I just adore these books! I have recently just finished the 4th book; the cousins and I think it was my favourite yet! I totally fell in love with the three story cousins, especially Milly! Also I love how they all have sprayed edges to give them that extra touch.

The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:

You know what you did.

They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who's been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It's the Story legacy.

This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. But some secrets are better left alone.

I don’t know how I’m going to review this one. Karen M. McManus has done it again! The Cousins is quite simply brilliant! The book is mostly told from the perspective of cousins Aubrey, Millie and Jonah, who are the kids of the disinherited Storys. I was intrigued from the start, you don’t really know anyone, not everyone is who you think they are, and everyone has their secrets. Secrets that are just waiting to be revealed. I could not put this one down. I was so eager to know what happened that caused their parents to be disinherited, and all the smaller secrets that trickle out as events unfold. It was definitely worth losing sleep over.

There’s definitely a few unlikable characters, that in no way detracts reader enjoyment. By the end you can see why they were that way, why they came across as unlikable and I loved it! I’m not going to spoil who it is, I will say they became my favourite.

You might be wondering why my review is so vague, I think that’s the best way to go into this. It was more fun going into it not knowing what to expect. I definitely recommend giving The Cousins a read, especially if you love their previous books!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with this book.

It comes to a surprise for me as I enjoyed every other books I've read by this author, but I didn't like this one as much as I though. I don't really grasp why but I feel like nothing was unpredictable, the end for instance is really déjà vu. It lacked characterization and I couldn't empathize with the characters for that reason. Something about the plot was too easy and sometimes too random and I wished the author used a smarter way to deliver the story. Overall, it was not bad but I expected more, especially after the last books that were really good.

When Millie, Aubrey and Jonah receive an invitation from their insanely rich but reclusive grandmother who had disinherited their parents more than two decades ago, they did not know what to expect. What they certainly did not expect was to come face to face with the crazy, dark secrets of their dysfunctional family. This one summer changes everything for these three cousins.

While the premise and the overall plot of The Cousins had me intrigued, I found he first half of the book quite slow. While the story itself was moving forward, not many hints were given in relation to the main mystery – the reason for disinheritance. However, the plot picked up pace in the second half of the book and the ending was quite amazing and unexpected. The ultimate reveal is not easy to guess and much more complicated than it seemed at first glance.

The characters of Millie, Aubrey and Jonah are simplistic but their chemistry and banter were quite fun to read. While Millie and Aubrey hit off instantly, Jonah and Millie cannot even stand each other. Over the course of the book, the relationship dynamics of this trio sees a lot of changes, and goes in completely unexpected directions.

However, I do wish that the characters were more complex and layered. There was ample scope for character development in the first half of the book as the pacing was slow and not a lot was happening in the plot. A well-developed character arc would have definitely taken the entire experience of reading The Cousins a notch up for me.

Overall, The Cousins was a fun read with an intriguing storyline and an explosive climax!

This is by far one of my most favorite books by Karen McManus. I can't help but feeling that the major reveal is a big plot hole though. My concern is how could no one notice and it makes me wonder if anyone was ever close to the kid's mother for matters to go unnoticed. Despite this I still kind of enjoyed the book and how diverse the characters are considering this book has multiple point of views.

I was very nervous when I started reading The Cousins because I love Karen McManus’ other books so much and her writing style. I really wanted to love this book and I wasn’t disappointed at all!

The three cousins, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story all receive a mysterious letter from their grandmother. No one in the family has heard from her for decades after she cut ties with her all of her children. Now, without really a choice the three cousins are on a boat to Gull Cove Resort to work and meet their grandmother.

“I know what you did”

What I Loved
There were so many things in this book that I loved. The whole story is based on family secrets and lies which is very entertaining to read about. Especially all the drama that has happened to the Story family over the years. I loved all the characters, some more than others as well as the whole setting and vibe of the resort where the story takes place.

