{"id":9516,"date":"2020-11-17T06:01:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T11:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/?p=9516"},"modified":"2020-11-17T10:29:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T15:29:41","slug":"blog-tour-the-cousins-by-karen-mcmanus-excerpt-giveaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/blog-tour-the-cousins-by-karen-mcmanus-excerpt-giveaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour: The Cousins by Karen McManus (Excerpt + Giveaway!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ubb-blog-tour-banner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rockstarbooktours.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/THE-COUSINS.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Tour: The Cousins by Karen McManus (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\"><\/a><\/p><p>Happy Tuesday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for THE COUSINS! I&#8217;m so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I&#8217;m so so excited to for you to find out more about it and Karen McManus, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/the-cousins-cover.png\" alt=\"Blog Tour: The Cousins by Karen McManus (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\" title=\"Blog Tour: The Cousins by Karen McManus (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\" class=\"ubb-cover-image alignleft\"><strong>The Cousins<\/strong> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/authors\/karen-m-mcmanus\/\">Karen M. McManus<\/a> <br><strong>Published on<\/strong>  December 1, 2020 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/publishers\/delacorte-press\/\">Delacorte Press<\/a> <br><strong>Genres:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/ya\/\">YA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/contemporary\/\">Contemporary<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/mystery\/\">Mystery<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/thriller\/\">Thriller<\/a> <br><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 336 <br><strong>Add to <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/49757149-the-cousins\" target=\"_blank\">Goodreads<\/a> <br><strong>Author Links:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.karenmcmanus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Website<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/writerkmc\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/15127507.Karen_M_McManus\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Goodreads<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DvQZGy\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Amazon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/writerkmc\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Instagram<\/a> <br><blockquote class=\"ubb-synopsis\"><p><b>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.<\/b><br \/>\nMilly, 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.<br \/>\nTheir 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.<br \/>\nThe entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n\t\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t\"@type\":\"Review\",\n\t\"datePublished\": \"2020-11-17T11:01:55+00:00\",\n\t\"description\": \"Happy Tuesday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for THE COUSINS! I'm so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I'm so so excit\",\n\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kait Plus Books\"\t},\n\t\"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/blog-tour-the-cousins-by-karen-mcmanus-excerpt-giveaway\\\/\",\n\t\"itemReviewed\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Book\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"The Cousins\",\n\t\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\"name\": \"Karen M. McManus\",\n\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"http:\\\/\\\/www.karenmcmanus.com\\\/\"\t\t},\n\t\t\"isbn\": \"0525708014\"\t},\n\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kaity\",\n\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/\"\t},\n\t\"reviewRating\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Rating\",\n\t\t\"ratingValue\": false,\n\t\t\"bestRating\": \"5\"\n\t}\n}\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8793\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Read-an-Excerpt-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Read-an-Excerpt-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Read-an-Excerpt-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Read-an-Excerpt-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Chapter One<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milly<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m late for dinner again, but this time it\u2019s not my fault. There\u2019s a mansplainer in my way. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMildred? That\u2019s a grandmother\u2019s name. But not even a cool grandmother.\u201d He says it like he thinks he\u2019s being clever. Like in all my seventeen years, no one else has ever noticed that my name isn\u2019t the fashionable kind of classic. It took a Wall Street investment banker with slicked-back hair and a pinkie ring to render that particular bit of social commentary.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I sip the dregs of my seltzer. \u201cI was, in fact, named after my grandmother,\u201d I say.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m at a steak house in midtown at six o\u2019clock on a rainy April evening, doing my best to blend with the happy hour crowd. It\u2019s a game my friends and I play sometimes; we go to restaurant bars so we don\u2019t have to worry about getting carded at the door. We wear our simplest dresses and extra makeup. We order seltzer water with lime&#8211;\u201cin a small glass, please, I\u2019m not that thirsty\u201d&#8211;and gulp it down until there\u2019s almost nothing left. Then we wait to see if anyone offers to buy us a drink.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Somebody always does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pinkie Ring smiles, his teeth almost fluorescent in the dim light. He must take his whitening regimen very seriously. \u201cI like it. Quite a contrast for such a beautiful young woman.