Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Cousins

soooo now I've read every single book written by Karen M. McManus, and unfortunately in this case the last one was also the least. She's always been one of my favourite (YA) mystery authors, and even though this one was an okay read, it didn't live up to the standards her other works have set up. This one was just boring and hard to get into, too many names and too little action.

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lexa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious

3.75

Was a captivating read. Lots of family secrets. Lots of unlikable characters. Probably won’t stick with me for long though.

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kshertz's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A very good mystery! I was surprised by the twists! They all got me. It didn’t wrap up the way I hoped in the end but I definitely could not put it down. A great mystery thriller for anyone looking for one. Reminds me a lot of Ruth Wares novels whom I also love.

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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Catching up on my Karen McManus in honor of the new season of "One of Us is Lying" on Netflix (!); let it be known I am a sucker for a YA mystery, especially one that involves a convoluted family saga. That said, I'm bummed to say this is likely my least favorite of her published bunch -- it read too soap opera-y for me to get invested, and the pace is oddly slow despite the action that's packed inside. It happens -- they can't all be winners!

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chloek608's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I would recommend this book if you like:
-YA mystery
-twists
-family relationships and some romance

Spoiler

I found this a great story, somehow it took me a while to get through. I did not guess that Jonah was an imposter and not a cousin. I enjoyed the trio’s friendships. Milly was strong and determined, Aubrey sporty and quiet.

Spoiler

There were many twists in this story and Jonah was only the first. Uncle Archer was hiding in plain sight. It turns out his siblings had killed Matt back in their teenage years to get revenge on him for impregnating their sister and not giving her the time of day.

Spoiler

The issue with the grandmother not wanting her children or grandchildren in her life was strange but I never guessed that it was actually because she was an imposter and the real grandmother had died naturally years prior. Mildred, when discovered due to a birthmark, got her assistant to burn the house down and she died either in the fire or on the fall from the first floor.

Spoiler

The cousins and Jonah kept in touch.

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shaunaxx's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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