I think the author has learned a lot since her debut novel, and you can see that in the way Darcy and Brougham's friendship develops, as well as in the way that Darcy's actions affect her and the people around her. The fact that Darcy is a teenager who makes money by giving advice does not go unnoticed, and the consequences of this secret are explored when everything comes up.
With many queer characters, there are some discussions about issues of sexuality and identity, especially involving bisexuality. Darcy is bi and worries about how she will be treated if dating a boy, fears that her identity will be discarded and that people will think that she is "posing as straight." they were supportive.
My little problem with this book is actually the same thing that bothered me with Only Mostly Devastated: the romantic interest is just too perfect. Cute, sweet, smart, funny, romantic, romantic interest is what everyone wants in a partner, and that is a little forced.
Still, it wasn't a problem enough to keep me from having fun reading this lovely romantic comedy, perfect for anyone who likes books like With Love, Simon and His Royal Highness.

Perfect of Paper earns that moniker page after page after page. Our protagonist is clever authentic, quirky, sassy, and lovable—even when she’s being certifiable.

Darcy, our way-too-in-her-head main character has a secret so big she’s willing to endure being blackmailed by Alexander Brougham “pronounced Bro-uhm, not Broom,” arguable the school’s hottest senior.

What’s great about this book:
-incredible character development
-tropes that are compellingly developed and executed without feeling overdone
-excellent trans representation (about time!)
-harrowing and realistic families with complex problems and dire consequences
-the whole premise had me hooked (Darcy is just dang delightful) from page one
-Darcy’s VOICE is clearer than a bell in my head; Gonzales just wrote her so, so well
-the best friend breakup is definitely worse than any romantic relationship and it’s written with an air of authenticity that HAD to have been earned

From beginning to end, I couldn’t get enough of Darcy and Brougham and I 100% need Sophie Gonzales to give me a playlist of Brougham’s favorite jams ASAP!

With humor, wit, romance, a down-to-earth relatability, interesting characters, and a touch or two of angst, Perfect on Paper charmingly explores the ups and downs of first love and friendship, the discovery and acceptance of teen sexuality and identity within the LGBTQ+ spectrum and community, and how first impressions almost never give the full picture of who we are or what our lives are really like against the backdrop of an enemies-to-lovers vs. friends-to-lovers story. Which trope wins? That’s a pleasant surprise. Darcy Phillips is mostly your average teenage girl. She’s in love with her best friend Brooke, who’s in love with someone else. Oh, and she earns extra cash by charging for relationship advice in her private high school under a secret identity. No one at school knows about it, including her friends, until Alexander Brougham – who she cannot stand – catches her retrieving letters from locker 89 that were placed there for her anonymously by students. Let’s just say that Darcy may have done some not so nice things with the information she has available to her as the school’s resident relationship expert. So, she needs to keep her secret identity from getting out, especially to Brooke. She agrees to be Brougham’s dating coach and help him get his ex-girlfriend back in exchange for him keeping her secret.

I love that while the characters are likeable and relatable, they are by no means perfect. Intelligent, insightful, caring, and generous, Darcy is well-meaning, but like most teens – and adults – she can be self-involved. She genuinely likes helping people and puts in the work to offer students helpful advice. But when it comes to her BFF Brooke, who she has on a pedestal and worships fully believing that if she can just have all her undivided attention, she will see her as more than just her friend, she makes the worst choices with motives that are not pure. Brougham is handsome, serious, smart, intense, and a loyal and supporting friend. While he is rich, popular, and appears to want for nothing, there is a lot more going on behind his somber façade. However, he can be a bit of a know-it-all, argumentative, rude, and pushy jerk. He challenges Darcy at every turn, questioning her methods and motives for offering advice to students, making her genuinely think about what she is doing and why for possibly the first time. Being his dating coach pushes her outside of her comfort zone, leading her to question herself and deal with some revelations about her sexual identity she had never before been comfortable accepting or speaking about. She reluctantly discovers that she may not have all the right answers after all, no matter how much research she does, to fix her own life or mistakes. Their partnership leads to some positive changes in Brougham as well, bringing out his personality and providing someone with whom he can talk about the personal/family issues he’s dealing with who understands what he’s going through. Their partnership brings out the best in each of them, changing them and their lives for the better in ways they may not even be aware of themselves at the time.

The best things about Perfect on Paper are its description, pacing, tone, characters and their development and interactions, and the sex positive way that the teens are given the freedom and opportunity to freely talk about and express their sexuality and gender identities (bi, lesbian, gay, trans, aero, ace, etc.) in the novel by both peers and adults. In talking about such things as sexual and gender identity erasure, phobia, and acceptance among peers, adults, and society at large, the novel’s tone is neither preachy nor condescending. The tone is so down-to-earth as it approaches these topics with respect and sensitivity like the natural and fundamental aspect of teen lives that they are. Perfect on Paper is a quick read because the description, characters, and story immediately grab your attention, sucking you into the story and keeping you invested until the very end. The novel is nicely paced, flowing from one scene to the other without any lag. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There are so many more things I loved about the novel, but I don't want to spoil the experience by talking about them.