\u201d He edges closer, and I catch a headache-inducing whiff of strong cologne. \u201cYou have a very interesting look. Where are you from?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ugh. That\u2019s marginally better than the What are you? question I get sometimes, but still gross. \u201cNew York,\u201d I say pointedly. \u201cYou?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI mean originally,\u201d he clarifies, and that\u2019s it. I\u2019m done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNew York,\u201d I repeat, and stand up from my stool. It\u2019s just as well he didn\u2019t talk to me until I was about to leave, because a cocktail before dinner wasn\u2019t one of my better ideas. I catch my friend Chloe\u2019s eye across the room and wave good-bye, but before I can extract myself, Pinkie Ring tips his glass toward mine. \u201cCan I get you another of whatever that is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo thank you. I\u2019m meeting someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e pulls back, brow furrowed. Very furrowed. In a behind-on-his-Botox sort of way. He also has creases lining his cheeks and crinkles around his eyes. He\u2019s way too old to be hitting on me, even if I were the college student I occasionally pretend to be. \u201cWhat are you wasting my time for, then?\u201d he grunts, his gaze already roving over my shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chloe likes the happy hour game because, she says, high school boys are immature. Which is true. But sometimes I think we might be better off not knowing how much worse they can get. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I pluck the lime out of my drink and squeeze it. I\u2019m not aiming for his eye, exactly, but I\u2019m still a little disappointed when the juice spatters only his collar. \u201cSorry,\u201d I say sweetly, dropping the lime into the glass and setting it on the bar. \u201cNormally I wouldn\u2019t bother. But it\u2019s so dark in here. When you first came over, I thought you were my dad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As if. My dad is way better-looking, and also: not a creep. Pinkie Ring\u2019s mouth drops open, but I scoot past him and out the door before he can reply.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The restaurant I\u2019m going to is just across the street, and the hostess smiles when I come through the door. \u201cCan I help you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m meeting someone for dinner? Allison?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her gaze drops to the book in front of her and a small crease appears between her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m not seeing&#8211;\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cStory-Takahashi?\u201d I try. My parents have an unusually amicable divorce, and Exhibit A is that Mom continues to use both last names. \u201cWell, it\u2019s still your name,\u201d she\u2019d said four years ago when the divorce was finalized. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve gotten used to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The crease between the hostess\u2019s eyes deepens. \u201cI don\u2019t see that either.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJust Story, then?\u201d I try. \u201cLike in a book?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her brow clears. \u201cOh! Yes, there you are. Right this way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She grabs two menus and winds her way between white-covered tables until we reach a corner booth. The wall beside it is mirrored, and the woman sitting on one side is sipping a glass of white wine while surreptitiously checking out her reflection, smoothing flyaways in her dark bun that only she can see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I drop into the seat across from her as the hostess places oversized red menus in front of us. \u201cSo it\u2019s Story tonight?\u201d I ask.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My mother waits until the hostess leaves to answer. \u201cI wasn\u2019t in the mood to repeat myself,\u201d she sighs, and I raise a brow. Mom usually makes a point of pushing back on anyone who acts like they can\u2019t figure out how to spell or pronounce Dad\u2019s Japanese last name.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d I ask, even though I know she won\u2019t tell me. There are multiple levels of Milly criticism to get through first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She puts her glass down, causing almost a dozen gold bangles to jingle on her wrist. My mother is vice president of public relations for a jewelry company, and wearing the season\u2019s must-haves is one of the perks of her job. She eyes me up and down, taking in my heavier-than-usual makeup and navy sheath. \u201cWhere are you coming from that you\u2019re so dressed up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bar across the street. \u201cA gallery thing with Chloe,\u201d I lie. Chloe\u2019s mother owns an art gallery uptown, and our friends spend a lot of time there. Allegedly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mom picks up her glass again. Sips, flicks her eyes toward the mirror, pats her hair. When it\u2019s down it falls in dark waves, but, as she likes to tell me, pregnancy changed its texture from smooth to coarse. I\u2019m pretty sure she\u2019s never forgiven me for that. \u201cI thought you were studying for finals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was. Before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her knuckles turn white around the glass, and I wait for it. Milly, you cannot exit your junior year with less than a B average. You\u2019re on the cusp of mediocrity, and your father and I have invested far too much for you to waste your opportunity like that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I were even a little musically inclined, I\u2019d start a band called Cusp of Mediocrity in honor of Mom\u2019s favorite warning. I\u2019ve been hearing some version of that speech for three years. Prescott Academy churns out Ivy League students like some kind of blue-blood factory, and it\u2019s the bane of my mother\u2019s existence that I\u2019m always ranked solidly in the bottom half of my class.