Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

33 reviews

kshertz's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Dementia, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Murder, Incest, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Death

Moderate: Dementia, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Minor: Car accident

chloek608's review against another edition

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 

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. 

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. 

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. 

The cousins and Jonah kept in touch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Death

Minor: Miscarriage, Murder, Alcoholism, Car accident, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

shaunaxx's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Death, Murder, Grief, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Toxic relationship and Car accident

childoflight's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Death, and Addiction

Moderate: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Infidelity

kstericker's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Dementia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Car accident, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Incest

c100's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Dementia, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent

jbabbm's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Did some of the phrases/thoughts of the characters felt right out of an early 2000s teen movies? Yes.
Was the story actually interesting and completely sucked me in as the mystery developed? Completely.
Will check other Karen M. McManus books in the future? Totally, she certainly knows how to write a good mystery plot. I did see some of the things coming but she completely side-blinded me with the big reveal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Addiction

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Gun violence, and Grief

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Buddy read with my friend Ale!!

Everything about this book was dramatic as hell, which as someone who has the tendency to also be dramatic as hell, I appreciated. "The Cousins" is a YA mystery about three cousins finally meeting their mysterious, wealthy grandmother over the summer while uncovering the reasons behind their parents being disinherited and cut off completely. Chaos ensues.

There isn't a lot I can say without dropping spoilers, but what I will say in the book's favor is that no matter what you think is coming next in this narrative, you're probably wrong. It is much more ridiculous than I ever imagined. I can't quite decide on whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I also appreciated that it was fast paced and easy to get through even when I was really frustrated with it. There was something I can't quite figure out that didn't hit for me when it came to this book, but I did like it, so it's a solid 3 star for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Dementia

Minor: Gore, Incest, Medical content, and Vomit

andtheotherstars's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Car accident, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Murder, Incest, and Fire/Fire injury