The Cousins

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The Cousins follows 3 teenagers, who's parents were cut off by their mother over 20 years ago after receiving a letter that just says "you know what you've done" although apparently, none of them actually do know what they've done. Cut to present day, and the cousins are all invited to stay at their estranged grandmothers island resort over the summer as she's apparently had a change of heart and would like to get to know them. Upon arrival, the cousins try to uncover what exactly their parents did to get them cut off and why their grandmother wants to meet them after all this time. The Cousins is told in chapters that rotate narrators between Milly, Aubrey, Jonah, and a series of chapters from when Milly’s mother Allison was 18. I found this storytelling method was fairly effective. In both of the books by Ms. McManus that I had previously read, the characters felt more like stereotypes. I thought Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah were all well developed in this book.

until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school—and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse. It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common...like a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something. Even better, though, was the enjoyment of experiencing them with each character. The three protagonists were just as developed as the next, and I found myself easily drawn into their individual motivations, however misguided they might’ve been. Told from three separate POV’s, every thrill was seen from a unique lens and perspective, making for a reading experience that never really let me get too comfortable with how things were going. There was always something — or someone — ready to throw a wrench into the mix. Aubrey is probably my favorite character, because I actually like her personality. She's sensible, smart, and genuinely nice, which was great compared to the other characters. I loved when she called out all of the manipulative and selfish people in her life and I feel so bad for her about her dad and all that, no one deserves that.

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Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything . If they can survive the season.” And then there's the unnecessary romance. The same thing happened in You'll Be the Death of Me, and it ruined the whole book for me because I'm dramatic like that, but also because I just don't like romance in mystery because I feel like it takes away from the story. I can't get much into the people in the romance because it's a spoiler but it also felt really weird considering what they were beforehand...

SN: Mysteries and thrillers have this storied history of ocean-front settings in everything from things like Murder, She Wrote to We Were Liars . What is it about that beachfront, island setting that lends itself so well to the genre? Mildred invites the teenagers into her home for brunch and to attend the Summer Gala. Things do not go well at either event. Mildred focuses her attention on Aubrey and Jonah. She ignores Milly. This upsets Milly and creates friction between her and Aubrey. Mildred and Donald catch Milly and Jonah kissing at the Summer Gala. At this point, they believe that Jonah is Milly’s cousin. Jonah tells Mildred that his father, Anders, hates her. Then Anders arrives with the real Jonah Story and tells everyone that Jonah North is an imposter. It turns out that Jonah North wanted revenge because Anders lost his family’s money through bad investments. Donald has everyone escorted away. The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over - and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.But one day each of the grandchildren gets a letter from Mildred inviting them to spend the summer working at the island resort she owns in New England. While each is mildly intrigued, no one particularly wants to spend their summer working for a woman they don’t know, one who has never cared about them. So, there were a lot of plot twists in this book. Many of them I didn't guess- most of them, actually. It just felt like they came out of nowhere at times. And some of them you could probably miss if you were skimming or just not paying attention, which honestly probably would've happened to me if I was skimming, which I wasn't *cheers* A ver, empezando por lo que comento de los personajes... De verdad, sin duda lo mejor de la novela. Me han encantado los tres, cada uno a su manera. Milly, Aubrey y Jonah son un trío impecable para resolver un crimen, con personalidades muy diferentes pero que cuadran perfectamente para un libro que se desarrolla en un entorno paradisíaco y misterioso a partes iguales. ¿Qué puede salir mal cuando juntas a tres primos que no se conocen y todos tienen secretos que no pueden confesar? I hated when she was ignoring Aubrey and all that stuff because she was being completely unreasonable and jealous and it was so annoying. And the award for the biggest disappointment ft. wtf storyline, out of the blue twists, cardboard characters and forced romance of the year goes to "Three cousins " *cough* "The cousins".