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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Obsessed! So funny and so good! I loved Ivy and Mack.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
π¦ The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist Book Review π¦
Rating: ββ
β #QOTD Name one favorite and one "ugh, no" trope OR what fictional character would you love to date IRL? β
π¦ What if your favorite TV character appeared in your bed one day and claimed to be your soulmate? When Ivy Winslow wakes up with the house to herself for a week while her parents are away, she doesn't expect to find the very hot fictional character from her favorite show in her bedroom. To figure out why her fanfic brought him to life, Ivy must team up with her current best friend Henry and former best friend/crush Mack. Can Ivy and Mack deal with the fallout of their friendship, or will they realize there was something bigger behind their fight all along?
π The strongest aspect of this story was the satire on overused media tropes (both from a television and writing standpoint). Weston starts off all heart-eyed, head-over-heels for Ivy, and it appears sweet and innocent. Once the bigger tropes come into play, readers see how they'd never work in real life. Even the "only one bed" trope we all know and love becomes frustrating (hello, boundaries?). "Touch her and you die" almost became a thing. The fanfic fusion into YA aspect if fun and playful, though I do wish we'd seen a few more parallels between Ivy's writing and Weston's actions. This is definitely a book fanfic writers will adore; a great example of messy wish fulfillment. Beyond that, the writing is effortlessly queer, as queer characters SHOULD be.
π Suspension of disbelief, especially when used in an otherwise contemporary setting, is crucial for a story that contains magical realism. For it to work, however, your characters have to act reasonably. Ivy just seems too naive. It takes her WAY too long to realize that Weston wasn't pulled from her favorite TV show, but from her fan fiction writing. Her reactions are a little too silly. Even her word choice makes her seem younger than she is. I understand differentiating Ivy's fanfic writing by adding grammar and spelling errors, but she's a student. It shouldn't have been THAT cringy to read. Usually, Sophie Gonzales writes young adults with a level of maturity and emotional intelligence. Ivy is less mature than expected (and yes, you can have a mature character who struggles with confidence and independence AND anxiety), which makes it difficult to connect with her. One of the benefits of reading YA is universal experiences (as adults, we've been there, we get it, so we can connect to it), but I couldn't connect to Ivy (and I was an anxiety-ridden fanfic writer who obsessed over every fandom, so I SHOULD have!).
π Ivy's lack of chemistry (even from a friendship standpoint) with Mack is concerning. There are versions of healthy co-dependency between friends, but these two don't have it. The flashbacks should have given us more of a reason to love these two together than Ivy coming out to Mack and having a crush on her (after that, we immediately see the flaws in their friendship, which completely lacks communication and therefore feels toxic). Perhaps it would have worked better without the romantic aspect; if we'd focused on Ivy and Mack restoring their friendship.
π¦ Recommended to fans of Rainbow Rowell.
β¨ The Vibes β¨
π¬οΈ Bi, AroAce, & Lesbian Rep
π¬οΈ Sapphic Romance
π¬οΈ Young Adult Fantasy Fiction
π¬οΈ Friends-to-Enemies-to-Lovers
π¬οΈ Multiple Timelines
π¬οΈ Magical Realism
π¦ Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. π₯° This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Rating: ββ
β #QOTD Name one favorite and one "ugh, no" trope OR what fictional character would you love to date IRL? β
π¦ What if your favorite TV character appeared in your bed one day and claimed to be your soulmate? When Ivy Winslow wakes up with the house to herself for a week while her parents are away, she doesn't expect to find the very hot fictional character from her favorite show in her bedroom. To figure out why her fanfic brought him to life, Ivy must team up with her current best friend Henry and former best friend/crush Mack. Can Ivy and Mack deal with the fallout of their friendship, or will they realize there was something bigger behind their fight all along?
π The strongest aspect of this story was the satire on overused media tropes (both from a television and writing standpoint). Weston starts off all heart-eyed, head-over-heels for Ivy, and it appears sweet and innocent. Once the bigger tropes come into play, readers see how they'd never work in real life. Even the "only one bed" trope we all know and love becomes frustrating (hello, boundaries?). "Touch her and you die" almost became a thing. The fanfic fusion into YA aspect if fun and playful, though I do wish we'd seen a few more parallels between Ivy's writing and Weston's actions. This is definitely a book fanfic writers will adore; a great example of messy wish fulfillment. Beyond that, the writing is effortlessly queer, as queer characters SHOULD be.
