This is sure to appeal to Karen McManus's fans. A good thriller. Young, rich and attractive but yet there is a mystery to be solved.

Kept me guessing right until the very end!
Every time you think you've figured out the mystery of the Story family, new twists come to life and muddy the waters. Genuinely likeable and believable characters draw you in, I was so invested in what was happening I could hardly put the book down.
Karen McManus is already one of my favourite authors but she's really outdone herself this time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy.

So, listen. I know it would make me sound a lot fancier to say I love reading highbrows books, and all of that.
But, truth? Truth is, I'm a sucker for easily read books. It gives my easily overwhelmed brain a nice break, and it's just, you know, a pleasure to read.

So, yes, YA thrillers are the perfect read for me. And, obviously, Karen McManus just can't be missed when we're talking about YA thrillers.

I really liked One Of Us Is Lying, and One Of Us Is Next. For some unknown reason, I havent read Two of Us Can Keep A Secret yet, and shall do that ASAP.
My whole point here is that, when I saw Karen McManus' name, it didn't take me a second to ask for a copy.

And yet.... I am slightly disappointed.

This has all the elements of a good YA thriller.
A nice setting – an island from which you can't escape, a luxury manor, what else could we ask for, really?
A good and solid set of characters, who all have their flaws and qualities. Jonah, Aubrey and Milly are all convincing teenagers and act like teenagers – sometimes, it has to be said, quite stupidly, but it's easy to forgive them.
It has the romance, because it just *has* to have a romance (I could've done without, but then again, I'm weird).
It has the multiple plot twists, which will make your jaw drop and your eyes widen.

And despite all this, I didn't close the book thinking "Waow! I loved it".
I think it's partly because I saw the final plot twist coming, which, obviously, makes for quite an underwhelming (though still enjoyable) last pages.
It's also because family stories tend to bore me quite a bit in thrillers, which is a very personal thing. Where some readers might love reading all about family drama, I'll just meh at it. Possibly because I'm sporting quite a crazy family, myself.

And finally, and here, I'm looking at ALL OF YOU aspiring and already established writers.
Please, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE, stop naming your characters with such similar-sounding names. I get that there's this tradition in the book's family of naming each kid with a name starting with A, but holy crap, it just completely lost me.
I am begging you, choose names that sound completely different. Archer and Anders sound too much alike.

Anyway, all of this summarised, I can pretty safely say that a lot of people will like this book. It's got all the necessary elements to a good YA thriller, and many readers will love the characters and the twists.
For me, it just didn't quite work like I was expecting it to. Sometimes, that happens!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it felt different from previous books written by Karen Mcmanus and I think that difference is incredibly well received. She knows how to leave you guessing right until the very end of the plot while continually learning and empathising more with the main characters.

When I saw that this title was available, I jumped at the chance to read it. Having enjoyed previous books by this author, I was looking forward to seeing what was next. I was not disappointed!

The mystery and relationships between the cousins is wonderful, and I couldn’t tell how it was all going to end. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to my customers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children's UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are great and the plot is really clever with a great twist.
Anyone who wants to read crime teen or adult this book is perfect.

Cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, with grandmother they never met. But grandmother obviously never contacted them, as she terminated every contacts with her children, so who did and what is the secret behind Story family?

So well written, thrilling and joy to read!

A delicious, dark and twisty narrative dripping with the old money of New England as three estranged cousins are brought together only to discover that everyone has secrets, some even have secrets that they would kill for.
Another brilliant page turner from an author I just can’t get enough of, great characters, a mind blowing double narrative and the type of ending that you won’t see coming. Great stuff.

McManus doesn’t disappoint in her 4th novel Cousins. Intrigue and mystery abound as we are drawn into the hidden past of the Story family.

I loved the structure of the novel, which is told 1st person, changing character and timeline with each chapter which allows us to really get to know and root for each of the cousins. I especially liked how when the novel jumps back in time we are shown how the main characters’ parents are feeling when they were the same age their children are now. McManus cleverly mirrors the emotional feelings the characters experience in the parallel narratives, while weaving a thrilling mystery complete with a plot twists.

Three cousins, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah are invited to spend the summer on the island where their estranged, wealthy grandmother lives. They grudgingly accept the invitation, not only to earn some money working on their grandmother's resort, but also to uncover the secret behind why their parents were disinherited and banished from the island before they were born.

Family secrets, mind-blowing twists and a little bit of romance. What more could you want from a YA mystery?

Thank you #NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children's UK for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Karen McManus knocks it out of the park once again! The story takes cliches and flips them around into an unpredictable twist. The message that I got the most out of it all was that family doesn't mean blood. Family means whatever you make it and often it far better than the ones we are born into. The mystery aspect of it all definitely surprised me at the end and I must say that I was cackling deliciously at the end knowing that the 'Story kids' got what they deserved. And also I found that the morality of people getting away with horrible actions was really realistic and touched me deeply. Loved the writing and am looking forward to buying it when it comes out!