Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC for an honest review.

Having read 2 of Karen McManus' previous books, I was intrigued instantly to read this and was so happy when I got approved for this.

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 as it went along, and it was intriguing, however, I did find there were points where there did not seem to be much mystery and then there were a couple of plot reveals at around 40% and 60% in which I was disappointed to find out so earlier. As we got further to the 70% mark of the book the action did pick up a lot more, and it was at this point that I became a lot more invested in the story.

I do think having read One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next meant that I did have quite high expectations, so when I was finding the mystery not as gripping, I was worried. The last 30% of the book brought it back together, and the ending was not expected and it also rounded off nicely.

Overall a solid 4 star book.

This review will go live at the link below on 22 November:
Hi and welcome to my review of The Cousins! Huge thanks to Dave @ TheWriteReads for organising another huge blog tour and to Penguin and NetGalley for the eARC!

Let’s cut right to the chase: I have been a Karen M. McManus fan since her debut One of Us is Lying back in 2017 and with The Cousins she knocks it out of the park. I really do love me a YA thriller every once in a while and Ms McManus has the genre down to a T. I think it’s safe to say that if you enjoyed her previous work, you’re bound to enjoy this one as well. And if you’re new to the author, or even to the genre, but you want to give her, or it, a whirl, this is an excellent place to start.

A past and present storyline tell us the story of the Story family. On a remote island off Massachusetts, past Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, the Story family rules. They’re that rich family that everyone envies and adores in equal measure, the ones who own half the island, hotels, resorts, the whole nine yards. In the late 1990s, the mater familias of the Story family kicked her four children to the curb. None of them has heard from her again, until twenty-odd years later, their children receive a letter inviting them to spend the spend the summer at her resort.

I’ll come right out and say it: I LIVE for this kind of setting! There’s just something about rich American kids and their secrets in a summery setting that really works for me. Adding a resort, a wealthy but aloof grandma, tons of family issues to get to the bottom of, a mysterious death, difficult relationships of all kinds, and some great chemistry (but no cheesy romance) between two of the characters, well, The Cousins clearly ticked all my boxes!

As always, Ms McManus’ writing is vivid and compelling. I was sucked in from the start and every time I had to put it down, I was looking forward to picking it up again. Many subtle details touch upon themes that enrich the story: self-awareness and self-confidence, alcohol addiction, family bonds, love and loss, money, guilt.

The Cousins is a twisty story, boasting both small and big reveals, some of which I suspected, some of which took me entirely by surprise. It is fun, it is clever, it is hugely entertaining and I would definitely recommend it!

The Cousins is out on 3 December in all formats!

I have read and enjoyed all of Karen McManus' books so far, so I was thrilled to have my wish granted to read this book in advance of its publication. I'm happy to say that this latest novel did not disappoint, and is probably my favourite story of hers so far.

'The Cousins' tells the story of three teenage cousins, who have rarely seen each other since their early childhood, due to an unknown family rift. Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story come together when their extremely rich grandma, who they've never met, invites them to her resort to meet her and work at the resort for the summer. Throughout the summer, their relationships develop as they try to work out what caused their huge family rift, and why their grandma wants to finally meet them after all this time.

Although this is being marketed as suspense/mystery,I would suggest it's more of a family drama with a mystery throughout. The book was medium paced, and I liked that it changed between the cousin's POVs in the present day, as well as a member of the previous generation's POV in the last, as it continued the intrigue.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. It's a very rich-kid family drama feel, which isn't particularly realistic, but was good fun and intriguing.

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**

"You wish has been granted" said the email and I must admit I squealed with excitement. I am a HUGE fan of Karen McManus' previous titles and was really looking forward to reading The Cousins when it was due to be released (we'll be buying it for our school library, no question in that) but to get an ARC really made my week.

I abandoned the book I was reading and jumped straight in. I wasn't disappointed. Family secrets. A grandmother with a vendetta. Small town / island life. I was quickly sucked in.

I love McManus' skill with plot twists and this storyline didn't leave me disappointed. As secrets were exposed, more were revealed underneath. The story being split between the cousins' and when their parents were the same age was very well handled and helped to push everything along at an exciting pace.

Really excellent book, highly recommended and the kids at school will be thrilled when it lands on our shelves. If it's as popular as her other titles, we may need to purchase several copies.

I've really enjoyed everything McManus has written so far, so I was super excited to get an early copy of The Cousins. This has quite a different tone to her other books, which was actually really refreshing because it meant I didn't know what I was getting. Whilst there is a clear mystery element running as an undercurrent to the story, its largely just about family and how complicated dynamics can be, particularly where large amounts of money are involved.

