My Week in Book Review: The Cousins

The Cousins by Karen McManus

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.

NO SPOILERS!

I couldn’t spoil this story for you guys because it is too good. The Cousins is a new YA mystery from the author of One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next, and it did. Not. Disappoint.

What I loved about this story was the build-up of clues and the reveal of smaller secrets as a distraction from the main attraction—why the Story siblings were disowned, and what that has to do with the present day. I read this book like an author, trying to suss out what McManus was doing, the clues she dropped, which tidbit that got glossed over earlier in the story might come back for the big reveal later. I had my suspicions about the climax of the story, and even though I got close beforehand, the last piece of the puzzle slotted into place in my brain paragraphs before it did for the characters, which was exciting. McManus does such a great job of foreshadowing and clue-dropping along with telling a satisfying story with fun characters who feel well-rounded and grow as the story goes on.

I also loved the flashbacks that led up to the answers to why the Story siblings got disinherited. The flashbacks are from the point of view of Allison, Milly’s mother, and help you get to know her siblings. I think that’s a great way to bring the older generation into the story at the point when they were young adults—it helps the reader sympathize with them so much more than if someone had just been telling the present-day kids the story of what had happened. The very start of the book shows Allison as this uptight, impossible-to-please person, but these flashbacks help humanize her in a way that ends up working really well with how the book concludes.

Also, there is a love story. And I love it. Because at the start, you can’t see it coming.

I also really like the way that the characters face their problems and grow through the story. There’s a beautiful line right at the climax, and I can’t quote it for fear of ruining things, but you’ll recognize it because there’s an italicized word in it. After I finished the book, I went back and read that section a few times and it alternately gave me chills and made me, like the character the line is said to, want to cry, because it’s just so tender. That’s the sign of a good book—you finish and immediately go back to certain sections so you can savor them.

That’s all—I’ve got to keep this short to avoid spoilers, but I highly recommend this book!