I always really enjoy books by this author and this is one that had intrigued me and been on my anticipated Gems for months. 
I definitely haven't been disappointed, this is a book which has been completely worth the wait and anticipation.
This is unique and intriguing from the very beginning. McManus has created a well-written and interesting novel which I have devoured in just one sitting. 
I love this author's other books but this one has definitely been my favourite. I have been completely unable to put this down. A definite five star read.

The Cousins is a fascinating story of family dynamics, drama, mystery, and more.

The story is told from three main POVs. Aubrey, Milly, and Jonah take turns spinning the tale of a family torn apart by secrets. We also get an occasional flashback scene from Millie’s mother, Allison.

The characters are written to pull emotion from the reader. The three cousins suffer for their parents’ sins, and the parents have never reconciled to their disinherited fate.

The pacing was steady throughout the book but intensified rapidly in the last quarter of the story. It kept me turning page after page as I tried to unravel the mysterious past and how it tied together with present happenings.

A resort island off the east coast makes up nearly the entirety of the setting. Quaint shops and town features bring Gull Cove Island to life. I would love to visit this fictional vacation spot if only residents didn’t turn up dead so often.

This book is the first I’ve read from Karen McManus, but it won’t be the last. I recommend The Cousins to lovers of twisted family dynamics, mystery, murder, and suspense.

You know what you did…

Those five words were the last each of the four Story children heard from their mother before disinheriting them. Those five words, written on a single sheet of paper, one for each child. Five little words and then nothing. Not for over 20 years.

The Cousins is the latest book by Karen M. McManus, author of the equally thrilling One of Us is Lying. Again we are met with secrets and lies. Of half truths and where what lies on the surface is on the beginning. And where even those who proclaim innocence aren’t as innocent as they might seem.

The Cousins is told from a variety of viewpoints. Not only are there chapters told from each cousin’s point of view, there are also several chapters from summer/fall of 1996 – just before the four Story children are disinherited. I will not say just who narrates those particuar chapters, just that their addition gives some very good insight as to why what happened did.

The main characters of The Cousins are the three cousins themselves; Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah. I found them all to be quite likeable. Each is a well rounded and well thought out character. Written in a believable manner where like almost every one else, they too have something to hide. Each one is a product of the background and upbringing and their actions through out the novel reflect that.

My only real complaint was while the main characters of the three cousins were well rounded, the same could not be said of the secondary characters. I honestly would have liked to have seen more of the original Story children as older adults along with the flashbacks that we see them in. The same can also said for the grandmother, I would have really liked to have seen more of her aside from the very brief glimpses we are given. While I understand that McManus could only include so much background before inundating us, I still would have liked to have had a least a little more.

In the end though, I enjoyed reading The Cousins. I found it to be a very entertaining read and had a good time trying to put the puzzle pieces together just as the cousins themselves were trying to do. Readers who have enjoyed McManus’ other books will enjoy this one and those who are new to her work should definitely give it a try. It was a fun read and I look forward to going back and reading more of her stuff.

I really enjoyed this story of the Story cousins. There are quite a lot of twists, few of which I expected.

Milly was my favourite of the three, but Aubrey definitely had the most growth throughout the book. I warmed to her fantastically towards the end of the book.

The Cousins is an engaging Y/A mystery thriller centered around the illustrious Story family, over the course of a summer with twists and turns galore. This is the first book by Karen M. McManus I’ve read so I went in with no expectations or preconceived notions about her writing style or the story and I quite enjoyed this book. I know the author is well known for writing another Y/A thriller called One of Us is Lying which I’ll be reading soon, so fingers crossed I like that one just as much. I wanted to also say a big thank you to The Write Reads Tours for asking me to be part of this blog tour, providing an ARC & being such a great platform as always!

One of my favourite things about this book was definitely how the mystery element plays out, switching between past and present. This is a format which needs no introduction and is super common, I think it was used well here and definitely helped to ramp up the tension and sense of mystery further. There’s one big ‘secret’ in the plot, which is why the Story matriarch, Mildred Story disowned all her children with no notice save an ominous one liner ‘You know what you did’ which is at the heart of the book. I liked that while this was the central point, there were also many other plot threads which all interlinked so seamlessly and added a lot to the story without it feeling too busy.