The Story
Gull Cove Resort has lots of tourists and permanent residents that have lived on the island for years. We find out a lot of information through these characters. I love this as you get more of a feel for the Island and the corrupt family from an outside point of view.

There is never a dull moment as something is always being revealed or happening. Whether it’s past or new secrets from the three cousins. There is always something to make you turn to the next page and carry on reading. The twists and turns were all tied up well and I even got that sunken feeling in my stomach about the creepiness when everything is finally revealed.

The Characters
The story is told from the perspective of four people. The three cousins Milly, Aubrey, Jonah, which is all present tense. But Allison, Milly’s mum, is set in the past when she is aged 18. I’ve always liked a dual perspective writing style and although I enjoyed reading from some of the characters points of view more than others, I still loved it.

They all had different personalities and although they were young, like in some young adult books, they weren’t irrational but they were actually extremely clever about the situation at hand.

Allison’s story was great and enjoyable to read as we learn a lot about the past and the secret that originally started this family feud. I wasn’t keen when we met Allison towards the beginning of the story because she seemed extremely spoilt and stuck up. But reading about her past made me like her character a lot more.

I still don’t know if I had a favourite character overall because they all learn and grow and they all have a lot of character development which I always love!

Overall Thoughts
Overall, I loved this book just as much as McManus’ other ones. It’s definitely one of my favourite books of the year because of the suspenseful twists and the characters just made me want to read on until I found out what happened. It’s a great mystery and thriller which is fun and completely addicting until the very end.

Rating: 5/5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Penguin and The Write Reads for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Story family is infamous. Wealthy and fractured, the four children of Mildred Story were disinherited with no explanation beyond a note that read ‘you know what you did.’ Except, they don’t, and have each become closed off in their other relationships as well as to each other. Over two decades later and the next generation is invited to Gull Cove Island for the summer. Their parents are not going to let the opportunity pass them by and soon cousins Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah are reluctantly on their way to the island for a summer they’ll never forget.

The cousins take it in turn to narrate the chapters, and Allison, Milly’s mother, also has some sections detailing the events of the year before her family were cut off. McManus sets the tone straight away, giving us a taste of each teenager’s personality, family relationships, and priorities. They each have their own secrets and varied thoughts on the Story family saga. The narrative style is chatty and believably youthful, although the voices lose some of their distinctiveness as the novel progresses.

There are a lot of twists and turns along the way as the cousins size each other up and wonder why their grandmother invited them to the island only to completely ignore them once they’ve arrived. Mildred herself is a bit of an enigma, largely absent but commanding a lot of attention. She has loyal advisers and you begin to wonder if she is being manipulated. The flashback sections show her struggling to keep up appearances after the death of her husband. Being in possession of a huge fortune, it’s not hard to imagine the vultures circling.

For the cousins, who have had very little interaction with their aunts and uncles, it’s disorienting being on the island, where the locals seem to know more about their family history than they do. Could it be that one of them holds the key to unlocking the Story mystery?

An enjoyable read that will keep you guessing throughout. All the smaller reveals help build suspense and ensure you’re never quite certain that all is as it seems. You see the cousins grow closer and support each other yet also lash out and accuse when their reality is thrown off kilter. The Story siblings may not come off as all that likeable but their offspring have fortunately avoided some of the less desirable family traits. Love, mystery, and murder collide in this YA thriller whose conclusion is more heart wrenching than I could have imagined.

The Cousin is a story about family that have greedy, envy and spiteful. It started with a letter that have been received by Milly, Aubrey and Jonah, the cousins to went to the Gul Cove Island for a summer jobs. They barely meet each other but they will now.

💭I love how the author put a family tree at the starting of the story coz it easy for me to refer when I started to confuse each of them. I am very bad in remembering characters name so this fam tree would be a very big help for me.

💭It’s a quite short story for me but due to heavy schedule I took a week to finish but I’m glad that I’ve done it.
Book review: The Cousins
By Karen M Mc. Manus

💭I can tell that this book not have much thriller but still it got me chills when the story becomes at a plot.

