A few twists and turns. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Was not expecting any of the twists. Lots of surprises. A really great read

I am a huge fan of Karen M McManus, but I feel compared to her other books, specifically One of Us is Lying, this was kind of lacking.
The story was quite unique, but this type of mystery just didn't personally appeal to me. At times it felt like it was more complex than it needed to be and for no other reason than to flesh out the book or try and make it more
"interesting" but it just polluted what would've been quite a good plot.
I did like the characters arc, and while there was some plot twists I didn't see coming, the final, big plot twist was a bit predictable.

Another brilliant mystery from Karen McManus. Our main characters are three cousins, who have never met their wealthy grandmother Mildred Story. Years earlier, she disinherited her children, their parents, with a letter which simply stated "You know what you did". Out of the blue, the cousins are invited by her to work for the summer at the island resort where she lives. Could a reconciliation be on the cards? The narrative skips between the three cousins points of view in the present and the past, the summer of 1996, where everything changed. This was a real page turner, full of secrets and lies, which kept me guessing until the end.

Karen McManus has done it again. Absolutely smashed it!

Another gripping book that I couldn’t put down. I kept wanting to carry on reading, even after it ended!

Although, Karen M. McManus’s other novels are extremely popular, this is the first novel I have read by her. Usually YA thrillers aren’t my thing as I have the (potentially wrong) preconception that they won’t be as gritty. With this novel I was definitely wrong for thinking it would be anything less than gritty and gripping!

The characters within this novel are so well written and felt like they could have been real people. The issue I sometimes have with thrillers is an overreliance on the plot rather than having characters with depth. This was no an issue in this novel at all. The characters were full of their own secrets and the attention to detail in the development of all of the characters really blew me away, especially for a YA novel.

I loved the way that this book was narrated. It swapped between each of the three cousins and a flashback narrative from one of the Story children at 18. I think this added depth to the novel and also helped with the pace as there were so many secrets that the characters were keeping from each other. Every character was suspicious in some way and I love that! I think thrillers with multiple perspectives work really well and this novel was no exception.

There were twists and turns throughout this novel and at no point was I bored. As a reader, you were constantly left guessing as to what the twists could possibly be. This meant that it was a fast paced novel that is perfect for anyone looking to get out of a reading slump. I read it in two days and that was around all of my uni work, I was finding it so hard to put down! It is such an engaging storyline and one that is also really easy to follow.

I pride myself in being good at predicting twists in novels and, not to be that person, but a lot of the time I’m right. However, this novel completely threw me for a loop. The ending left me shocked and even some of the smaller twists shocked me. I think this is one of the main reasons I loved this novel so much, I love being surprised.

Overall I would definitely recommend this novel to people of all ages. Although this is marketed and written for a YA audience, I do believe that adult readers will love this one too as none of the topics or dramas seem too juvenile. If you were a fan of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart then I am sure you will enjoy this novel!

I LOVED this book. It was only after I'd finished I discovered it's aimed at the YA audience. Did this detract my enjoyment - it certainly did not. Clever author! The writing is super sharp, the characters are smartly conceived, the setting is tantalisingly fabulous and the plot is deliciously satisfying. The Story family dynasty have dominated life on a discreetly swanky East Coast island. The four siblings Archer, Anders, Adam and Allison lived a gilded life growing up but when a friend drowns and the friend's girlfriend mysteriously dies a year later - all four received a letter from their mother stating 'I know what you did' and disinheriting them. Fast forward two decades later and cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah have received a formal invite from their grandmother to work on the island that summer. Curious, as the three have never met her, the three meet up and go. Life on the island quickly unravels and while the cousins are determined to discover why their grandmother cut her children off they quickly discover no one is who they seem. The perfect summer beach read for anyone 16-60.

A great read, an excellent next book for people who've just finished the Bayview series! The characters were fantastic, and I didn't see the end coming at all!

This is the first book that I have ever read by Karen McManus and WOW what a writer she is!!

First of all I love the cover of this book! As soon as I had read the blurb, I was keen to find out what exactly to Story children had done in the past, and what the Story grandchildren had in store for themselves 18years later. I knew immediately, we were going to be in for a ride, however, I wasn’t expecting to have so many twists and turns happen along the way.

