I had not read anything by this author before, but really enjoyed it! The writing style was good, solid pacing, and well-crafted characters made this YA novel one to remember!

Hands down one of my favorite reads of this year so far. Like...wow. I can't get over how much I loved this. Everything about it is a delight--the witty banter, the unabashed queerness (including addressing bi erasure!), the endearing characters, the whole plot revolving around a girl who gives anonymous relationship advice...it's just really freaking good, okay? I really shouldn't be surprised; her debut novel, Only Mostly Devastated, was one of my favorite reads of last year.

A few more reasons to read this one:
- Excellent queer rep (bi lead, lesbian best friend, trans older sister, other queer side characters) 🏳️‍🌈
- On that same note, very INCLUSIVE queer rep--it talks about bi erasure in depth, mentions ace erasure, and basically tells gatekeepers to suck it (check out the author's review of her book on Goodreads for an explanation of why she wrote this particular story!)
- So. Much. Banter. I laughed out loud so many times 😂
- Complicated family dynamics, including divorce and cheating parents 💔
- But also some wonderful parents who fully support their kids 💜
- Amazing sisters who always have each other's backs 👭
- Tons of popular/social psychology backing up her relationship advice--my old Cognitive Studies major brain was geeking out over her analysis of attachment styles 🧠
- Characters who all make big mistakes but are also all still very endearing
.
Highly, highly recommend this one!

As an aside: this book would make an AMAZING Netflix series. I hope they pick this one up, because dang.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

Of course everything. The truth will always come out.

Darcy Phillips enjoys helping others but when it comes to her own advice and some advice maybe not so helpful.

Alex needs her help, since he found out the truth, but will keep Darcy secret if she helps him.

Mom works at school, so she has a bit of an advantage to keep this locker a secret for a reason.

But when you hurt the person that you love, it can come back to haunt you and all else breaks loose.

I really enjoyed this book by Sophie Gonzales, I don't want to spoil the end, but Read it!! It will be worth it.

Darcy's big secret of running Locker 89 has been successful for about two years, until she's caught red handed retrieving the letters of her schoolmates. Her secrecy in exchange for helping Alexander get his ex back is priority number one.
I can't necessarily pinpoint why this wasn't a rave story for me. I tend to read more YA than others of my acquaintance so I feel confident that it's not necessarily a genre issue when I say this didn't quite resonate with me. I believe that a great audience for this book would be someone who loves what I would consider to be a Gossip Girl/Mean Girls mash up. The only things I can think of is that I did not particularly like Darcy's manipulation that I went back and forth between the e-book and the audio. The narration and my head voice weren't mashing up well.
Here's what I did appreciate. I loved the twist on the secret identity/enemies to more/love triangle tropes. I loved that it feels like a book that should resonate with young adults. The representation was just what I was hoping it would be from the outset.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Unfortunately this one felt just a little too immature for me- I liked her previous work and would encourage others to still give this one a shot!

So many great elements- genuine diversity, excellent advice, sincere validation- I think I just struggled with COVID brain while I was reading it.

This was such a lovely read, and I really enjoyed this book-totally devoured it in one day! The representation was on point, and I liked the discussion within the book of biphobia and other issues that affect queer people, it was great to have a window to really see them. The main characters were both likeable and relatable, and the banter between Darcy and Brougham was first-class. This was my first book by Sophie Gonzales and I will definitely be looking for more.

If you are looking for a YA romance with LGBTQ representation then I would highly recommend this book.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second I found out that Sophie Gonzales was doing another contemporary with a queer main character I knew I needed to read it.

This book is everything I hoped it would be and so much more.

Darcy, our beloved bisexual disaster – in person – main character runs a secret advice giving business through locked 89 at her school. Her fellow peers and other school students write in seeking advice about the relationships in their lives, all while having zero clue that it’s Darcy who runs the locker.

Darcy is hopelessly in love with her best friend, Brooke, as well, and wants nothing more than to woo her and be in a loving relationship with her.

Her plans go awry when Alexander Brougham catches Darcy in the act of emptying the locker, and he employs her to help win his ex-girlfriend back.

