The Cousins by Karen M.McManus is a book that contains a very interesting story about family secrets. The book revolves around three cousins who are suddenly invited to spend the summer working at their Grandmothers island resort. They had never known anything about their Grandmother as their parents had been disowned from their family at a very young age. They embark on this journey to try and get to know their Grandmother and reconnect with each other...only to be met with a dark and mysterious past that revolved around secrets, betrayals, vengeance, and even death. In the beginning, this book might not seem very mysterious, but things slowly begin to take a turn as we learn more about each cousin. I enjoyed being able to see the cousins' perspectives as the book constantly alternates between them and their family members’ points of view. I particularly loved the turn of events and how when a person was close to solving the mystery, another clue appeared.

This was a very good book overall—I just wish we could’ve seen more about the parent’s past and the cousin’s future. The story is kept very brief and it could’ve been developed even further, but a sequel would seem very forced. This book is guaranteed to be entertaining, as it was written by the same author as One of Us is Lying. If you’re looking for a book with mystery and plot holes then this book is recommended.

Review by: Kassandra Razo

Kassandra is a virtual volunteer at Sylmar Branch Library. She is a 12th grader at Sylmar Charter High School.

—Dana Eklund, Sylmar Branch Library