Sunday 14 February 2021

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus Review

Book Title: The Cousins

Author: Karen M. McManus

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 03/12/20

Genre(s): Young Adult, Mystery

Pages: 325

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: 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 loved McManus’ first 3 books so I was definitely excited to start reading the new one and I was not disappointed! I actually buddy read it with my friend which was fun as we had a lot to talk about.

The plot was intriguing from the start, I was always wondering what the 4 children could have possibly done to be have been disowned by their own mother. The story follows their 3 children as they go to the island for the first time as per the request of their grandmother. Each chapter is from one of the teen’s point of view; Milly, Aubrey and Jonah, and it was interesting to see each of their thoughts on the situation and their background story of each of their parent’s lives.

The three main characters are all likable and I enjoyed seeing their dynamic develop, going from strangers to really close friends, especially with Milly and Aubrey. Of course, as with all of McManus’ books there was bound to be twists and turns and once again she has created a story full of drama, secrets and lies and it kept me needing to read on to find out what happened. I was constantly trying to figure out why the Grandmother disinherited her sons and daughter almost 25 years ago but every guess I had was way off the mark!

Initially I was a bit confused with the reveal but as it was explained I understood and I never would have thought of that as the solution. It did seem a bit far fetched to me but it was certainly not something a lot of people would guess! That's the best part about these books; McManus always provides a crazy plot twist which is near impossible to figure out.

Overall, The Cousins is another great book that kept me wanting to read on and is perfect for those who love a mystery with relatable characters.


Have you read The Cousins yet?

Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments!

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