I also liked the three main characters, which is great since we get to read from all of their perspectives as well as some of the more secondary characters. Aubrey, Jonah and Milly are all likeable characters and I really liked the close relationship the cousins form with each other, and how this develops over the course of the novel. Estranged family dynamics is not one I’ve read a lot of in the books I usually read so it was something different for me. In particular I really enjoyed the fact that both Milly and Aubrey – whose parents have been distant and critical their entire lives – were able to form such a great friendship and become so in tune with each other. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, female friendships done right are some of the most enjoyable things to read, so I liked how both girls got to a good point, despite some minor roadblocks along the way.

Speaking of the relationships in the novel, I also liked how much of a clear divide there was between the somewhat idyllic childhood of the cousins parents and the stark difference to their own upbringings. I always like it when books have this sense of contrast and show the passage of time in whatever way and this was done so well here. Especially because we get to read through some of the parents perspectives and see what they were like when they were younger, in comparison to their older selves, this was quite interesting. It adds so much more depth to the story and makes you wonder how they got from point A to B.

I also want to note that there are certain things about the book which would be strictly in spoiler territory so I won’t be able to mention certain things that happen so I’m trying to be as vague as possible here! I totally want to gush about it all, but in the interest of anyone who might be wanting to check this book out, I’ll control the urge. If you’ve read the book already you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Overall, The Cousins was a page turner which I can see being a popular pick for a summer read or on the plane or beach, or because of the current state of the world and the UK being in lockdown, a fun mystery to curl up with from the comfort and safety of your own home! I would definitely recommend this book to any readers who want a clever, fun new Y/A thriller to dive into.

Rating 3.5/5

I was really looking forward to this book after very much enjoying another of the author's books earlier this year. Family secrets are always a big draw for me add to that a reclusive grandmother and of course all the drama that an inheritance can bring, so I was excited going in.

The cousins is written from four points of view from the cousins themselves, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah in the present day but also from the past through Allison’s point of view. The voices of each character were really clear and I liked the occasional glimpse into the past, whilst it helped to build the suspense it also gave us a bit more insight into the Story children.

I really liked the chemistry between Milly, Aubrey and Jonah, they are all very different but what starts as a forced union quickly becomes real friendship. They all have some issues with their families and it was nice to see how they manage to support each other and create a family bond where there wasn’t one. I did like that it wasn’t entirely plain sailing for them though and there are some situations that put a strain on what they are building, it made it feel genuine and added extra angst here and there.

True to form there were quite a few unexpected twists and turns in this story and in no way had I figured out anything before it was revealed, however, I didn’t feel like these had the impact that I was looking for. I think this is because of the pacing of the book, I read thriller in the Goodreads description and thought that I would be thrown into the action from the off, instead the book really builds upon the characters and as a result, didn’t have that immediate unputdownable grip for me.

The pace of the story does really start to build momentum about three-quarters of the way in but does then leave you with the feeling of the ending being rushed because all of the action is in such a short space of the book. The book is still very enjoyable and I still had trouble putting it down because I was desperate to discover the secrets of the Story family, but I think if I had realised it was more of a character-driven mystery rather than a thriller, then I would have had a slightly different reading experience.

The Cousins is an intriguing book, with well-developed characters and plenty of unexpected surprises to keep you entertained, I know I’m definitely looking forward to picking up my next Karen M. McManus book.

Ive been a big fan of Karen M McManus for a while and have read all of her other books so i was so stoked when i was given the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour run by @TheWriteReads for her new book The Cousins.
The Cousins follows the story of the Story family who reside at Gull Cove Island on the East Coast. When the matriarch of the family Mildred invites her three gandchildren whom shes never met to spend the summer working at her resort its too much of a mystery to pass up. The grandchildren Milly, Aubrey and Jonah want to find out what happened many years ago to fracture their family, all they have to go on is that Mildred dis-inherited them by sending a letter stating 'I know what you did'.

Mildreds children are Adam, Anders, Allison and Archer. Allisons daughter is Milly, Adams daughter is Aubrey and Anders son is Jonah making up the 3 grandchildren/cousins. The family tree is a bit complicated but luckily its included at the beginning of the book, not very handle when its an e-arc as its not that easy to flip back and forth but definitely a nice touch that it was included.

No one writes a YA mystery like Karen M McManus, her books are all superbly written and The Cousins was no excpetion. It had all the elemets of a gteat book, interesting premise, interesting characters and an intriguing mystery. I was kept on my toes throughout, there was so many twists and turns and i was so engrossed. If life hadnt got in the way then i would have read this in one sitting. There was so many twists that i just didnt see coming, not a single one (which is a bit embarrassing but oh well). I really loved the theme of family and how they can shatter so easily, i applaud McManus for not leaving it as a happy ending which is so customary for YA that eveything is fine and dandy at the end but in this book the siblings are still not harmonious at the end of the story, made it feel a lot more real to me. I also would have enjoyed more of Allison's chapters from the past and a greater look into the childrens relationship with their mother, i did enjoy the brief glimpses into the past that we did get.

