Honestly, such an adorable book! I loved reading about Ariel and Amir’s relationship, their culture including the religion, food, etc. as well as Ariel’s family dynamic. Definitely one of the cuter contemporary novels I have read recently.

The one downside was at the very beginning when the author was introducing all the characters and was essentially telling the reader, rather than showing, that the first few characters were all LGBT. For me, it felt as if the author was pushing that on me as well as dumbing the writing down. However, that was the only downside for me in the entire book.

My favorite part was definitely learning more about Ariel’s culture. There were a lot of diversity and representation in this book (i.e. LGBT, ethnicity and mental illness) but the author did a fantastic job with not only including those representations but also expanding on them specifically for Ariel’s culture. He’s Jewish and I loved learning more about his religion, the food that they eat as well as the traditions that he and his family did every week. It was a ton of fun reading and learning about a different culture.

As for Ariel, I liked how he changed and matured throughout the book. In the beginning, he was only worried about his grades that he would let down the people around him to study. It was also interesting because he had no goal in mind other than getting to the college of his choice. He didn’t know what he wanted to do in the future yet he worked so hard just to simply get into that school. However, as the book continued, he finally realized that there was more to life than just grades and scores and I loved reading about that change and realization.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a YA diverse contemporary with some awesome representation and character development.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

To start, I should say I really liked this book. It flew by me and I was done before I knew it. I sat down to start it, not expecting to finish it, not expecting to become invested so heavily in the characters, and yet when I noticed I was close to the end of the book I was shocked.

This book takes a heavy look at the stress and pressures we put on youth to be perfect and get into the 'best' universities. These pressures are real and while I don't think many youths are feeling the extent of the pressure listed here, that doesn't mean it isn't present or even thought of. Getting into colleges is getting increasingly difficult with all the expectations there are: not only good grades, but also volunteer experience, proof of school involvement, and extracurricular activities. There is a huge toll for getting into college and then on top of it, the cost of school is ridiculously high. The mention of scholarships and the needs to get THOSE is also mentioned, and honestly this book is heart-wrenching.

To get back to the book, this story revolves around Ariel, a high school senior who is aiming for valedictorian, first-chair violin, and all these other things in order to get into Harvard. We don't actually find out what he wants to do with his future, just that he wants to get into Harvard. I totally think the book could have gone into that mess (wanting to get into a "good" college, but having no idea for a major or future career), but that issue could be a whole other book (and probably is). One thing I thought was cool is that Ariel is bisexual, but it isn't his defining characteristic or something with a lot of drama. It is nice to read a book where people of various sexualities just exist and have to deal with normal problems.
So, Ariel is dealing with this pressure, it is stressful and we can see how it is affecting his mental health. Reading about some of his spirals is so painful, because all I wanted was for this kid to succeed, but everything was fighting against him.
Ariel is also Jewish. I feel like religion is always used as a antagonizing force these days, so it was refreshing to see Ariel get support from his religious leader and it is used as a support system, not an anchor.

There is a slight romance here, but it isn't the main focus of the story. It is cute, lovely, and oh so real. I really like how the progression of it and the problems were handled. Ariel's love interest, Amir, is Muslim and Amir's sister is an amazing college student. So, some even more positive diverse rep here.

Ariel isn't the only one with pressure placed upon him. All the supporting characters have something going on in their lives which just shows how it affects us differently and all the different types of stress high school students (and younger kids) deal with. There is also some mention on the stresses of college (which again, could totally be another book).

This is a slice-of-life book, character-driven and it might not seem like there is much of a plot. It works though, and flows so well. So, if you are looking for a character focused contemporary book with lots of positive diversity which doesn't focus on the romance, this is a book I'd recommend to you.

This book was kinda hard for me to get into . It took me awhile to read and just couldn't keep my interest. This book was about a person named Ariel who wants to be the perfect student and stresses over way too much on just about everything. But you know of course there's always something that happens in the book and he gets a tutor to help with his schooling and ends up falling for them. In all I give it a 3 stars.

