THE COUSINS by Karen M. McManus

“The Story family are the envy of their neighbours: rich, beautiful and glamorous. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence: you know what you did. They never hear from her again. Years later, when cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother’s resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who’s been such an enigma their entire lives. The teenagers are determined to discover the truth. But some secrets are better left alone…”

What is the book about?

The Story family are rich, beautiful and glamourous and everyone is envious of them. But suddenly everything falls apart and the Story children: Adam, Anders, Allison and Archer, are disinherited without a single word from their mother except from a letter with a single sentence: you know what you did – though none of them know what they did.  More than 2 decades later, cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a strange invitation from their grandmother to spend the summer working at her resort. The 3 of them are forced to follow their curiosity to get the answers they have always wanted from the woman that ruined their parents’ lives. But, despite their determination to discover the truth, the teenagers find even more questions still left unanswered. The woman they thought had finally wanted to welcome her grandchildren into her life, acts as though she knows nothing about the invitation and doesn’t care about them at all – she only seems to make them more curious. The cousins will stop at nothing from uncovering the truth, but some secrets are better left alone…

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

Once I had read One of Us is Lying and absolutely loved it, I went searching for other books by the same author. While I was searching I came across 3 books, 2 of which I had already gotten and 1 that was The Cousins. After reading One of Us is Next and Two Can Keep a Secret, I was desperate to buy this book. Luckily, I manage to get it and as soon as it arrived I began reading. Before opening to the first chapter, I read the blurb and became even more intrigued at what this book would be like. I was incredibly certain I would adore The Cousins just as much as the other books and I was 100% correct. By the time I had read the first page, I already felt that this book would be more amazing than I had predicted. It started out very quickly and the mystery had soon begun. I really like how the book had 3 people narrating but also a fourth person, who was an important character, which lived through significant events that later affected the situation. Every chapter was more interesting and I loved every bit of the book.

Who was your favourite character and why? 

In The Cousins my favourite character was Aubrey. This was because of how kind-hearted she was and how she was always careful with what she said. During the beginning of the book she is much quieter and very sensible, and I think that she during that time she was easily pushed around and would agree with whatever anyone said because she didn’t know how to retaliate and show what was really on her mind. However, near the end, Aubrey is much more determined and able to show people that she would not be pushed around anymore and would tell people exactly what she thought and how she felt. At the end, she is one of the strongest characters who was able to discover the truth before anyone else, this was because she finally realised that she would never get anywhere if she didn’t take matters into her own hands and do what she thought was right, and because of this she ended up saving the day and proving what really happened to her grandmother rand why she disinherited her children. 

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

I really liked the ending but my favourite part was a bit earlier. This part was when everything I had learnt finally clicked. I know that usually this is my favourite part in mystery books but it’s because of how everything perfectly fits together and I can properly see how and why everything happened in the book. In The Cousins, there was a specific chapter that really had me confused thinking that nothing would ever make sense. Finally, when the chapter was ending, a single sentence, made me and the characters completely understand the truth. I enjoyed this section because I was able to follow along with the characters and knew what they said or did really meant and why they did it. In a lot of mystery books, the characters suddenly see or hear something that is the last piece of the puzzle, and usually they hide that from the reader so I sometimes can’t follow them and don’t fully understand. I liked how The Cousins let me recognise properly and see the truth at the same time as the characters. 

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall, The Cousins was an extraordinary and wonderful mystery and I absolutely loved reading it. The ending was action-packed and very interesting. It was perfect and concluded the book incredibly well. In The Cousins, I got the chance to read about the past which I think was the best was to really recognise the strange events that took place the year that everything change. I really liked learning about what had really happened and I think it was an extremely effective way to hook the reader, especially with all the astonishing cliff-hangers. I think that this was the best book by Karen M. McManus and I really enjoyed it. I think this was much better than the others because of how the mystery was pieced together. I liked how the clues were given a bit earlier in the book and that I didn’t have to wait until the very end to see the truth. In the other books, particularly Two Can Keep a Secret, I only got to see who the culprit was until the very end, when the characters were in a life-threatening situation and I think that The Cousins was much better as it slowly answered your questions – while giving you more to think about – instead of answering them all in one go. In my opinion, I think that there was nothing I would change from the book; it was perfect and I absolutely love it. 

Would you recommend this book?  

I think that this book is amazing and I would 100% recommend it, particularly for anyone who has read any other Karen M. McManus books. I think that the book is better for readers 14 or older and any murder mystery lover will enjoy it.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)  

A mind-blowing murder mystery full of unexpected twists and turns.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

USMAN’S BOOKS

What is the book about?

The book is about a boy called Usman and he has a lot of books.

Who was your favourite character and why? 

 My favourite character was Red Riding Hood because she was beautiful.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

 My favourite part was when Red Riding Hood came because it was fun.