A massive thank you to Penguin Platform, Karen M. McManus, Dave from TheWriteReads and also Netgalley for letting me read one of my most anticipated books of the year early. This book was fast paced, interesting and fun. It reminded me in a way of The Inheritance Games which was another blog tour i was part of last month. I really liked the characters of Milly, Aubrey and Jonah but i must admit i did get their parents mixed up especially Archer and Anders. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes books such as The Inheritance Games and A Good Girls to Murder.

4.5 stars

I’ve heard excellent things about McManus’s previous books and, since rediscovering my love for YA thrillers, have had my eye on One of Us is Lying for a while, although the high school setting does make me slightly wary – I wasn’t especially fond of secondary school and have little desire to relive those agonies through fiction in my adult years! The Cousins, with its more contained family-drama vibes, appealed more – although on the basis of reading this, I’ll be throwing caution to the wind and catching up with McManus’s other series very soon!

The Cousins centres, unsurprisingly, on three cousins – Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. They’ve never met but all of them are well aware of the glamour and mystery surrounding their family. Their respective parents were the Story siblings – rich, beautiful, and privileged. Until, one day, they weren’t. Cut off without any explanation by family matriarch Mildred Story, the four Story siblings have spent their adult lives resentful, confused, or absent. So when letters arrive out of the blue inviting Milly, Aubrey and Jonah to meet their reclusive grandmother, their parents make sure that they accept – whether the teenagers themselves like it or not.

Alternating between the perspectives of the three cousins – all of whom come with an appropriate amount of teenage baggage – The Cousins is a page-turning family mystery, with plenty of dark revelations and emotional highs and lows. Because, of course, there is a reason behind the Story siblings banishment from their beautiful childhood home – one founded in the secrets and lies of a summer spent there many years ago. More than that however, it appears Mildred Story herself may have more secrets to hide.

Despite occasional frustrations with the sheer teenagery-ness of the protagonists (Milly in particular knows how to throw an A-grade teen girl strop), I really enjoyed spending time in the company of Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. Each of the protagonists is sufficiently different to offer a unique perspective on both the events of the present, and the secrets and revelations coming out about their family’s past. They’re also lively, funny, and smart – quite a surprise given that, for the most part, they have at least one truly awful parent a piece (no spoilers but the elder Storys are, on the whole, not the nicest bunch of people around).

The plot itself canters along from the off. The alternating perspectives – plus the occasional switch back into the past, and the fateful summer when the Story dream came to a close – keep the tension high and the cliffhangers coming. The contained resort setting also helps to control the cast – there’s always a risk with family dramas that the cast list will begin to run away and become confusing, especially when everyone has the same name and is related to each other – and the book had, for me, the feel of one of Agatha Christie’s enclosed Country House mysteries. McManus is also perfectly capable of a Christie-worthy twist – more than one revelation in The Cousins saw my jaw drop and my eyebrows reach for my hairline!

All in all The Cousins made for a fantastic pacy read – despite its length (just over 300 pages), I devoured it over the course of an evening – that combines an edge-of-your-seat mystery with oodles of family drama, a dollop of teen romance, and some smart, sassy protagonists. Fans of McManus’s previous books are sure to flock to this one whilst anyone looking to introduce themselves to her work has a fantastic place to start!

Have you seen that bit in The Office US where Michael Scott shouts "I love it!" and then follows it up with "I LOVE IT MORE!"? That's how I felt about this book. Each and every twist was like ramping it up, winding me closer in to the Story's, and I was completely obsessed with how it was developing.

I've always admired Karen M. McManus's ability to tell a story full of twists and turns, and The Cousins might be her most twisty turny yet. There really were surprises right up to the very last page with this book, and when I stayed up to finish it at 1am because I couldn't put it down after a certain point, I wanted to wake up my husband and force him to discuss it with me. Thank goodness for the book blogger group chat where I could talk about it freely!

The idea of "family first" is a problematic one that is slowly becoming more challenged by society, so to see this potentially toxic issue represented in a young adult book is something that I think draws brilliant attention to the fact that you might be related to someone - but ultimately you owe them nothing. Coupled with the flip side of adult children being disinherited with a simple note - "You know what you did" - and wanting to get back onto speaking terms with their mother, all for their own reasons... The backdrop to this novel is complex and utterly realistic, along with being slightly bizarre, which I loved.

