The Cousins by Karen McManus

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.

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

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I don't think I've seen a book divide Goodreads quite this much in a while! Is Karen a genius, or is she just recycling her own old plots? Was the twist in this one (come on, you knew there was at least one twist, this is Karen McManus) inspired or stupid? What about that sequel hook at the end, was it clever or is she grasping for readers?

Well, I can't answer any of those questions, because like all art novels are subjective. But I'll give you my opinions.

First: I don't think Karen has lost her touch. Time did seem to pass oddly, but otherwise I really enjoyed this. I thought the characters had their own voices, the descriptions were great, and everything was well presented. It's a clever idea for a setting; an island, but not a deserted one where the characters are trapped. Instead it's a luxury resort where the characters 'work' (their actual labour has very little to do with the story.)

Second: I thought the twist was clever. When I reread I'll be watching out for hints leading up to it. That said, it wasn't the jaw dropping. ohmygod moment that One of Us is Lying was. This was clever, but maybe because we figured it out in stages, it didn't hit me the same way.

Third: I liked the sequel hook. I'd like to read more of these characters, maybe with a quick recap to remind me who everyone is and what happened.

Speaking of: all those A names kept tripping me up, especially Archer and Anders. I kept having to stop and think about who was who and what was the relationship and who knew what when. Traditionally, though, I don't remember names very well, so maybe other people weren't so bothered by it.

Overall I really enjoyed this, I'd like to read more, but the twist was not quite as amazing as her first.

Upper image: UK cover. Lower image: US cover. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.