Recently over the holiday break, I read a book entitled “The Cousins” by Karen M. McManus. This book was a very thrilling read and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. McManus is well-known for writing mystery thrillers in the Young Adult genre, and she is best known for her New York Times Bestseller “One of Us Is Lying.” 

“The Cousins” takes the readers to Gull Cove Resort for the summer season, with cousins Milly, Aubry, and Jonah taking centre stage. The story starts out with the three cousins, who are complete strangers to each other, and are only connected by their mysterious Story family heritage. They are asked to work at their grandmother’s resort for the summer, but however, this raises some suspicion to the cousins because each of their parents, children of the legendary and rich Mildred Story, were suddenly disinherited by their mother 24 years ago with no explanation. Now, Mildred’s grandchildren are being drawn back into her life when they are all asked to work at the resort for the summer, and all of the cousins believe that Mildred sent them their letters. But, nothing is as it seems at Gull Cove Island. Even though Milly, Jonah, and Aubrey have their own plans for the summer, their parents all force them to go, thinking this can be the time to get back into their own mothers’ good graces. At the start of the summer, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah meet up and travel to Gull Cove Island, not expecting that the summer was going to unlock many dark secrets about their legendary family.

The novel takes a very interesting turn of events from this point forward, with non-stop action combined with surprising twists and turns. The story is narrated in first-person by each of the three cousins, so the reader gets to feel connected to the characters and the storyline. Throughout the summer, Jonah, Mily, and Aubrey uncover the dark secrets surrounding their rich and reclusive grandmother, her closest associates, and their own parents. The three cousins also get to know each other on a more personal level and collaborate to uncover the mysterious truths surrounding their family. Another aspect of the storyline that I loved was that besides being in the perspectives of the Story grandchildren, there were also chapters in Allison’s perspective—Milly’s mother and the daughter of Mildred Story. It is one thing learning through Jonah, Milly, and Aubrey what happened to their parents the summer before they were disinherited, but since parts of the story are in Allison’s perspective, the reader gets to experience first-hand what life was like for the Story children and the life-altering events that took place that summer. 

“The Cousins” was definitely my favorite book that Karen M. McManus has written so far. There were so many plot twists that I never saw coming, and the final outcome of that summer was very unpredictable. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of YA mystery novels, or who just wants a good read. It definitely won’t disappoint!