💭I am not following much on Karen’s books because it series and I am bad in series’s books uwu but I am excited with this one because it’s a stand alone!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this ebook in return with an honest review. This book already available at all good bookstores 😊

Can a mysterious family secret really be solved by three teens who don't really know each other very well? Lets hope so as they're all going to be stuck together on an island for the whole summer.

I love Karen's writing and while this is a very different feel than her other books it is just as gripping and well written. This book was more cosy family mystery than edge of your seat thriller but I still found it as riveting. I definitely had a good pretty close guess to what the main secret was but there was lots around it that I didn't work out and some things that made me oooh a lot.

The whole plot was really well done and super clever which I have come to expect from Karen's writing. The main characters each had a unique voice and I like how they developed throughout the story. I also liked seeing the grown ups too, especially Archer. His story I found quite touching.

Overall this was a strong story which I really enjoyed and am pleased to add to my collection.

So I don’t know about you but I have read every single book written by Karen McManus so when I got an email from Dave from The Write Reads about this blog tour I couldn’t say no. Now I can understand why this book is a bestseller and it’s only been out for 9 days.

This book follows 3 cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. Who get an unusual letter from there grandmother to join them at her hotel for the summer season to work. Little did they know there grandmother didn’t know anything about this letter. The story then follows on to the cousins trying to work out why there parents were disinherited from there grandmother 26 years ago. This book has so many twists and turns, the biggest one hit me at about 50% into the book and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this book to everyone who hasn’t read it yet.​

I absolutely loved this one. It is McManus’s best work yet. It had me hooked from chapter one and kept me turning the pages. Its really hard to talk about this book without Gushing. I have already confessed my love for McManus’ writing style, she has a fantastic way of pacing her mysteries to keep you engaged and reading, however, The Cousins topped them all. It just flowed. seeded with information, foreshadowing and reveals at all the perfect spots to hit there marks.

The main Characters of the Cousins were likable with distinct characters and voices. The all had there own journey to go on and I really liked that. I will admit at first I did get a little muddled in the parents generation with all the A names but once their voices had been established through the flashback scenes, they also were great and slightly detestable characters. The island itself was such a curious setting as well. I do wish we had gotten a little more time to explore the island, Catmint house and how the Cousin’s found there experience on the island but that is just my preference for worldbuilding. The story doesn’t need that detraction and I could picture the destination perfectly without the in depth exploration.

The plot itself is just fantastic. It has so many twists and turns and reveals none of which are outlandish, but make you go "damn it, of course", I honestly didn’t see half of them coming but they all made the story more enjoyable. I adored the way it all played out. I enjoyed the outcome for each character, the friendships and family relationships that were developed. It was just a really fun read. Honestly, has made it into my top books of the year.

Despite the huge amount of hype surrounding Karen M. McManus’s other novels, I hadn’t actually read anything written by her before, but I have wanted to check out her books for a while. When Dave announced the blog tour for The Cousins, it was the perfect opportunity to do so, and with such an intriguing blurb, that sounds exactly like the type of books I love to read, how could I possibly turn it down? Well, I can honestly say that I now understand the hype, and that this book definitely lived up to my expectations.

From the very beginning, this story really draws you in, with lots of mystery that instantly raises questions. It’s one of those books that you tell yourself “just one more page” but then you find out some new information that keeps you absorbed, and before you know it, it’s half an hour later and you’re still reading! There were so many secrets along the way, and I was desperate to find out all of the answers, and get to the bottom of the mysteries.

From first impressions, the cousins are an interesting bunch, but not alike in any way. I particularly liked Milly, especially her witty remarks and comebacks. I felt that she was the one that I could relate to the most. I liked Aubrey, but I wanted her to stand up for herself more, and Jonah initially came across as a bit of a dick (but I think that was intentional). It was interesting to see the different perspectives of each cousin, especially given their different backgrounds and personalities, but I really loved watching their relationship grow, and them coming together as one as the story progresses, and I even warmed to Jonah, who turned out to be quite a nice guy.

