posted on 20 Jul 2025

My Perfect Cousin by Karen McCombie, illustrated by Sofia Miller Salazar

I am pleased to see another skilfully told story by this prolific author who always manages to pack lots of action into a slim volume. This one is interesting because it presents two very different perspectives about teenage relationships. Both are convincing and the reader is left wondering which version might be closer to the truth. 

We first meet Ruby, who comes across as a rather anxious young person who lacks confidence. She has experienced a painful family break up which has clearly clouded her life and means that money is tight. But her biggest bugbear is her attractive cousin Yasmin who seems to be good at just about everything, as well as having Max, a good-looking and attentive boyfriend. When the two sides of the family meet at Granny’s birthday party, we see that Yasmin’s parents are indulgent and bursting with ambition for their daughter. They even tell everyone that she is going to become a doctor and give her a new bike as a well done present for trying hard in her GCSE exams!

When Yasmin faints in response to all the excitement, Ruby remembers that this has happened a few times before – is her perfect cousin just trying to get extra attention and sympathy? Despite the self-deprecatory tone, we start to realise that Ruby also has some positive aspects to her life. For instance, she is clearly good at swimming and used to train to a high standard. She seems to have a close bond with her mom and her Granny is always supportive and sadly reminds her how close the two cousins used to be. She is lucky to have a close friend Kam who always does his best to cheer her up and to draw her in to his more optimistic view of the world.  

When we switch across to Yasmin’s perspective, we realise that she is far from perfect. The opening scene of the story is repeated with the boyfriend coming across as possessive and domineering:

‘After four months of going out together, she knew that Max would always just grin and get his way’.  

She realises that Ruby is glaring at them with laser beam eyes, an expression of hate that she apparently often reserves for her cousin. Yasmin is overwhelmed with anxiety and has to fend off a panic attack by taking slow breaths, a way to cope that has been recommended by Granny. The same thing happens at the party when all the unwelcome attention is focussed on her, she sees Ruby taking a photo on her phone and this time she blacks out. She definitely does not want to become a doctor and is dreading the exam results.

The author manages to drip feed plenty of concerning information about why Yasmin feels so claustrophobic and unhappy. The plentiful illustrations throughout the text also help to convey her anxiety. Her gorgeous boyfriend seems to want to know everything about her movements with installing the ‘Together 24/7’ app on her phone. He also disapproves of her friends and likes her to spend time just with him. Granny has done her best to help her with her negative feelings and low self- esteem by arranging a secret session with a counsellor in the nearby city, but when Kam takes a picture of her meeting him with his phone and sends it to Ruby, misunderstandings arise.

I strongly recommend this complex story that just touches the surface of how the usual teenage self- obsession and angst can make life really miserable. There are so many questions to consider that could fuel interesting class discussion. How important is it to have a boyfriend, even if he is very possessive? Why is Ruby flirting with him and what does this tell us about his personality? Should well- meaning parents tell you who you are and what you should be striving for? The added dimension of phones and social media as a way to make things worse is something that younger readers will identify with.  

Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant readers of all kinds and have guided this one as appropriate for an audience aged 11+. It should be available from your local independent bookshop who will be happy to order it for you if not already on their shelves.         

 

Karen Argent

July 2025