This is honestly the most I’ve ever seen myself in a book. I love Ariel and I feel his stress. My high school is exactly like his. I needed this book so badly because it’s helping me learn that it’s okay to ask for help.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the inclusion of the Jewish traditions, since this isn't something I am familiar with. I liked the main character and could feel the stress and pressure he was putting on himself.
I thought it was a good cautionary tale for high school students, and the relationship dynamics were truthful and realistic. I also liked the side story of the animal shelter. It added another layer to the story and brought awareness to that issue.

This was enjoyable, but nothing spectacular in my opinion. While I thought the anxiety rep in this was really great, the romance just felt so dry to me. I didn’t really see the chemistry between Ariel and Amir. Maybe a romance don’t even need to be in this book?

4 stars

This book was so cathartic, especially because I just got out of applying and waiting for my college decisions in December! (I got into my first choice mid-December, so I’ve been cruising through senior year ever since!)

I intentionally waited till after decisions came out to read this because I was scared of jinxing things (so scared oh my), and reading this after really let me release some of those feelings I’ve been having about STRESS AND STRESS AND STRESS AND COLLEGE.

Yeah. Fun times.

You Asked for Perfect was wonderful in the way that it let me release all of my stressed feelings about applying to college, being a good student, getting into college, looking like an ideal student so I hopefully get accepted, etc. Ariel’s senior year was so relatable for me, and I think a lot of teens will see themselves in his overwhelming stress (says a lot about high school, tbh).

That was definitely the highlight of the book–not a lot of novels really emphasize just how stressful school is, and seeing You Asked for Perfect do this was really nice and meaningful. Like, yes, I understand that stress doesn’t really work with a lot of perfect YA narratives, but frankly, a real high school experience is 90% populated by stress for a lot of teens (not all, though).

Take every single kid in an Ivy or Ivy-like school or who applied to those schoos–this book would probably resonate really strongly with them (and therefore me) because it’s a really accurate representation of this experience.

Beyond that, I think the romance between Ariel and Amir was so so cute, and I also really enjoyed all the Jewish rep in it! (See, my aforementioned friend’s #OwnVoices review of this element.)

It was relatively short (300ish pages) and the buildup of this book was so intense as everything in Ariel’s life just seemed to be going downhill fast. I think Silverman did a great job of handling the ending and all of these explosive feelings.

Plus, I loved how this explored not only the stress of school, but Ariel’s relationships with his friends and family and how he was constantly overcommitting. Silverman wrapped all of these ideas up very nicely throughout the book, and I enjoyed it a lot!

I guess where the star fell off was just that there were a few discrepancies and places where things didn’t make sense (i.e. his interview has been scheduled for so long, and that’s really abnormal) and also I wish that we had gotten a little more of just Ariel himself in a non-slipping environment, if that makes sense? Like, more at the beginning of what it was like just juggling his life, before the crash and burn ensued.

I also really wished that we got to see a little bit about the privilege that is associated with the college applications process, but unfortunately we didn’t get to read a lot of that in this book.

Overall, I definitely really enjoyed You Asked for Perfect and would recommend it wholeheartedly to juniors and seniors especially as they stress about school! And also everyone else, because you’ll still enjoy Ariel’s story.

This was a fun book, but it was super short??? I felt like it could have been longer and had a bit more depth. other than that, I really like the characters and storyline. As a college student, the stress of trying to juggle everything felt SO REAL in this book. Though thank goodness i don't have to worry about applications anymore, haha!

I went into You Asked For Perfect already knowing I like Laura Silverman’s writing style. Also, that synopsis… how could I not read this? I was super excited to be allowed the privilege of reading it before it’s release so it’s only fair that I write a fully honest review. I did not note any TW/CWs while reading this so if you’ve read You Asked For Perfect and noticed any, please let me know in the comments or via this form, which you can do anonymously.

The characters were built up enough to be three-dimensional. I especially loved reading Ariel’s point of view because he is basically me when I was in high school except he has a clearer understanding of his sexuality than I did at that point. I’ve seen people say that his stress level and drive to be perfect in school is unrealistic but to that I say HA wouldn’t that be nice. The reason behind my “obsessive studying” (as I liked to call it) was different so I skipped the volunteering, though I did have a part-time job so it kind of evens out. Long story short, it is realistic and anyone who says otherwise can suck an egg.