Wow, this book was jam packed full of twists, and shocking revelations, it was completely jaw dropping. I certainly never could have expected that ending, which was fantastic, it seemed to round the story up perfectly to then drop a cliff hanger right at the end. I enjoyed this book so much, and I really struggled to put it down. I will definitely be reading more of Karen M. McManus’s books in the future.

Once again, a massive thank you to The Write Reads and Penguin for allowing me to be a part of the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

I give The Cousins a 5 star rating!

Scintillating new mystery thriller from the ‘Queen of teen crime’ delivers deceptive plot twists.

#BookHaiku-

Cousins have secrets-

where there is truth there are lies

that strike like vipers.

BOOK ACROSTIC

Curious

Outsiders

Unravelling

Secrets

In

Nantucket inspired

Surroundings


Full review at

https://goodnighttoread.wordpress.com/2020/12/03/the-cousins-by-karen-m-mcmanus/

@Write_Reads @WriteReadsTours #UltimateBlogTour @writerkmc @penguinplatform

I really wanted to like this more. I’ve been so excited about a new Karen McManus novel since I finished Two Can Keep A Secret. I just love the way she writes and how she captivates me in her stories. Unfortunately, I didn’t find myself totally enthralled with this one. It’s a little different than her first two novels because there wasn’t really a death involved. Instead, it questions why the Story kids were disinherited and isolated from their Mother. So, when the three Story cousins were invited to work at the island resort, they all decide to go. I think I expected this novel to be more dark and have a lot more to it than it actually did. This story didn’t entice me the way I was hoping for and I found myself backtracking a lot because I zoned out and couldn’t remember what I was reading. The story itself wasn’t bad but I never had that feeling of, I need to know what happens next! This was the feeling I was missing from her story. It just seemed a little more plain than I came to expect from her. And then the ending, I didn’t feel like it was a huge reveal. Maybe if I was paying more attention throughout the book, I would have figured it out but once it was revealed… I didn’t feel like WOW! That was epic. Instead, I was like oh… okay. I do feel like this is a book I’m probably going to revisit a second time and hope that I enjoy it more.

The characters were actually pretty good in this book. Sometimes I find that YA Contemporary, it’s hard to connect with the characters because of my age difference. I don’t really take this into effect when I rate because of the intended audience. But I actually really enjoyed them. They weren’t whiny but they also didn’t seem overly ambitious for their age. All of their actions made sense and I really liked the time and thought that was put into them. There was one reveal of the characters that was my absolute favorite and I loved the direction it went for this story. This book dives into four different view points, the three cousins from the present and Allison from the past. It gave a unique perspective as the story is given from the past and present. I’m glad that Allison’s story wasn’t given too much as I felt like it would have taken away from the overall plot, but the little bits were perfectly woven in.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, The Cousins by Karen McManus was an okay read for me. I didn’t feel the connection with this book as I have with her previous ones. This is definitely going to be a book I revisit to see if I like it better a second time because I really did want to like it more. The story just never clicked with me and personally lacked the feeling of needing to know what happened next. Even though the story fell a little flat for me, I really did enjoy the characters. They seemed perfect for this story and everything they did was relatable. The twist with the cousins was definitely something I enjoyed more. I do recommend this book if you are a fan of mystery and Karen McManus. Unfortunately, I just don’t think I was quite ready for this one yet.

This is my very first book by McManus and I did enjoy my time with it. Although there’s some mystery going on, this book is really about wealthy family dynamics. Who doesn’t dream about being rich? What if your parents were super-rich but they have been disowned and claim they don’t know why. This story is about the three cousins who are dealing with the fallout.

This story is mostly told in the present but alternates between the three cousins. We also get a sprinkle of the past thrown in to help fill in what’s happened. I enjoyed getting all the different points of view throughout the book. My favorite of them all is Milly. She was entertaining and blunt. The other two would have been so lost without her.