What did you think of the book and why?

It was good and I liked the book very much.

Reviewed by Fabiola Gutierrez Reviriego

TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET by Karen M. McManus

“Echo Ridge is reeling. This picturesque town, nestled near the Canadian border, experienced its tragic loss in 1995 when high-school senior Sarah Corcoran vanished while walking home from the library. Then five years ago, homecoming queen Lacey Kilduff was found dead in the aptly named Murderland Halloween park. Now, the killer claims to be back. A small town that keeps losing its homecoming queens. Two murders, still unsolved. Echo Ridge is not a good place to be popular.”

What is the book about?

Echo Ridge is a small town near the Canadian border that has experienced 2 tragic losses: the disappearance of Sarah Corcoran in 1995 and the death of Lacey Kilduff 5 years ago. Ellery Corcoran and her twin brother Ezra find themselves in the town their mother had been desperate to leave in almost the same situation. Malcom Kelly’s family still hasn’t properly recovered from the last murder and now everything seems to be connected to him and, although no one seems to admit it, it leaves, once again, a Kelly as the prime suspect. With the killer claiming to be back even more mysteries begin to unfold. Two murders still unsolved and a third one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Echo Ridge only seems to be getting worse which no one thought was possible. With all hope lost, will they find the murderer before it is too late?

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

For Christmas I got a set of 3 books: One of Us is Lying, One of Us is Next and Two Can Keep a Secret. I had previously read both of the first books and loved the mysteries at Bayview High. After reading them, I knew that I would love any books by this author because of how thrilling and intriguing the mysteries were. I was desperate to begin reading the last book in the set, Two Can Keep a Secret but, I knew that the book would be slightly different as it is in a different location. However, despite it being in a different place, I knew that I would enjoy it even before I had read the first sentence. The beginning of the book was engaging and before I knew it there was already a mystery afoot. I loved the characters from the very start and I knew that this investigation would be even better than the ones in the previous books by Karen M. McManus.

Who was your favourite character and why? 

My favourite character was Ellery mainly because she loved crime and murder novels. This made her mind work differently than everyone else as she was always more interested in hearing about people’s lives and was suspicious of everything. She had strange and intriguing theories and even if they were almost always wrong it was very fascinating to see how she pieced everything together and got that result – it was constantly in a way that made sense and it could have easily been the real explanation. She was also able to spot clues and was always on guard looking for things that could later be useful if things turned out to be a mystery. She analysed things like a police officer as if she was on a permanent investigation, looking for things that may be out of place which made he an extremely remarkable character. Above all she was nice to people and was very smart which made her an ever better person.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

My favourite part of the book was the last few chapters. These were the chapters were everything fell into place and when all the clues and facts discovered earlier finally made sense and pointed to the right suspect. During these chapters, it was like all the characters had given up on the mystery and left it all for the police to investigate, but in the end they managed to figure it out. The chapters were action-packed and full of intriguing information, I really liked the ending and the conclusion was logical and had the most interesting answer to all the questions I had from earlier in the book. I love learning the true answers and seeing the entire investigation as a whole and how the clues piece together like a puzzle which is exactly what happened so I really enjoyed reading it. Although I didn’t enjoy the very end as much as the end of One of Us is Next, I still really liked it but would have loved to read on.

What was your overall impression of the book?

The book was an amazing read and I loved almost everything about it. I found that this mystery was 10 times better than One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next and was really intrigued and like how you could be so confident that it was a certain character but a few chapters later you are suspicious of a new culprit. I thought that this murder mystery was much more interesting and the clues for the truth were much more obvious. I really liked how the real murderer made more sense than the suspicions that the investigators had. Another thing I liked about this book was that there were 3 mysteries that not many people thought were linked but truly had a connection that made a huge difference. It was unexpected to have so many unsolved murder/disappearance cases in the same place with no one really considering who the criminal was and how they got away with everything. I know that with the other 2 books written by this author I complained about how the ending left you not with questions but with a feeling of needing to read more. Two Can Keep a Secret had the same problem as the other books but I realise now that this is just the author’s way of writing and although I was upset I think that it gives the book a more mysterious flair that makes you want to read other books by Karen M. McManus.

Would you recommend this book?  

Two Can Keep a Secret is definitely a book that any reader will enjoy; especially a murder mystery lover. I think that it is an amazing read particularly for a reader 14 or older and anyone who read it will not be able to put it down.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)  

An extraordinary and astonishing mystery full of secrets and new discoveries.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego 

ONE OF US IS NEXT by Karen M. McManus

“Another year. Another drama. A whole new set of rules… Bayview High is just about recovered from the death of gossip king Simon Kelleher a year ago. Now there’s a new copycat in town who isn’t ready to forget him just yet. A school-wide game of Truth or Dare seems fun, right? But this game is lethal. Choosing truth may reveal your darkest secrets, accepting the dare could be dangerous, even fatal. The teenagers of Bayview must work together once again to find the culprit, before it’s too late…”

What is the book about?

