Wednesday, December 9, 2020

The Cousins

 
The Cousins by Karen McManus may be my favorite book of hers yet. I'm a big fan of One Of Us Is Lying and her other books, and honestly? Just going by the premise, I wasn't sure I'd like this one as much. Well, I was wrong. I liked this one at least as much, if not more, than her previous books. I liked the humor elements, they really added a certain something, and the change of scenery from the previous books felt fresh also. The premise here is that three cousins- Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah- are offered jobs for the summer at their grandmothers' posh island resort. The catch? They've never met her- and she disinherited their parents years ago. 

So why does she want to get to know them now? Well, that's the question. Something happened all those years ago, but the cousins' parents swear they have no idea what drove their mother to disinherit them. Righttt. So the three cousins go to the island for the summer, and not only have to get to know their grandmother- they have to get acquainted with each other as well. The sparks are going to fly, especially between Milly and Jonah. And what secrets will be uncovered as the summer progresses? 

I liked all three cousins a lot. I cared about all of them, and while Milly was my favorite (and Jonah a close second), Aubrey's arc was very compelling and heartfelt. I really sympathized with her predicament. The author really made me care for these characters, and it was fascinating also to see what happened in the past. 

The island is its own character, with a Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard feel but on a smaller scale, and the family secrets and history really made me want to know more. I quickly came to hate certain supporting characters, and like many stories of this kind, it was fun to try and parse the clues and figure out who did what. In true McManus fashion, there are some tantalizing reveals and a few shocking moments as well. If I have one quibble, it's that the plot twist at the end seemed a bit much for me. Easily overlooked though as this is just a stellar way to escape real life for a while. 

McManus has knocked each book out of the park so far- I've enjoyed everything she's written- but this one is the topper. I loved the characters, the setting- everything just comes together to make this an awesome read.

17 comments:

  1. I haven't read one of her books yet, but I really should, considering the rave reviews!

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  2. I need to start reading her books. Everyone seems to love this one!

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  3. I haven't read any of Karen McManus's books although I have been meaning to do just that. This sounds really good and I like how the characters and setting worked so well for you!

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  4. This one felt more family secrets than mystery to me, but I loved it. I am a big fan of McManus' books. She just tells great stories and crafts fabulous characters. Milly tugged at my heart quite a bit, so I can understand why she was your favorite.

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  5. I am so glad to hear you liked this one, Greg. I had seen it pop up on another blog (not a review, just featured) and was curious about it. I haven't tried the author's work yet, but someday perhaps.

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  6. I definitely love McManus' books, so I do think I should give this one a go! Normally her books can get pretty dark, so it's nice to know that this one has some humourous moments.

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  7. The island setting is enough to make me want to read this one. Am adding it to my TBR list! :)

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  8. I keep seeing her books around but for some reason I'm vary of teen thrillers...maybe because they usually have some toxic friendship elements/catty character dynamics at their core...maybe I should try this one though!

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  9. Totally agree, this is my favorite of hers as well! I loved the characters, and I was really into the family secret bit too (like you, I didn't know if I would be, but turns out I was!) and I loved the setting, too. So glad you enjoyed this one too, great review!

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  10. Ohhh I'm so excited to hear this! I've really been wanting to read this and I think I'm getting a copy this month, so I'm relieved to see people are loving it.

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  11. I see so many raves for McManus. I'm glad to see this one was such a hit for you!

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  12. Wow you've got me tempted to pick this one up next Greg! I've got the audio. I've liked all of her books so I'm excited to meet these cousins.

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  13. Oh yay, I'm so glad to hear you loved it. I haven't read this one yet but am very much looking forward to it.

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  14. I haven't read anything by Karen McManus, but this one sounds good. Thanks for sharing your review. 👏👏👏

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  15. Just saw this in my library's selection and wondered what it was about, so thank you, now I know lol. It sounds intriguing and def like your kind of book. I'm glad it was so good! Good characters that you care about usually make for a great read.

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  16. I haven't tried this author yet but do have a couple lurking on the ereader.

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