Item: The Cousins
Rating: 4.5
Author: Gina

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus | Review | Blog Tour

Ultimate Book Blog Tour sponsored by The Write Reads.

Thank you to the Karen, Penguin Publishing & Dave at TWR for providing me the information for this tour. I received a copy of the book for the tour. The following review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus | Review

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
Published by Delacorte Press on 12/01/2020
Genres: Family Life, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Hardcover
Pages: 336

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.

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Source: Received from the author or publisher for review., The Write Reads Tours

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My thoughts on The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

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.

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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus | Review

About Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of young adult thriller/mystery novels, including One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, Two Can Keep a Secret and The Cousins.

Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide.

Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master's degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels.

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