The Cousins by Karen McManus was a bit different than the other McManus books but it ends up being as twisted and intense in the end! Once again, a book I couldn’t put down! And I want more! What does that thing at the end mean?!?

I didn't love this one like I did One of Us is Lying, but this was still an enjoyable mystery. It's paced a little on the slow side, which was frustrating, but some of the twists would've changed the story if they were revealed earlier. I will be recommending this to teens in my library.

“There’s something dangerously seductive about Story secrets; they snake their way into your heart and soul, burrowing so deep that the very idea of exposing them feels like losing a part of yourself.”
— The Cousins, Karen M. McManus

Rating: ❄️❄️❄️❄️/5

The Cousins is a story of, well.. cousins. Aubrey Story, Jonah Story, and Milly Takahashi-Story, offspring of three of the infamous Story children, are out-of-the-blue invited to spend their summer working at a resort on Gull Cove Island. This island is owned by their estranged grandmother Story, who 24 years before, unceremoniously cut off her four children without explanation. Now, their children are being welcomed into the fold, but why? This family is full of secrets, and the three Story cousins will spend the summer attempting to unravel them, while trying to hold onto their own.

Karen M. McManus did it again. She has officially become an auto-buy author for me. This book was full of twists and turns, major reveals and stunning revelations, surrounding a large mystery that pulls you in from the very first page and makes you want to keep reading. What began as a story about three cousins who hardly know each other being thrown together for an entire summer quickly turned into a tale of family ties, greed, and the secrets and lies that bind them.

If you haven’t read any Karen M. McManus, I highly recommend her! She is the epitome of YA mystery.

Karen McManus writes the best, and most twisted, mysteries, and The Cousins is no exception. Three cousins, Aubrey, Jonah, and Milly story have never met their grandmother, yet they are invited to spend the summer working at her island resort. Their grandmother unceremoniously disinherited her children from the Stone family fortune before her grandchildren were even born, so the letter inviting the cousins to the island is seen as a way to get back into her good graces. However, when Aubrey, Jonah, and Milly arrive, they find that not everything is quite so clearcut. Their summer jobs are in question, and they have to uncover some pretty dark family secrets...including why their grandmother even invited them in the first place. Told from three POVs, we unravel the mystery along with the cousins.

This is the first book I've read by Karen McManus and it was excellent. Her books are very popular with my middle school students and I have no doubt that THE COUSINS will be as well. The Story family live on the Gull Cove island and own an elite resort that caters to the wealthy and famous. Years ago Mildred Story disinherited her children with a cryptic letter - "You know what you did." High-school students Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah are cousins in their teens. They barely know each other yet find themselves invited to Gull Cove for a summer program. Their parents basically order them to go in hopes of getting back into Millicent's good graces. The summer starts off strange and gets stranger as secrets that have been buried for a generation are uncovered and the cousins must fight to stay on the island and try to learn the truth about their family.

The Cousins is very well written, fast-paced and suspenseful. There was some under-age drinking and marijuana use but otherwise this books is well-suited for mature middle school students and older. I enjoyed it myself and had difficulty putting it down. I appreciate the chance to read an ARC and I look forward to reading McManus's other books.

I read this book for the Bad on Paper Podcast Book Club, even though I'm not always interested in thrillers. This one got me hooked, it was a great twisty-turny read through an affluent Martha's Vinyard-esque summer community. I wish the ending had offered a bit more satisfaction, but it was a very enjoyable read.

I officially declare that I have to read anything written by Karen McManus. Tightly-woven plots and twisty reveals make The Cousins a blast to read.

Karen McManus does it again in this spectacular edge-of-your-seat mystery. Everything you thought you knew what was happening, another twist came out of nowhere. I loved this book and have already recommended it to several of my colleagues.

Culturally, we have something of a fascination with the hyper-wealthy. It seems like even their troubles are more glamorous than ours. So books like this one pick those perceptions apart. This one has some twists. The parents were disinherited, so the titular cousin's own backgrounds are diverse and each brings their own baggage to the investigation. These elements are compelling. The actual investigation is less so. What starts with a normal secret cover-up quickly becomes far less realistic. The ending wraps up in a tidy package, again less satisfying.

The Cousins tells the story of three cousins who are summoned to spend their summer with their grandmother. They don't know their grandmother and their grandmother has disowned all four of her children (and by association, her grandchildren).

So, suspend disbelief and accept the fact that these three cousins have no idea what each other look like (?!?) or what their grandmother looks like. Yet, they head to an island to meet her, each with their own reasons for going.

Of course, there was an incident that occurred 24 years ago and the kids find out about it and investigate. Of course, this doesn't go over well with the family and drama ensues.