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lecture doesn\u2019t come, though. Instead, Mom reaches out her free hand and pats mine. Stiffly, like she\u2019s a marionette with a novice handler. \u201cWell, you look very pretty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instantly, I\u2019m on the defensive. It\u2019s strange enough that my mother wanted to meet me for dinner, but she never compliments me. Or touches me. All of this suddenly feels like a setup for something I\u2019d rather not hear. \u201cAre you sick?\u201d I blurt out. \u201cIs Dad?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She blinks and withdraws her hand. \u201cWhat? No! Why would you ask that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThen why&#8211;\u201d I break off as a smiling server appears beside the table, filling our water glasses from a silver pitcher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnd how are you ladies this evening? Can I tell you about our specials?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I study Mom covertly over the top of my menu as the server rattles them off. She\u2019s definitely tense, still clutching her near-empty wineglass in a death grip, but I realize now that I was wrong to expect bad news. Her dark-blue eyes are bright, and the corners of her mouth are almost turned up. She\u2019s anticipating something, not dreading it. I try to imagine what might make my mother happy besides me magically A-plussing my way to valedictorian at Prescott Academy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Money. That\u2019s all it could be. Mom\u2019s life revolves around it&#8211;or more specifically, around not having enough of it. My parents both have good jobs, and my dad, despite being remarried, has always been generous with child support. His new wife, Surya, is the total opposite of a wicked stepmother in all possible ways, including finances. She\u2019s never begrudged Mom the big checks he sends every month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But good doesn\u2019t cut it when you\u2019re trying to keep up in Manhattan. And it\u2019s not what my mother grew up with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A job promotion, I decide. That must be it. Which is excellent news, except for the part where she\u2019s going to remind me that she got it through hard work and oh, by the way, why can\u2019t I work harder at literally everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ll have the Caesar salad with chicken. No anchovies, dressing on the side,\u201d Mom says, handing her menu to the server without really looking at him. \u201cAnd another glass of the Langlois-Chateau, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cVery good. And the young lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBone-in ribeye, medium rare, and a jumbo baked potato,\u201d I tell him. I might as well get a good meal out of whatever\u2019s about to go down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When he leaves, my mother drains her wineglass and I gulp my water. My bladder\u2019s already full from the seltzer at the bar, and I\u2019m about to excuse myself for the restroom when Mom says, \u201cI got the most interesting letter today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There it is. \u201cOh?\u201d I wait, but when she doesn\u2019t continue, I prod, \u201cFrom who?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhom,\u201d she corrects automatically. Her fingers trace the base of her glass as her lips curve up another half notch. \u201cFrom your grandmother.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I blink at her. \u201cFrom Baba?\u201d Why that merits this kind of buildup, I have no idea. Granted, my grandmother doesn\u2019t contact Mom often, but it\u2019s not unprecedented. Baba is the type of person who likes to forward articles she\u2019s read to anyone she thinks might be interested, and she still does that with Mom post-divorce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo. Your other grandmother.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d Now I\u2019m truly confused. \u201cYou got a letter from&#8211;Mildred?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don\u2019t have a nickname for my mother\u2019s mother. She\u2019s not Grandma or Mimi or Nana or anything to me, because I\u2019ve never met her.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI did.\u201d The server returns with Mom\u2019s wine, and she takes a long, grateful sip. I sit in silence, unable to wrap my head around what she just told me. My maternal grandmother loomed large over my childhood, but as more of a fairy-tale figure than an actual person: the wealthy widow of Abraham Story, whose great-something-grandfather came over on the Mayflower. My ancestors are more interesting than any history book: the family made a fortune in whaling, lost most of it in railroad stocks, and eventually sank what was left into buying up real estate on a crappy little island off the coast of Massachusetts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gull Cove Island was a little-known haven for artists and hippies until Abraham Story turned it into what it is today: a place where rich and semifamous people spend ridiculous amounts of money pretending they\u2019re getting back to nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My mother and her three brothers grew up on a giant beachfront estate named Catmint House, riding horses and attending black-tie parties like they were the princess and princes of Gull Cove Island. There\u2019s a picture on our apartment mantel of Mom when she was eighteen, stepping out of a limousine on her way to the Summer Gala her parents threw every year at their resort. Her hair is piled high, and she\u2019s wearing a white ball gown and a gorgeous diamond teardrop necklace. Mildred gave that necklace to my mother when she turned seventeen, and I used to think Mom would pass it along to me when I hit the same birthday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Didn\u2019t happen. Even though Mom never wears it herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My grandfather died when Mom was a senior in high school. Two years later, Mildred disowned all of her children. She cut them off both financially and personally, with no explanation except for a single-sentence letter sent two weeks before Christmas through her lawyer, a man named Donald Camden who\u2019d known Mom and her brothers their entire lives:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You know what you did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mom has always insisted that she has no clue what Mildred meant. \u201cThe four of us had gotten . . . selfish, I suppose,\u201d she\u2019d tell me. \u201cWe were all in college then, starting our own lives. Mother was lonely with Father gone, and she begged us to visit all the time. But we didn\u2019t want to go.