You Asked For Perfect is a contemporary novel set in Georgia, which is relatively close to me so it was easy enough to imagine the general feel of the world. What wasn’t easily imaginable based on what I know of Georgia was filled in nicely by the author. The world was pretty immersive, which is something I’ve found lacking in many contemporary novels. I’ve speculated that this is probably because the author assumes everyone knows what the real world is like, but one can never be sure. This novel brought in a few locations and built them up enough that any reader could easily put themself into the places Ariel and Amir were in through the story.

The story itself had a couple of minor issues, but as this is an ARC and these issues can all easily be fixed by an editor, I’m going to assume they’ll be corrected in the finished edition. It flows really well from beginning to end. In some places, the story speeds up and the novel is REALLY hard to put down. In other places, the story slows down a bit but instead of feeling boring it’s almost like savoring the characters and their journey. I don’t know how Laura Silverman made this magic happen, but I’m definitely into it.

You Asked For Perfect is a bit of a spin on the coming-of-age tale where the many facets that make up the characters are all somehow ever-present throughout the story. I love that we get to see how much each thing is a part of Ariel’s identity and how none of it is dropped after being addressed. His whole character carries through the entire story from beginning to end and I loved it. I can not wait to dig into whatever Laura Silverman writes next!

3.5 stars. Ariel is in his senior year of high school, and thinks he has it all figured out. He's set to be the valedictorian, with his perfect grades (6 AP classes), and plays first chair violin. His interview with Harvard is all set, and he's ready to take on the school year. Things start to deteriorate as the school year begins, and Ariel's workload is threatening to overwhelm him. He's not sleeping, barely eating, and missing events left and right in order to tackle his ever-growing assignment list. He fails his first AP Calculus test, and he has no choice but to get a tutor. He asks Amir (a family friend) to help him study, and begins to realize that he might want to be more than “just friends” with Amir. But just when Ariel thinks he’s got it all under control, things start to crack all around him.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, although it did bring back some stress memories from my own high school experience. The academic pressure and self-imposed stress brought back vivid memories, and my own experience was in many ways very similar to Ariel’s. I think this book will resonate very strongly with many of the teens I work with in my current job. I see every day how stressed they are, how many extra things they are piling on in their already busy schedules, struggling to compete for those coveted college spots.
The characters felt authentic to me, and I enjoyed the relationships in the book. I thought the friendships in particular were well-crafted, and captured the dizzying array of emotions from high school. The one main issue I had with the book, was that the ending tied up too neatly, and didn’t feel as authentic to me. Without spoiling anything, I thought that Ariel should have come to the realization about his mental health and stress on his own, without that realization coming through the filter of another person. The story ended on a positive note, but the ending felt a little rushed and unrealistic to Ariel’s character. Ariel’s drive and competitiveness throughout the book made me think that his choices at the end of the book would have been forced on him, not something he would decide easily on his own.
Overall it was still a great book, and one I will be handing to as many teens as I can, as I think it has a valuable message.
I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This wasn't a bad book, but it left a little to be desired. I think the depiction of mental illness and anxiety was good, the rep existing is great; however, the book seemed to miss the mark for me. Lots of parts fell flat, felt unauthentic or just bored me. I wish this wasn't the case, and I want to say that this book brought so much to the table for me, but it just didn't. I'm interested in more by Laura though, and I'll be reading their next work for sure.

Hello this is my love letter so Laura Silverman’s books and how their softness never disappoints. Way back when, I read Girl out of Water and absolutely fell in love with it and the author’s writing, and knew that no matter what she writes next I will gobble and love and I WAS RIGHT, You Asked for Perfect did not disappoint. This book made my heart so full and was just so real and true that I couldn’t help but love it as much as her debut, if not a little bit more.

The writing is absolutely immersive, I found myself invested in Ariel (the MC)’s ambitions, struggles and doubts from very early on, so much so that I found myself getting anxious for him. But whether that’s do to the writing or to me relating to his state of mind is up for debate. Probably a bit of both if we’re being honest. The author’s writing style is also extremely accessible but no less beautiful, the way she strings words together has a way to pull at your heart strings while simultaneously wrapping you in a gentle hug. And I think that’s the best thing about it, because no matter how much the MC struggles (spoiler: it’s a lot), You Asked for Perfect explores it in such a gentle way without ever taking away from it. Also, the characters are total softies.