The story is told from the perspectives of the three cousins, as well as flashbacks to one of the Story children as a teenager, which gives an extra layer of input to the story, helping pieces connect along the way, but still keeping the reader in the dark enough that each of those twists and turns is still a shock as they come along.

Compared to her other novels, this book could be seen as a bit of a slow burner, but I think it's more that you realise the high impact levels the further along you read, and the ability to write a novel that makes you think and feel like that, particularly in the young adult genre where mysteries and thrillers are still a growing genre, is something I'm very pleased to be able to say I'm witnessing as a reader. I actually think it might be my favourite of her books, and I didn't think it would be possible to dislodge One Of Us Is Lying from that spot. The characters, their backstories, their development, and the well thought out plot... Just the perfect Story.

I really loved this book! It was my first by Karen McManus and it started an obsession, since I've read all her other books after that and she's now one of my auto-buy authors. The Cousins is very atmospheric, maybe the most atmospheric of her books, and the first half is more introspective-introductory than action-packed, but it builds the setting and the story up in a fantastic crescendo. I was very intrigued but not really sure where it was going, but a little bit after the 50% mark my quiet curiosity turned into obsession and I was totally hooked. I devoured the second half of the book in one afternoon and, although I expected to be even more shocked, I found it to be such an interesting, captivating, unique and well-plotted story. The characters are deliciously fleshed-out as well, they're easy to care about and they grow up as the story develops. While I liked Karen's other three books more, I really enjoyed this one too and, since it was my first by her and the one that first introduced me to her work, it will hold a special place in my heart. Highly recommended! Thanks to Penguin UK for granting my wish and making an early copy of The Cousins available to me!

I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser and the author for letting me take part in this tour, and thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.

The Cousins is a YA mystery in which we meet the Story family, rich, influential and very complicated. Mildred Story disinherited her children 24 years before the events on the book, and their own children have never met their grandchildren. But that’s all about to change when they get an invite to work and spend the summer on her island.

I usually don’t like the whole “rich family” trope where people own entire islands and boss staff about, it’s not a setting I particularly enjoy, but it didn’t bother me at all here, because, within the rich Story family, some of them are struggling day-to-day. This nuance made it feel a lot more real than some other books I’ve read with this theme.

I really liked some of the characters, but I have to say that Aubrey was definitely my favourite, she is a really nice person, has a strong head on her shoulders and even when she takes a step back from Milly’s spotlight, she is still very much at the forefront of the story. Milly and Aubrey got on so well together, it was so nice to see!

There are lots and lots of things happening in this book. It’s not specifically a murder mystery, but there are so many secrets and questions and the cousins really come together to work it all out. No one really knows what was going through Mildred’s head all those years ago until the end of the book, and that was honestly shocking, I never saw it coming, but I think it was really well done!

Overall, this was a really different and great take on the family secret trope that I’m not that much of a fan of, but Karen really seemed to change my mind with her book, because now I’m searching for more books just like this one. It had a really fluid and enjoyable writing style that kept me reading, I flew through this book and didn’t want to put it down before I had finished it.

I gave this book 4 stars, I really enjoyed it. It definitely surprised me, I knew I was going to like it when I started it, but I had no idea where it was going, and it ended up being a really clever plot twist. It was great to see these characters come together to solve the mystery, and I’ll be soon diving into more books by this author to do just the same thing. I highly recommend this book, and this author, you won’t regret it.

Twenty four years ago, Mildred Storey cut off all four of her children with a one line message delivered by her lawyer: You know what you did.

When Milly, Aubrey and Jonah receive a letter from their formidable grandmother, inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they have no idea what to expect. When they arrive, they're determined to uncover the Storey family's secrets, no matter what the consequences may be.

Packed with twists, The Cousins was fast paced and hard to put down - you know a book is addictive if you contemplate whether you can read it while walking down the street! It's every bit as gripping and exciting as you'd expect from the author of One of Us is Lying.

The Cousins has a great cast of characters, all with secrets and flaws. Milly, Aubrey and Jonah all offered their own perspective on what was going on - and I was never disappointed when the perspective shifted.

The island setting was beautiful, and full of luxury and excess. The Cousins would make a gripping and visually stunning film.

Thank you The Write Reads and Penguin for letting me review this exciting new YA release and be a part of the tour.

