Real Rating: 3.75* of five, rounded down for ick and outrage factors

CW: Homophobia, homophobic violence, family secrets</b>
I don't think I've spent more than a few minutes since finishing this book, for the second time, wondering why Author O'Sullivan chose the vocabulary he did in telling the tale (several have mentioned the archness or preciousness of it). I've spent *hours* wondering why Kevin and his, um, personality flaws occurred to him....

But second time it is, this read was deeply offensive to me when its main character was revealed as such a homophobe. I came to understand the reasons, but there will never be an excuse. Why, then, read it twice? I had squads of cousins. I never once, in my entire life, considered fucking one of them...not even trying! Here are Kevin and Laura doing the wild thing and they <I>dare</i> to be homophobic?! So I wanted to make sure I read the book for the first time, again. Several years on, my outrage dimmed and my interest warmed up in this bitter, angry boy and this cagey, clever girl inside their deeply Verboten cocoon. I can definitely see that the vocabulary is a stylistic choice to enhance a mood, disseminate an atmosphere, and it works very well at that. I ended up liking the <I>idea</i> of the book while being really angered and not a little repulsed by several of its facets. Still...Art. Art gets to do what it must to make its point, and nothing that is not Art could evoke such visceral emotional responses in my tired old-man's soul.

This one is a bit dark- brooding might be the best word. You know from the first chapter life is not going to be all lollipops and rainbows for Laura and Kevin, and so when bad things happen, you aren't surprised, BUT....it's the depth of things with our modern take, that make us gasp and scream at the characters to NOT do the things they are about to do, and then when it gets really really bad, you're actually surprised at the characters, and their strength and resolve. It's a tale of assumptions and bad decisions, and one that will stay with you for awhile!

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Betimes Books. From the outset I was drawn into the narrative written from a 3rd person perspective. The author creates a setting full of nuance and a limited but important cast of characters. He also created twists to that narrative that messed with my head as my mind created potential developments. It is full of emotion light and dark - oh so dark. I think it gives a new angle to LGBT writing. It is an individual piece of work only slightly marred by the author's need to use as many long or little known words from the dictionary I bet he had a thesaurus glued to his hand as he wrote this.

It is difficult to slot this into a genre I would suggest it has elements of mystery / thrill / horror and yet this doesn't define its literary elements. The LGBT has great significance in the end but is not the whole story

My Perfect Cousin is one of those "coming of age" stories that really does leave you yearning to relive your own experiences in that arena - not perhaps in the time and place that O'Sullivan so ecstatically brings to life here, but the moments, the moods and the momentum that he describes is spot on. Except for the things that suddenly lift this book out of a familiar milieu and into a far more sinister place. And that's what makes this book read so well.

I received a complimentary copy of My Perfect Cousin from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book took off on a tangent that I didn't really see coming. It was interesting enough and believable enough. These things really do happen. I can't honestly say that I really enjoyed the book, but it was well written and hard to put down--in a can't-look-away-from-a-train-wreck sort of way. I just needed to know how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

In rural Ireland, in a small Irish village, cousins Laura and Kevin, 16, are constant companions. Both are to some extent outsiders, misfits, and struggle with their unsatisfactory home and school lives. Each is struggling with the problems of adolescence, with family tragedy, and in Laura’s case, serious illness. The restrictions of small town life weigh on them and it’s no surprise that they draw closer and closer to each other. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures of growing up. I loved this book. It’s sensitive, intelligent, insightful, narrated in a measured and non-judgemental way, and I was immediately invested in Laura and Kevin’s fate. An excellent and highly recommended read.

Thank you NetGalley and Betimes Books for the eARC.
This book is difficult for me to review, because it's quite different from my usual fare. On the other hand, I found that I did want to finish it, even though the writing was a bit odd (my personal, humble opinion). The 2 cousins, Kevin and Laura, were appealingly strange, with a deep bond that went further than most cousins...
The village sounded claustrophobic and the scene at night with Sammy, Laura and Lucy, the dog was disturbing (poor Lucy). Couldn't figure out what happened to Sammy and Lucy. Kevin 's behavior towards Aidan that night was appalling and the ending was not a particularly happy one. I did like all the music weaving throughout the story though and feel it is a unique book which I'm glad I read.