This book is very much in line with McManus' other works. She writes a solid YA mystery book that isn't violent or graphic and has characters that are relateable. The book alternates point of view from Aubrey, Milly and Jonah, the cousins. Personally, I liked Milly and her story, as she was sharp-witted and seemed to figure out what was going on. Aubrey seemed a little too boring until the end where she did a 180 and was very forceful.

Overall, the book is decent, and another solid YA book from McManus.

McManus continues to thrill with her newest mystery/suspense.. The twisting plot keeps readers guessing while the characters are interesting and nuanced.

Karen McManus pulled me into the Story’s family drama, secrets, and deception! The Cousins will keep you guessing and leave you shocked! Must Read!!

Blood is thicker than water but blood stains the deepest. For cousins Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story, family has not always had the strongest ties. Their parents belong to a wealthy family that they have never know until now. But what is so special about this summer and are the intentions innocent or sidious? The Cousins is a look into the dynamics of family and how a hierarchy may exist to keep individuals distant and feed the competition. McManus sets up the perfect distant family that includes money, prestige, and power to entice the reader to keep turning the page. But as the plot continues to advance, the mystery starts to unravel and become less intriguing. With every clue found the plot seems to be weak and the characters not fully formed. This only makes the plot seem rather slow and stutters at times. The characters are weak and do not allow for enough self revelation to connect with them. The twist is not quite surprising but raises the question; HOW COULD YOU NOT RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN MOTHER!!!! This would have been remedied by having a flashback to the uncanny resemblance between the characters. People may look similar but identical where their own children and long time staff would not recognize?

Karen McManus has been turning out solidly twisty thrillers since her debut novel “One of Us Is Lying(This link opens in a new tab).” And she continues that trend with her latest teen title “The Cousins(This link opens in a new tab).” Mystery has long surrounded the legendary Story family since the matriarch cut off her children with no explanation. The only communication was a letter with this sentence: “You know what you did.”

Almost 25 years later, another letter is sent to the youngest generation. First cousins Mildred, Jonah, and Aubrey receive a request by their grandmother to spend the summer working at the family island resort in New England. Is the real reason an effort to get to know them finally or is it something a bit more ominous?

This book brims with many dark secrets from each generation. They slowly get revealed as the narration shifts from cousin to cousin. In addition, flashbacks from their parents offer more clues to what is happening in the troubling present. It’s a thrill ride with plenty of twists and turns right up to the end. It is a haunting look at the ties that bind.

A very well written mystery that dives into the complexities of the Story family. Why did Mildred ban her children from her life? What did they do and why are her grandchildren now being asked to return? This has three current POV's from Milley, Aubrey and Jonah. Then there is a past POV of Allison which is Milley's mother. This made for a very fast paced book full of family secrets to uncover. I am giving The Cousins 4 out of 5 stars.

REVIEW: The Cousins by Karen McManus
*thank you to Rockstar Book Tours, the author, and publisher for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
We follow three cousins, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, who grew up far apart with almost no connection but their murky family history. They are the grandchildren of Mildred Story, the rich and mysterious dweller of an island where the Cousins have been invited to work her resort for the summer out of the blue. Regardless of their wishes, for their parents accepting the invitation is a nonstarter, especially if they can finally find out why they were disinherited with no explanation all those years ago. When they arrive, it is clear that the secrets of their families past aren’t the only secrets being kept and nothing is as it seems.

The Cousins is a fact paced page turner full of dark family secrets that hook you in from the stark. This instantly became a top thriller of the year for me. It was the perfect combination of rich elites, dark twists, found family, and all set on a luxurious remote island. I loved seeing all the different POVs come into play, especially as the past became entwined with the present. I loved Milly’s character and how she was so authentic and deeply motivated by more than by any surface level whims that may be assumed from her front. Aubrey’s character growth was also so satisfying and I was rooting for her. While being a little dramatic at times, I still loved Jonah too. Also, I adored the romance plot too, even though I almost wanted to yell at my book for some *reasons*. Even when I felt that I was figuring things out, the ending swept in with twist after twist. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new thriller to pick up!

Oh this Book.
I was really looking forward to it. Loved all the other books of McManus, so I was pretty sure, I would love this one too.
Shame is, I didn’t. Not at all.
I hope for a murder mystery book again. With lots of twists, suspense and stuff. Got nothing of that.
I felt more like Denver Clan meets Dallas. Quite boring family drama, love and misunderstandings. At around 65% it got a bit more thrilling, but after some pages I just knew what the big plot twist would be.
Got to the plot twist / reveal and it was like I expected.
So, if you’re looking for a Murder Mystery with lot of suspense, this is not your book. It’s more drama, romance and annoying teenage misunderstanding stuff. A modern Denver Clan.

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.