The Cousins – Book Review

Hi friends! Today I’m posting my The Cousins Book Review. I am a huge fan of Karen M. McManus and her thrillers, so I was super excited when Penguin Random House sent me this book for review. Let’s get into it!

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Title: The Cousins

Author: Karen M. McManus

CAWPILE: 6.2/10

Rating: 3 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Content Warnings: Alcohol abuse/addiction, Alcohol use (including underage drinking), Arson, Cheating/adultery, Child abuse (emotional/psychological), Death of a loved one, Drugging, Emesis, Gambling addiction (mentioned), Incest (inferred), Miscarriage, Murder, Parental neglect, Pregnancy

Format: Physical Copy

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Date Published: December 3rd 2020

Goodreads Description: The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:

You know what you did.

They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother’s resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who’s been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It’s the Story legacy.

The teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family this summer. But some secrets are better left alone.

I received a review copy from Penguin Random House SA. All opinions are my own.

Review

Characters – 6/10

I’m going to start this review off by saying that I had some high hopes for this book and they were not met. The main issue I had was with the characters. I was not as invested in their story as I should have been.

The Cousins follows three POVs, Jonah, Milly and Aubrey. I had trouble distinguishing between their voices and I had to go back a couple of times to check whose POV I was following. The romance between two characters also really bugged me. Here are some mild spoilers:

Personality-wise I think Milly was my favourite, and this book might have been better off with only her POV.

Atmosphere – 6/10

I really liked the setting. Small island towns are just my vibe, and it played into the mystery aspect very well. I would have liked to have seen more of the hotel and the town, but the snippets we got were excellent.

Writing – 6/10

This is definitely not McManus’ strongest work. While I enjoyed the writing, I wasn’t as captivated as I was with her previous books. The Cousins is also a bit shorter than her other books, so I’m wondering if she had enough page space to add in everything she wanted.

Plot – 6/10

The plot moves really slow. Just as I was getting bored, it would pick up again and then quickly taper off. The mystery wasn’t as engaging as I thought it would be but there are some twists here and there. Overall it was just average.

Intrigue – 7/10

I must say I was eager to unravel the mystery and get to the bottom of the main conflict. I kinda wished the book had taken a different turn, but I wasn’t too disappointed.

Logic – 6/10

I’m going to venture into spoiler territory again, but the mystery and the ending made sense enough. There are a few details that I may have missed or that were omitted, but overall everything was wrapped up nicely.

Enjoyment – 7/10

I did enjoy this book, but I have a feeling I’ll forget about it in a few weeks. It just didn’t stand out enough amongst McManus’ other works. However, this book would be perfect for younger mystery readers.

Let me know your thoughts on The Cousins – Book Review.

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