Together, the two of them hatch out different scenarios in which Brougham can be alone with his ex to see if she’s interested in him still, and wants to get back together. If it doesn’t all go arse up, of course.

*

I loved that the friendships in this book were so messy and real. The way that Sophie has written them is very reminiscent of any high school friendship and relationship.

The characters were funny, well rounded, and there was no stereotypical ‘there only as a plot device’ characters that I found.

One of my favourite characters of the entire book is Darcy’s sister, Ainsley. Her humour is absolutely amazing and she can come and tell me my ghosts of Christmas past story any time.

One thing I loved that I need to make known is that at the start, I really didn’t like Darcy. But as the story went on and the plot unfolded, I found myself enjoying her a lot more than I anticipated.

She’s whip smart and has a lot going for her, even if she doesn’t believe it herself. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story.

There is a passage in here about bisexual erasure and being queer enough that made my heart sing in my chest. I have had countless friends tell me that that scene meant so much to them, and I am so glad that this book exists even for that scene alone.

And the best part? Apart from Brougham’s Australianises popping up all over the place, was the mention of fairy bread. I adored that so much.

If you enjoyed Sophie’s first book Only Mostly Devastated, then I highly recommend this one. I found this one to be even better than the first, and think everyone who liked OMD will love this one, too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Darcy has been secretly giving love advice, even though she is in love with her best friend. When Brougham catches her in the act and asks her to be his relationship coach. This is a sweet teen romance-com. It’s a little predictable but it’s fun and easy. It’s a great book for someone who needs a laugh and a little sentimentality.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a cute, cute YA contemporary romance book! It's a quick and easy read and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Darcy is a high school teenager at a private school. She's bi, in love with her best friend Brooke, and is secretly giving relationship advice to her classmates for a modest fee of $10. The requests for help are slipped into locker 89 and Darcy sneaks them out after school while waiting for her teacher mom to finish up for the day. All is going well, until Alexander Brougham catches her and learns her secret. Alex is a popular swimmer and everything that Darcy does not like, thank you very much. But, when Alex agrees not to share her secret if Darcy helps him win back his ex-girlfriend, she has no choice but to agree to spend time with him and help.

This is a book about a boy and a girl who think that they have nothing in common and dislike each other, until they are forced together by circumstance and start having feelings for each other. The additional twist in this case is that Darcy is bi, and until now, has mainly had crushes on girls. She is an active member of the Queer and Questioning club at school, and identifies with her status there - so what IS she if she likes a boy? That is one of the questions she struggles with. The book has your typical misunderstandings that would be solved if only the duo would talk to each other - which of course they don't.

That's not to say that this is a run of the mill boring book. It's cute, funny and has all of the angst you could want in a YA romance. I liked the characters, especially Darcy's sister, and enjoyed reading the book. It's a quick read - I read it in two days - and I like the author's writing style. She does a great job writing conversations, and the sarcasm is witty without sounding too mean.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

If you're looking for a cute, feel good romance with a complete disaster of a main character who's great at giving relationship advice to others but sucks when it comes to herself, you're at the right place!

Darcy runs an anonymous relationship advice 'business' through a locker, and has a 95% success rate, but when it comes to her own love life, she's in love with her best friend and doesn't know how to deal with it. Navigating feelings as a teenager can be hard and I love how this book explored the idea of how everyone has issues they need to deal with, and how they manifest for them in their lives. Teenagers are messy, they don't know how to process their feelings and they often make mistakes and this book spectacularly explores all of that.

I really love Darcy for how she comes to face those mistakes instead of hiding away from them, and grows as a person. She is a flawed character, but she isn't afraid to be vulnerable around those important to her and I really loved that about her!

I also loved the relationship between Darcy and her sister. Their ongoing banter and readiness to be there for the other had my heart. The romance was great, but it was really these two that stole my heart.

Now, moving onto the actual romance between Darcy and Brougham - it started off rocky and slowly, as they got to know the other better, it developed until they couldn't deny their feelings anymore. It was complicated and sometimes, unnecessarily so, but it was just who they were. They worked well together and confided in the other, and I really loved that as their foundation! They are a couple you cannot help but root for!

