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genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Cursing
Minor: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
dwoht's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
i started reading this thinking it's the typical best friends to lovers story, turns out i was wrong but it's a good kind of wrong because i like the two main characters. they're cute and they complement each other well.
i know darcy will be revealed as the locker 89 but i still dreaded it and when it finally happened i felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed! i closed the book for a few minutes to recover.
darcy was held accountable for her actions of course and she's also self aware and tried to correct her mistakes as best as she can. darcy is relatable as all of the characters combined, but darcy is something. she's endearing. (maybe because i see a bit of myself in her lol)
it also reminds me of sex education's first season where they also do the relationship advice thingy which is cool.
i enjoyed this book despite the second hand embarassments that i felt. it's a great read, can't complain much.
Graphic: Biphobia, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Classism, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Vomit
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Stalking, and Panic attacks/disorders
bubbly_lara's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, Vomit, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Biphobia, and Alcohol
bubbly_lara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Violence, Vomit, Sexual content, Drug use, Bullying, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
lanawils's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia and Vomit
Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Cursing, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Stalking
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing and Biphobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Drug use
anika222's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug use, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
Underage drug use (marijuana) and alcohol use; biphobia is challenged as part of the storylinespearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
But I was pretty sure about a couple of things.
Perfect on Paper follows Darcy Phillips, a bisexual high school student who runs an anonymous relationship advice business out of a vacant locker. When classmate Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters from the locker, he enlists her to be his personal dating coach and help him get his ex-girlfriend back.
This was a refreshing YA story that artfully wove in themes of sexuality that a lot of young adult novels don't explore outside of some minor side-character. Darcy is bi, and totally in love with her best friend Brooke. And she's used her
I loved that Gonzales including a high school group called Queer & Questioning (or Q&Q for short) to help our characters work through their distinct experiences as queer teenagers. It also allowed the audience a little insight without coming off as preachy or expositional. We saw Darcy dealing with internalized biphobia after
Darcy has a great arc in this novel. Like Gonzales intended, I'm sure, Darcy is very naive in the beginning. She thinks her advice is near full-proof, she thinks it's alright to betray her best friend's trust to "protect her" (when really, she was just jealous), and she doesn't think through the consequences of her actions. It's only when Brougham starts to push back on things that she's able to look at her advice more objectively.
For all that I enjoyed about this novel, however, it's still middle of the road plot-wise and pacing-wise for me. Specifically, I think the big bad thing that Darcy is trying to keep Brooke from finding out could have been revealed later. I will try to be more lenient with the melodrama since, even though I thought the misunderstandings between all the characters were a bit flimsy, I have to remember these characters are 16. I was a drama queen, too. I misunderstood things, too. I thought I knew everything, too.
So, a solid read, and a happy addition to my bookshelf!
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Vomit, Homophobia, Drug use, Cursing, and Addiction
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence