What an amazing story! I requested this book based on the description though I didn't realize it was the 2nd book in the series. I quickly checked out Flawed from our library and devoured it! At first it seemed a little too YA young love but that quickly changed quickly into a fast paced dystopian thriller. It definitely had some "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorn influence as well as "When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan. Stories where you are visibly marked by what society has deemed morally wrong. I think that the characters were wonderfully developed and was so happy that Celestine quickly developed into a strong female lead who ultimately did not depend on the guy to save her. She saved everyone herself! I was quite satisfied with the ending, sometimes I wish the story wouldn't end but @Cecelia_Ahern created a great story. I'll definitely be recommending this series at the library. #youngadult #dystopianfiction

I absolutely adored "Flawed" so was super excited when I received an advance copy of this via NetGalley. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

If you enjoyed Flawed, I pretty much guarantee you will like this. It is more of the same, following Celestine and Carrick as they are trying to bring logic and compassion back to society.

It is extremely well written, with fully formed characters. There is enough intrigue, double crossing, power hungry craziness to keep you interested, and for once there was a very satisfying ending. HOWEVER it felt like an extension of the first book. I could probably have read this without having read Flawed, as there are so many descriptions of what has gone before. That is a good thing in some ways, but I only read it a couple of months ago so it was still pretty fresh in my memory.

This was a really enjoyable read (it only took me a day), and I would highly recommend it. It was almost 5 stars, but it didn't quite have the shock or novelty value of Flawed.

I don't know if i should be sad that i finished the book, or happy that i got to read it.
i enjoyed this story a lot! it is one of a kind. i love the author, the way she presents the reality we often ignore.
for me, flawed and perfect are her best book so far. this books remaind me why i started reading each of them.
the stories are fresh, emotional, profund and a great lesson.
a must from cecelia ahern

Perfect begins with Celestine in her grandad's strawberry fields. At the end of Flawed her mother told her to run rather than being handed over to Bosco Crevan, the leader of the Guild. Celestine knew the risk but she ended up with people she knew. No sign of Carrick. Whistle-blowers hound the farm daily searching for her but Celestine, with the help of her grandad, always manages to hide safely.

Until now. She evades detection and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing finds herself back with Carrick and on the run again. Her grandad is now in custody and Celestine realises this is her life now. Always being on the run. She visits a few people along the way but they always turn out to be bad guys. Even Carrick had a angle on her.

When I read Flawed I mentioned the believe-ability of the dystopian society in the story. It didn't resonate as true. The rest of the world carries on as normal but this 'place' has this 'flawed' system. Early on in Perfect there is even a mention of Michael Jackson and body-popping. Suddenly this dystopian world Ms Ahern is trying to create fell flat to the floor. Why didn't she make the entire world a dystopian empire? The story would have become so much bigger.

The story does involve the characters much more and in depth. You can definitely see where the padding was filled with reminiscences between Celestine and her mother, and with Art. His character becomes a bit more wholesome than the wimpy version from Flawed. Celestine is much more contemplative.

The writing also follows all the right rules. She starts and ends at the same place. There are now characters you want to win and want to lose, whereas Flawed I pretty much hated everyone except Carrick. The gentleness of Celestine becomes more apparent but she is definitely more vocal and confident enough to air her view now. Again, what didn't seem as believable to me was that it was only Celestine who would speak common sense and while what she spoke of was relevant I'm sure others, in our day and age, would have pushed her off the podium to have their say.

Altogether it's a decent enough dystopian story but it flounders with its world-building. Enough to make the society not quite as real as I'd like.

4.5/5 stars.

Cecelia Ahern, I love you and I love your book.

I had some serious doubts. There was a lot that left me wanting from the first book, and a lot of it had to do with Celestine--though relatable, she wasn't all that likable to me. I am still not a fan of hers, but I respect her. She went through hell, and she admitted to struggling to know herself once she realized the world was not black and white but a mess of gray. She proved that she was strong and that she did in fact have some brains. I won't forgive her (or Cecelia) for the love triangle, because I think they are nasty and unnecessary plot devices to escalate tension and interest, but I can get over it BECAUSE I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Where I found so many faults in Celestine in Flawed, they proved to be moments of learning and overcoming faults in Perfect. Celestine grew so much; she became this beacon of hope and change, and she refused to back down when things became tough. In those characteristics, she reminded me so much of Veronica Roth's Tris (Divergent series) and Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy. She knew what was right, she knew where she stood, she knew what she wanted--and she DID. NOT. BACK. DOWN. She stood her ground every step of this anxiety-induced, tension-filled, action-packed story. Strong young women fighting for what is right even though the society in place is trying to silence and erase them. GET AT THIS BOOK WHEN YOU CAN.