Although in areas, I felt like the story dragged on and I was getting frustrated in due to me being so impatient and wanting answers, the unexpected twists and turns made up for it and I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting for another unexpected turn to take place.

I can’t really say what I want to about this book without giving anything away, but I would urge all YA and adults alike to give the book a read!

I am a big fan of thrillers, however, Iv not read very many YA.

I loved how this story was like no other story line iv come across before. I loved how it was unique, and unpredictable it was and I 100% look forward to reading more books by this brilliant author.

3.5 stars

I haven’t had the chance yet to read this author’s second and third book but I enjoyed her first novel, One of Us is Lying. That one really surprised me because it is in my least favorite genre, Young Adult Contemporary, and yet I enjoyed it. So when I was invited to be part of this tour, of course, I jumped at the chance. And just like One of Us is Lying, I enjoyed The Cousins too.

The Cousins features the Story family and the plot is centered in cousins, Jonah, Milly and Aubrey who received an invitation from their estranged grandmother to stay and work in the family’s property in an island. The cousins are not happy with the idea of meeting their grandmother but their parents basically forced them to go since their parents are still confused and wanting a reconciliation with their mother who disinherited them 24 years ago. But the cousins soon found out that so many secrets are surrounding their family and they are eager to discover everything.

It took me a while to get into the story mainly because I found the first few chapters filled with regular young adult scenes and exchanges that they don’t interest me much. I even found the characters a bit cliche when they were first introduced. But the mystery surrounding their grandmother really hooked me. I really wanted to find out so I kept going. And soon, I found myself more sucked in to the story and the intrigue.

The characters turned more interesting as well as the story goes. I found myself liking Aubrey, Milly, and Jonah. Though I think my favorite would be Aubrey. She’s really kind-hearted and even Jonah found her to be someone who would be a terrible liar. She has that pure aura, which is a bit in contrast to Milly. Milly is the typical socialite teenager but I love her. The author made her appear to be sensible and not vain. She’s a girl who enjoys good things, that’s all. Jonah…Well, I don’t want to talk about him for reasons you will soon find out in the story.

The entire plot is interesting. I wouldn’t call it common but I also wouldn’t call it refreshing and unique. It’s just intriguing and would kept your interest till the end. Though for me, the last quarter of the book is the best part. The pace leading to the resolution certainly kept up. The twists are okay. The very first twist was so easy to guess. I wasn’t surprised at what Milly found out in the first quarter of the story. The same goes for the big reveal. I wasn’t surprised, mainly because that kind of “secret” have been used at least three times throughout the book. Though I think, it’s not that the author run out of an idea on how to conceal things, maybe the forst two are just hints about the big reveal.

Despite the big reveal not being too surprising, I still find this book very engaging. I liked the way the author wove all the elements of her story. The plot is certainly multi-layered. I also like the sub-plots especially the ones about the main characters. I would’ve liked their backgrounds explored more. There are more side characters in the entire story and most of them are related to the big secret and the past storyline and I think the author did a great job with them because most of them are well-developed. There’s a bit of romance and if you’ve been following me for a while now, then you’ll know I’m a sucker for romance in my reads no matter the main genre is.

I've read all of Karen McManus' books and so far I think this was my favourite. The 3 cousins were all interesting, well developed characters so I found it easy to get lost in their story. The family drama was captivating and mysterious and I loved how it all played out. A really good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me access this title in return for my honest review.

I wanted to get my hands on this book since I knew it was coming out, having read all of the books released by Karen already I love her writing style and would recommend anyone to pick up those previous titles if really enjoy Young Adult titles.

The Cousins follows three cousins who are sent a letter from their estranged Grandmother, and they go to stay with her for the summer. The characters in this were well written, and easy to follow. The book is written in 3 different POV's and then you get flashbacks to the parents and this runs alongside with the mystery.

The plot was steady and there where a few twists but my only critism was that the plot twists came maybe a little too early and I was disappointed at this, the intrigue was definitely there but I had been able to guess most of what was going to happen. Otherwise this was another great fast paced, well written mystery so a solid 4 starts.

