I can’t believe how much I loved this book. I went into it with zero expectations, and knowing only that it is a YA contemporary and features a bisexual main character. And as I sit down to write this review, I can’t think of a single thing I disliked about it, and I’ve been thinking about it nonstop since I finished reading it a week ago. It made me literally laugh out loud so often - mostly at Darcy. Her thought process, mannerisms, and the way she spoke all were so genuinely funny and relatable, it made it an absolute joy to read her story. She definitely met her match with Brougham, who challenged her, kept her on her toes, made her think, and have fun and love in new ways. Their chemistry was completely believable and their relationship developed in a cute way. I liked when Darcy’s sister asked her questions about Brougham like what color his eyes were and what his pet peeves are, and she was able to answer them instantly, and that made her realize her (surprising) feelings.

The queer inclusivity of this book was off the charts. It made for some really important conversations regarding romantic and gender identity and expression, homophobia, and attraction. I think teens should read this book for that reason - they could very well see themselves in one of the characters who is queer or questioning, and relate to the questions being asked and the journeys & troubles they are giong through.

Beyond being important for teens because of the queer representation, this book also tackles relationships and attachments completely head on, which is unsurprising given the point of the whole book is that Darcy is doling out relationship advice. But she really dives deep into it and does her research, which means so many topics are covered that honestly could be useful to teens going through break ups and discovering themselves big time. She talks about the 4 attachment types, establishing boundaries, empathy, and much more.

The aspect that surprised me the most was Darcy’s relationship with her sister. They are each other’s best friends and rock. They get each other and support one another’s endeavors. They gently (mostly) push each other and ask the important questions. It was beautiful to read.

I felt this book; I devoured it; I adored it. It’s so fun and so fucking queer. Please read it.

I got an ARC of this book.

This is amazing bi rep. The MC even has some issues with internalized biphobia. She worries that she is not queer enough if she falls for a guy. One of my top scenes in the book is her finally addressing that to herself and her friends. The idea that she is bi and therefore queer no matter who she is dating. Something that a lot of people have issues with (myself included), because seeing a m/f couple appears straight even if the people in it are not straight. I am some form of bi, pan, omni, poly, and/or multiple gender attracted person (I am not sure of the label that best fits, which is partially why I use queer). I haven’t been comfortable being in a seemingly straight relationship since I was bashed at a pride event for hold a girlfriend’s hand after I started passing as male. It really shaped my idea of what was and was not queer enough when it came to bi, pan, omni, poly, and multiple gender attracted people. So I am glad this book challenged that issue in my life and helped me see where I was wrong and where I still needed to improve when it came to accepting myself and others.

The book dragged a lot for me. It felt like it took forever and relied so much on the characters just not talking to each other, which is one of my least favorite romance plot devices. Jealousy was seen as a sign of romantic attraction, which is my absolute more hated romance trope. The MC’s jealousy was manipulative and controlling, it was dangerous. It was bad. I like that she was punished for it, instead of it being seen as romantic. She was flat out called out for it.

The trans rep was both amazing and basic at the same time. The trans character is a side character who was lovely. I loved her, but she also didn’t really have any plot lines, except to support the MC in her stuff. I wish she had more to her, which is the basic part. The amazing part was that her transition wasn’t really the focus of her story. She was not just trans, but she was a fashion designer and in college. She was a youtuber. She was confident, she was a great big sister. She was not just trans and she did not get any of the trans woman plot lines. So I really appreciated the casual trans rep. It was hard, because she was my favorite character so I wanted more from her, but she was a great character. So I am very thankful for this.

The major plot of secret romance advice, despite having no romantic life felt very Sex Education, but less intense. So I spent so much of the book comparing the two, because they were so similar. One of the pluses for this book over that show is the MC was not queerbaiting. The author didn’t rely on making it seem like the MC was ace, but then going “surprise, he is straight” to get attention. Instead when ace came up, the MC got it right. Like her definition and advice were perfect. She allowed for ace people to want sex and others to not want sex. She gave helpful advice about where to find support and how to talk about it. The advice that both the MCs gave usually came down to communication and being confident. There was more emotional game playing in the book, but she was called out for it which I could appreciate.

So over all, the book was ok. It wasn’t all that thrilling for me, but I can see why someone would fall in love with it. I will be passing this name along to people who need some wholesome bi and trans rep in their lives.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
What I thought would be just a cute romance is actually an incredibly realistic look at high school relationships. While it definitely still had all of the fluff that I was expecting, Darcy's dating advce to others and struggle with her own identity was very refreshing. I loved this way more than expected!