I enjoyed reading from all four of the perspectives, and it was really easy to define who was who when it came to POV as they had distinct personalities. The little glimpses of the past helped to push the mystery elements of the novel along during the quieter passages at the start, but I did enjoy these as they were a great way to get to know the various players in the tale.

All in all a great read, and once I'd hit the 50% mark I couldn't put the book down because I needed to know what happened next. Can't wait to for more from McManus in the future!

Thank you The WriteReads Tour and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

We have three 17-year-old cousins. Milly, the beautiful, confident, and full of sass cousin, whose parents were divorced; Aubrey the sensible, athletic and talented swimmer (I don’t understand why was Thomas in the picture, he had hardly any role to play except an effusive boyfriend) whose dad slept with her swim coach; and Jonah seemed somewhat distant at first, as what the other cousins would expect. He wasn’t even active in his social media account and didn’t have any of his pictures posted so they didn’t know what he looked like as a teenager.

After being persuaded, they decided to give in to their parents’ request and meet their grandmother, and find out what exactly happened and why did their grandmother cut them off so suddenly. So they met up after being sent a letter from the mysterious Millicent Story, their estranged grandmother, requesting them to meet her, much to their surprise and their parents too, who were the children of Milicent Story. Her letter came as unexpectedly as her cutting off all communications with them 24 years ago.

Be prepared for betrayals, lies and deception and a story deep in mystery and secrets.

Out of the three, I enjoyed reading Aubrey’s part the most, as I saw how she developed as a character from being doubtful about herself to feeling more confident and courageous towards the end. Milly was an interesting character in the beginning and Jonah was mysterious enough that I wanted to know what else he was hiding. It was such a pity that Milly and Jonah weren’t part of the ‘big reveal’ towards the end. The story kind of took them out of the picture, just like that, even when they had played their part in trying to solve the mystery of why the Story children were disowned.

It started slow at first and felt like it wasn’t going anywhere, but as it gets towards the end, the story moved pretty quickly. There was a cliffhanger at the end, which I assumed is the author’s intention of setting up for a sequel.

I’m sure young readers would devour this especially with characters they could relate to. Overall, a quick read for young adult mystery lovers.

This thriller takes place mainly on Gull Cove Island where Mildred Story senior owns a resort frequented by the rich and famous wishing to get back to nature. Once home to Allison, Anders, Adam and Archer, the Story legacy is that this is a family built on secrets as well as wealth. Having led a privileged and luxurious lifestyle, almost celebrities in the eyes of the islanders, the four Story children are mystified, following the death of their father to find themselves disinherited from the family’s fortunes. The way in which they receive this news is perplexing. A letter from family lawyer Donald Camden simply stating “You know what you did” is the only reason given and any attempts to communicate with their mother over the years have been thwarted. Until now. The Storys who have produced offspring receive communication inviting the three grandchildren to work and live at the Gull Cove island resort over the course of the summer and meet their grandmother for the very first time. Milly, Allison’s daughter is far from keen to accept this invitation, as too is Jonah, Anders son,who would prefer to go to science camp. Only Aubrey, Adam’s daughter seems excited by the prospect of coming face to face with the legendary Mildred Story. If all three accept this out of the blue invitation, could this be the opportunity the siblings have longed for, a chance to find themselves back in favour with their mother and regain their lost inheritance? Via Milly Jonah and Aubrey will the Storys finally discover the answer to that cryptic question?

In a dual timeline switching between past and present the reader gains insight into the lives and personalities of the youngest generation of Storys in addition to their parents now and when they too were on the cusp of adulthood.
By delving into the past,secrets that have long been festering will finally see the light of day, thanks in part to the curiosity of Milly, Jonah and Aubrey and their interactions with some of the long term residents of the island. It may be that at least one person doesn’t want these truths to be revealed but why? Most puzzling is Mildred senior’s aloofness and reluctance to engage with her grandchildren given that she is responsible for their invitation to the resort. Personal assistant Theresa, lawyer Donald Camden and even the former family doctor Fred Baxter have been part of Mildred’s inner circle for years and may hold the key to unlocking family secrets.

In true thriller style there are some fantastic twists and turns that are well executed and keep you wondering just what these young adults will discover. There are at least two shocking revelations that took me completely by surprise. Milly, Jonah and Aubrey are certainly a far nicer trio of characters than their own parents, who all leave a lot to be desired. Thankfully they seem to have broken the Story mould!