The cousins is a novel that is very much aimed at a YA audience but that doesn't mean that others can't enjoy the story that surrounds the mystery of why Mildred Story disinherited her children.
Cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah are sent an invitation to spend the summer working at their grandmothers resort. Mildred Story is the grandmother who has been absent all their lives but their curiosity is piqued because they wonder why their parents were disinherited so soon after the death of Mildred's husband. The four children of Mildred were banished from their East Coast island home with a single note stating, 'you know what did'.
The wealth of the Story family is legendary and as the cousins work in the resort they uncover family secrets that shatter lives and reveal truths. The plot is intricately woven around the narrative of Aubrey, Milly and Jonah revealing little pieces at a time. The writing is solid and paced brilliantly giving you enough but still wanting more. There were a couple of revelations towards the end that were surprising but not shocking. Overall this is a solid novel, written well and will steer me towards reading more from Karen M. McManus.

YA Thriller is a genre that has really captured my reading imagination recently, and whilst this is my first Karen M. McManus book, I’ve heard great things about her others, so I was really excited be part of the blog tour for her new book The Cousins, which is hosted by The Write Reads. I am grateful to Penguin and Netgalley for the review copy.

It’s a slow burn start and a good amount of time is taken to reflect the point of view from each of the cousins and especially for Milly and Aubrey where we learn a little about their disinherited parents too. The focus in the early stages is looking at more of the family aspect and actually what the impact really is when children have such a loss to contend with, a life long grieving process that there can be no closure to. Yes, the cousins parents have their flaws but honestly, I think that whilst it makes them sometimes terrible parents, they fall just short of being the bad guys. The psychological impact is woven so well into the story, with some being cliche and others a more nuanced reaction to essentially abandonment. For the cousins themselves, they have had to live with the emotional fallout, and whilst they are reasonably well rounded, it’s clear that the sense of abandonment continues. It’s interesting to consider how differently things may have been had this overwhelming shadow of a grandmother, who in essence has it all, hadn’t loomed so intensely. The small trinkets they hold on to are really touching and show that despite it all they still need to have some connection with their grandmother.

Their lead up to getting to the island is fun and the boat trip, whilst short, really gets to point of their personalities quickly, Milly being by far my favourite! She is quick and cutting and very funny. They are all instantly likeable characters though which makes this such an easy read to pick back up again, their story is one that you want to know more about and the way they drip feed each other information about their lives is endearingly cautious, looking back at these opening stages so much makes sense and I feel silly for not seeing some of the clues sooner as there is more than one mystery ahead to be solved!

The island itself feels like a contrived step back in time, everything is very quaint, the shops have a boardwalk feel and the bars an 80’s vibe which I thought may have been more of a culture shock than it was. The resort itself in a weird way reminded me of the place in Dirty Dancing, I’m not sure why! There is a background feel of a “I know what you did last summer” and this is nicely rounded out by the time shift POV, but honestly I have to say the twist was one that I didn’t even have an inkling of! It was so cleverly done and the pieces that had been subtly laid throughout fell wonderfully into place in the closing stages. Whilst the early pages moved slowly, as the investigation begins it feels more solidly into mystery territory, and I place it no higher than that, The unfolding of the clues is steady with a snowball effect through to the conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I don’t think it quite satisfied the itch I was hoping it would. It’s solidly written with great fun characters who fill both the scooby gang members and meddlings kids villain nicely. It has a phenomenal twist and a great epilogue, and I think that had the thriller pace been more evident and the mystery investigation element been more prominent it would have been a 5* but I think for me it sits happily as a 4.

This book is very typical of McManus, a YA mystery with a hint of romance, which I loved. We are drawn into the hidden past of the Story family and why the head of the house Mildred Story one day decided to cut her 4 children off and refuse to see them ever again.

The book is told in the different POV’s of the cousins (the grandchildren of Mildred Story) as the truth is uncovered about why their parents were mysteriously cut off. Some chapters also jump back to the past and tell the story from Allison’s (Mildred’s only daughter) point of view. This not only allowed us to really connect with the characters, but it was interesting to see how everything that happened in the past affected the present day. McManus cleverly mirrors the emotional feelings the characters experience in the parallel narratives, while weaving a thrilling mystery complete with a plot twists.

I liked how the romance element of the novel is sort of in the background and instead the mystery of the Story family is the main focus. This is definitely a book that keeps you hooked as I was dying to get to the end and find out what happened (which I definitely did not guess). Clever plot twists and likeable characters made this a really good YA novel.