This is a very character driven story just like I adore them. Ariel, the main character is set to be his school valedictorian, attend Harvard, and excel in everything he does. That’s until his grades start slipping up, he puts too much on his plate with school, family, friends, etc… and starts losing control of everything. And the way that Academic pressure and stress was explored was just so realistic and genuine that I couldn’t help but set parallels between Ariel’s life and mine, even though you know…I’m a grandma in medical school and not a high school student. But from what I’ve seen from teenagers, they could relate to Ariel’s experiences on a visceral level too, especially those of them that are more Academic oriented.

I also liked how by the end of the book, the takeaway is that most people struggle in one way or another, everyone’s just good at hiding it so we think we’re alone when, in fact, we definitely aren’t. From the outside looking in, most people look like they have it all together and that they’re doing more, achieving more, succeeding more when in fact, they might be putting a huge amount of pressure on themselves as well and thinking the exact same thing about you. The main message of the books is also that you don’t have to do it on your own, it’s okay to ask for help when life gets overwhelming and I appreciated that about it.

Ariel is a cinnamon roll that must be protected AT ALL COST! He’s a bisexual Jewish boy who’s super tight-knit with his family and loves and cares about them deeply. I also loved how attached to his religion he is and how invested in the Jewish community his family is. He cares too much about his Academics but for the completely wrong reasons and he’s just so lost and overwhelmed for most of the book that I just wanted to sit him down, make him some hot chocolate and tell him everything will be okay. I loved how close he was with his family, especially with his little sister, Rachel, who’s as much of a stress ball as he is when she’s only ten. She’s super witty and bright and their relationship was just so cute.

Amir was the light of my life in this book, I absolutely adored him. He’s a Muslim Pakistani gay boy who’s so comfortable in who he is and what he wants, you can just feel it through the pages. He’s sweet, effortlessly confident but never cocky. One thing I’m 1000% grateful for is the fact that he wants to be a doctor because HE ACTUALLY LOVES IT, he’s so passionate about it and I think that’s pretty cool since it’s the first time I see this in a book, most of them have characters who are pressure into that career path and absolutely resent it so it was refreshing. This also subverted the trope of Muslim parents pushing their kinds into more “money making” careers, because his actually want him to major in photography because he’s so good at it.

Their romance is the CUTEST THING EVER!!!! It’s so nerdy and cute with lots of Harry Potter references, and they’re just *clutches heart* so good to each other, they’re definitely not perfect but do their best and care SO MUCH about each other, also that thing Ariel did at the end…*dies of cute*. The conversation between them flows so naturally and they just make sense together, the banter and ease between them is so endearing and precious!!! That being said I really wanted to see a bit more of them.

This book warmed my heart so much while still tackling the important topic of academic pressure that’s put on kids in an honest way, which not enough books do even though a lot of people struggle with it.

Wow, what a book! I thought Laura Silverman’s debut Girl out of Water was a great read, but with You Asked for Perfect, she really knocks it out of the park with a book that resonated with me both as someone who has been through and remembers all too well the stressful days of trying to get into a good college, and as the parent of a pre-teen who is already taking advanced classes and will soon be potentially heading down a path similar to that of Silverman’s protagonist, high school senior Ariel Stone.

On paper, Ariel is the ideal college applicant. He’s a straight A student who is well on his way to becoming class valedictorian, first chair violin in the school orchestra, and an active volunteer in his community. He should easily be able to get into any college he applies to. However, Ariel is dreaming big – Ivy League big — and Harvard is where he wants to go. Ariel knows he has to push for perfection in all areas if he wants to be the ideal Harvard applicant on paper, so when he unexpectedly fails a Calculus quiz, he knows he needs to step up his game if he’s going to keep his dream alive.

