Young Soul Readers -- March 21, 2023

The Young Soul book club had a lively discussion about The Cabin by Natasha Preston. The book revolves around a group of seven older teenagers who set off for a weekend of partying and laughter at a secluded cabin, but are soon faced with unthinkable tragedy. When two of the friends are found brutally stabbed to death in the morning, the rest of the group is forced to face the fact that at least one of them is a murderer. The suspense builds as the lead detective seems content to wait for the suspects to turn on each other and make a mistake that reveals the culprit. Meanwhile, the two main characters, Mackenzie and Blake, are getting threatening text messages but are afraid to tell anyone because they don't know if they can trust anyone but each other as their feelings for each other develop into a romantic relationship. 

This discussion group liked the overall premise of the plot, but were generally disappointed in the writing style, which at times seemed contrived. There was a disconnect between the characters behaving like adults in their late twenties who were trying to solve a crime, and their dialog and narrated thoughts that were much less mature. Several members who were leaning toward a positive rating also expressed great disappointment in the ending, which led to a lower rating than they planned as they were reading the rest of the book. However, those who really enjoyed the suspense gave it a positive rating. The average rating of The Cabin for the Young Soul group was a 2.5 out of 5 stars.