ARC, 321 pages
Release Date: December 1, 2020
Published by: Delacorte Press
Read from: November 27- December 8, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Publisher (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Arson, Death, Miscarriage
For fans of: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Family Diversity, POC MC, YAMilly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised… and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You’ll never feel the same about family again.
*MY THOUGHTS*
At this point I don’t care what the synopsis is, if it has McManus’ name on it, I will read it. After this one, it wasn’t hard to make that decision. In signature McManus style it was twisty, turny, and so good.
“Mom usually makes a point of pushing back on anyone who act like they can’t figure out how to spell or pronounce Dad’s Japanese last name.”pg. 3
Three different cousins have been contacted by their estranged grandmother after she cut their parents off and never contacted them before. All the parents decide to send the cousins to get back in their mother’s good graces. But once they got there, they realize their grandmother had nothing to do with them coming. As they try to figure out who brought them there and why, they find out more about each other and the rest of their family than they ever thought they would.
“My parents both have good jobs, and my dad, despite being remarried, has always been generous with child support.”pg. 10
The plot in this one was what stood out to me. I wasn’t a huge fan of it to be honest. But only because it was of how the clues were dropped. I’ve never been a fan of a clue here and a clue there and we never get the whole picture until the very end. It’s easier for me to tell which way it’s going to end up when it’s written like that. And that’s exactly what happened. I would much rather them introduce the clues and all the people it could be throughout the story.
“Everybody has secrets,” she says taking a sip of her drink. “That’s nondebateable. The only question is whether you’re keeping your own, or someone else’s.”pg. 36
However, I did like the characters. They were all interesting and they all had something hella weird going on with them. Definitely things I approved of. I do wish we had gotten a better look at Gran, but I can understand what happened there. And I also like the fact that it was told from their 3 POVs. We got to be in everyone’s heads and that seems so valuable to me in mysteries. It helps to basically force the author to try to convince us it’s not them. Even when it just might be.
“It’s all right to be mad, Milly. he whispers. “You’re entitled to that feeling. But give some thought to forgiveness too, okay. If there’s one characteristic I wish the Story family had more of, it’s that.”pg. 241
I also liked her writing style or I guess her way with words. She was just telling a story, but as always she sucked me in and I didn’t wanna stop reading. I remember reading it and I kept saying “WTF is going on?!” It was so weird but a really good weird.
“…But why does she get to call all the shots, all the time?” Milly’s lips quirk. “Probably because she has all the money.”pg. 249
This book was different than her others, but I still loved it. I don’t see myself not liking a McManus book ever to be honest lol She can’t write a bad thriller. She’s proven that time and again. I can’t wait to see what she has coming out next.
Overall, I give this
