REVIEW: THE COUSINS, BY KAREN M. MCMANUS

 

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family’s past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

 

Meeting long lost family members can bring much more than an anticipated summer on an island for The Cousins. The reader learns the unfolding events of years past during the summer adventure that promises to offer much more than just reconnecting with family.

The tale gradually comes to us through alternating narrators, swinging between the past and the present, with more and more intensity as we zero in on what really happened back when the Story children were disinherited.

The grim reality comes to grip them all in the here and now. A great story about the Story family. I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars.

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