\u201d She calls her parents that, Mother and Father, like the heroine in a Victorian novel. \u201cNone of us came back for Thanksgiving that year. We\u2019d all made other plans. She was furious, but . . .\u201d Mom always got a pensive, faraway look on her face then. \u201cThat\u2019s such a small thing. Hardly unforgivable.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Abraham Story hadn\u2019t set up educational trusts for Mom and her brothers, they might not have graduated college. Once they did, though, they were on their own. At first, they regularly tried to reestablish contact with Mildred. They hounded Donald Camden, whose only response was the occasional email reiterating her decision. They sent invitations to their weddings, and announcements when their kids were born. They even took turns showing up on Gull Cove Island, where my grandmother still lives, but she would never see or speak to them. I used to imagine that one day she\u2019d waltz into our apartment, dripping diamonds and furs, and announce that she\u2019d come for me, her namesake. She\u2019d whisk me to a toy store and let me buy whatever I wanted, then hand me a sack of money to bring home to my parents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m pretty sure my mother had the same fantasy. Why else would you saddle a twenty-first-century girl with a name like Mildred? But my grandmother, with the help of Donald Camden, stonewalled her children at every turn. Eventually, they stopped trying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mom is looking at me expectantly, and I realize she\u2019s waiting for an answer. \u201cYou got a letter from Mildred?\u201d I ask.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She nods, then clears her throat before answering. \u201cWell. To be more precise, you did.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI did?\u201d My vocabulary has shrunk to almost nothing in the past five minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe envelope was addressed to me, but the letter was for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A decade-old image pops into my head: me with my long-lost grandmother, filling a shopping cart to the rim with stuffed animals while dressed like we\u2019re going to the opera. Tiaras and all. I push the thought aside and grope for more words. \u201cIs she . . . Does she . . . Why?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My mother reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope, then pushes it across the table toward me. \u201cMaybe you should just read it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I lift the flap and pull out a folded sheet of thick, cream-colored paper that smells faintly of lilac. The top is engraved with the initials MMS&#8211;Mildred Margaret Story. Our names are almost exactly the same, except mine has Takahashi at the end. The short paragraphs are typewritten, followed by a cramped, spidery signature. <\/span><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excerpted from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cousins<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Karen M. McManus. Copyright \u00a9 2020 by Karen M. McManus. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/About-the-Author-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/About-the-Author-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/About-the-Author-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/About-the-Author-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-9519 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Karen.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"285\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international\u00a0bestselling author of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Us Is Lying,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two Can Keep a Secret,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0One of Us Is Next.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Her fourth novel,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cousins,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will publish in December 2020. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master&#8217;s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can find Karen at @writerkmc on\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/writerkmc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/writerkmc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8765\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Author-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Author-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Author-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Author-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.karenmcmanus.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/writerkmc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/15127507.Karen_M_McManus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodreads<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/writerkmc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8792\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Tour-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Tour-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Tour-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Follow-the-Tour-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Week One<\/b><b><\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/16\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bookhoundsya.net\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BookHounds YA\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excerpt<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>11\/17\/2020<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/kaitgoodwin.com\/books\">Kait Plus Books<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Excerpt<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/18\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.yabookscentral.