Ariel starts skipping out on time with his friends and family, putting together a rigorous schedule for studying and for meeting other assorted college-related deadlines. He has his days mapped out by the hour to squeeze every moment of study time in that he can, leaving himself only about 5 hours of sleep a night. Even with this nearly impossible schedule, however, Ariel continues to struggle with Calculus and knows his dream is in danger of slipping out of reach.

Torn between trying to hide the fact that he’s struggling and knowing that he needs help, Ariel reluctantly approaches Amir, who is acing Calculus and asks him for assistance. Even though they’ve never been especially close, Amir agrees to be Ariel’s tutor. The more time Ariel and Amir spend together, the more Ariel realizes that he likes Amir more than he thought he did, a lot more. But Ariel is already pushing himself to the limit. Can he handle adding a relationship into his already overbooked life?

What I loved most about this book is how much the story resonated with me. Even though it has been many years since I graduated, Silverman paints such an authentic portrait of what it’s like to be a high school senior preparing for the future, that I felt like I was transported right back to my own senior year. It brought back so many memories: the pressure of taking multiple AP courses, finding the time for countless extracurricular activities, all in an effort to put together the best possible transcript for applying to colleges. You Asked for Perfect also resonated with me as the parent of a pre-teen who is already taking advanced math courses and stressing about homework, etc., and who, in the not too distant future, could potentially be heading down a path similar to Ariel’s. This book brings to life all of the worries I have for my own child and how he will react if he faces the kind of pressure Ariel is facing.

Speaking of Ariel, he was another favorite element in the book. He’s such a likeable kid — he’s a wonderful brother to his little sister and he volunteers at the local animal shelter where he bathes and exercises the dogs – so it just pained me to watch him struggling so much. Because his story is so relatable, I found it very easy to empathize with him and want him to either succeed or to realize that nothing in life is worth that kind of stress.

I also thought Amir was just precious. Even though he could have easily spilled the beans and let all of their classmates know Ariel was failing Calculus, he instead chose to keep it to himself and to help him. Watching their relationship evolve was really sweet and I was really rooting for Ariel to try to find a way to fit Amir into his life.

I also loved the focus on Ariel’s Jewish faith. Sometimes books will mention that a character is of a certain faith but then not really explore it further, but in this book, Silverman does a wonderful job of really giving an inside look at Jewish traditions such as Shabbat dinners and the high holidays. There are also some very moving scenes where Ariel seeks counsel from his Rabbi.

Laura Silverman’s You Asked for Perfect is a beautifully written and moving story that is sure to resonate with many readers, both students and parents alike. I also think it’s an incredibly important read because it highlights just how much stress our students are putting on themselves and what can happen when that stress gets to be too much.

As Ariel Stone begins his senior year, he is on a steady course to valedictorian, his ticket to Harvard and a good life beyond. He’s precariously balancing a massive course load, sacrificing lunch and much of his social life, barely hanging on to first chair violin in orchestra as he bloodies his fingers to perfect a new piece, volunteering at the animal shelter, and observing the Sabbath and celebrating high holy days with his family. It’s getting harder to maintain this effortless façade, but he can’t let his peers smell weakness or he’ll lose his edge. So, when he fails his first calculus quiz, his anxiety goes through the roof. For the first time, he’s going to need a tutor to help him improve his grade, but the last person he expects to rely on is Amir with whom he’s never gotten along. He figures pulling all-nighters, skipping out on plans with friends, and sticking to a strict schedule is the right plan…until the insanity starts taking a toll. He reluctantly asks Amir for help and, as he begins to question if the pressure to succeed is worth it, he also realizes that Amir might be the best thing that’s happened to him.

Silverman has done a masterful job of highlighting the insane pressure put upon kids to get into the best colleges, beginning in grade school and escalating to the point of making themselves sick or worse. Like so many teens, Ariel thinks he’s alone in his anxiety, but, as the story unfolds, we see that the kids he’s competing with are also stressing over parental and self-imposed expectations. The adults, from counselors like Ms. Hayes (who advocated skipping lunch to cram in more classes) and the orchestra director who demands perfection to parents who are woefully ignorant of their children’s escalating anxiety, are greatly to blame.