I also really loved the discussion about biphobia in the book. It's a hard topic to deal with, but the book does it very well and I enjoyed how it reaffirmed one's queer identity because being queer can be a challenge, especially for bi people who often face criticism from the queer community too. It was a hard but important conversation that I am very glad was included in the book!

Overall, this was a wholesome, feel good romance with disastrous queer characters, and complicated friendships and relationships you can't help but root for!

** digital copy received via the netgalley **

After reviewing Only Mostly Devastated last year I had to read Sophie Gonzales’ next novel ‘Perfect on Paper, It has vibes of ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ and ‘ The Carrie Diaries.’The story follows Darcy Philips a junior in high school, openly bisexual, and is the keeper of an anonymous relationship advice service. Darcy is hired by Alexander Brougham, the popular athlete who figures out Darcy’s secret and is blackmailed into helping him gain his ex-girlfriend back. Throw in Darcy’s own problems in love and you have this enjoyable read. I appreciated the novel for its frank conversations on relationships and ways in which relationships may be maintained and held stable for those involved. The characters added a fresh layer to the intricacies experienced by the 2020’s teenager and gave bisexual folx representation. Overall I enjoyed this novel and gave it 3.5 stars rounding it to 4 stars on Goodreads.

4 1/2 stars. I am a big fan of Only Mostly Devastated and I was looking forward to reading Perfect on Paper. Sophie Gonzales has a knack for creating believable teen characters. Darcy is a bisexual girl who has a secret business giving anonymous relationship advice to people at her high school. She offers a money back refund and prides herself on her success rate. While she is good at giving romantic advice to others, she is pretty clueless when it comes to her own relationships, including her intense crush on her best friend Brooke. When Alexander Brougham figures out her secret and asks Darcy to help him win back his former girlfriend, Darcy learns how hard it is to give advice to someone in person. Brougham doesn't want to open up to Darcy, yet expects her to figure out how to help him. As Darcy gets closer to Brougham, she has even more trouble navigating her personal and professional relationships. Darcy's bisexuality is explored in a way that is realistic and nuanced. I highly recommend this book.

After reading Only Mostly Devastated by Gonzales, I was really excited when I heard about Perfect on Paper. This book was great, it was cute, it was fun, and it was queer. I just genuinely enjoyed this book, and it was kind of the perfect time for me to read this, because while I was reading this, a few things in my life were parallel to the events of the story, which definitely helped me, and was also pretty entertaining to reflect on.

Sophie Gonzales does it again! Her books are just so addictive, which is proven by how I devoured this in three days even though I’ve been in a slump. I loved the characters and appreciated the development we got from all of them. I also thought the representation was really well done, and I particularly appreciated the conversation around internalized biphobia, which I could really relate to. Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend!

I had high expectations for this novel, and I am so glad to say that Sophie Gonzales exceeded them all.

I have always been a fan of character-driven books. I love seeing complex and distinct character interactions and I think that this author did such a wonderful job with that.

This book touches on many important and relevant topics. The main character Darcy, a bisexual teen, is dealing with unrequited love for her lesbian best friend, while also dealing with internalized biphobia as she starts to slowly fall in love with a heterosexual guy. We also have Alexander Brougham, the male love interest who is dealing with neglectful and unloving parents as well as heartbreak and obvious issues with his self-worth. Both of them are a mess and I loved them and their interactions.

I also loved the interesting and diverse cast of supporting characters. They each felt unique and real, like their lives and their stories existed and mattered outside the main character's plotline.

Aside from the diversity aspect, I think one of my favorite things that I haven't seen many people mention, is the use of attachment styles and how they impact relationships. For example, the way that Brougham's parents raised him, never giving him the time and attention that he craved, informs so much of who he is, and how he craves that time and communication in his relationships and yet feels needy for asking it. Honestly, so much of the advice that Darcy gave (minus those times when she used her powers for selfish reasons) was sound and genuinely helpful and I enjoyed reading it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book as a whole. I loved the writing and the characters and the complexities of their relationships. I am officially a fan of Sophie Gonzales.

