Perfect on Paper

Product Information

Darcy is messy and makes some irresponsible choices. She hurts her best friend twice and is hurt by that friend as well. Gonzales excels at writing character 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. The humour and pacing of the book was wonderful as well. I loved the relationship that slowly built between Darcy and Brougham. Even other characters like Finn had me smiling and laughing, I genuinely loved reading about all of them. Now, if you know me even the slightest bit, you know that I live for witty banter. Let me tell you, this book had that in spades. Darcy and Brougham have some of the funniest, most entertaining banter I’ve ever read. And that’s saying a lot coming from me. Just saying. I loved the way Darcy's advice was incorporated in the chapters and how much she really wanted to help her fellow students, spending so much time on research to help solve their problems or nudge them in the right direction - all the while being entirely incapable of solving her own little relationship troubles. The romance was cute, with just the right amount of misunderstandings to cause some trouble and a solid friendship as basis of their later love story. Brougham is a great and loveable love interest, and Gonzales allowed the two of them to actually develop their feelings over a longer time. The side characters were just as loveable and the subject of friendship and its importance is really at the center of this story.

From the looks of the very wet guy standing behind me, though, I’d made a fatal miscalculation. Apparently, someone did use the pool this late in the day. I devoured this book in one lovely day! Perfect on Paper is full of the kind of sharp wit, keen insight, and hilarious rom-com shenanigans that make it a heartfelt reminder that love may come in infinite and unexpected ways, but is still the one thing we all have in common.” —Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of Tweet Cute Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review.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. 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. It’s when bisexuals start to believe the biphobia they’re surrounded by. We’re told that our sexuality isn’t real, or that we’re straight if we’re with another gender, and that our feelings don’t count if we’ve never dated a certain gender, that kind of crap. Then we hear it so many times we doubt ourselves.”

Darcy is messy and makes some irresponsible choices. She hurts her best friend twice and is hurt by that friend as well. Gonzales excels at writing characters who make mistakes--not just the accidental kind--and still come across as relatable and sympathetic. A book in which you can yell at the main character several times and still want their HEA? Really something.

Perfect on Paper" is indeed perfect for anyone who likes strong female characters, slow burn romances, and dialogue that is laugh-out-loud funny.

Perfect on Paper had so much LGBTQ+ representation but it didn’t feel gratuitous. I love how normalized it was. This didn’t feel like an exposé about LGBTQ+, it was just a story about teens. Only Mostly Devastated was one of my favorite romances of 2020, so when I found out Sophie was releasing a new novel, I know I had to get my hands on it. And I was right - this book was the definition of CUTE. Everyone needs to go and buy this book RIGHT NOW. If you’re on a budget, then you need to go and request it from your library. You need to get your hands on this book ASAP. Meet Perfect on Paper, one of, in my opinion, the best books of 2021 and a new personal favorite book of mine. Darcy was a chaotic mess but in the best way possible. She was flawed and although she did annoy me at times with her bad decisions, she was so endearing and relatable. I could not help but root for her happiness. I also loved her relationship with Ainsley. Their bond was so supportive and sweet. It’s refreshing to see a healthy and supportive sibling relationship. WOW! Sophie Gonzales has truly done it again. I did not think there was any way for her to beat out my love of Only Mostly Devastated but BOOM - She did it. I am beyond shook after having read this book.The hardest hitting elements of this book was the discussions of biphobia and the internalized biphobia. Despite having been known I was bisexual since a young age, I have mostly dated straight cismales. Fitting into queer spaces had always felt awkward for me. After all, here I am, saying I love women, and yet I'm dating a man. I haven't had the discrimination against me for "taking the easy way" or for "passing" or for "not being queer enough." but I have heard the stories from friends over the years, and shied away. This topic is so important to discuss and the way this book discussed it had me in actual tears. 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. Sophia Gonzales is the representation queen. She manages to write in representation for so many queer identities - Bi-Sexual, Lesbian, Gay, Aromantic, Asexual, Trans, Questioning. And she brings awareness to important topics like bi-phobia, drinking, drugs, toxic parents - but in a way thats completely naturally interwoven into the story so that it doesn’t even feel like you’re learning a lesson. I wish I had gone to this high school where the kids were so open, accepting, and watched out for each other like these characters do. With plenty of swoons and off-the-charts chemistry, Sophie Gonzales has delivered a rom-com that is the perfect blend of humor, heart, and truth. Perfect on Paper is a must read for all rom-com fans!” —Kevin van Whye, author of Date Me, Bryson Keller Perfect on Paper was such a great book. It handles delicate topics well and doesn’t shy away from any difficult issues. Darcy and Brougham’s relationship slowly morphs from annoyed acquaintances to friends and then to more. It felt realistic and was filled with the impulses and issues teenagers face.

Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else. Audio Notes: The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, is prolific so I'd listened to another book by her just a week or so before this one. I ended up not enjoying that book, but I loved this one. That tells me only one thing: this narrator doesn't magically save boring material. She is, however, a capable narrator. As mentioned above, this protagonist is messy but I still rooted for her. A narrator has to be able to convey that internal struggle in single POV and make it compelling and Kreinik is successful here. There is a tonne of rep in the book (aside from the mindblowingly perfect bisexual rep) including: trans, non-binary, lesbian, gay, fat. I’m definitely going to be thinking about this book for a while and recommending it to every single person I know. I loved Only Mostly Devastated, and I loved this one even more, so I can’t wait for Sophie’s next one.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.