There are a couple of concerns worth mentioning. Although the relationship between Ariel and Amir develops at an appropriate pace, revealing several characters’ sexual preferences in the first few pages seems gratuitous. The plethora of Yiddish terms without translation might also cause some confusion for many readers. However, neither of these minor faults detract from this story that is so relevant to today’s teens. Highly-recommended.

So, this book really wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into it and thought it was... Kind of meh. The cover is so stunning though. A DNF for me

Pros: Amazing and casual Jewish rep. There's more than one Jewish person in this book and I love the casual look at Shabbat and other aspects of the Jewish culture. I loved that we also got to see a boy with a boy crush and it was casual. There was a diverse cast and it wasn't treated as anything special or a big deal. They just existed, as they should.

Cons: There's no plot. I got 50% in and nothing notable had happened but Ariel failing a quiz. I really wanted to stick with this book and see where it could go, but there was just no substance here. It was all about Ariel lying to people or forgetting things, even though he constantly set reminders for himself. I wish there was something more than a boy anxious about college. It just dragged on and nothing notable happened. I wanted so much more from this book and I just didn't get it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I fell in love on page one. Ariel gripped me immediately and didn't let go until their story had been told. I love how authentic this book felt. Sweet and charming and painful and loving and so much more in one place. Somewhere out there is a teenager who is going to read Ariel's story and feel seen. Probably a lot of someones are going to feel this way. Great writing, great characters, and overall great story. Loved it. 4.5/5 stars.

Plot Summary: Seventeen-year-old Ariel has only one goal: To make it into Harvard. As first chair violin, community volunteer, and to-be valedictorian, he is doing everything he thinks he needs to do to be the perfect college applicant. Failing Calculus was not part of the plan, so Ariel scrambles through sleepless nights and reluctantly seeks out Amir to tutor him. Sparks fly between him and Amir, but can Ariel afford to add a budding new relationship to his long list of commitments?

Sophomore novels always make me nervous, but Laura hit this one right out of the park. This book contains a very honest, raw portrayal of academic pressures and the ridiculous performance standards that come with it. I’ve always maintained that there isn’t enough money in the world to make me repeat high school, and this book captures exactly why. Laura strategically uses all the subplots to press on the central conflict, layering the tension as we go through the story. While I wasn’t a valedictorian or even one of the high ranking students in school, I definitely related to the close-knit community that Ariel was placed in, and the never-ending pile of things one commits to when living in such a community. I honestly don’t remember how I managed to juggle them all, and Ariel’s growing stress and inability to say no to his family or friends resonated with me. I’m also glad that the romance wasn’t the central conflict and didn’t take over the central conflict, and the story retained the weight of the struggle. The climax and resolution of the conflict were very satisfying as well. As far as representation goes, Laura continues to do an excellent job with seamless inclusivity without it coming off as tokenism. It warmed my heart to see the close family, sibling, and community dynamics, as well as Ariel’s interaction with faith. A lot of it reminded me of my own childhood, and I’m glad this book exists for teens today.

Overall a highly enjoyable book with a gripping storyline and well fleshed-out characters. I’m ecstatic to say that I’m still in love with Laura’s writing and storytelling, and can’t wait to read more of her work in the future.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley.

You Asked for Perfect was an anticipated book from me when I first heard about it, as I definitely struggled with perfectionism, anxiety (both school-related and not), and placing high expectations on myself at a competitive high school, even if I didn’t want to go the traditional get-into-an-Ivy-league route. Plus, the main character is bisexual! Like, this book was made for me, and it mostly lived up to those expectations.

As others have noted, the emotions and worries highlighted with Ariel are SO ACCURATE that it’s rather stressful to read, especially if you too were under a lot of academic in high school. I particularly enjoyed that the novel explored how this pressure is being applied at younger and younger grades, and how it can lead to psychosomatic symptoms (that happened to me!). And yay for positive, loving sibling relationships! I also loved the acknowledgement/realization that the whole college process involves a lot of gaming the system. Ultimately, the strength of the book lies here; the writing is clean but nothing spectacular. Not that it has to be flowery, but it’s very obvious–a lot of telling and simple sentence structure.