Everyone knows that you can get personalized relationship advice by slipping a letter and a $10 bill into locker #89. What no one knows is that Darcy Phillips is the one who’s been behind the locker for the last two years. Darcy loves giving relationship advice, and she knows she’s good at it–but she also knows that she’d be in big trouble if the truth got out. Things get turned upside down when a classmate, Brougham, catches Darcy opening the locker after school. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy agrees to help him win back his ex-girlfriend. As she spends more time with Brougham, she realzies he might be more than the cocky, arrogant guy she thought he was. Meanwhile, Darcy is also fielding an unrequited crush for her best friend Brooke. What could possibly go wrong?

Perfect on Paper is a hilarious, heart-warming YA rom-com that I absolutely could not put down. The budding romance between Darcy and Brougham was endearing and swoon-worthy. As Darcy gets to know Brougham, she learns that there’s so much more to him than she thought. Underneath his confident exterior, he carries a lot of fears, hurts, and anxieties. This love story is very much about seeing people in new ways, being willing to show people who you are, and rethinking the assumptions we make.

This novel has a lot of light-hearted, sweet moments with some complex discussions of identity. Darcy is bisexual, and as she begins to develop feelings for Brougham, she worries about what this means for her queerness: Will being with a guy make her less queer? Will other queer folks think she’s turning her back on the community? Throughout the novel, Darcy struggles with these questions and has to interrogate biphobia, both internalized and externalized. Sophie Gonzales presents excellent bi rep and presents an important conversation on biphobia within the queer community. I loved that Perfect on Paper is a m/f romance that 100% affirms and celebrates bi identity.

Perfect on Paper isn’t only a romance–it’s also a love story about friendship, sisterhood, and community. Darcy has a robust group of friends that really came to life off the page. She’s active in her school’s Queer & Questioning Club, and I loved the scenes involving club meetings that highlighted a diverse range of identities: aspec, lesbian, gay, trans, non-binary, bi, and more intersecting with a range of BIPOC identities. These scenes carried so many important conversations around queerness, identity, and community. As a queer reader, I totally found myself wishing I’d had a support system like Darcy’s when I was a teen.

In terms of representation among main characters: our protagonist, Darcy, is a bisexual white girl, and love interest Brougham is a straight white boy from Australia. Darcy’s best friend Brooke, who Darcy’s been crushing on for years, is a lesbian Vietnamese American girl. Darcy’s older sister Ainsley is trans, and ended up being one of my favorite characters in the book. I loved the bond of sisterhood between Darcy and Ainsley and could honestly just read a whole book about their relationship.

Obviously, Perfect on Paper is about relationships of all sorts: sisters, community members, classmates, romantic relationships, and friendships. The friendship between Darcy and Brooke was really sweet, and I think a lot of teen readers will relate to Darcy as she tries to navigate her unrequited crush for Brooke. Even as feelings start to form between Darcy and Brougham, she struggles to move on from her feelings for Brooke, and has to balance their friendship with these feelings.

This YA contemporary has a funny and incredibly relatable voice. The novel was engaging, quickly paced, and kept me turning page after page. The plotline was a unique take on secret identities, love letters, and unexpected romance. Darcy’s passion for providing relationship advice was palpable, and I loved that this novel highlighted a unique hobby (seriously, Darcy lives, breathes, and eats relationship studies). There’s also a really interesting discussion on the ethics of Darcy’s locker business: Would people still pay for advice if they knew who it came from? Would knowing who they’ve poured their secrets out to change how they feel about it? What would happen if Darcy’s identity got out? I found these questions, and Darcy’s history of the locker, to be fascinating. I especially loved reading the letters and Darcy’s responses that were peppered throughout the book.

Readers who enjoyed Sophie Gonzales’s previous book, Only Mostly Devastated, will absolutely love this one. I’ll also be recommending it to fans of Becky Albertalli, Jenny Han, and Marisa Kanter, as well as folks who enjoyed the movie The Half of It. Perfect on Paper was a delightfully fun and refreshing YA rom-com that I cannot wait to see on the shelves at my library. It’s a romance that also celebrates queerness, sisterhood, and friendship in the most beautiful way–and it’s already got me counting down the days until Sophie’s next book.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy to review.

So, this book made me smile, giggle, swoon, fangirl and bother all my friends with messages about how much I loved it, how much I related to Darcy and her friends and how much I want to go to that school.
Also, romance was so on point that I seriously can't remember the last time I was so charmed and felt so much chemistry between characters. It seriously gave me everything I could ask for and more and it made me the biggest Sophie Gonzales fan there is.