One down-side of the novel is that I don't think we really get to see enough of Brooke's character or her current interactions with Darcy when she's not lonely or heartbroken to understand why Darcy is so obsessively in love with her. I am saying this from seeing their friendship and a basis for a romantic relationship. Perhaps it's an intentional decision that shows that their relationship has changed and that Darcy has been unaware or unable to see the truth of where it stands.

Perfect on Paper is a surprisingly sweet, humorous, witty, and slightly angsty YA romance about self-discovery, acceptance, fitting in, and learning that some of the most important friendships and relationships in life are the unexpected ones and can sometimes be with the last people you might expect. But it does require willingness to take the risk. Readers who like sweet and funny LGBTQ+ rom coms in a high school setting should love this one.

Posted to: Goodreads, my blog (The Scribe Owl), and Barnes & Noble.
Run dates: 3/16 (GR), 3/21 (blog), 3/17 (B&N)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

5/5 stars!

Perfect on Paper is a perfectly hilarious, adorable, and sometimes angsty take on a YA contemporary!

I'm not a huge fan of contemporary, but I adored Perfect on Paper! Sometimes the book just clicks, you know? It rarely happens to me with contemporary books (the only other one was Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston) but it's always a happy occurrence.

Our main character is Darcy Phillips, a junior in high school who happens to be in love with her best friend and runs an anonymous love advice business out of locker 89. Everything is going just fine until the day Darcy is caught removing the envelopes from the locker after school by the sarcastic and witty Aussie, Alexander Brougham. They make a deal: Darcy will help Brougham get back together with his girlfriend in exchange for his silence. You know, normal high school stuff.

I really enjoyed the premise of Perfect on Paper! Everything with locker 89 was just realistic enough to work as a contemporary book while still coming across as interesting and different. Too many A contemporaries are used over and over and over until the readers are sick of them, but I enjoyed this small step outside of the norm.

This book was so dang funny. It literally made me snort with laughter in a dead silent room, earning some interesting looks (sorry about that by the way). Darcy and Brougham's banter was fantastic, but Darcy's (trans) sister Ainsley was hilarious. (view spoiler)

All in all, Perfect on Paper was an unexpectedly entertaining novel! I had a fantastic time, and highly encourage you to read it! I'm literally about to go order a physical copy to proudly join my shelves.

Welcome to locker 89 where you can anonymously leave a letter regarding your relationship woes and receive unbiased advice in return. I definitely was feeling some Sex Education vibes from Netflix here. This book will do very well with its targeted teen audience. There was lots of LGBT representation in Perfect on Paper and it was just beautiful. I loved that the school had a group Q&Q (Queer and Questioning) where students could safely be themselves and explore their feelings. I hope we continue to see more books like this for the teen population.

This was a book that I just kind of stumbled across and after reading the blurb my attention was fixed and I knew I had to give this new to me author and this intriguing book a try. And I am so incredible happy that I did! This book was clever, fresh, fun, genuine and honest. A smart read that is 100% pure enjoyment but delivered with a sharp edge that will hit you with moments to pause and ponder. While this book is marketed to teens and the YA market, I firmly believe the more mature audience (of which I'm one of) will also fall in love with these wonderful characters and the story being told. No cookie cutter characters need to apply for this book and that my friends was a good thing! I adored the level of originality that made this book so unique. While overall this book is lighthearted and effervescent, I don't feel that I am wrong in saying that it also brilliantly shines a light on the important subject of sexuality. This heart stealing rom-com easily won a place on my keeper shelf.

I desperately have been waiting for a book like this! The discussion around bisexuality and biphobia was so refreshing and validating to read. It is honestly so exhausting being bisexual. You never feel you belong in any community. Watching Darcy navigating this and unpacking her feelings about her sexuality was emotional for me and I finally felt seen. I know this might be a heavy way to start a review, but I just had to get that off my chest. Wednesday Books have been so amazing in the representation they are providing to young readers.

While this has a great message, Perfect on Paper is also an adorable read! I love how it balanced real problems while still being a great escape. I loved seeing Darcy work out the problems of her peers and her advice has actually made me think more on my love language. Sounds silly for a 28 year old to learn so much from a fictional high school student, but it’s true! The writer, Sophie Gonzales, has done such great research into all of this and I can only imagine how fun it was to dive into.

The “love interests” were both so lovable and I honestly enjoyed every character. I feel most young bi girls have a Brooke in their lives. It gave me such a flashback to when I had a crush on my best girl friend. This made the choices Darcy had to make very relatable.

