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lainiereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such a GOOD read omg!! Perfect on Paper is a really great story with both great character development and great relationships, romantic and otherwise. I loved the main character, Darcy, who was flawed but continually trying her best to improve and become a better person. The romance was too cute and I had to pause multiple times to squeal about how adorable everything was. I loved the ways that different relationships with family were represented, especially Darcy's friendship with her sister Ainsley, it was perfect.
One of my favorite things about this book is the way that Darcy's thought process was shown. It was very interesting to see her handle the moral conflicts thrown her way, and it really made me reflect on my own life. She also learned more as time went on, so we got to see her perception of people (and herself) change. We also got to see her struggle with her internalized biphobia, and I really loved how that sensitive subject was handled.
I will warn everyone about the use of the infamous miscommunication trope. I personally didn't mind it, but it was a big part of a few of the conflicts throughout the story, so if you are a miscommunication hater- consider this my warning.
I loved this book so much that I can't truly capture all of the things I enjoyed about it. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves ya romance, especially to anyone who loved the To All the Boys I've Loved Before books, like myself. SO CUTE!!!
One of my favorite things about this book is the way that Darcy's thought process was shown. It was very interesting to see her handle the moral conflicts thrown her way, and it really made me reflect on my own life. She also learned more as time went on, so we got to see her perception of people (and herself) change. We also got to see her struggle with her internalized biphobia, and I really loved how that sensitive subject was handled.
I will warn everyone about the use of the infamous miscommunication trope. I personally didn't mind it, but it was a big part of a few of the conflicts throughout the story, so if you are a miscommunication hater- consider this my warning.
I loved this book so much that I can't truly capture all of the things I enjoyed about it. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves ya romance, especially to anyone who loved the To All the Boys I've Loved Before books, like myself. SO CUTE!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, and Vomit
Minor: Violence, Infidelity, and Drug use
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Darcy Phillips is the secret voice behind Locker 89, a relationship advice resource frequently utilized by the students at her preppy high school. While she dispenses great advice to everyone - boasting a 95% success rate, and satisfaction guaranteed or your money back - she can't seem to get her own love life in order. When the school's hot senior, Alexander Brougham, finds out Darcy's secret and enlists her to help him get his ex-girlfriend back, she has no choice but to take the job. Otherwise, she risks him telling her secret to the whole school. That includes Darcy's best friend Brooke, whom Darcy has had a crush on for what seems like forever. And if Brooke finds out, she will find out that Darcy is the one responsible for sabotaging Brooke's potential relationship last year, and that absolutely cannot happen.
This queer contemporary rom-com is perfect for teens and young adults alike. Even as someone who probably no longer "fits" into the YA category (based on my age), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is so much queer representation in this book, as well as some ethnic diversity. The relationships in this book - family, platonic, and romantic - are messy and imperfect, which I love since it makes the book more realistic. Life in high school is often dramatic and difficult, and Gonzales did a great job representing that on the page.
One thing that was particularly important for me was the bi representation. It was so validating for me to hear about biphobia and bi-erasure, both internalized and externalized. It is something that doesn't get talked about enough in either the queer community or the straight community, and it needs to be more prevalent, in my opinion. Many thanks to Sophie Gonzales for writing that topic into this book.
Was this book somewhat cheesy and predictable? Yes. Did I have a blast reading it anyway? Yes. I need to get my own copy of this one for my shelves.
Rep: Bisexual MC, trans SC, Vietnamese-American lesbian SC, gay SC, aro/ace SC, pan non-binary SC
This queer contemporary rom-com is perfect for teens and young adults alike. Even as someone who probably no longer "fits" into the YA category (based on my age), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is so much queer representation in this book, as well as some ethnic diversity. The relationships in this book - family, platonic, and romantic - are messy and imperfect, which I love since it makes the book more realistic. Life in high school is often dramatic and difficult, and Gonzales did a great job representing that on the page.
One thing that was particularly important for me was the bi representation. It was so validating for me to hear about biphobia and bi-erasure, both internalized and externalized. It is something that doesn't get talked about enough in either the queer community or the straight community, and it needs to be more prevalent, in my opinion. Many thanks to Sophie Gonzales for writing that topic into this book.
Was this book somewhat cheesy and predictable? Yes. Did I have a blast reading it anyway? Yes. I need to get my own copy of this one for my shelves.
Rep: Bisexual MC, trans SC, Vietnamese-American lesbian SC, gay SC, aro/ace SC, pan non-binary SC
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Additional CW/TW: divorce, verbal abuse, impostor syndrometaleofabibliophile's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Biphobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Drug use
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Who's ready for another QUEER SCREAMING review!? Because that's what this is! I loved this book so much! AAAAAhhhh!
- Main character identities include: bisexual, lesbian and trans identities. Minor characters run the whole spectrum - nonbinary, gay, pansexual, asexual, and more.
- Plus there also so much talk about attachment styles and how even if your childhood wasn't outright abusive you can still carry baggage from it.
- PERFECT ON PAPER really captures the biphobia a lot of people experience, both internalized and from other members of the queer community. Additionally, I really appreciated that although we were exploring these biases, there was no general queerphobia in the book - no one was hated or feared for who they were - just misconceptions being righted.
- Also, one of the letters Darcy answers is from a person who doesn't want to sleep with their significant other and says "but obviously I'm not asexual because I love them," and Darcy comes back with just the most excellent explanation of asexuality vs aromanticism and I was all HEART EYES!
- Main character identities include: bisexual, lesbian and trans identities. Minor characters run the whole spectrum - nonbinary, gay, pansexual, asexual, and more.
- Plus there also so much talk about attachment styles and how even if your childhood wasn't outright abusive you can still carry baggage from it.
- PERFECT ON PAPER really captures the biphobia a lot of people experience, both internalized and from other members of the queer community. Additionally, I really appreciated that although we were exploring these biases, there was no general queerphobia in the book - no one was hated or feared for who they were - just misconceptions being righted.
- Also, one of the letters Darcy answers is from a person who doesn't want to sleep with their significant other and says "but obviously I'm not asexual because I love them," and Darcy comes back with just the most excellent explanation of asexuality vs aromanticism and I was all HEART EYES!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Vomit
Minor: Violence
dhwani's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Biphobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit and Violence
spearly's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
So, maybe I didn’t always get things right, about myself, or about others. And maybe a part of learning my place in the world was about accepting that I wouldn’t always have the answers, and I wouldn’t always be the hero in every scenario, and maybe I wouldn’t win everything I attempted.
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 anonymity to meddle into Brooke's love life not once, but twice. On top of dealing with her feelings toward her best friend, she spends much of the novel as Brougham's personal dating coach. And, in true YA fashion, she starts to realizes he maybe isn't as awful as she thought he was.
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 she begins to have feelings for Brougham, a guy . We see another character join the Q&Q meetings after seeking advice from locker 89 about not wanting to have sex with her boyfriend. After it's revealed to the school that Darcy is behind the lockers, we have a gay Korean character explain that he never wrote in to Locker 89 because he figured it was some white, straight girl behind the locker (and, as he says, he was "half right"), and he doesn't need advice from someone who doesn't know the first thing about his life.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Vomit, Homophobia, Drug use, Cursing, and Addiction
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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