I loved the developing friendships/relationships between the cousins and how they inadvertently act as catalysts for bringing (at least) some of the estranged members of this family together. At the same age as their parents were when the Story family were hit by tragedy, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah have the potential to right some wrongs and you never doubt that they are more than capable of stepping up to this challenge. All three may be very different characters but as the summer progresses so does their unity; the one aim is to understand why their grandmother chose to disinherit all four of her children and achieve it they will. Whatever the cost. The important message that wealth and privilege won’t necessarily buy you happiness or friendships underpins the whole narrative with a storyline driven by greed, power, revenge and a sense of entitlement that ultimately tears the family apart, giving the community of Gull Cove Island plenty to gossip about. The moral undertones, lack of gruesome violence and bad language make this an ideal thriller for a younger audience who may find themselves negotiating friendship difficulties, coming to terms with identity and realising that parents are just as fallible as everyone else.

I picked up The Cousins knowing that the target audience for this book are readers aged between 12 and 17 (which I’m most definitely not!) so I was expecting a less gritty style of writing which is indeed what you get. I enjoyed this thriller despite my 50 plus years and whilst the author tackles some weighty issues I could detect that this book is aimed at the younger reader whereas I didn’t sense that so much with One of Us is Lying. It’s a read that can easily be devoured in one sitting with a sense of mystery surrounding the lives of three generations of Storeys from the very beginning. I was intrigued to discover the secrets and tragedies that have shaped this family’s history and certainly didn’t anticipate the ending. My overall enjoyment was only slightly marred by the ending that felt implausible;up until this point I felt events were entirely believable but I suppose you should never underestimate the lengths individuals will go to in order to satisfy their own desires. It reminded slightly of The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes although I’ll be honest and say I much preferred this title. I don’t often choose to read YA novels but the author’s debut impressed me enough to want to explore her writing further. Now I just need to catch up on the two I’ve missed inbetween!! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'd not read any books by Karen McManus before this one, but I know they are hugely popular (even with my own son) so I thought I would give this one a try.

This is the story of three eighteen-year-old cousins who don't know each other - they come from different branches of an estranged family, the Storys. However, they all get an invitation to go to spend the summer working at their grandmother's holiday resort on a beautiful East Coast island. This in itself is mysterious, as their grandmother disinherited all her children (the cousins' parents) by letter years before. The letter simply said 'You know what you did', something none of the siblings claim to understand. Arriving on the island, the it soon becomes apparent that the three cousins are not especially welcome and that there are family secrets to uncover...

The story is told from the perspective of the three cousins in turn - Milly, Aubrey and Jonah - with some flashbacks when we also hear the voices of the parents during their time at Gull Cove Island in the 1990s (when they are a similar age to their children in the present day). This is a clever way of revealing information gradually as the different perspectives gradually come together to reveal the full picture.

I definitely found it easier to connect to some of the characters more than others. In particular, I liked the character of Aubrey who seemed the most relatable of the three main voices - she had several of her own issues to work through as well as dealing with the family issues surrounding her grandmother. She seemed a much more developed character than either Milly or Jonah, both of whom were interesting but not quite as engaging for me.

The plot is cleverly woven so that the reader is kept guessing throughout - there were several twists along the way that I could never have predicted! The plot moved at a good pace and kept me reading as I wanted to find out the secrets behind the Story family and it is fair to say I was not disappointed.

One of the things I liked most about the book was the portrait of a small American community - there was a real sense of the history of the resort with various generations of families and their entwined lives and hidden secrets. This was evident not only in the Storys themselves but also with Kayla's family and the Baxters. I really felt that the narrative was rooted in a complex and interesting tangle of multi-generational characters.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It would probably be best for older teens and adults as there is some swearing and mature themes. This is one that lulls you in with a false sense of security before winding an intricate and engaging plot - you won't want to put it down.

I have genuinely no idea how i managed to get an ARC of this but i'm so thrilled i did, thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House!

I read this book in one day and just couldn't put it down. This is more of a family drama than it is a thriller like her previous works, and follows three cousins who are summoned to their family island resort to spend the summer with their grandmother. The only catch being that their grandmother, who owns and runs the resort, disinherited all of her children decades previously and hasn't had any contact with the cousins until now.

This is my favourite of McManus' novels so far, the plot twists were incredibly well done and i found the overall plot and pacing to be great.
The small beach town setting is one that I always love so i would recommend to all that love a good YA mystery.

The Cousins by Karen McManus is “the wildest, weirdest month imaginable,” as described by one of the characters.