A great way to trick teens into reading relationship advice without giving them a Teen Relationship Guidebook. I appreciated that this book encompassed friendship and romantic relationship trouble. Also, addressing internalized biphobia in a school-run, queer safe space? *Chef kiss*

I had mixed feelings upon finishing the book. There were aspects that I loved about the novel, but I also found it to be lacking in some ways.

The queer representation and character growth in this novel are fantastic. Darcy's journey with her sexuality had me in tears and is a great window for other bisexual teens and individuals. I loved the Queer and Questioning Club and how it served as a setting and helped the plot along. This club is portrayed as a safe and supportive space--not perfect, but that's realistic. Not everyone you go to school with is going to be your best friend, but you can still find common ground within a club and support each other while also agreeing to confidentiality. This portrayal of the club could inspire teens to start their own at their schools or create a group outside of school that is also a safe space.

Through Darcy's advice business, we are able to touch on topics such as setting boundaries, consent, healthy communication, active listening, exploring sexuality, and more. These are topics that teens right now will find themselves facing as they navigate high school and I loved that these are addressed in Darcy's emails.

The one dissatisfaction I had with the novel was the flow of the writing. I felt like we needed more transitional sentences, especially when having the characters move from place to place. I also felt like some scenes were drawn out and more wordy than they needed to be.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. Firstly, the bisexual representation was so well done. As a bisexual woman, who has experienced her own internalized biphobia, the discussions this book brings up are so important and almost made me tear up. I loved how this book approached the romantic aspects and how it handled all the complex relationships. Brougham was without a doubt my favorite character and all I want is is happiness. There was also some really fantastic trans-representation in this. Where Ainsley was just a character living her life and being her true and honest self, and it wan’t some kind of topic of conversation, she was just living her life and happy. I loved what this contemporary romance did with plot and showcasing character, just absolutely fantastic.

This book is outstanding on so many levels.
Right off the bat, the writing it great. The humor and wit, the voices of the characters and the authentic feeling of teenagers speaking is all there. The author knows her voice and style and it is deeply engaging.
The characters are really outstanding because they are allowed to be flawed and show growth.
Darcy is an outstanding lead with relationships that are realistic and honest. Darcy spends her time secretly running a relationship advice business and through this business finds her friendships and her relationships tested. She’s “in love” with her best friend, reads too much into her love life, deals with biphobia, and provides love advice to anyone looking for it. The growth that she experiences by the end of the book makes her original portrayal almost unrecognizable. She learns so much about herself and relationships through the story and it happens in a very natural way.
Brougham is a great foil for Darcy because their friendship allows Darcy to look at parts of herself she never really thought about before. He makes her analyze who she is and then makes her evaluate what she’s discovered. The progression from business relationship to more is really beautiful.
I loved all the representation in this book: the bisexuality and the conversations around it, the Q & Q Club, Ainsley, the ace and aromantic discussion, even the visible and usually supportive parents. This book is there to show everyone deserves space to be themselves and that no one has to be perfect.

Before you read this book, get cozy, make sure you have snacks nearby, and settle in for the evening because this is a totally binge-worthy book. (Seriously, though. Snacks.)

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a physical book (between online school textbooks, eARCs, and digital library books, I’ve been too busy) but I’m so glad I got to get my hands on a copy of this! I received Perfect on Paper as an eARC from St. Martin’s back in August, but won a physical ARC in a giveaway. From the gripping first line, I was hooked.

Darcy is such a wonderful main character! It was truly refreshing to have a character that not only really sounds like a real high schooler, but actually messes up! Makes mistakes! Like all teenagers do! She’s witty, driven, and ambitious and I kinda wish she was real so I could be friends with her?! I haven’t read Sophie Gonzales’s other book, Only Mostly Devastated, but the narration of this book was incredible! It was a first-person POV, and from Darcy’s perspective and I was cracking up through parts of the book from her witty inner monologue.


Perfect on Paper was such a delight to read and if you love secret pining, enemies-to-lovers (ish) arcs, and honestly just good writing, you’ll enjoy this book!

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Phillips has a secret. She’s the relationship advisor behind locker 89 in her school. Students can drop off a letter asking for advice as well as ten dollars and their email into the locker, so she can help them with their relationship problems. One day, Alexander Brougham catches her removing the letters from that locker. He blackmails her into helping him get back with his ex-girlfriend. As Darcy continues to answer more letters, she has an important reason to keep her identity a secret. She has sabotaged Brooke, her best friend and crush, in her past relationship so that Brooke was still available for Darcy to crush on. Darcy has to help Alexander so that he doesn’t reveal her secret.