Now I wish we all had a Brougham. He was so adorable and I couldn’t help but root for him. I loved the way he challenged and discussed sexism, genders, and sexuality while being respectful and open to learning. I loved every conversation he had with Darcy.

Also, would like to mention the fun Disney trip! So this doesn’t really need to be mentioned, but I grew up in Anaheim and totally related to the references and understood how everyone either worked there or had a Disney pass. It was fun to think back to that time.

I really urge all bisexual women to read this. It is quick, intelligent, adorable, and refreshing. Also, if you enjoyed Netflix’s The Half of It, then you will love this!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released March 9, 2021.

The book touches on a lot of topics every teen should read about at -- body positivity, queer representation, and more. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the book. It gave me To All the Boys vibes, and I just couldn't put it down.

Perfect On Paper has been one of my most anticipated releases this year because I absolutely adored Only Mostly Devastated. First of all, I just love Sophie Gonzales. I love her witty writing style, I love her characters, and I love the stories she chooses to tell, but what I love most about her books is the way she captures the complexities of human emotion and relationships. Her characters are so dimensional and their emotions are complicated- which makes them relatable and truthful. It is so easy to connect to them, even when they are going through something you personally have never experienced. This book explores all types of relationships, from romantic connections to friendships to families, and shows how these characters learn and grow from their mistakes and experiences. It has a ton of different kinds of LGBTQ+ representation, none of which felt contrived, and I so appreciate that all of the characters were multi-faceted individuals who both fully embraced and yet were not entirely defined by their sexual/gender identities. The bi-rep in this book is especially amazing, and really explores the intricacies of what it means to be bi-sexual. All of this is wrapped up in a super cute rom-com that is both hilarious and poignant with a fun plot and a sweet romance. What more could you need?

Darcy Phillips is literally the queen of giving some really great advice. She secretly runs locker 89, which is where her fellow classmates drop letters asking for a wide range of advice for $10 a pop.

Darcy quickly finds herself in a predicament when Alexander Brougham stumbles upon Darcy getting the letters from the locker. Brougham decides to hire Darcy to help him get back with his ex-girlfriend. Since Darcy is a broke scholarship student, refusing easy money is not something that she can do. Besides, what could go wrong?

Y’all there were so many incredible things about this book. First and foremost, I love Darcy as a character because she’s far from perfect. She gives some really great advice especially when it comes to respecting boundaries and questioning queer identity (explains the difference between asexual and aromantic), but Darcy’s also a hot mess when it comes to her own personal life. Darcy is in love with her best friend Brooke, and she may or may not have abused the locker privileges when it came to Brooke.

One of the biggest aspects of Darcy that I loved seeing portrayed in this book was the examination of bisexuality. Darcy struggles with her own internalized biphobia as well as being viewed as not being queer enough if she has a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend. There are some difficult things that are said to her from her queer peers, and I think that this is something that more people need to see on page and acknowledge.

I also really loved that the school had a queer and questioning club where we see a wide range of diversity. The club was lead by an openly gay faculty member, so the club was a safe space that students could come and discuss what they were feeling and experiencing without any judgment. (Something that I would love to see more in school settings!)

I definitely hope we get more gems like these because this book was just fantastic!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

This was a really fun and sweet story. I absolutely loved the queer rep and the normalization of it. The bi rep in particular is great and I love how biphobia and finding your place in the queer community is addressed.

The characters all felt real and I grew attached and invested in them. The romance is sweet and gave me all the teenage happy feelings. The story was such a fun teenage adventure with an interesting plot.

I don't think I have enough words to describe the beauty that is Perfect on Paper. Just wow. I couldn't put this story down for even a second. I was reading at work, at home, and while eating dinner. I loved every bit of this story and if you don't have this book on your TBR wishlist, you NEED to add it ASAP.

Darcy loves relationship advice. She reads all she can and watches numerous videos on the topic. What does she do with this advice? She uses it to help her peers. I loved this part of the story and getting to read the letters and her advice back to them. I found it to be very rooted in people and not pseudo-psychology. Darcy has a huge crush on her best friend but hasn't said anything. She's also done some wrong with her letters when her best-friend/crush has written to her. When Alexander Brougham catches her opening the locker and pulling out the letters he asks for her help in exchange for silence.

What ensues is a beautiful adventure about Darcy uses every bit of her skills to help Brougham get his ex back and help him find a reason for the break-up. I loved how everything went from a begrudging partnership to an intimate friendship. I was rooting for Darcy's advice to work out the whole time.

Perfect on Paper covers so many wonderful topics without seeming overwhelming or as if it was taking away from the overall plot of the story. I enjoyed reading about Darcy's struggles with being bi-sexual and that it came to be more of a society issue than a 'how she sees herself' issue.

I loved this story from start to finish. The LGBTQIA+ aspects, the family dynamics, friendships, and relationships. I loved every beautiful minute of this story.