π Suspension of disbelief, especially when used in an otherwise contemporary setting, is crucial for a story that contains magical realism. For it to work, however, your characters have to act reasonably. Ivy just seems too naive. It takes her WAY too long to realize that Weston wasn't pulled from her favorite TV show, but from her fan fiction writing. Her reactions are a little too silly. Even her word choice makes her seem younger than she is. I understand differentiating Ivy's fanfic writing by adding grammar and spelling errors, but she's a student. It shouldn't have been THAT cringy to read. Usually, Sophie Gonzales writes young adults with a level of maturity and emotional intelligence. Ivy is less mature than expected (and yes, you can have a mature character who struggles with confidence and independence AND anxiety), which makes it difficult to connect with her. One of the benefits of reading YA is universal experiences (as adults, we've been there, we get it, so we can connect to it), but I couldn't connect to Ivy (and I was an anxiety-ridden fanfic writer who obsessed over every fandom, so I SHOULD have!).
π Ivy's lack of chemistry (even from a friendship standpoint) with Mack is concerning. There are versions of healthy co-dependency between friends, but these two don't have it. The flashbacks should have given us more of a reason to love these two together than Ivy coming out to Mack and having a crush on her (after that, we immediately see the flaws in their friendship, which completely lacks communication and therefore feels toxic). Perhaps it would have worked better without the romantic aspect; if we'd focused on Ivy and Mack restoring their friendship.
π¦ Recommended to fans of Rainbow Rowell.
β¨ The Vibes β¨
π¬οΈ Bi, AroAce, & Lesbian Rep
π¬οΈ Sapphic Romance
π¬οΈ Young Adult Fantasy Fiction
π¬οΈ Friends-to-Enemies-to-Lovers
π¬οΈ Multiple Timelines
π¬οΈ Magical Realism
π¦ Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. π₯° This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending me this ARC in exchange for a review.
I love fan fiction.
I love the unrealistic nonsense that can happen in fan fiction.
I love the way people can conjure up such ridiculous scenarios.
This book really made me think about all the fan fiction I've read, and what kind of hilarity and mayhem would ensue if one were to play out in real life.
The way Ivy slowly realises that sometimes what you write about doesn't translate too well to reality is very funny. I feel like I could just tell how exasperated she was, inadvertently with herself, and the secondhand embarrassment from her imagined scenarios playing out in real life, in front of witnesses.
So many elements in this book about what it's like to be such a passionate fan were very real for me. I remember my first convention, and the excitement around the whole experience. I remember bonding with like minded people for the first time, and the unbreakable connections and relationships that evolved because of that shared interest. I remember that feeling of real acceptance for the first time, no judgement, just pure acceptance.
On the other side, I also remember my first friendship ending because she moved on while I didn't. Unlike Ivy and Mack, we've never made up.
I am always so impressed with Sophie's writing, but particularly when the relationship is so fragile. I love that Ivy and Mack made up in such a way that showed they both still really cared for each other, even after falling out. I really enjoyed the teenage self discovery in this book and the dual timeline flickering between past and present so the reader gets an even deeper look at how when you're a teenager everything is a big deal, and nobody is coping well with it.
For me, being so embedded in fan culture, the relationship kind of took a back seat. I loved how they developed their relationship, but I definitely related more to being a head over heels fan of something, and how it consumes your whole life.
My favourite quote has got to be, "I want him to know I'm one of his rational, loyal, thoughtful fans, not an obsessive, impulsive, fame-hungry one." because, as I regularly say to one of my favourite musicians, every time we meet "I'm not a creepy stalker, I'm a regular stalker" so that one sentence in particular had me laughing ridiculously to myself on the bus.
I really am not a creepy stalker, we just happen to share quite a lot of mutual friends. I like to reiterate the point so that he really knows for sure, haha.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my gosh this cute lil YA romance had me cracking up. It was so funny and sweet. It follows Ivy, who is a fanfiction writer as she writes about her favorite character Weston. She accidentally makes him real, like he shows up in her house. Itβs up to her best friend Henry and her former friend Mack to figure out what to do with him.
Things I loved about this book:
It was just so funny. Full of wit and charm.
Ivy was a great lead character. She was sweet, a little prickly, but also really self-aware and fun.
Henry was fantastic. I loved his sarcasm and his personality was awesome.
Mack was a fun love interest/frenemy.
Weston going through the romance tropes each day took me out π .
That ending part before the actual end was sad and a little scary to be honest!
Super sweet ending!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Things I loved about this book:
It was just so funny. Full of wit and charm.
Ivy was a great lead character. She was sweet, a little prickly, but also really self-aware and fun.
Henry was fantastic. I loved his sarcasm and his personality was awesome.
Mack was a fun love interest/frenemy.
Weston going through the romance tropes each day took me out π .
That ending part before the actual end was sad and a little scary to be honest!