It’s a year after the death of creator of the gossip app About That and someone has chosen to copy his style. A school-wide Truth or Dare game begins and another dramatic mystery begins. Truth or Dare sounds fun…but could have disastrous consequences. Choose truth and your deepest darkest secret is revealed but accepting dare could be even more dangerous, maybe ever life threatening. Once the first round takes a terrible direction, everyone knows it’s best to take the dare, but will it be as easy for the other participants? The Unknown culprit seems to go silent after another upsetting death takes place…but is the Truth or Dare game responsible? The teenagers of Bayview must work together to find who is responsible and stop them before they ruin Bayview forever…but will it be too late?

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

As soon as I finished One of Us is Lying I was ecstatic and desperate to read the sequel. Even before I started, I knew that this was going to be another favourite of mine and that I would soon devour it like the first book. Once I started, I didn’t immediately think otherwise, but I was a bit unsure because of how many new characters there were and who would now be narrating, and I wasn’t used to seeing such a big significant difference in characters because it never happened with other books. It was very strange to suddenly have 2 new perspectives from people I didn’t know anything about which was unfamiliar and made me more curious about what my opinion would be on this book. Even though the characters were different I soon felt that I had known them my whole life and I was soon swept back into the daily life of a Bayview High student and I couldn’t wait to solve this mystery like the last.

Who was your favourite character and why? 

My favourite character was Maeve because she was incredibly brave and smart. She reminded me of the kind of girl that everyone wants to be. She was a lot like her sister Bronwyn – one of my favourite characters in One of Us is Lying – and I really liked her kind and caring personality. Even though she was a bit like her sister, I still think that Maeve was different but definitely in a good way. She was much more considerate about others and didn’t want what was happening to her to affect her whole family, but, she let that blind her from seeing that hiding it would only hurt those she cared about even more. I also liked that she didn’t give up and persevered in order to discover the truth about the Truth or Dare game and what had really happened to make the game begin. I think that if she hadn’t of persisted and made sure that no one ignored the problem once it stopped there would have been disastrous consequences for everyone.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

My favourite part was most likely near the end when all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The chapters that led up to the end were the ones that I enjoyed the most because they were the ones that really fascinated me the most. I really liked them because of how the characters placed everything and made the mystery close the right way in the most logical way. A few pages before, it was like the book was on pause waiting for the right moment to place all the clues that were completely obvious and hidden in plain sight finally clash and prove who the real culprit was. I also liked this part because it gave a proper conclusion to an extraordinary book and this part didn’t make me feel like the book could have had a better finish.

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall, I thought that the book was astonishing and I really adored reading it. The ending wasn’t unexpected and didn’t really leave me with that many questions but it did leave me wanting more. It was similar to the ending of One of Us is Lying but, of course, One of Us is Next filled in the gaps that the initial book had left. I think that I would have loved the book even more if there had been more to read and a better conclusion as I would have liked to learn more about the resolution to the mystery. One main thing that made me find the book so remarkable was the mystery and the investigation. This book was not as confusing and I really liked that the police didn’t get involve because that puzzled me even more. The mystery was much clearer and it didn’t feel like the characters were always in the wrong direction. I really enjoyed the book and I can’t wait to read others by this author.

Which book did you like best: One of Us is Lying or One of Us is Next?

This was a really hard decision because both books were amazing and I loved them so much but I think that I prefer One of Us is Next. This is because of how the mystery was laid out and the clues. I found that One of Us is Lying was really confusing and the mystery didn’t seem to be going anywhere until the very end. I think that One of Us is Next was much easier to follow and with close attention you could put together the clues easily along with the characters. Of course, both books have a twist that you didn’t see coming at the end and it is very hard to predict it but I think that One of Us is Next was more obvious and made much more sense. Both books really were an incredible read but I think that One of Us is Next stood out to me more and I found the mystery a lot more intriguing.

Would you recommend this book?  

I would undoubtedly recommend this book, especially if you have read One of Us is Lying and enjoyed it. I think that this book is best for readers over 14 and people who enjoy murder mystery books.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)  

Another mysterious drama at Bayview High.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

DEAR OLD FRIENDS

What is the book about?

The book is about Ken who is sick.

Who was your favourite character and why? 

 My favourite character was Sid because he was nice to his friend Ken 

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

 My favourite part was when Sid helped Ken because Ken was happy and not lonely.

What did you think of the book and why?

It was good and I liked it so much. I got to practise reading words.

Reviewed by Fabiola Gutierrez Reviriego