Red Bud High School has chosen its first book to read for the 2024-2025 school year. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus is a young adult thriller originally published on the first of December in 2020. This book has been described as “explosive” and is a New York Times Best Seller. 

Karen M. McManus has written multiple books in recent years, most popularly One of Us is Lying, published in 2017. 

The following is the synopsis of the book. 

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, 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.