This was written well and kept me interested. It was fast-paced and a quick read for me. What surprised me most was the ending! I did not see that coming. It’s definitely not an ending with a high note in some instances. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be super rich but then I think…. nope, I’m good. I’m not a limelight type of person, lol. This book puts that in perspective.

There are a couple of things I didn’t love about the book and that’s the romance and the pace at the end. I can’t get into the romance too much because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. Before I knew what was going on it was just hard to root for it. The pacing at the end was too fast. I wish we would have had a more fleshed out ending. There are times throughout the book where we jump several days ahead and I would have liked a little more meat in the middle. Maybe we could have had a few interesting secondary characters or friends.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I have had her first book on my radar for a while. I think it’s time that I pick that one up. I really enjoyed the mystery factor in this book and the characters were great.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the beginning and I just wanted to read one more chapter. I think my main issue was the characters and that I felt it harder to connect with them so I found it harder to be invested in their story and what happened to them. But it was still a good read.

My teenage daughter and I loved One of Us is Lying and recommended it to everyone we knew. Unfortunately, we do not feel any of her follow up books have measure up to it. I found this book to be quite laborious for the first three quarters and didn’t really care enough about any of the characters to be bothered about what happened to them to be cut out of their grandmother’s life. The twist was far too unbelievable. So disappointed.

Well, I made it through. This book went on for far too long, and by the time we got to the last twist, I just wanted the whole mess to be done with.

This one will definitely resonate with a specific target audience, which is not me. If you love the whole meandering cat and mouse game then this one is for you.

I’ll write something more when I’m done being bitter on the amount of days it took me to read this for such a lackluster ending (and well plot in general).

Thank you Penguin UK for providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

In 'The Cousins', Aubrey, Milly and Jonah are estranged cousins, brought together one summer by a mysterious invitation from their grandmother to work in her vacation resort. They uncover some deep family secrets, with a final dramatic twist.

I enjoyed the novel, the teenage characters were likeable and the plot moved briskly. Some of the plot twists were fairly predictable although the final twist was implausible rather than predictable, which did detract a little from the overall quality. Nevertheless, a likeable read.

The Cousins tells the story of Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story. These three cousins barely know each other because their grandmother cut off their parents from the family for no apparent reason. However, one day, the three cousins receive a letter to visit the island where their grandmother lives and work on her resort for the whole summer.

This is a YA mystery/thriller filled with family drama, secrets, and plot twists. But, from the start, it's easy to see where the story was going. This is my biggest problem with this story, and it may be because I’m too used to reading adult mystery/thrillers, so this one lacks in comparison. The plot twists are expected, the mystery’s explanation is something I’ve seen more than once, and it's meh because of it. The only thing I didn’t see coming is the ending, and it was not believable. It makes sense, but there’s no way it's executable for such a long time.

Writing-wise, it's easy to get through the story, especially since you follow four different POVs, the three cousins, and a flashback of Milly’s mother. This last one is crucial since it gives you a view into the personalities of the main Story kids and hints into what might have happened.

One problem is that it's difficult to pinpoint a timeline of events. You just go through the motions, jumping from one situation to the next, without knowing how long has it been. So I’m not sure how much time has passed between the beginning and end of th story.

The cast of characters is exciting, and I enjoy the motivations of all the main characters. Jonah’s is the most interesting, but I won’t get into it because of spoilers. Aubrey is a close second, with her growing bravery and will to ascertain her position with her dad and boyfriend. Again, it lacks development with the adults, but you shouldn’t expect it since it’s a YA novel.

Just a small note before the end, you’ll ship two characters together and feel bad about it. But, believe me, it will be solved. Just go with it.

This is a brief The Cousins book review, and at the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that YA mystery/thrillers don’t seem to be enough for me anymore. It’s an enjoyable read, but the plot twists are easy to see coming, and it just left me feeling meh.