There were a couple of believably issues I had with this book, though, that kept me from being fully emerged in Ariel’s academic world. The major ones concern major time-skips…there is a part where Ariel gets a dangerously low amount of sleep while reading a book for an extra credit assignment, but then it completely skips over the 20-page paper he has to write for it…which seems like it would be MORE stressful and cause him to spiral further? And why is his Harvard interview before he’s even written is essay for the application? I’m pretty sure the interview happens after you actually apply. And what does he even want to study? Also, this well-funded suburban school with all these AP classes has overhead projectors, not document cameras? (This is minor, but as someone who was in high school fairly recently and spends a lot of time at one still, this threw me out of the story.)

While I love the inclusion of a bi male main character, his sexuality is described pretty simply in terms of liking “girls and boys,” which is rather binary and just a definition I’m kind of tired of seeing in YA when the knowledge of non-binary people and gender fluidity (some of whom identify as bisexual!) should be pretty common to a teen in the LGBTQ community today. The romance with Amir is cute but takes a back seat, so I wouldn’t go in expecting that to be a major element. [Also, when DOES this take place? I love that Rosa’s coming out episode of Brooklyn 99 was mentioned, but that episode aired in 2017 and it says he watched it in eighth grade? Which would mean it is set a couple of years in the future? This isn’t really a problem I suppose, but it is strange.]

On the other hand, the (ownvoices) Jewish representation was great, although I’m not Jewish so I can’t properly evaluate it. Still, the way synagogue, Sabbath, and other hallmarks of Jewish culture are present throughout Ariel’s life are lovely and this is definitely a great “window” for non-Jewish teens or a “mirror” for Jewish teens. I particularly like how his rabbi reached out to help–for some, religious communities can be a huge resource with these mental health difficulties. That said, there was unfortunately very little exploration into Amir’s Muslim identity…

I know this review might come off as a little negative because I had so many little details I noticed and critiques, but overall, I did enjoy it–and I didn’t even mention the delightful inclusion of music (Ariel’s music tastes aren’t that different than mine…our parents must have been into the same stuff). I breezed through it and it’s got a lot of important things to say. I just wished it were a little more fleshed out so the world itself would match the emotional content.

The moment I read about this book I knew I had to read it because anxiety is something I can totally relate to. I am the kind of person who gets immeasurably stressed out about pretty much anything but especially anything academic. I think this story is one that needs to be more prevalent in the Young Adult genre particularly because it is an issue that seems to be getting worse not better. For a lot of teenagers applying to university the feelings of constant adrenaline and stress will be so familiar. It feels like your entire future is at the mercy of those few months and how you perform in exams which have little to do with real life.

The main character in You Asked For Perfect is Ariel, a young man so focussed on his application to Harvard University that his entire existence becomes a whirlwind of pressure and anxiety. I liked reading about him and his family a great deal. These characters felt realistic and I got attached to them very fast. Ariel and his family are Jewish and I really enjoyed learning about some Jewish traditions through this family’s experiences. The love and affection these characters have for each other made their relationships so believable and really heartwarming. I tend to read a lot of dark and gritty books and whilst there are some intense issues in You Asked For Perfect, I actually really appreciated reading about genuine and good people who care about each other. One of the main facets of this story is Ariel’s developing relationship with Amir, who helps him in calculus. Their relationship was adorable and I liked that Ariel’s bisexuality was never made an issue of – it is just part of who he is which was nice to see in a Young Adult novel.

I did actually find reading You Asked For Perfect quite difficult at times just because I could literally feel Ariel’s stress in myself. His struggles were so perfectly put across by the author that it made every sentence really hit home. Ariel’s little sister also deals with an overwhelming schoolwork related anxiety and this was even more distressing due to her young age. I genuinely believe that that this is an accurate representation of a situation too many children are in. I think there is a very real problem with the way schools and society pile pressure on kids to constantly feel like they are competing and that they are never doing enough which is immensely sad.

I think You Asked For Perfect is a fantastic novel for young people. I shows a problem so many people are dealing with but it’s also an engaging and warm story in it’s own right. It feels modern and there were also some great Harry Potter references which I loved! I would highly recommend this book as a real, powerful and life-affirming novel that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.