Rating: 4.5

Why did it have to end! This book was a gem! I had a hard time putting it down and it grabbed me right from the beginning! It is a great YA book that I can see my students enjoying. The relationship advice the budding relationship and issues that arose all kept me wanting to pick it up. The book kept you looking at big picture stuff but in a way that wasn’t stressful! I loved it!

Perfect on Paper is literally perfect on paper! Sophie Gonzales has done it again! She gets teen angst and romance so well and she trusts the reader to be able to get the subtleties of the story and character development without spoon feeding the information to you. I love the banter she sets up between all the characters and even her secondary characters stand fully developed on their own and you look forward to them showing up in a scene. Best of all she writes so accurately what it means to feel different as a teen and feel like no one could possibly relate. But she doesn’t make any character weak, either they are strong in their convictions or they find the friends and family who lift them up which is what teens need most of all. You can get the synopsis of this book anywhere, that’s why I wanted to focus on the author in this review. Her novels are so original and her characters live on in the reader’s mind long after the book is done. Darcy and Broughman may be the main characters of this romance, but it’s the dialogue and clever storyline that make Gonzales the real star.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this. After loving Only Mostly Devastated so much last year, I had pretty high hopes, but the characters just frustrated me to much and that impacted my enjoyment. While I do think the writing was still solid and I can appreciate the character dynamics - the tension in the friendships was an issue for me. But I did loving seeing a bisexual protagonist, especially one who is in a relationship with someone of a different gender. Always here for no bi erasure.

Thank you so much @WednesdayBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 09 March 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Darcy is the owner of Locker 89 which her fellow classmates use to ask for anonymous relationship advice... except no one knows that she is behind the responses. One day, Alexander catches her collecting the letters and blackmails her into helping him get back with his ex-girlfriend.

WHAT I LIKED:
- its a perfectly wholesome story about imperfect characters
- a wide array of LGBTQ+ rep & it doesn't show away from discussing biphobia
- so many delightful Australianisms
- this was my first Sophie Gonzales story, but it definitely won't be my last

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the relationship advice was extremely specialized & professional which didn't feel realistic or believable for a 17 year old main character who just reads & watches some YouTube videos on the topic

I really liked this book -- I think it was really well written with developed characters and an interesting plot. The pace was really good, too. Nothing happened too fast or without incident. It definitely described and inhabited being a teenager and all the conflicting feelings with school, parents, identity. I will definitely check out more from this author!

Perfect on Paper came out earlier this month on March 9, 2021 and you can purchase HERE.

Everyone in school knows about locker eight-nine: the locker on the bottom right, at the end of the hall near the science labs. It's been unassigned for years now; really, it should've been allocated to one of the hundreds of students in the school to load with books and papers and forgotten, mold-infested Tupperware.

Perfect on Paper is a super fun read full of drama, teen angst, bad choices and learning from those mistakes. Darcy has a secret advice locker where her schoolmates can ask dating advice. And Darcy can advise anyone: cis or otherwise. This book deals with all the teen drama with a bisexual heroine struggling with her feelings for a straight male. Plus a diverse supporting cast of characters, including BIPOC and LGBTQ. An all around inclusively fun read.

This is a beautiful YA that I wish I had when I was in high school.

Darcy was a vision of a character. Someone so solid in who she is but with the same struggles and insecurities that so many of us face in high school. I absolutely adored the premise of "student gives relationship advice through a locker" - it would translate so well to a movie. Brougham and Darcy were such deep characters and although this has romance in it, I think the focus is about growth as a human, recognizing when we are wrong, finding solace in friends, and building your chosen family.

Gonzales also includes many gender identities throughout the book and the Q&Q club was both beautiful and made me so emotional. Although oppression is still so real for LGBTQIA+ people, I feel hopeful that young LGBTQIA+ people have built families and friends in support on them. The entire "You are queer" section in the Q&Q club I was a MESS. I loved how Gonzales challenges both the characters and the readers to reevaluate their understanding of being bi: just because a bi person ends up with a straight person doesn't mean that they aren't bi, it doesn't invalidate their experience or their queerness.

I loved this book so much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

First off, as someone who deals with internalised biphobia everyday I just have to say bravo. This was dealt with incredibly well and really made me feel valid when I was reading it. I am straight passing in my relationship but being bi is so important to my identity that I really got how Darcy felt.

The romance was really sweet, I really liked Brougham as a character as he was a high school athlete without being a stereotypical jock.

The cast of characters were amazingly diverse, the Q&Q club was a delight and I wish I'd had something like that when I was at school.

The premise is a bit out there, I can't see any teenagers writing to a locker for love advice but the way that it then opened up the book to discussing the intricacies of relationships and attachment types was really interesting and rather unique.

I am really excited to read Sophie Gonzales' other books as I hope they're going to be just as queer and charming!