What I Loved

There is nothing like starting with the end, but I have to say that the last page sent cold chills up my spine, which is my absolute favorite type of ending. The solution to the mystery to jaw-dropping as is. Not necessarily shocking but very complicated to the point that it is impossible to guess every little aspect. The story continues with everyone picking up the pieces, so it lulled me into thinking I was taking in a relatively happy ending. And then I read the last page, backed up and reread it, and on for the third time. Did those words mean what I think they did? Of course, they did, and OMG! The creepiest twist that I never even came close to anticipating.

I love the depth and complexities of the characters, from the three narrators to the support characters. Events that happened over 20 years ago profoundly impacted everyone – the characters that were there to the next generation must find out what actually happened and what is going on now. They each have their own unique set of scars that have molded them, for good and bad, and I enjoyed discovering the reason for every insecurity.

I loved the setting – a very dream-provoking family-owned resort island off the coast in the NE US. It fuels the imagination and maintains that small, enclosed space that is just ripe with possibilities and mystery. The picture of Catmint House that my vision created is a place that would be an absolute dream to live in or even to see and imagine living in. It is fun to have such greed and depravity in such a beautiful idyllic setting because it makes the bad that much more jarring.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a jaw-dropping, fast-paced YA mystery with and spine chilling ending that will stick with you long after you’ve closed the book, look no further. The Cousins is a must-read for mystery lovers.

Really enjoyable and engaging mystery that keeps twisting and turning right up until the end. I couldn’t have seen a lot of those twists coming and the setting and characters were clearly evoked.

I've been picking up Karen McManus' novels on release day since her debut One Of Us Is Lying. Initially I discovered her via twitter on writing community conversations.
Well thanks to Dave @ The Write Reads and Penguin publishing, this time I got an advanced reader copy of her fourth novel The Cousins!

Karen McManus writes YA thriller mysteries, perfect for teenagers and those of us adults who like to cosy up with an easy going mystery.
The Cousins tells the story of the most dysfunctional family you can imagine! When Aubrey, Milly and Jonah are invited to work at their long lost Grandmother's island resort they snatch the opportunity to finally uncover what made Mildred Story disinherit their parents 24 years ago.

True to form every character is hiding a secret. The cousins, their parents, the uncles and the locals all have something to hide. We read from the present day, first person perspectives of Aubrey, Milly and Jonah, with intermittent flashbacks to the history of Milly's mother- Allison to slowly uncover the demons hidden by the Story family.

I hadn't guessed the conclusion before I reached it. The answers weren't so far fetched or unbelievable, it all ties together perfectly. I was just so invested in the moment that my mind didn't whir ahead to try and untangle the mystery as I usually would.

As hinted by the title, The Cousins is very much a family oriented book. Themes of parenting, neglect, emotional trauma and addiction feature throughout and Mcmanus uses these to develop some wonderful arcs for the middle generation of Story characters over the course of the book.

I'd highly recommend this as a gift for teen readers this Christmas, if not for yourself!

I've been a big fan ever since 'One Of Us Is Lying' -- and while I've loved all of her work, I think that this may be Karen M. McManus' best book yet. The multi-layered mystery had me utterly hooked from the get-go and didn't let me go until *that* reveal near the end.

It all begins when cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story receive a letter from their grandmother, Mildred -- whom none of them have ever met, since she disinherited their parents before they were born. She invites them to work at her resort for the summer and their parents are determined that they go -- after all, it could be the chance to get back in their grandmother's good books.

But after the cousins arrive on the island, they soon find something is terribly wrong -- and the more they stay on the island, they realise just how many secrets their family has been hiding.

I really liked that, much like her previous novels, it was a multi-POV -- covering each of the cousins' thoughts as they were on the island, as well as a few third-person chapters with Milly's mum Allison in the late 1990s. I found that I was equally as invested in the present-day storyline as well as the one in the past -- however, I do kind of wish we got a little more from the past storyline. I just would've loved to see more about the siblings' dynamic.

Every time I felt like I had figured out what was going on (or *why* the Story children had been disinherited), there was a new twist thrown into the mix -- and once the main storyline really started to get going, my head was spinning (in the best way possible).

The Cousins follows three teens who, unsurprisingly, are cousins who have been invited to work the summer at their grandmother's resort. This comes completely out of the blue as many years ago that grandmother disinherited her children with a letter stating "you know what you did". This is the first time since that fateful letter was sent that she has shown any interest in wanting to connect with her family.

I had previously only read Karen M McManus' debut novel One of Us is Lying which I liked however I really enjoyed The Cousins. For me I could see how her writing has really come along. Due to the nature of this being a mystery I really do not want to say much but I had a lot of fun reading this and whizzed through it. I think this is going to be a big hit with its young adult audience.

Full review available on my blog on 23rd November 2020.