Now, I did not find the writing itself perfect. Same as with Flawed, Perfect does fall into the habit of telling rather than showing. The difference, however, is that the telling in Perfect is a bunch of recapping Flawed throughout the entire book, happening at least every other chapter. It is almost like Cecelia felt the need to remind us of information, as if we would have already forgotten. Not to mention recapping is annoying--I read the first book, so please get on with the story. Like with the love triangle, I got over this because the important message(s) Cecelia Ahern expresses are THAT IMPERATIVE.

Those messages are:
-Prejudice is inhumane
-Refusing to help another when you know it is the right thing to do is inhumane
-Imposing regulations on people that makes helping those who are prejudiced against is inhumane
-Being a dick (*excuse me*) like Crevan is one of the worst offenses against humanity and is most definitely inhumane
-It doesn't take a lot to be a decent person--it is as simple as helping them to a seat
-There are some who are not strong enough to be the change needed in a corrupt society, and those who do prove to be strong enough will surprise you

...I would give you more of the messages that I picked out, but I would rather you read the book yourself.

Enjoy once you get it in your hands--this is a fantastic duology! Easy to read, frustrating as hell, and ends with a fantastic and sobering resolution. Give it a go and be swept along!

This sequel to Flawed does not disappoint. Action and romance combine to give the readers a satisfying ending. The main character, Celestine North, is one of the best YA protagonists in recent memory.

A fast-paced, enthralling sequel. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the book was the realization that it wouldn't end up a cliffhanger. Kudos to Cecilia Ahern for reminding readers that not all YA series must be trilogies!

Cecelia Ahern has done it again. Perfect is an apt title for this sequel to Flawed. The main characters have become so real, and you suffer and celebrate along with them. Loved the ending!

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured and all her freedom is gone. Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret; one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing. Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people. And most important of all, can she prove that to human in itself is to be Flawed?

Overall I can say that I preferred this book to the first book, however I am still just not a fan of the writing style. I am also not the biggest fan of love triangles, which this book has, but I was certain of the direction in which that was going so it wasn't that big of a deal. The pacing in this book is a bit better than in the first book and the plot moves along at a steady pace. Celestine is not my favorite character, especially because I feel like she likes drama, so that was a bit frustrating at time, but I did enjoy Carrick as a character and we got to know him better during this book. I found the plot to be a bit predictable though and I kind of knew how it would end. I can say I did like the ending and the last chapter jumps forward 2 months, which I like when wrapping up a plot. I did like the conclusion and where all of the characters ended up. Overall, the dystopian world that this book is set in was a great concept, I just didn't particularly enjoy the author's writing. If you like YA dystopia, I certainly say give the serious a try.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced reading copy of the book.

Rating: 5/5 Penguins

Quick Reasons: this series has RUINED me; life-ruiner; my poor penguin heart is still pitter-pattering; emotional, dramatic, and horrifying; the moral implications are just spot-on; whoever designed these covers is BRILLIANT; I need this duology on my physical shelves

Huge thanks to Cecelia Ahern, McMillan Children's Publishing Group, and Netgalley for sending me a free digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.


---"When you put food in your mouth, odor molecules from that food travel through the passage between your nose and mouth to the olfactory receptor cells at the top of your nasal cavity, just beneath the brain and behind the bridge of the nose."

I raise an eyebrow. "And when you swallowed the encyclopedia, what did it taste like?"---


Okay, penguins.... can we just TALK ABOUT the choices the cover designer made for this series?! I mean seriously...these covers? Say SO MUCH about the story without really saying anything until you've read the books. For Flawed, we see Celestine from the mouth down. She is sort of bland, an unknown from the beginning--until she steps up and sparks a revolution. In Perfect...she IS the revolution, so we see her from the neck up. The colors also sort of play on this. She was perfect, "pure"...until she was found NOT to be. It's just.... GAH, whoever designed these covers? Did a fan-fracking-tastic job of it.

And this book? The closure to this poignant, powerful, intense duology? Delivered a hundred percent what I've been hoping it would. There are SO MANY moral and societal implications explored throughout each of these reads, but this second book brings everything to a head and makes readers STOP, SIT DOWN, and THINK about what's going on. It horrifies; it disgusts; it wrenches and tears in two every thought, every assumption, every feeling a reader could possibly be having at any point in the read. Everything is examined; everything is called into question, and then studied more, and then flipped on its head. And there was a LOT of head-flipping in this book; I think I gave myself whiplash trying to keep up with all the rapid changes and out-of-nowhere twists.