Super sweet ending!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cute YA rom com, about a girl, Ivy, whose fanfiction crush comes to life.. And with the help of her aro/ace best friend, Henry and her ex best friend, nemesis and crush Mack, tries to figure out what the heck is going on. Each chapter has a past and present section the helps you to understand the falling out between the two girls.
I really like the characters, especially Henry. As someone on the Ace spectrum myself, I love any and all aro or ace representation.
While I usually love magical realism stories like this, something about the ending to this one fell a bit flat to me. Overall, it was a good story, with good characters, it was just missing a little something for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really like the characters, especially Henry. As someone on the Ace spectrum myself, I love any and all aro or ace representation.
While I usually love magical realism stories like this, something about the ending to this one fell a bit flat to me. Overall, it was a good story, with good characters, it was just missing a little something for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a galley of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie Gonzales has done it again. I shouldn't be surprised because this did sound right up my alley, but it definitely delivered. I had so much fun reading this book, I can't even begin to describe it. This book was also just such an addicting read, and I had a hard time putting this book down.
I really liked the main story. I thought having the fanfic version of your favourite character coming to live is just such a fun concept, and I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales decided to execute it. It felt very realistic, and I also love how it's obvious throughout the book that the main character used fanfic solely as an espcape from her biggest insecurities. Ivy's character growth throughout this book was also just really well done, and I loved reading from her perspective.
Although I do have to say that Henry absolutely stole the show in this book for me. He's Ivy's best friend, and he so fucking funny and relatable. Every scene he was in was an instant favourite. I also really loved the friendship between him and Ivy. They just had this sweet connection, and I truly think they were the definition of platonic soulmates.
That brings us to Mack, and that aspect on this book has left me with some mixed emotions. I do love a friends to enemies to lovers storyline, but I just had a hard time understanding their friendship. We do get some flashbacks to the past, and I really liked those aspects of the book. However, all I could see in those parts is that this was just such a toxic friendship. Ivy had such an unhealthy codependency on Mack, and Mack barely seemd to tolerate Ivy until she became friends with Henry, and all of the sudden Mack gets really possesive over her. So yeah, it's extremely toxic, and I just didn't understand why they were friends to begin with. That connection just didn't seem there, and it was even more obvious because there is just such a strong connection between Ivy and Henry. It also annoyed me so much because it doesn't actually get adressed in the book. So yeah, I never understood their friendship. However, I do think the hate to love aspect was decently done in the story. It isn't the main focus of the book, and I do wish we got a little more of it in the book just for me to be completely sold on it, but I didn't completely hate it.
So yeah, I did thouroughly enjoy this book. I do think the main focus of this book was extremely well done, but it's just the romance I guess that I just don't know how to feel about it. I would definitely recommend this though because it was just so much fun, and also just extremely funny.
Sophie Gonzales has done it again. I shouldn't be surprised because this did sound right up my alley, but it definitely delivered. I had so much fun reading this book, I can't even begin to describe it. This book was also just such an addicting read, and I had a hard time putting this book down.
I really liked the main story. I thought having the fanfic version of your favourite character coming to live is just such a fun concept, and I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales decided to execute it. It felt very realistic, and I also love how it's obvious throughout the book that the main character used fanfic solely as an espcape from her biggest insecurities. Ivy's character growth throughout this book was also just really well done, and I loved reading from her perspective.
Although I do have to say that Henry absolutely stole the show in this book for me. He's Ivy's best friend, and he so fucking funny and relatable. Every scene he was in was an instant favourite. I also really loved the friendship between him and Ivy. They just had this sweet connection, and I truly think they were the definition of platonic soulmates.
That brings us to Mack, and that aspect on this book has left me with some mixed emotions. I do love a friends to enemies to lovers storyline, but I just had a hard time understanding their friendship. We do get some flashbacks to the past, and I really liked those aspects of the book. However, all I could see in those parts is that this was just such a toxic friendship. Ivy had such an unhealthy codependency on Mack, and Mack barely seemd to tolerate Ivy until she became friends with Henry, and all of the sudden Mack gets really possesive over her. So yeah, it's extremely toxic, and I just didn't understand why they were friends to begin with. That connection just didn't seem there, and it was even more obvious because there is just such a strong connection between Ivy and Henry. It also annoyed me so much because it doesn't actually get adressed in the book. So yeah, I never understood their friendship. However, I do think the hate to love aspect was decently done in the story. It isn't the main focus of the book, and I do wish we got a little more of it in the book just for me to be completely sold on it, but I didn't completely hate it.
So yeah, I did thouroughly enjoy this book. I do think the main focus of this book was extremely well done, but it's just the romance I guess that I just don't know how to feel about it. I would definitely recommend this though because it was just so much fun, and also just extremely funny.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
I am withholding my review until the SMP boycott is resolved.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced