The Cousins: #bookreview

The Cousins by Karen McManus is set on Gull Cove Island. Imagine the setting as being similar to the show Revenge but not quite as upscale as the Hamptons. There is a real Gull Island but no one lives there.

Three cousins — Aubrey, Milly and Jonah- from the Story family are invited to work at their grandmother’s summer resort on Gull Cove Island. Mildred Story disinherited her three children years ago without an explanation. She never saw them again. Then one day, the grandmother invites the grandchildren to Gull Cove Island.

Revenge may actually be on someone’s mind. I stayed up all night to find out who was behind all of the secrets. What else should I do when this mystery is keeping me awake?

There is a background story involving Kayla and Matt. Kayla and Matt were two young people from town. Kayla dated Anders Story, who is Jonah’s dad. Matt dated Allison Story, who is Milly’s mom. (There is a family tree at the beginning of the book, which is very helpful.) It didn’t end well for either Kayla or Matt. Both people met an untimely demise. Both deaths were ruled accidental but was that true?

The grandmother’s lawyer, Donald Camden, is a sneaky scumbag. I cannot shake that feeling. Call it intuition or whatever but he’s a creep. Was he involved with any of the reasons for the disinheritance or any other secrets? Apparently, he knows something. He wrote a letter to each of Mildred’s children stating that “You know what you did.”