---There's the person you think you should be and there's the person you really are. I'm not sure who I should be, but I now know who I am. And that, I say, is the perfect place to start again.---


This is an intense read, though. The moral implications, the examination and redefinition of "society"....there are some tough, mature themes happening throughout this book. There is abuse of power. Obsession. Determination to "hide" or "right" a mistake. There is judgment, segregation, and political motivation/power struggles. All of this comes together in a fast-paced, important revelation. The characters are strong-willed and head-strong, the plot is heavy and nonstop, and the ending...while perhaps a bit TOO tidy...a poignant powerbomb. I just... I am in awe, and need this duology on my bookshelves PRONTO.

Overall, my first and second foray into Cecelia Ahern proved some of the best decisions I've ever made. These books changed my outlook on a lot of things, and are so, SO important in the messages they carry. This is a series I am proud to have picked up and fallen in love with, and I definitely recommend it to lovers of dystopians, political agendas, and intense reads. Perfect is bound to brand you, penguins--grit your teeth and wear the mark with pride. I know I will.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was nervous when I first started reading this book, because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book, Flawed, which you can see my review here. I have to say, I was surprised!

Perfect started about 2 weeks after the end of Flawed, so I would suggest reading them one right after the other if you have the opportunity. When I finished Flawed, I knew that Celestine had to go through a lot or character development in order to win this battle. When the book first starts, I was actually a little surprised that her attitude was already different, not drastically, but there was a change. As the book progresses she does grow even more.

I do appreciate how, as far as I know, this story is done with the book. That’s how it seemed at the end at least. Everything wrapped up nicely and I didn’t really have any unanswered questions. I was already starting to feel like the story was dragging a little bit, so if there is going to be a third book, I probably won’t read it because honestly I have no idea where the story would go.

I did really enjoy the idea of this story though, I though it was very original, and I REALLY enjoyed that the series is only two books.

I would definitely recommend this series.

I don't know how Cecelia does it, but this is one of the very few books that is captivating throughout its entirety. There's absolutely NO lulls in the storyline. There's constant conflict, always something going on, and the book is nearly impossible to put down. Even from the very beginning, she just launches into the story. There's nothing worse than having a writer slowly get into the plot, especially in a sequel (when you already know about the characters AND the last book left you on a major cliffhanger).

Cecelia Ahern created a worthy sequel to her previous book and even if it’s been a while since you read it there’s enough detail in this one that your memory will get jogged so it’ll feel seamless.

The book is very fast paced with tiny chapters so you feel like you’re reading really fast through it. Her plot line is intriguing and will keep your attention especially if you liked the first book in this series. Scenes were set up perfectly to get your adrenaline going, build excitement and push the story to a satisfying conclusion. Even though it had that YA dystopian feel to it, Ahern’s writing doesn’t leave you feeling like you’ve been here before reading the same old thing. She did a great job keeping the material fresh.

Her character development lent itself to creating complex and enthralling characters which helped keep the story unpredictable. They felt realistic and unique which came through in her dialogue that sounded conversationalist.

If you’re into dystopian stories I’d recommend these books because they make a good commentary on our society’s need for perfection. It’s a beautiful story that showcases bravery in humanity and we should practice love and acceptance no matter the imperfections.

~Disclaimer~
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This story takes place in a society where a morality guild holds people accountable for breaking their 'laws' by branding them flawed. They are singled out from society by a literal F brand burned onto their skin and are also made to wear a flawed arm band. As punishment they also follow a different set of rules enforced by the Guild. Some being having a curfew, a special diet, and not being allowed to gather in groups larger than two.

Celestine Norths' story begins when she tries to help a flawed man, who is in need of medical attention, on a bus. Doing this is against the law. You can not aid a flawed person in any way. This act of humanity catapults her into a whole new world. Some praise her while others condemn her actions. Celestine is taken before the Guild and charged with being flawed. She is used as an example and branded 5 times, the most brands anyone has ever received. But what the public doesn't know is that she was branded a 6th time without anesthetic by the head of the Guild, Judge Bosco Crevan.

In Perfect Celestine North is on the run. She has a secret that could take down the Guild. There is video of the 6th brand. Crevan will stop at nothing to get his hands on it, and on Celestine.
Celestine has unknowingly been made the face of the uprising intent on abolishing the Guild. Will she be able to evade capture? Who can she trust on her journey?

