The Cousins by Karen McManus | Reviewed by Michelle

The Cousins | Karen McManus| Delacorte Press | Pub: 12/1/20

This was my first Karen McManus book, and it did not disappoint. I love mystery books; I would probably say it is my favorite genre. While there were no riddles to solve like in other books I have read, there was still a lot to solve.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah are cousins who don’t really know each other because their parents kind of went their separate ways after being disinherited. Mildred Story, also known as Gran, has sent each of the cousins a letter asking them to come work at her resort for the summer so she can get to know them. So why is Mildred Story so surprised to see them on the island when they get to her resort? What happened all those years ago to make Gran disown her four children?

There were some parts that were a little easy to guess and some parts that I didn’t guess but overall, I loved the storyline and the conclusion. It ends with a slightly creepy letter from someone you meet in the story and I am just like OKAY weird.

Each chapter was a different cousins’ perspective and then sometimes Milly’s mom’s perspective was thrown in as well. I really did love the cousin relationship building in the book. It was kind of weird at the same time because I am close with basically all of my cousins (I have 4 cousins on each side of the family plus I am friends with some of my third cousins). So, to see them getting to know each other after having not seen each other since they were really young was just so interesting to me. And each cousin is so different from the next! I loved that they weren’t all similar people.

If you like mystery books and YA books, I recommend this book. I have another Karen McManus book on my shelves, One of Us is Lying, and plan to read that this year as well. I’ll also be adding her other books to my TBR.

Synopsis (Credit: Goodreads)

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised... and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You'll never feel the same about family again.