THE REUNION

What are the Mayweathers hiding, and what are they willing to do to keep their secrets hidden while holidaying in paradise?

The Mayweather family teenagers are bonded by the Incident, which happened three years ago. Sixteen-year-old Addison Acker-Mayweather is “the family diplomat,” determined to keep the peace at all costs. Her twin brother, Mason, has a secret of his own that he’s kept from the rest of the family. Their cousin Natalia Mayweather, also 16, is preoccupied with her online boyfriend, Seth. The cousins are reunited the day after Christmas for a weeklong extended family vacation in Cancún to celebrate Addison and Mason’s mom’s engagement to Austin Hunt, who’s accompanied by his 17-year-old son, Theo. As the Mayweather family gathers once again, mysteries begin to unravel. Interspersed between chapters are emails and newspaper stories from January, revealing that one of the teenagers has gone missing. Told in alternating viewpoints from Addison’s, Mason’s, Natalia’s, and Theo’s perspectives, this slow-burn thriller gradually reveals the Mayweather family’s secrets, building up to a cliffhanger ending. The suspense is palpable, and while the pace drags at times, the Mayweather teens have enough interpersonal drama to keep readers hooked. Queer representation is a strong point: Theo is bisexual, and Natalia has two mothers. The Mayweather family is largely cued White; Natalia is White and Puerto Rican.

A suspenseful and atmospheric story of a family with a messy history.