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sadkitty's review against another edition
3.0
Perfect on Paper is a young adult novel by Sophie Gonzales.
Locker eighty-nine hasn't been assigned to any student in few years and a rumours circulates through the student body that if you drop a letter in the locker with a ten-dollar fee, you will receive the best relationship advice you can get.
If it doesn't work out, you'll get a refund.
Darcy Philips is bi, out and proud, and is the person behind the whole locker eighty-nine thing that is going on. She looks up to relationship coaches, has a crush on her best friend Brooke Nguyen and although she wants to use her skills for good, has sabotaged Brooke's chance at a relationship an year ago.
These two are the two secrets she carries in her heart everyday. Until Alexander Brougham spots her taking the letters out of locker eighty-nine and makes a deal with her, which she assumes is his attempt at hit-and-miss kind of subtle blackmailing. (This part reminded me of the opening of Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda) She will have to be his relationship coach and help him get his ex-girlfriend back.
After that, we dive straight into the messed up home life of Alexander Brougham, his desire for a reassuring relationship as compared to the one his parents have.
Darcy is good at reading other people and their attachment types, something she has learned over the years providing relationship advice to kids her age and older.
She's a good student and boasts a ninety-five percent success rate in her advising business, and has overachieving tendencies which don't allow her to mess up. She also seems to have perfectionist tendencies where she does whatever she thinks is right and does everything in her power to prove she's right. She is sensitive to judgement and criticism.
Darcy and Alexander get closer to each other, sharing the pain of losing their 'first loves' and having parents who kept getting into screaming matches.
Darcy's greatest flaw is her sensitivity to criticism and her insecurity. She has internalized biphobia which adds to the insecurity that if she were to start dating a guy, it would be a heterosexual relationship and she would not be queer anymore.
The biphobia point is explored well in the book.
Acting on her fear, Darcy reveals a secret that leads to damage to Brooke's ongoing romance. Darcy apologizes to Brooke but doesn't understand that apologizing is only the first step. And that being forgiven is not the reward for apologizing for the mistake she made in the first place.
Darcy's character development through the book is amazing. At first, she does not know how to respond to criticism and carries her mistakes like a weight she can't put down.
Throughout the book, she learns to questions her talent and explores other aspects of relationship and her way of providing advice. She recognizes the flaws in her system and tries to incorporate mistakes that might occur in the path and the ways to correct them.
As a perfectionist, the worst that can happen is to make a mistake. And even worse that can happen is for everyone to know what exactly went wrong.
But she learns to cope with making mistakes. She learns that making mistakes does not take away her worth.
Brougham is a reserved character. He keeps to himself and hangs out with his friends, is slightly expressive and happily stays away from his parents' fights as much as he can.
He is shown to be considerate and takes care of Finn (his best friend) when Finn is under the effects of weed.
His Australian accent is often confused with an English one.
His mannerisms are polite but they come off as brash.
Although he's considerate, he has trouble getting his intentions across, especially to Darcy who is as dense as a brick when it comes to her perception of a budding romance.
He slowly opens himself to Darcy, which is sweet as hell, and he's okay with being vulnerable with her. That is the best display of the amount of trust he has in her.
The characters are complex but not complete. The story is tightly focused on Darcy and her romance with Alexander Brougham to the point at which we don't get much glimpses of other character's life.
We don't know much about Brooke's home life, although she is and has been literally Darcy's closest friend for a very long time.
We don't know much about Raina, Brooke's love interest and she just enters into their lives like a cannon bolt.
Much of the character development of other characters is sacrificed for the purpose of explaining various relationship theories and how parental relationships affect the children.
Not to say that I felt the theories were not required, but there should have been a middle ground between explanation of theories and character development.
As much as we know about Darcy, her strong desire to help other people and bring about a positive change, we don't know enough about other characters. Their interactions with Darcy are always explained in a few paragraphs.
We don't find out the problem Darcy's parents have each other, either. You'd think after fighting for years and years and even getting divorced, there would be at least a mention of the habits/tendencies that drove their partners away.
