Book Review #81: The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

 

Karen M. McManus is an author that I have really liked for a while. I have read the three books that she released before this one, and based on them, I pre-ordered this one as soon as it was announced. 

Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story are cousins who hardly know each other. When they're invited to spend the summer on the resort of the grandmother that they've never met, they use this invitation as an excuse to finally discover why their grandmother disowned their parents. But when they uncover secrets that they never should have known, will they discover the whole truth behind the mysterious Story legacy?

I loved this book!

For a start, these are great characters. Not only do we have the three Story cousins, who are such interesting characters in their own right, but we also have their parents, and the legacy that takes over the entire resort.

It would have been really easy for these characters to morph into one another - particularly when you're dealing with at least 8 members of the same family. But all of these characters are so unique. And what makes them even better is that, as different as they are from each other, you can also tell that their personalities are informed by one another. McManus did a great job of keeping these characters related, while making sure that they were really distinct form each other.

The book mixes the present day with some scenes from the past, and this was done really well. Because not only do we get to understand the effect that being disowned had on the Story children as parents, but we also get to see their relationships as teenagers, and why their mother's actions had the effect on them that it did. 

But our story focuses mainly on the three cousins, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah. These are the characters we live with, and these are the ones that we follow as the story unfolds. I completely loved these characters for different reasons. They each have their own parts to play in moving the plot forward, and they are equally significant when it comes to the telling of this story.

However, as great as these characters are, the best thing about this story was the plot.

This plot is completely packed! There is a twist around every corner, and I couldn't even guess what was going on from one page to the next, let alone what the ending would be!

McManus has a way of expertly teasing things out. Things are set up at the beginning that come out at the end, and you have no idea how you got there until you remember specific words or phrases that were said 100 pages ago. You feel like you are living with these characters, and when they discover things, you are discovering them too.

But in addition, the way that the present day story intertwines with the past storyline is so interesting. We get an understanding of who these people were before their lives changed. And this helps us to understand our three main characters on a deeper level than we otherwise would have.

What was good?

There were times when I couldn't put the book down. I felt like I couldn't sleep if I didn't find out the truth about this story and these characters. The book is written in a way that makes you want to completely devour it, and at the end you're left wanting more. When I finished the book, I couldn't stop thinking about it!

What was bad?

I wouldn't say I was underwhelmed by the ending, because I wasn't at all. But I couldn't help but wish that there was more to some aspects of the reveal. Once everything came out, it felt like it was similar to things I've read and seen before.  

Overall

This is McManus' best book yet! I  loved it, and I'd encourage everyone to read it. Particularly if you're a fan of YA mysteries and thrillers; this is such a good one. I'll definitely be buying all of McManus' future books!

4/5 stars