Karen M. McManus stole my heart and my sleep when she released One Of Us Is Lying. I was obsessed and she instantly became an auto-buy author.

That being said, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in The Cousins. I had high expectations and unfortunately, this book wasn't everything I wanted it to be. Unfortunately, it felt a bit slow for me and it was hard to connect with the characters. There were some twists in there that had me shooketh but nothing wowed me! But I'm still glad I read it!

Three cousins who barely know each other due to a family feud all wind up working on their family island resort with no idea why they're really there. They try to figure out the real reason for the secret family feud, and along the way bond. These cousins want to find out what a mysterious letter sent to their parents meant "you know what you did".

I'm not the biggest fan of YA thrillers but this one was pretty good. It was a nice pacy read with some interesting characters that i wanted to learn more about. Things about the family in general and these specific cousins are slowly revealed through the book. A lot of the twists were easily guessable but this didn't really spoilt the book for me. I really enjoyed how the three cousins all reacted to each other, slowly going from dislike to a really bonded group.

Overall this is an entertaining book even though you need to suspend your disbelief at some of the things that happen. There are some plot points in the book that are a little shoe-horned in. But on the whole not a bad read.

Any fan of Karen McManus' previous titles will fall for The Cousins from the outset. Though very different, the Story cousins are cut from the same cloth - and that cloth has a secret. It's up to the three teens to figure out why, out of the blue, their estranged grandmother has asked them all to come work at her resort for the summer.

In classic McManus form, twists and turns abound in this story, and the reader gets to see it from all three points of view. I love the way she writes and draws out the mystery a little at a time, making you want to go back and start the book again immediately to find the hidden clues. McManus is the queen of the YA mystery, and The Cousins is no different - a knockout from start to finish!

Das neue Buch von Karen McManus hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Die drei Cousins Millie, Aubry und Jonah erhalten von ihrer Grossmutter eine Einladung zu einem Sommerjob auf einer Ferieninsel Die drei Cousins nehmen die Einladung an und treffen sich auf der Insel zum ersten Mal. Es gibt ein der Familie ein paar Geheimnisse, welche die drei nun lösen möchten. Der Twist zum Ende kam unerwartet und hat die Geschichte in ein völlig anderes Licht gerückt.

So this is my first Karen McManus book, which I know is strange since "One of Us Is Lying" was such a popular book.

I feel like I can understand why every loves her so much. In Cousins, there is a lot of family intrigue, secrets and mysteries everywhere you look, or I guess everywhere you read.

I enjoyed every part of this book. The beginning feelings when we are introduced to the 3 cousins to the that ending. There's a whole gambit of emotions which is rare for a young adult novel.

I loved that Karen Mcmanus doesn't shy away from difficult topics even though it's not an adult novel. Teenagers are way more aware than most authors, or people for that matter, give them credit for. There are themes of lying, addiction, sex, greed, and murder. All of these issues are dealt with perfectly for the age group and even myself as an adult felt totally engaged throughout.

It did slow down a little bit in parts, but I don't think there was anything that should have been removed. There were so many types of characters, that I was happily entertained by them all.

Definitely worth a read if you like YA mystery.

Ever since I read this authors first book One Of Us Is Lying I have followed all her books barr 1 so far and know I am in for a treat. I have loved them all and this did not disappoint either. It is a cleverly written young adult story with some evil, manipulative and dangerous characters. 

I was hooked. The story focuses on three cousins Milly, Jonah and Aubrey and how their family have many hidden secrets spanning years back whilst also including there own secrets now. Took me a while to understand it all and figure it out alongside the other three characters above but we got there. AND BOY I DID NOT EXPECT THAT OUTCOME! Wow.

Karen sure knows how to get her readers gripped! It's a real page turner and I loved it. Loved the island it was set on and the main three cousins working together. A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend.