Ainsley, Darcy's older sister, is the helping figure and has talent of designing clothes (which she developed to fit in with the rich students of their private school).
Ainsley being trans female is one of the best ways of going about it. It's stated for the matter of explicit representation. And then, it is sprinkled gently all throughout the story.
'I chose to ignore the fact that she’d compared Brougham to a horror movie clown as a compliment.'
Also, she's funny as hell.
After the two main leads, Ainsley is the the only character we know most about. But it can also be attributed to the fact that she is also one of the only people who spends the most time with Darcy.
Also, it's not a major plot point or anything but I was annoyed how late it was mentioned that Finn is American Korean despite being mentioned so early in the story, like, he is not even that close to Darcy to avoid being discussed like that.
The characters are good to be honest, I like how all of them and good and bad, mean but supportive, different reactions at different times but it's like most of them are there only to provide a push to Darcy and Alexander towards each other.
Winona serves the purpose to make Alexander seek out Darcy for her help. We don't find anything else about her. It's like finding an almost two-dimensional character in this book.
The characters have their unique voice. And although reading the book is fun, including the added points of blatant discussion regarding biphobia, parental troubles, legality of providing relationship advices as an anonymous persona, and almost a solid commentary from Darcy regarding her going over her own thought patterns, here and there, there is still an emptiness within the story because of the lack of development of side characters.
The story's strongest suit is the narration and the comedic potential of the dialogues. Like Darcy's interaction with Ainsley is almost always funny.
'Also, not to be dramatic, but I would have killed for him.' Yup, that wasn't dramatic at all.
It's a fun and light read which probably provides more info than a lot of other books in the same genre but as far as I'm concerned, it's not something I'd read more than twice.
Locker eighty-nine hasn't been assigned to any student in few years and a rumours circulates through the student body that if you drop a letter in the locker with a ten-dollar fee, you will receive the best relationship advice you can get.
If it doesn't work out, you'll get a refund.
Darcy Philips is bi, out and proud, and is the person behind the whole locker eighty-nine thing that is going on. She looks up to relationship coaches, has a crush on her best friend Brooke Nguyen and although she wants to use her skills for good, has sabotaged Brooke's chance at a relationship an year ago.
These two are the two secrets she carries in her heart everyday. Until Alexander Brougham spots her taking the letters out of locker eighty-nine and makes a deal with her, which she assumes is his attempt at hit-and-miss kind of subtle blackmailing. (This part reminded me of the opening of Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda) She will have to be his relationship coach and help him get his ex-girlfriend back.
After that, we dive straight into the messed up home life of Alexander Brougham, his desire for a reassuring relationship as compared to the one his parents have.
Darcy is good at reading other people and their attachment types, something she has learned over the years providing relationship advice to kids her age and older.
She's a good student and boasts a ninety-five percent success rate in her advising business, and has overachieving tendencies which don't allow her to mess up. She also seems to have perfectionist tendencies where she does whatever she thinks is right and does everything in her power to prove she's right. She is sensitive to judgement and criticism.
Darcy and Alexander get closer to each other, sharing the pain of losing their 'first loves' and having parents who kept getting into screaming matches.
Darcy's greatest flaw is her sensitivity to criticism and her insecurity. She has internalized biphobia which adds to the insecurity that if she were to start dating a guy, it would be a heterosexual relationship and she would not be queer anymore.
The biphobia point is explored well in the book.
Acting on her fear, Darcy reveals a secret that leads to damage to Brooke's ongoing romance. Darcy apologizes to Brooke but doesn't understand that apologizing is only the first step. And that being forgiven is not the reward for apologizing for the mistake she made in the first place.
Darcy's character development through the book is amazing. At first, she does not know how to respond to criticism and carries her mistakes like a weight she can't put down.
Throughout the book, she learns to questions her talent and explores other aspects of relationship and her way of providing advice. She recognizes the flaws in her system and tries to incorporate mistakes that might occur in the path and the ways to correct them.
As a perfectionist, the worst that can happen is to make a mistake. And even worse that can happen is for everyone to know what exactly went wrong.