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YA Books Central<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excerpt<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/19\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moonlightrendezvous.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moonlight Rendezvous\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/20\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/popthebutterfly.wordpress.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PopTheButterfly Reads<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Week Two<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/23\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nerdophiles.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nerdophiles\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/24\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.notinjersey.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not In Jersey<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/25\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cuzinlogic.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cuzinlogic\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/26\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/booksaremagictoo.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">booksaremagictoo<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/27\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jenguerdy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jenguerdy<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Week Three<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\/30\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/midnightbooklover\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">midnightbooklover<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/1\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lisa Loves Literature<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/2\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/adreamwithindream.blogspot.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Dream Within A Dream<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/3\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thepagesinbetween.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thepagesinbetween<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/4\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beckymmoe.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Becky on Books<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Week Four<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/7\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mallorybooks.blogspot.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mallory Books<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/8\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/onemused\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">onemused<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/9\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fictitious.fox\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fictitious.fox<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/10\/2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/momfluenster\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Momfluenster\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12\/11\/2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elisquared.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eli to the nth<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8766\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/e2389ba21186\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Enter here for a chance to win a print copy of THE COUSINS by Karen McManus!<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>(US Only!!!)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"95\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-300x34.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Stars-Banner-Fall-2020-768x86.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/What-Do-You-Think-Fall-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/What-Do-You-Think-Fall-2020.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/What-Do-You-Think-Fall-2020-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/What-Do-You-Think-Fall-2020-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Have you added this amazing book to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8761\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Well-Wishes-Candy-Fishes-Kait-Fall-2020-001.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Well-Wishes-Candy-Fishes-Kait-Fall-2020-001.png 600w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Well-Wishes-Candy-Fishes-Kait-Fall-2020-001-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy Tuesday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for THE COUSINS! I&#8217;m so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I&#8217;m so so excited to for you to find out more about it and Karen McManus, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[484,1001,27],"tags":[651,540,462,2443,2335,538,2442],"reading-challenges":[],"class_list":["post-9516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-tours","category-excerpt","category-giveaways","tag-excerpt","tag-giveaway","tag-kait-plus-books","tag-karen-mcmanus","tag-november-2020","tag-rockstar-book-tours","tag-the-cousins","book-author-karen-m-mcmanus","book-publisher-delacorte-press","book-genre-contemporary","book-genre-mystery","book-genre-thriller","book-genre-ya"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/The-Cousins-Featured.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9516"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9523,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9516\/revisions\/9523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9516"},{"taxonomy":"reading-challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-challenges?post=9516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}