For my 4th quarter book review I read The Cousins by Karen M. Mcmanus. It’s a young adult mystery-thriller, and follows the perspective of three cousins, Milly, Aubrey and Johan Story. Before they were born their grandmother disowned their parents with a note saying “you know what you did”. Now years later, they’re all 18, and they receive a letter from their grandmother. It’s an invitation to come work at the wealthy, solitary Story Hotel on a small island called Gull Cove Island, off the coast of Cape Code. Each of their parents don’t give them a choice. They have to go, they have no other option. Throughout their time working there, they uncover dark secrets about their family's past, a search for the truth behind the decades old mystery of why their parents were disowned.
I really enjoyed The Cousins, I love books that are multi-perspective each chapter. I feel like it adds depth to the story, so you can see how each character interprets the situation. The Cousins was one of the books where I tell myself just one more chapter, but then end up reading four. It had lots of really good twists and surprises throughout the book. I love McManus’s writing style, and I would definitely read this again. I would recommend the book to people who want to dabble in mystery or murder mystery. It’s a good start for people who don’t like a lot of gore but still want suspense. It does have some difficult subjects like, miscarriage, addiction, and parental neglect, but overall, I wouldn’t say it’s overly dark. I would definitely recommend The cousins, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.