Sounds interesting, right? I applaud the advertising team for making me think so, because this was quite literally the most anticlimactic mystery novel I have ever read. The characters were bland, the twists entirely random, and the plot meandered until the 90% mark. These children are now adults and three of them have children of their own; Aubrey, Jonah and Milly. The cousins hardly know one another, having only met a handful of times.

The cousins is a great mystery book. Surprisingly, the book is not about murder like most of the books by Karen M. McManus. Karen wrote this book for tweens and teens and it isn’t very intense. She wanted to write a book that doesn’t really have to do with murder, but with family, friendship and family history. The book is lots of fun but parents should be concerned with a few things. The narrative doesn't show much drinking (but a character is said to have gotten drunk) , and characters use profanity (including "f—k" and "s—t") but not very frequently. For a mystery book, there isn't much violence shown/written. Still, expect a very brief shooting and suspense, plus murders and impostors are referred to, but not shown/ written or heavily described. The interactions between many families in the novel offer conversation points regarding family dynamics, particularly how to handle difficult family histories and other unsettling subjects. There are messages about working as a team and never giving up. Great book for 11-13 year olds! Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah have never met their grandmother, the immensely wealthy Mildred Story. Ever since she disowned all four of her children more than 20 years ago, she’s rebuffed any effort their parents have made through the years to reconcile or meet her grandchildren. Even their parents—all siblings—barely speak to each other. Quite a few people have asked what actually happens at the end of The Cousins as it isnt’t that straightforward! I thought about sharing the conclusion here, but don’t want to ruin it for others so if you want to clarify things after finishing the book, please feel free to drop me a line! 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 – 6/10The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: McManus, Karen M. The Cousins. Delacorte Press, 2020. Kindle Edition. But I do feel like the ending was quite....rushed and far-fetched. Like how was any of that possible? There are multiple factors that could've caused it to go wrong, but apparently nothing really did. So were a lot of the plot twists, some of them seemed really unnecessary and very out there.

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.The Cousins started off decent, and proceeded to decline rapidly. I was really interested in the concept of estranged grandchildren being invited to their mysterious grandmother’s island, with possible murders to come. Except nothing of considerable note happens until beyond the halfway mark. By then, I was dozing off while reading due to the failings of the first half.

Years later, when Aubrey, Milly, and Jonah Story, all 18 years old, receive an enigmatic invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they are forced to satisfy their curiosity and meet the lady who has been such a mystery their whole lives. 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. The teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family this summer. But some secrets are better left alone. The island resort setting was a nice change from McManus’s usual murder in a small town and i enjoyed this new setting thoroughly.The moment the trio finds out which original Story sibling caused their parents to get disowned is not what – or, who – readers expect, and while it was a much-needed twist to tie the story together, I would've liked a break in all of the whodunit guessing I was doing. 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.” 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? Karen's books are always adept at multi-POV, but I really gelled with the characters in this one. I think b/c this one focuses on family trauma and the "sins of the father" being carried out on the children, there was a lot to latch onto (since I enjoy that stuff). The cousins are Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, whose parents were disowned by their mega-rich mom 24 years ago and no one knows why. After two decades of radio silence, Grandma Milicent reaches out finally to her grandchildren and invites them to work at her resort for the summer so she can get to know them. The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over - and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.