But she learns to cope with making mistakes. She learns that making mistakes does not take away her worth.
Brougham is a reserved character. He keeps to himself and hangs out with his friends, is slightly expressive and happily stays away from his parents' fights as much as he can.
He is shown to be considerate and takes care of Finn (his best friend) when Finn is under the effects of weed.
His Australian accent is often confused with an English one.
His mannerisms are polite but they come off as brash.
Although he's considerate, he has trouble getting his intentions across, especially to Darcy who is as dense as a brick when it comes to her perception of a budding romance.
He slowly opens himself to Darcy, which is sweet as hell, and he's okay with being vulnerable with her. That is the best display of the amount of trust he has in her.
The characters are complex but not complete. The story is tightly focused on Darcy and her romance with Alexander Brougham to the point at which we don't get much glimpses of other character's life.
We don't know much about Brooke's home life, although she is and has been literally Darcy's closest friend for a very long time.
We don't know much about Raina, Brooke's love interest and she just enters into their lives like a cannon bolt.
Much of the character development of other characters is sacrificed for the purpose of explaining various relationship theories and how parental relationships affect the children.
Not to say that I felt the theories were not required, but there should have been a middle ground between explanation of theories and character development.
As much as we know about Darcy, her strong desire to help other people and bring about a positive change, we don't know enough about other characters. Their interactions with Darcy are always explained in a few paragraphs.
We don't find out the problem Darcy's parents have each other, either. You'd think after fighting for years and years and even getting divorced, there would be at least a mention of the habits/tendencies that drove their partners away.
Ainsley, Darcy's older sister, is the helping figure and has talent of designing clothes (which she developed to fit in with the rich students of their private school).
Ainsley being trans female is one of the best ways of going about it. It's stated for the matter of explicit representation. And then, it is sprinkled gently all throughout the story.
'I chose to ignore the fact that she’d compared Brougham to a horror movie clown as a compliment.'
Also, she's funny as hell.
After the two main leads, Ainsley is the the only character we know most about. But it can also be attributed to the fact that she is also one of the only people who spends the most time with Darcy.
Also, it's not a major plot point or anything but I was annoyed how late it was mentioned that Finn is American Korean despite being mentioned so early in the story, like, he is not even that close to Darcy to avoid being discussed like that.
The characters are good to be honest, I like how all of them and good and bad, mean but supportive, different reactions at different times but it's like most of them are there only to provide a push to Darcy and Alexander towards each other.
Winona serves the purpose to make Alexander seek out Darcy for her help. We don't find anything else about her. It's like finding an almost two-dimensional character in this book.
The characters have their unique voice. And although reading the book is fun, including the added points of blatant discussion regarding biphobia, parental troubles, legality of providing relationship advices as an anonymous persona, and almost a solid commentary from Darcy regarding her going over her own thought patterns, here and there, there is still an emptiness within the story because of the lack of development of side characters.
The story's strongest suit is the narration and the comedic potential of the dialogues. Like Darcy's interaction with Ainsley is almost always funny.
'Also, not to be dramatic, but I would have killed for him.' Yup, that wasn't dramatic at all.
It's a fun and light read which probably provides more info than a lot of other books in the same genre but as far as I'm concerned, it's not something I'd read more than twice.
christin3vans's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lbarsk's review against another edition
5.0
LITERALLY HELL YEAH
So sweet and filled with a lot of points of growth for our MCs. Also really nice to read such a positive sister relationship between Darcy and her older sister Adelaide! Also also, has a good throughline about communication that culminates in respectful and actually meaningful ways to apologize which we love to see.
10/10 for the ROMANCÉ and for the confronting biphobia; fun and memorable side characters without too wide a supporting cast; shouts out to Finn, the number one Chad-Ryan truther (I can get on board!); and fuck yeah for a diverse cast on several different axes. Ahhhhhhh this was lovely!!
So sweet and filled with a lot of points of growth for our MCs. Also really nice to read such a positive sister relationship between Darcy and her older sister Adelaide! Also also, has a good throughline about communication that culminates in respectful and actually meaningful ways to apologize which we love to see.
