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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I swear if i hear the words perfect perlie Perez again
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't dislike my read of this story. I just won't remember much or be able to pick out anything distinguishing in a few months or week's time. The main character, Perla, faced an identity crisis after not getting into any schools and wound up choosing a far-fetched but marginally believable deception which caused her to question everything. Although I do not think she could have carried on the deception as long as she did, the extremely high stakes consequences at the end felt like too much, too heavy handed. The author, however, did characterization well since even in the end, the most frustrating part, I still got angry at Perla's mother in defense of Perla.
tense
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 love the premise of this book but got really annoyed with Perla before it was over. Realistically, I don't think she could have lied for almost an entire semester before getting caught. But I do appreciate the pressure she felt to be the best and the embarrassment of failure. We, as parents and adults, put too much pressure on our kids sometimes to be and do what we think they should.
fast-paced
“I used to joke that living in Monte Verde is like living in a pressure cooker, but that isn’t all that funny. I’m only beginning to unravel the ways in which this entire school complex – my family included – enforced these unrealistic expectations on us. […] We’ve just been struggling to find our own ways to work with the dysfunction.”
➽ I really liked the unique setup: a girl attends the college she didn’t get into and tries to gather information on campus. I love stories that are set at college, but This Is Not a Personal Statement did a twist on the usual tropes. Perla Perez is an overachiever guaranteed to get into her dream school: Delmont University … but then she gets rejected. Terrified of the failure and her parents’ reactions, Perla pretends that she got in and goes to Delmont, only she obviously isn’t admitted as a real student. This setup provided a lot of conflict and stakes, I was hooked from start to finish, as we follow Perla trying to obscure the fact that she’s not actually a student. It was almost like a little heist, as Perla tries to come up with ways to stay on campus – despite not having an official dorm room – and earn money, so she can eat and fit in – since she doesn’t have a student ID card. Between her financial struggles and the strain of having to evade campus security and suspicions from the students around her, this turned out to be an intense, compelling read.
➽ Perla and her situation felt really authentic. She skipped a grade and at 16, she’s one of the youngest students on campus. That also means that she’s a messy teen who makes a lot of mistakes, but you can always tell where she comes from. Perla’s parents a very strict with her and don’t tolerate failure. Their extreme attitude and lack of support are what get her to lie about her Delmont acceptance out of sheer terror and shame. Going to college when you didn’t get in is a terrible idea, but I understood why Perla couldn’t come clean and felt like no one would have her back. The consequence is that she gets into a web of lies and keeps everyone at a distance. Tessa is a lovely new friend for her, yet she cannot get too close to her, in fear of being found out. Perla really likes her, but never fully opens up and ends up lying to her for the majority of the book. She’s determined to get in the next semester and to do it right, but in the meantime, Perla ends up breaking all the rules.
➽ I also liked the secondary character cast! Apart from Tessa, we also get to see Jackson. He’s Perla’s work friend, as she takes up the job of a barista in order to pay for all of her expenses. Then there’s Camilla, she used to be Perla’s biggest rival in school and they never got along as their parents always compared them to each other. Camilla got in after being waitlisted, so she’s NOT part of Perla’s plan to stay undetected. Their dynamic was really interesting, as Camilla knows the familial pressure to succeed, yet Perla always saw them as competitors, never friends. I liked how meeting Camilla again made Perla question their relationship and her own assumptions about failure and success.
➽ In the end, the discussions about academic pressure and messing up where great. Through Perla we experience the pressure to go to ‘the perfect college’ and the focus on prestige at the expense of mental health and self-care. Perla’s parents definitely contributed to her feeling like she could never fail and wasn’t allowed to acknowledged her feelings. It’s a difficult situation, as Perla doesn’t feel seen, but also knows that her parents fought hard to give her a better education and life than they had. Her former school also contributed to her competitive mindset and judgemental attitude towards lower-ranking colleges. Perla messes up a lot in this book, but she felt real and a product of the pressure that was put on her. The ending was a bit rushed and more open than I expected but felt realistic and appropriate.