The Cousins by Karen M. Mcmanus — Rich Messy Families, Estranged Cousins, and Murder

Another brilliant McManus book for me to adore!!

I have discovered I have an deep interest in inheriting a large and mysterious fortune, so I will continue to read books about inheritances (and disinheritances) until I, too, find the answer. 😪 I’m so fond of Karen M. McManus’ thrillers, and while this one actually felt more lowkey on the thriller aspect, it has the twists that leave your brain shrieking. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The premise. The messy problematic rich families. The estranged cousins bonding. The mysterious resort island. The REVEALS at the end ahhh.

what if a rich, reclusive grandma disinherited her kids but took a sudden interest in their grandkids…

This definitely has similar vibes to The Inheritance Games, which I loved too! In this one — Mildred Story disinherited her kids 25 years ago and has never seen them, made contact, or even tried to meet their kids. But then one summer she invites the 3 cousins (Milly, Jonah and Aubrey) to her resort island to “work” and get to know her. It’s a really cushy job for a ton of pay, but obviously the parents are like “maybe she’ll give you an inheritance?!?” so they push for the kids to go. But when the three cousins get there, their grandmother doesn’t want a thing to do with them.

It’s very deeply about messed up, privileged and entitled rich families and their dirty secrets. And sorry, but I kind of love reading it 😂 Rich people just are…on another PLANET. They’re so wild and unrelatable. 😂 Of the three cousins, Milly is the most snobbish (her mum bribes her with a DIAMOND NECKLACE to go?!) but they’re still better than their parents. We get flashbacks of their parents youths and oh they were brats. But the whole book is really dramatic and engaging and you feel soft for the good kids and are horrified at what the others get away with.

Of course there’s a little bit of murder… It’s a McManus book, alright, this is what we showed up for. Except this time the cousins are unravelling what happened on the island 25 years ago to get their parents disinherited. WHAT DID THEY DO.

The three cousins were messy, clashing and vibrant.

Milly was forthright and a go-getter, definitely one who likes to be the centre of attention. Aubrey was a quiet pushover people pleaser and so soft. But I loved how they bonded. Milly immediately looking out for Aubrey and Aubrey enjoying having someone not stomping on her. Jonah was the cousin they all hate, snobby and geeky…although he has more secrets than you can imagine and I liked him as the story unravelled.

A thoroughly compelling, mysterious and fantastic read. I really had a good time with this!

Dysfunctional families and cousins learning to bond and family skeletons being dug out of the shadows and muuuuurder. It’s hard to put down and the bombshells drop with absolute perfection. Also the foreshadowing is SO good and glorious but you don’t see it till the ah-ha moment at the end. I love it.

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.

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Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review-copy!