10/10 for the ROMANCÉ and for the confronting biphobia; fun and memorable side characters without too wide a supporting cast; shouts out to Finn, the number one Chad-Ryan truther (I can get on board!); and fuck yeah for a diverse cast on several different axes. Ahhhhhhh this was lovely!!
aftaerglows's review against another edition
4.0
"self-analysis: darcy phillips is not set in stone." <3
diaryofaditi's review against another edition
4.0
academical rivals to lovers and is similar to botm consider me SOLD
maiiiphobic's review against another edition
3.0
3,8
Such a great book to get out of a reader’s block!! I felt the plot was very original and even if predictable at times it was still very interesting it actually had me invested. As for the main character Darcy OMG I LOVE A MESSY AND FLAWED CHARACTER NEVER STOP WRITING ABSOLUTE MESSES OF PEOPLE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH BECAUSE THEY JUST FEEL SO REAL AND RELATABLE. The love story was really cute, Alexander ( I will never be able write his last name lmao) was one of the most likable male love interests ever. Really my only problem was that some storylines just felt randomly abandoned or set aside completely, I get that sometimes things have to be removed to fit the narrative BUT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO EXPLORED MORE ABOUT ALEXANDER AND HIS FAMILY OR DARCY AND HER DAD, EVEN ABOUT DARCY AND BROOKE
Such a great book to get out of a reader’s block!! I felt the plot was very original and even if predictable at times it was still very interesting it actually had me invested. As for the main character Darcy OMG I LOVE A MESSY AND FLAWED CHARACTER NEVER STOP WRITING ABSOLUTE MESSES OF PEOPLE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH BECAUSE THEY JUST FEEL SO REAL AND RELATABLE. The love story was really cute, Alexander ( I will never be able write his last name lmao) was one of the most likable male love interests ever. Really my only problem was that some storylines just felt randomly abandoned or set aside completely, I get that sometimes things have to be removed to fit the narrative BUT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO EXPLORED MORE ABOUT ALEXANDER AND HIS FAMILY OR DARCY AND HER DAD, EVEN ABOUT DARCY AND BROOKE
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating 2.5 stars
I received an e-ARC of this book from Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Trigger warnings: divorce, lying, manipulation, betrayal, mentions of attempted kidnapping, mentioned and condemned biphobia
I really tried, I promise I did but this book was just not for me. One star for the important conversations regarding sexuality, gender, consent and how to build healthy relationships. One star for the beautiful sibling relationship. And a half star for the love interest. That's as far as I could go because I could not stand the main character. Honesty and integrity are huge things for me as a person, something I can't separate from myself as a reader and I couldn't deal with Darcy's lying, manipulation and hypocrisy. Specially because of the addition of her pride in her advice giving and the knowledge in her pocket from professionals. And while I can understand that her age and immaturity play a part in her behavior, I couldn't personally get past the repeated bad behavior and how it was, for the most part, forgiven. I liked the writing style and the representation, but it wasn't enough to help me override my feelings on Darcy. I will have to really think about whether or not to read other books by this author.
I received an e-ARC of this book from Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Trigger warnings: divorce, lying, manipulation, betrayal, mentions of attempted kidnapping, mentioned and condemned biphobia
I really tried, I promise I did but this book was just not for me. One star for the important conversations regarding sexuality, gender, consent and how to build healthy relationships. One star for the beautiful sibling relationship. And a half star for the love interest. That's as far as I could go because I could not stand the main character. Honesty and integrity are huge things for me as a person, something I can't separate from myself as a reader and I couldn't deal with Darcy's lying, manipulation and hypocrisy. Specially because of the addition of her pride in her advice giving and the knowledge in her pocket from professionals. And while I can understand that her age and immaturity play a part in her behavior, I couldn't personally get past the repeated bad behavior and how it was, for the most part, forgiven. I liked the writing style and the representation, but it wasn't enough to help me override my feelings on Darcy. I will have to really think about whether or not to read other books by this author.
schmetterly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0