Trigger Warnings: miscarriage, violence, murder, alcoholism

I am definitely a Karen McManus super-fan. One of Us is Next is one of the earliest books I requested (and got turned down for, but no hard feelings) and since the day that OOUIN released (and that I read it in one sitting) I’ve been waiting for The Cousins. To say that I freaked out when it showed up on my doorstep would be an understatement. The Cousins is quite different from Karen McManus’s other books. I think it might be a little closer to Two Can Keep A Secret in tone and style, but it’s definitely its own beast. I absolutely loved the shaken up style, and I found that The Cousins had my full attention the entire way through.

The Cousins is a family drama and mystery, more than it is a murder mystery. There’s a huge focus in this book on family trauma, a subject I love love love to read about, with complicated relationships between children and parents as a repeating theme, and I found that it really kept me invested. I wanted to know all of the little secrets the cousins were keeping just as much as I wanted to know the Big Secret. Our main characters are three estranged cousins, brought together by the grandmother they’ve never met to work on her island resort. They’ve never met her because, years ago, their parents were all disinherited with only one note.

You know what you did.

The crux of the mystery is uncovering what exactly that means, working out why the children were disinherited while the grandchildren, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah, meet the grandmother they’ve never known and get to know each other. It’s a pretty intoxicating mystery and I will admit that I didn’t guess what was going to happen. All my predictions were miles off base but, as with McManus’s other thrillers, I didn’t feel robbed. The clues were there all along, perfectly threaded into the story, I just didn’t put them together in the right ways. The mystery built to an excellent climax that had me wanting to shout at the book just a little bit, and even after I put the book away on my shelf, it’s been playing on my thoughts.

The split POVs were interesting and well balanced, though I do think I found Milly marginally less interesting because I felt like I was often comparing it to our fourth POV, a time jump to Milly’s mum to show what was going on the summer before the children were disinherited, but maybe that was just me. Despite my lesser interest in her POV chapters, MIlly and Aubrey were tied for my favourite the entire way through. Aubrey has so much character development that I absolutely adored and I found myself cheering her along in every chapter.

While Two Can Keep A Secret has retained its title as my absolute favourite McManus thriller, The Cousins has definitely fought its way into second spot with complicated family drama, intense relationships and perfect character development. This is definitely not one to miss, and would even make a great starting point if you’re new to Karen McManus but like a YA thriller. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

If you’re a Karen McManus fan you will be happily satisfied with The Cousins. It has all the features that we expect in her novels: believable and fallible teen protagonists, unreliable narration and twists and turns a plenty. Teens will become easily invested and involved in the characters and plot. There is nothing to mire this book into murky adult only territory and I’m certain this will become a very popular recommendation in every secondary school library. A sure fire success to engage dedicated fans, those new to young adult thrillers and more reluctant readers a like. Thank you Ms McManus for doing it again; you’re swiftly becoming a school library staple.

Karen MCManus has written another triumphant YA thriller - can see this being an amazing film
I loved this book - everything!

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

The last book from Karen is a well paced and suspenseful book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The place where is set up worked perfectly fine. An island resort where the cousins haven´t been before and their parents had to leave before they reached the 25 years. Their mum didn´t want anything to do with them any more. Why?

That´s what the cousins will try to find out when they are invited to the island by, supposedly, her grandmother. When they arrive, they find out that nothing is what it seems...

I found the 3 cousins and their families interesting. I was curious to find out what happened with all of them. What they had been doing after being disinherited. and why the cousins had been hardly in contact.

To discover that one of the cousins is not who he says he is so soon is good because it adds some romance to the whole mystery story and I really enjoy a good romance.

I was instantly intrigued by the blurb for this book and it hasn´t disappointed me at all.

I will be buying the book for the library and recommending it to the students who, as I , love a good mystery story.

Milly, Aubrey and Jonah are the Story grandchildren; never met but suddenly summoned to spend the summer with their grandmother on the island where their parents grew up. Their parents are now estranged and the Story grandchildren are determined to find out why they were summoned and what happened all those years ago.

Karen McManus has once again written a story full of mystery, intrigue and cliffhangers that made me devour this in one sitting. I'll be recommending this to everyone.

I have read previous books by Karen McManus and have enjoyed them and this one did not disappoint.

Three cousins are invited to the island home of their grandmother who they have never met as she cut her children off before they were born.

Why has she reached out now?

As Aubrey, Milly and Joshua get to know each other on the island other secrets are exposed, will the cousins find the truth or is it better to let sleeping dogs lie?

A really good read with lots of twists and secrets being exposed, that come from nowhere. The ending is realistic and comforting.