Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

33 reviews

victor_gannon's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

Not my favourite, there's some implied incest in the beginning with one of the characters describing a character as hot and they don't even stop when they find out they're cousins a page later. (Not a spoiler, this is very early in the book and has no effect on the story)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Incest

onemamareads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-cousins

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Infidelity

Minor: Pregnancy

sallenreads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Blood, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Miscarriage

novi's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I don't know why I didn't know this, but this is a young adult thriller. The reviews are right, the vibe is very similar with E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, but this one is more.....comfortable? It wasn't as eerie or unsettling as We Were Liars, but it's still so fun to read because the way the plot moves fast is satisfying and in each chapter we always learn something new about the story (or um, The Story, since that is the name of the family that this book is about). The twist wasn't as messed up as I hoped it would be lol the tone of this book is lighter that the cover made it seem to be, that's all I'm saying. I really enjoyed being with these characters and the pacing of the book is perfect. I couldn't put it down I really could've finish it in one sitting if I didn't have work to do.

This isn't a hot take or anything, but I just want to say that the last page felt really unnecessary lol like okay I get that the author wanted the readers to leave the book feeling uncomfortable, a bit haunted, or with a goosebumps, and I wanted it for myself too, as I was reading it, but sadly it wasn't strong enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Car accident, Gaslighting, and Vomit

greciamj1958's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Infidelity

simplysmile15's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity

junefish's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity

Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Murder, Dementia, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Car accident

starrygoldeneyes's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, and Toxic relationship

gingerkathrynreads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Dementia, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Bullying, and Grief

Minor: Car accident and Cursing

leahsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

 Even though I’ve only read one of Karen M. McManus’s mystery/thrillers, I was very impressed by her style, and this book solidified her status as one of my favorites in the genre. 

 

In The Cousins, she crafts a story with realistic and flawed characters, and then places them into a compelling setting full of dark, long-hidden family secrets and simmering resentment. The younger generation of the Story family is characterized by difficult relationships with their parents and a lack of relationships with other family members. So when the opportunity arises to visit their grandmother, they hope to make connections and learn more about their family history. But of course, things don’t quite work out as planned. 

 

“The longer Mildred goes without contacting us, the more convinced I am that there’s something off about this entire summer.” 

 

There’s a gothic feel to the island, and I really liked each of the cousins, who were so different in their own ways. Jonah was a jerk at first, but driven and focused with a good heart. Aubrey was sweet and seemingly well-adjusted, but a bit of a doormat. Milly was outspoken but closed off while simultaneously seeking approval from her mother. 

 

“Because surely, one of them has to know what happened twenty-four years ago to make Mildred Story sever ties with all four of her children and never look back. And maybe if I know that, I’ll finally be able to understand my mother.” 

 

I loved seeing the cousins really grow over the course of the book, and realize that just because family secrets have persisted, doesn’t mean that they have to keep things going the way they always have. Despite growing up the way they have, they learn a lot about their family, themselves, and each other. 

 

“There’s something dangerously seductive about Story secrets; they snake their way into your heart and soul, burrowing so deep that the very idea of exposing them feels like losing a part of yourself.” 

 

While a few of the plot twists were predictable, the majority were a total surprise. I quickly got sucked into the story, and read it in a day. I loved the story as much as One of Us is Lying, but I think the characters were even more well-crafted in this book. This was one of those hyped books that was on the nose. My only issue was that sometimes the voice sounded the same from character to character, and I’d have to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see which POV I was reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Racism