I don't want to spoil anything before it is released in April 2017 so I'll be brief. Perfect is the second book in the Flawed series, and seems to be the last. If you like dystopian/utopian YA novels, you should read this series. I enjoyed the twists and turns that Celestine took me in this book. I loved the storyline and the characters. I highly recommend these 2 books.

5/5 ⭐

I loved, loved, loved the first book und just needed to read the second installment as soon as possible.
I just needed to know, how everything would develop and how it would end.
After reading this book I was more than satisfied with the ending. I really loved the story, Celestine as a character and how the people did fight for the rights . I just loved that this story did not need a war or a riot the abandon the unprotect system, but that they fought in a peaceful way and stood up for their rights as one.
I already knew Cecelia Ahern from her Romance novels and really loved those and I am happy, that her first YA Dystopian series turned out just as good, of not even better.

I don't want to go into the details of the book, especially since it'll be a bit before it's released. I just want to say that if you liked the first book in the series, Flawed, then you will certainly like this and not be disappointed. And I really think that for many people who read the author's other works (women's fiction generally) then you will enjoy this YA series also.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for a honest review!

I wasn't a big fan of Flawed, I had struggled to get through it, there were many problems I had with it, including not being able to emotionally connect with the main character. So I was a little hesitant in giving this book a try but I think the author really redeemed herself for me with this book by fixing the issues I had before.

NetGalley got me again :)

I did not realize that this book was the second in a series until I received it from NetGalley. Although I did not read the first, the author does an excellent job of throwing in snip its from the first book, so while reading it out of order was an inconvenience. I still felt like I understood what the characters were going through. Everything was explained, at least eventually.

I really liked this book, I would put it in a re readable category. Which I cannot often do. A lot of novels can be good, but a large percentage of even the good and great ones you don't want to re read a lot.

Perfect lets you live with the characters, be a part of their lives, fell the fear, etc.

Wonderful book!

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Absolutely stunning sequel. Utterly perfect ending even though I wish there was more.

Perfect is the second (and it seems final) book in Cecelia Ahern’s Young Adult Series Flawed. Everything that made Flawed such a surprise was still there, but somehow Perfect just doesn’t pack the same punch.

Celestine North was the perfect teenager until she runs afoul of the law by standing up for an elderly gentleman on a bus who just happened to be branded Flawed by an all-powerful government entity called The Guild. Branded Flawed herself for the infraction Celestine finds herself the unwitting figurehead for the movement to destroy the guild. On the run, with no one to trust, Celestine must find the evidence to clear her name, and stand in defence of all the other Flawed.

There is nothing new or original here. It’s every YA dystopian novel ever written, all amalgamated in to one.

There wasn’t anything original in Flawed either, but because of the strength of the writing and the narrative style it was easy to forgive. Perfect has as many moments of tragic, visceral violence as its predecessor, and has just as many truly emotional moments that kept me reading in to the wee hours of the morning. So why then could I not enjoy this one as much as the first?

Cecelia Ahern made one mistake with Perfect. She broke the fourth wall. She made the mistake of using current pop culture references in her narrative which broke me out of my suspension of disbelief and brought the whole plot and concept come crashing down around my ears.

When something is set in a similar society with its own rules and logic I can believe how entities like the guild come to be. But when an author suggests that this fantasy world is somehow akin to my present, then there had better be some really deep and well thought out world building to make me believe it. But there wasn’t. So I didn’t.

As soon as the one flaw comes out in a book the house of cards that was narrative believability came crashing down. All of a sudden, I was thinking about what was happening in the rest of the world. Why is the UN not stepping in for human rights violations? Why on earth would people allow this dictatorship to start in the first place, especially since they still have a democratic voting system and the Flawed are still allowed to vote? As soon as I was reading a book about my world, and not some alternate fantasy world, the questions just kept coming and coming and the book failed to be in any way believable.

Celestine was still a decent character, but I still needed more development of the satellite characters. There was a feeble attempt at a love triangle that went nowhere, and Celestine’s relationship with Carrick was just not developed enough to convince me that they’d do everything that they did for each other.

Perfect wasn’t bad, and it did bring the two-book series to an end in a satisfying way. Despite its flaws, Flawed is still a much better series than Divergent and was really fun to read. I read the book in a day, because I just needed to keep reading to see how it ends. No matter what else I say about the book, that’s probably the most important. It was enjoyable. (If not entirely believable).