Author: Karen M. McManus
Publication: Delacorte Press (December 1, 2020)
Description: 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.
Milly, 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.
My Thoughts: Family secrets come out when three cousins who barely know each other are all invited to Gull Cove Island to work for a resort. The island is the home of the grandmother who disinherited all four of her children before the cousins were born. Each one has a different reason to want to reconcile or at least get to know their grandmother.
Milly Story-Takahashi is the daughter of Allison, the only girl. She is named for her grandmother and has a difficult relationship with her own mother who seems to have unreasonable expectations for her. Milly would like to get to know her grandmother.
Aubrey Story is the daughter of Adam who is the oldest Story child. He was always his mother's favorite but hasn't had a very successful life since he was disinherited. He wrote a book which gave him fifteen minutes of fame but has done nothing since. He lets his wife who is a nurse support him while he dwells on his own sense of entitlement and keeps putting his daughter down. Now, he has done something that Aubrey is finding hard to forgive and it is a secret she's carried with her to the island.
Jonah is supposed to be the son of Anders Story. He is an imposter who has dreams of revenge since Anders convinced his parents to take part in an investment scheme that cost Jonah all his college fund and has almost driven his parents to bankruptcy and the near loss of their business.
When they arrive at the island, they find that their grandmother wasn't the one who invited them to come and really wants them all to leave. They also begin to have a number of questions about their family.
Part of the story also includes Milly's mother Allison's activities the summer of 1996 which laid the seeds of all that comes later.
This was a wonderfully twisty mystery with intriguing characters. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with the cousins. The story had a nice mixture of suspense and development of the characters of the cousins. All of them grew and changed over the month they spent on the island before it all come to a fiery conclusion.
Favorite Quote:
Favorite Quote:
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.I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
Definitely want to read this one now.
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