a competently crafted YA mystery

Reviewed by Selina Y.

After completing the book ‘The Cousins’, I was completely mind blown and utterly speechless. Throughout the book, Milly, Audrey and Jonah Story curiously explore their grandmother’s grand island resort in search of an answer as to why she invited them in the first place, as they have never met her before- the ending will leave you in absolute shock! McManus throws a whirlwind of crazy and exciting twists in the book that puts everything into a completely different perspective at the end.

There were a lot of great subplots that made the main storyline even more creative and exciting (although, it was a bit difficult to keep track of people’s names throughout the book), and I really enjoyed reading the flashback point of view of Milly’s mother. Did I get extremely invested and made a great number of connections to the book? Yes. Would I recommend this book to my friends and family in the future? Definitely. Overall, if you’re looking for a thrilling book with shocking twists and a compelling storyline, you should definitely consider checking this book out!

This book receives 4.5/5 stars for me!

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus is an amazing young adult mystery, filled with plot twists and turns. Three cousins who haven’t seen each other in years are suddenly sent away to work at a hotel for the summer, following a letter from the owner of the hotel: their wealthy grandmother. Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah are all around the same age, but their parents hardly communicate, causing them to be complete strangers to one-another. The last their parents saw of their mother was weeks before they were all disowned, with a mysterious note from her lawyer. When Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah received their letters, their parents jumped at the opportunity, hoping they would mend things with their grandmother and receive parts of the family fortune, but all is not as it had appeared. The book is written from the point of view of each cousin, alternating chapter by chapter. I had high hopes for this book when I first got it, and it exceeded my expectations. It is an intricately written novel with many hidden hints at what is to come. I would recommend this book for readers ages 13 and up. At the end of the book, all loose ends are tied up, leaving for a very satisfying read. The Cousins easily lives up to the high bar set by Karen M. McManus’s other mystery novels.

3.5! Enjoyable, twisty YA mystery. If you liked the authors previous work, you'll enjoy the multiple perspective, family secrets, and wtf-just-happened reveals. This one did not quite reach the mark of One of Us is Lying for me on the twisty meter, but I really liked the characters, the romance, and the surprises. Bonus for audio fans: the audiobook is narrated by multiple authors, including Julia Whelan, a favorite of mine, and it made for a really lovely weekend listen.

A twisty family mystery that will have readers guessing until the end. Definitely took a turn that I didn't see coming! For fans of E. Lockhart.