Perfect on Paper

Product Information

But this? This wasn’t so threatening. Maybe it was going to be okay. I swallowed hard in an attempt to shove the lump in my throat down closer to my thudding heart. “Help with what?” Not everything’s gonna be your place, you know. It’s okay not to always know more than everyone else in the room.” Normally, I don’t love when a bi character ends up in a hetero relationship because it oftentimes kind of feels dismissive, but this was done right. Darcy was able to express her fears surrounding biphobia and internalized biphobia. I’m not sure I truly buy into the relationship Brooke suddenly develops with someone she didn’t like a moment ago. How do you go from mutual dislike to dating over a weekend? Maybe it’s just been a while since I was in high school, but I have trouble seeing this being realistic. My Opinions I feel like I could write an entire love letter to this book and it still wouldn’t be enough. Was this book perfect? Not necessarily. But did it perfectly pair some of my favorite things together? Absolutely.

If you couldn’t tell, I really loved this book. I cannot say enough good things about it. I can’t wait until it releases so I can get my physical copy. I know this will be a book I reread anytime I need a happy read. I encourage everyone to read Perfect on Paper! Perfect on Paper was smart, thoughtful, funny, and everything I love about YA and more. This is my first book by Sophie Gonzales and I loved the writing style and humor. I thought the author also did a fantastic job with representation and diversity. The relationship advice and love tutor/coach premise has been attempted in books before, but Gonzales put such a fresh spin on it that it felt very new and exciting. The characters and situations were layered and complex, and were laid out in such an honest and relatable way. Me han encantado las imperfecciones de Darcy, realistas y con consecuencias para ella y para los demás. Me ha encantado Alexander, me ha encantado conocerle a través de un POV tan limitado como el de Darcy, sabiendo que lo era, pero aún así, tener que esperar para saber más sobre sus motivaciones, hasta que te puedes adelantar a la protagonista. Me ha encantado también todo lo relacionado con los consejos sobre relaciones, me han parecido realistas, en sus aciertos y en sus fallos.Perfect on Paper really gives a voice and mimics the thoughts of anyone who has struggled with their sexuality, relationship, identity, consent, etc. The topic of biphobia is brought up and I thought it was handled very well. It’s not something that I think of often (as a heterosexual woman) but I can recognize the problems bisexual people face. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, St.Martin's Press, for sending me an arc in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

I highly recommend that book. I really do. It has a great message about queerness and being true to yourself. It is fresh and sweet. Grab yourself a copy! Also something I haven't heard anyone talk about is how Darcy lives between separated parents AND is the scholarship kid at a private school. As someone who lived both these experiences I just want to say how fantastically they were handled! It felt authentic and Darcy's thoughts regarding the extreme wealth of her classmates were so honest that I cried (again) at recognising how I used to feel at school.

I felt this book was a great book for modeling positive relationships, as well as opening the door to dialogue about sexuality and different aspects that individuals might struggle with about not only understanding others but also understanding themselves. The characterisations and romances were so brilliant- I literally squealed at one "romancy" moment! The romance was impressively written. Perfect on Paper somehow managed to combine my love of the fake dating trop a lá To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with the sweet, slow-burn that starts as friendship that made me love If I’m Being Honest so much. I love watching a romance unfold through characters’ thoughts and actions and not just being told, and that’s exactly what we are given in Perfect on Paper. In short, it was spectacular.

Perfect On Paper is one of those books I could have read in one sitting. Had I been able to pause time and all my responsibilities, I would have stayed up all night reading this book. But there was a bonus to not being able to do that, as I then had something to look forward to reading when I got home from work! I am so grateful I got the opportunity to read the ARC of this book because it was such a fun read that made me smile – something we all need in our lives these days. Can I just start by saying that I appreciated the bi rep in this book so hard. I know not everyone is going to feel that way, but I am excited for it and I’m glad that someone will read this book and feel validated and seen by it. Obviously, the first requirement is that the man be Jewish. He must be a doctor or a lawyer. While having the soul of an artist and speaking a second language, he should have no baggage like previous marriages or children. Chris fails on all accounts, but that's okay because he's intent on finding Dara her Mr. Perfect. As he gets to know her, he's charmed by her vulnerability. She, in turn, is touched by the way that he really gets her and understands her quirkiness and anxiety. Chris knows how to help Dara get over her fears in a manner that is supportive but not condescending. And along the way, we fall for both of them. I also want to stress the fact that this book is funny. Like really funny. I laughed out loud multiple times and smile throughout most of the rest of the book. It was refreshing to read such a novel and I have not come across as funny as this one in YA in a while. The evolution from frenemies to lovers between Darcy and Brougham really worked and I appreciated how the author showcased those tender moments as things started to shift, but also didn't rush them along. That uncertainty and vulnerability is one of the things I love most about the YA genre. The cast of secondary characters was delightful (Finn! LOL) and I also liked the focus on familial relationships (and how positive and negative they can be). The typical YA angst and drama do pop up in their own unique ways, but I thought it was handled and presented really well. Darcy and Brougham's character arcs were done so well and I was rooting for these two to find themselves (and each other) along the way.I absolutely loved this book. As a bisexual female, who was in love with my female best friend, and now dating a straight cismale, I have never related so much to a character. For me, the most fun about this book was Darcy herself and what a perfectly imperfect character she is. She gives this business of hers her all, truly going out of her way to research the psychology of relationships and provide thoughtful answers to each of her classmates’ questions. Even though what she is doing is morally and ethically questionable, Darcy truly believes she is helping people and wants everyone to be happy. But when it comes to Darcy’s own love life, however, she’s basically a hot mess and can’t follow her own advice. For example, Darcy is in love with her best friend, Brooke, but she can’t work up her nerve enough to tell Brooke how she feels. Instead, she goes out of her way to sabotage all of Brooke’s relationships so that Brooke stays in her orbit and available in case she ever does work up the nerve. Darcy’s flaws in this area just made her all the more lovable of a character for me and I just wanted her to find her own happiness the way she was so intent on everyone else finding theirs. Okay, I don’t mean literally. Lots of people know who I am. Darcy Phillips. Junior. That girl with the shoulder-length blond hair and the gap between her front teeth. The one who’s best friends with Brooke Nguyen, and is part of the school’s queer club. Ms. Morgan-from-science-class’s daughter. One thing I loved so dearly about OMD is that we saw a bi character in a m/f relationship and I don’t think we see enough of that. Bi people are still bi no matter who they are dating. In OMD that was very much a side plot but here that is the front and center narrative. Darcy is so beautifully and unabashedly queer, even when she starts to have feelings for Alexander. Her queerness is such an integral part of her identity and it was fantastic to see how Darcy navigated that while within a m/relationship.