Overall this was disappointing, with the climax stretching credulity which distorts the whole book. The characters were too perfect, the adults too flawed and the privilege too poorly considered. I loved The Inheritance Games and I think reading these close together has influenced my opinion of this inferior book. The "disguises" and mistaken identities were barely more than false moustaches, what wouldn't work on screen doesn't work on the page, and the "romance" is incestuous and weird. I wasn't a massive fan of One of Us is Lying, again finding the mystery lazy, but gave McManus the benefit of the doubt as she'd time to hone her craft. That book's pretty solid character work is undone here and I wouldn't recommend.

The synopsis and the start of the book were so intriguing, I was instantly hooked and I didn’t want to stop reading.

This book is told from the points of view of the 3 main characters, as well as some flashbacks to the past. I am really enjoying all the POV’s, although I am sometimes having a small amount of dificulty telling the difference between Milly and Aubrey.

I am also really enjoying the flashback scenes. They are providing some interesting context in a fun way.

I love the island setting, and all the descriptions of the amazing views. It’s really making me miss going abroad!

There is also a certain situation happening (not a major plot point, I think, but I won’t specify just to be on the safe side) that I am finding really relatable, and reading about it is actually really comforting.

The Story family is the royalty of Gull Cove Island. The family is the owner of the resort, which makes them famous around the island. However, they also have a huge scandal in their history. After the sudden death of Abraham's Story, everything changes for the Story children. Allison, Anders, Adam, and Archer are disinherited. No one knows the reason for it. The only explanation they received was the letter saying, “You know what you did”.

After twenty-five years after the scandal children of Allison, Anders and Adam received an invitation from their grandmother Mildred Story to visit her on the island and work in the resort. Even if they don’t want to go, their parents pressure them to do so.

Milly, Audrey, and Jonah arrive together on the island. However, the grandmother isn’t too happy to see them. She’s surprised to see them and isn’t too welcoming for them. They try to use the time on the island to discover who invited them to the island and why their parents were disinherited.

Review:
Milly, Audrey, and Jonah are completely different from each other. The only thing that is similar in their lives is the relationships with their parents. Perfect Story siblings are not as perfect as everyone is picturing them and they know it better than anyone else. Audrey and Milly accepted the invitation in the hope to finally meet and be close with a woman they heard so much about. However, Jonah has his won purpose in this trip that surprised me as much as it surprised Milly and Audrey.

Milly is pictured as a beautiful and confident girl, who’s not scared of anything. However, there is much more in her that no one knows. She’s struggling with being abandoned. Her mom keeps her distance for a long time now. Her parents got divorced and her grandmother doesn’t even want to meet her. She lived her life hearing about how proud she should be of being in the Story family, what for me was comical. Everyone repeats that there is no one like them but by having a close look, you can see how broken they all are. There is nothing special about them. However, you can always paint the picture far from reality. I think Milly and Jonah discover that very quickly, however, Audrey can’t stop looking for approval from her family. Milly is the only one who sees to find out who brought them to the island and why their parents were kicked out. However, she didn’t do enough through most of the book to find any necessary information.

Audrey needs approval from every single person in her life. She doesn’t think about what she needs, just what others need. She doesn’t even see when someone is treating her in a way she doesn’t deserve. She will do anything that makes other people happy no matter what. She would love to be more like Milly but it’s not that easy for her. However, thankfully the summer in Gull Cove Island opens her eyes and shows her that she deserves better and that it’s time to show other people she doesn’t need them. Jonah, on the other side, has some other issues. I can’t say much about him because anything I say can be a spoiler, but I can tell you that I like him very much.

Overall, I like this book. It’s not the best book I read this year but it’s good. It’s a similar type as the Inheritance Games, however, it wasn’t as tricky. The only thing that disappointed me in this book, was that throughout almost all books, there were not that many clues on their ways. I thought they will spend more time in Story’s house so they can learn some little details about the past. They found some small things, but it was mostly given by someone else. I hoped that the book will be trickier but well, most of the time expect too much. The only thing that saved this book was the ending, which was phenomenal. It won this book 4 stars, instead of three.

I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to this blog tour. I’m a little bit late because I was pretty busy this week and couldn’t finish writing this review on time. I hope you enjoyed it though and you will come back to read more of my reviews!