This is a young adult novel so I am not the target market. If you had not read any of the family thriller/ summer holiday genre before I suppose you might like it. Some of the characters were engaging - Millie, Joshua, but others were not rounded enough. I found it to be unoriginal and the denouement was a bit silly.

For me this book was just OK. I understand it is a Teen book, but it wasn't anywhere near as dark and sinister as I was expecting.

The nature of the story - the cousins discovering their parents' pasts - was detached and didn't quite have that depth of feeling and emotion that I had hoped for.

There was also a main plotline that I absolutely could not buy into. I just couldn't suspend reality for it.

I think it will be a hit with teens but it wasn't quite for me, unfortunately.

Karen McManus has hit the nail on the head yet again! This was fantastically well written with just enough perspectives/characters to keep it interesting but not so many that it became confusing. The mysterious history of the Story family kept me gripped and I flew through this book. If you loved McManus' previous books then you'll love this one too.

Full review for THE COUSINS UK blog tour to be released on 7th December 2020. Full review come be found on The Pewter Wolf Reads

***eProof given by UK publisher, Penguin, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction***

This is my Karen McManus thriller and, before I go any further, I want to say I read this is early November during England’s second lockdown (though I was still working as I couldn’t work from home) so I could only read in snatches before I left for work in the morning so my reading of this might be a tad different to everyone’s else. But, the best way to describe this is a soapy beach thriller, something you can easy binge-read or, if adapted for TV, can watch in one sitting (which makes sense as One of Us is Lying is being adapted for US streaming service, Peacock).

This is a tad slower compared to thrillers I normally read, but we get tiny drips of secrets and truths, not only from the three teens but from the Story family as a whole and, when the truths come out, they come out crashing.

Also, we have four POVs: Milly, Aubrey, Jonah and a time-jump of Milly’s mother the summer before the family got disinherited. These were balanced quite well, though I am going to admit I found myself enjoying reading Aubrey’s and Milly’s mothers POVs as I found them more engaging with character development and mystery than Milly and Jonah. But all four POVs worked together to slowly reveal the truth.

I do want to say that this does have some triggers in here (sorry for leaving it so late in write-up). Dementia, miscarriage, alcoholism, violences and, of course, murder. Now, most of these I felt were handled really well, but there were one or two times I read a paragraph linking to a trauma and I would go “Huh” over how it was handled. At times, I wish these were handled with a tad more punch rather than a sugary soap opera (like I said, I read most of this book in quick ten minute blasts so I might have completely misread the chapters. Each reader will read this book differently and, with everything happening in the world the past few months, I am leaning more to the fun side of stories).

But the heart of this book is family trauma and grief. How one incident can effect a family, not just in the short term, but for generations to come. And that I found fascinating and that, to me, was the main hook. Yes, I wanted to know about You know what you did, but seeing the fallout and repercussions of a mysterious event and discovering what this event was. That was my hook.

I really liked the ending where all the truths came out and the level of almost Shondaland crazy drama twists came. It reminded me of Rebecca, though I can’t explain why or what triggered me to go "This ending is so Daphne du Maurier". My brain just went there.

Once I found my step with this book (again, ten minutes reading here and there), I enjoyed the escapism of this and I am very intrigued to try another (Two Can Keep a Secret calls to me - though I should try One of Us is Lying, right?). But a good starting point if you are new of Karen and a great mystery to read over Christmas.

THE COUSINS is quite different from her other books in some ways - for one, it's not set in a High School and for another the central mystery is different. It's not an out-and-out murder/copycat, instead it's a "what happened to get our parents banned?"

The historical nature of the mystery and the fact that there are no lives on the line means there is less central urgency. The pacing is still great and the book is no less engaging, but it's a less frenetic read than her others. I wanted to know what happened next because of the characters, not because I wanted the looming mystery solved.

This gives the characters a bit more space. I've always really admired how well Karen M. McManus manages to balance the relentless pacing of her books alongside character development, but this time she has more time to spend on the characters and the incredibly messy nature of the Story family

The book also benefits from the allure of the wealthy. The insanely rich grandmother, the large inheritance, and the knowledge that there is something wrong at the heart of it all. While the cousins are well off, they're nothing like their wealthy grandmother, and it made them much more human than her.

Everywhere says that this is a standalone, but ONE OF US IS LYING was initially a standalone, wasn't it? So, fingers crossed! The ending has certainly been left open enough for there to be a sequel, and I'd like to spend more time with the Story cousins. But, in the meantime, we have YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME to look forwards to next year!