It’s no secret that the YA corner of the book community loves Sophie Gonzales. I finally know why :’) 🥰

Perfect on Paper was a delightful read through and through. Working as your school’s secret relationship consultant sounds like the craziest/dreamiest thing ever, right? That’s exactly how I’d describe Perfect on Paper’s storyline. Like all kinds of dreamy stuff, Darcy ~ our main character, faced a lot of bumps along the way, but I loved how the twists and turns molded her character to a better shape. Her story had the perfect balance of fluff and thoughtful element. The book was really addictive ~ I couldn’t stop reading because it felt like my life depended on finding out what happened next in Darcy’s eventful life. 😂

And Brougham. Oh Brougham. Oh how I loved him. Obsessed 💯 He was the perfect male lead this story needed, and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. I promise. I love grumpy heroes and Brougham’s role made me fall in love with them even more. He was so sweet and perfect and gorgeous and… 😭 The list is endless. His character was definitely very different from other YA male leads ~ specially because of how he didn’t “try and save the day” without being asked to + he respected other people’s boundaries. One of my favorite things about Brougham was how he challenged Darcy’s opinions about many important factors.The witty banter and chemistry they shared was everything.

The LGTBQ+ representation in Perfect on Paper was so perfectly done. The author didn’t shy away from addressing issues within the Queer community ; like internalized bi-phobia. She shed light on different matters through thoughtful discussions among the characters.

Even though the storyline was very YA-ish with some cheesy moments, it managed to capture Darcy’s insecurities in the best way possible. “She’s so good at solving other people’s problems, but what about her own? ” ~ was a running theme of the story and I loved how it was represented. I really appreciated how family issues were one of the major aspects of the book as well! 💚 All of the characters – both main and supporting ones had their own flaws; which in turn made them seem very real to me.

The events that took place in the last few chapters happened a little too fast for my liking, so I ended up rating the book with 4/5. Highly recommended reading the book though. It has definitely taken a place in the list of my best YA reads. 💜

Need relationship advice? Look no further than locker 89.

Darcy Phillips uses locker 89 to give her classmates anonymous relationship advice, until one day she gets caught and hired by Alexander Brougham to help him get his ex back in exchange for not telling her secret. Darcy agrees to become Brougham’s dating coach because she honestly can’t have her secret getting out that she’s behind locker 89. She’s done a few things she’s not proud of using the locker and she’s pretty sure she will lose her best friend if word got out. 

Darcy is a pretty awesome character, despite some of the advice she gave to swing things in her favor. Honestly, I think a lot of people would have done the same thing and definitely regretted later. I wasn’t exactly a fan of Brougham’s character in the beginning, but once I learned more about him and his life I liked him a little better. 

This book was really good and I’m glad I had a chance to read it. I actually already had the e-book arc from NetGalley when I won a physical copy in a Goodreads giveaway. It only took me a a couple days to read this book because it was so good. The pace was perfect as well. I didn’t feel like there were any places in the book where I was like get to the point. 

I highly recommend Perfect on Paper to anyone looking for a good read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for fans of "To All the Boys I've loved Before" and "Charming as a Verb". It's the perfect mix of funny and heart-felt. I was genuinely rooting for all the characters. There is wonderful representation in this book as well. The characters were lovable, messy, and very human. The story although has similar vibes to some other YA books I've read, the story still feels fresh and the characters unique. The author does a great job of including a fun cast of "side characters" but also developing the main characters very well. I really loved the relationship between the two sisters. I really just loved this story and will be looking for more books from this author in the future. Thanks to St. Martin's press for the advanced copy.

This was such a cute and fun read. I enjoyed this book so much. The representation was on point, and I liked the discussion within the book of biphobia and other issues that affect queer people, I could relate to a lot of them.
The main characters were so much fun to read, and the banter between Darcy and Brougham was top-notch.
This was my first book by Sophie Gonzales and now I'm looking forward to read more books by her.
I would highly recommend this book.