The four children of the fabulously wealthy Story family, from a tiny island off Massachusetts, were mysteriously and abruptly disinherited and cut off by their mother shortly after their father died. When Millie, Aubrey, and Jonah, the three teen-aged Story grandchildren, receive invitations to summer on the island and work at the resort, they have a variety of motives for accepting. Flashbacks to the lives of their four children and their privileged upbringing are interspersed with the accounts of the grandchildren, all of whom are keeping their own secrets. Fans ofMcManus’s intriguing, tightly constructed mystery and suspense tales will not be disappointed.

I'm a big Karen M. McManus fan and, in this new novel, she is on top form with a gripping and fast-paced mystery.

Twenty four years ago, fabulously wealthy Mildred Story abruptly disinherited her four children and the only explanation they got was a note saying “You know what you did.” Now Mildred has invited her three grandchildren, White Aubrey and Jonah and biracial Milly (White and Japanese) to tiny Gull Cove Island off the coast of Massachusetts to work in the resort that is one of her many properties on the island. The cousins barely know each other and they all have their reasons for wanting to finally meet Mildred and to have a summer away from home.

Secrets are revealed and twists are turned right from the start as the cousins start finding out more than they would like to know about their parents and the small Island community. Brittle Milly, sweet Aubrey, and bitter Jonah take turns to narrate the present and there are some interludes back to the past woven in. Fans of McManus’s previous school-set mysteries will lap this one up.

Thanks to Delacorte and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

My 12-year-old has been raving about Karen McManus for years. She devours each of her books and anticipates all new releases. When I had the opportunity to read The Cousins, I couldn't pass it up. This is my first McManus novel, and I don't often read YA (unless my daughter recommends a book for me), but I do love a good thriller. McManus delivers. This book has it all: A picturesque, upscale, small beach community, haves vs. have nots, family drama (in this case the wealthy Story family), romance, revelations, and twists. The book centers around three "cousins" Jonah, Milly, and Aubrey who have been invited to work at their estranged grandmother's resort for the summer. Oddly, the cousins, barely know one another and have never met their grandmother. Roughly, 24 years ago the grandmother "Mildred" disowned all four of her children. Her children--now the parents of Jonah, Milly, and Aubrey--have no idea what they did, but they certainly want to find out (and get in the good graces of their mother). So, the kids are forced to accept the invitation. The book goes back into time, with flashbacks from Milly's mom's point-of-view, and between the cousins. The flashbacks don't distract from the plot, rather provide little clues leading to the main reveal. The dynamic and budding friendship between Jonah, Milly, and Aubrey is relatable and tender, as all have suffered from the fallout of the Story family. The twists! McManus provides some page-turners that will definitely lead to gasps. I love how this book is YA but still totally engrossing for an adult. I also love that its adult but not necessarily MA-territory. I felt totally comfortable having my daughter read this. It really is a great summer read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Karen has done it again, I couldn't but this gem down! With all the family secrets, twists and turns, the end was truly a surprise. It was just the right mix of whodunnit, thriller, and somehow... spy? I will be purchasing quite a few copies for the library since this is sure to be a smash hit, just like One of Us is Lying was.

McManus has a writing style that always hooks me in and is just so enjoyable to read. This story is no different in that department and the plot twists got me again! It is a family mystery that gave me serious We Were Liars vibes, but in my opinion, it was better executed because it had more likable characters. I enjoyed following the multiple points of views and duo plot lines as the story unravels to its shocking ending. I forsee this being another popular book among JH and HS students, and I will definitely be adding it to my library!

Wow! This was a great read! I love the back and forth timelines, the different character perspectives. Lots of mystery and suspense, keeps you on your toes until the end. For any reader looking for a great mystery, this is the book for you!

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Great teen thriller; as fun to read as the author's well-known One of Us is Lying. I enjoyed the unpredictable story & felt we really got to know the characters. The setting is a lot of fun, and perfect for a summer read. Teens will love this book & I will certainly recommend it.

I did feel as though there was some attempted diversity with Milly being half-Japanese, but there was very little to differentiate her from her cousins. I felt as though her ethnicity was used as more of an accessory, or a token. This did not impress me.

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This story centers around three cousins that are virtual strangers.
Their parents were disinherited by their uber rich grandmother Mildred, via a cryptic letter, many years ago. The cousins have never met Mildred and have never known why she cut them all out of her life.
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Out of the blue, each of the cousins receive an invitation to come work at an island resort Mildred owns.
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Their parents are eager to be received back into Mildred’s good graces and see this as the opportunity to do so.
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Once they arrive at the island, mysterious things begin to happen. Secrets begin to emerge. Vendettas are revealed.
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I absolutely love Karen McManus. Her character development and storylines are masterful.
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✨Due out December 1, 2020✨

McManus is a crowd pleaser in my library, and I don't see that stopping any time soon. Teens will gobble this mystery up once it arrives.

This is one of those authors that never lets you down. It was engaging and gripping. I did not want to put this one down. so good. Amazing character development. Must read.

This is a fun, quick read. I didn’t figure it out until the ending. Definitely enjoyable and will read more by this author.

A solid teen mystery. I’m glad we’re getting more books in this genre. I can’t say it was totally unpredictable since I knew about halfway through who the villains were going to be but I still thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists. Good characters. Fantastic setting. The ending felt a little rushed after the slow burn of the rest of the story. I wanted to love the epilogue but I found the surprise more confusing than thrilling.

What I love about a McManus book is that, as you read it, you think you start to figure things out. And you might but only just a little bit because of all the twists and turns she throws at you. This book does not disappoint! It is the perfect summer read.

Thank you Get Underlined and Penguin Random House for providing me with an early copy!

So McManus is an amazing author. I love her mysteries and her twists and her characters. The thing I love most I would say is her last-liners. The last line of this book is just as good as the one in Two Can Keep a Secret (my fav of her books). I love the idea of a whole island being the setting of a mystery thriller, because no one can stay hidden for long. Absolutely loved this book and I’m anxious to see what McManus will come up with next!

Please note that I have shared on my IG stories that I loved this book, but do not have a way to do a post as I don’t have a way to do digital ARC photos. Still super loved this book!

Millie, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins who have never met. Before they were born, their wealthy grandmother disinherited their parents with the cryptic message “you know what you did”. But now, Grandmother has extended an invitation to her grandchildren to visit her for the summer at her private island resort. The cousins aren’t sure they want to go but they end up at the ferry together where things get off to a rocky and mysterious start. Why would their grandmother invite them and then suddenly leave the island? Who really knows the truth about what their parents did? Why do Millie and Jonah have an undeniable connection? Can Aubrey be brave enough to save them all from the truth of what really happened years ago? If you are a fan of One of Us is Lying, this story will leave you just as twisted! Kudos to McManus for another original suspense thriller!

This was such a fun read! It’s not a surprise that a Karen McManus book would have interesting characters and a compelling mystery. It’s just really nice when a favorite author gets better and better with each book. This book had me staying up waaaay past my bedtime and struggling not to peek at the last few chapters. I just wanted to know what would happen. I’d definitely recommend this to all my middle and HS teacher and librarian friends to stock in catherine libraries. Kids will love reading this book!