I loved the premise behind this story. It was fun, but also had potentially serious consequences. When Darcy’s identity was discovered by Alexander, she was blackmailed. She could have given some people advice that had devastating consequences. Darcy eventually had to face the consequences of running this secret business.

This story had an interesting discourse about what it means to be queer. Darcy was bisexual and she belonged to the queer club at school. However, she was concerned that if she dated a guy, she was no longer considered queer because she was in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender, and it would appear to be a heterosexual relationship. Even though she could be in a relationship with members of either gender, her queer identity shouldn’t change depending on who she was dating. This was an informative look at what it means to be bisexual and queer in a way I haven’t read before.

This was such a fun story!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect on Paper follows a bisexual teenager named Darcy Phillips who, anonymously runs a romance advice business at her private school in California. This book was wonderful and is making it onto my favourite YA Contemporaries list. I could gush about it forever. It was so much fun and was full of wholesome and fluffy scenes that made it the perfect rom-com. The characters were delightful to read about and acted like real, authentic teenagers. I loved Darcy as the main character, but I also adored many side characters like Ainsley and Brougham who were both hilarious. While I loved the plot and the characters, I really couldn’t rate it less than five stars because of the amazing queer rep, specifically the bi rep.

This was written for bisexuals! As a bisexual myself, I struggle to find books that really sum up the bi experience, but this one did it perfectly. I know myself, and many other bi people sometimes feel too gay to be straight but also too straight to fit into queer spaces. To read about a character going through those same experiences and struggling with internalized biphobia made me feel so seen and represented. It was very validating to read about her learning to accept and love her identity and that part of who she is. I feel grateful to have read this book and I am just so thankful that it was written. There were lighter moments, there were heavier moments and it was all just so wonderful!

If you can, I definitely recommend picking this up, especially if you are also bisexual, this book is for you.

This was so good? When I learned that it was a subtweet in book form I was like, okay let's go I like petty, but I didn't expect this???

I don't really know what else to say about it but it felt like a love letter to messy bi girls and I wish it has existed 10 years ago.

If you’ve read Only Mostly Devastated, you probably more or less know what to expect here: teens who are allowed to make questionable choices & mistakes, and to learn from them; great dynamics between characters, be it friends, family or romantic partners; and of course great writing.

Perfect on Paper offers all that, and more.

Let’s start with the writing. Gonzales’ style is very clean, which is to say: it’s not purple prose, it’s not clunky, it doesn’t feel like it’s unpolished. It’s clean. It’s also fresh, and really does make you believe the characters are teens. And funny. Probably helps that my sense of humour clearly aligns with the author’s, but the point stands.

The fact that the writing is so good, also translates into all the characters are well developed, superbly fleshed out. Which is possibly my favourite part of the book. Because I don’t just mean that yeah, it’s very easy to feel like you know all those people you’re reading about & like they’re real people. I mean that they are people, they do things they regret later, they keep secrets they know they shouldn’t, they hurt others. None of them are perfect, least of all Darcy. And that’s beautiful, frankly, since in real life no one is perfect either.

Darcy is an amazing main character. She’s kind of messy, in love with her best friend, and thinks she’s smarter than everyone else (at least a little bit). She doesn’t end the story like that, though. When I say all those characters grow and learn, I’m dead serious.

Darcy has all the answers. She knows how to solve everyone else’s love problems. She reads one letter, and she’s already an expert about any given situation. And like with everything, there are a lot of sides to look at this from. Yes, the advice she anonymously gives people is usually spot on. No, she can’t really know a person’s full story from a few facts they decided to put in a note - but the narrative calls her out on this. Yes, it’s made clear that it’s easier to figure out what to do when you’re not emotionally invested & that’s one of the reasons why Darcy is so successful. No, she can’t really take her own advice.

When it comes to her own love life, Darcy reads too much into things or just doesn’t notice stuff, all depending on the outcome she’s hoping for. None of that smart assessment of situation she displays when telling others to do. Very little logic, a lot of wishful thinking. Which, honestly, makes perfect sense.

Darcy is also bisexual, and to be honest, that’s where the book truly gets to shine. You can clearly tell it’s an ownvoices story, with all the care taken to portray bisexuality. Not only in the very clear way of how the plot unfolds: Darcy is in love with a girl and then later falls for a boy (that’s not a spoiler, right? y’all must have been expecting that). There are also discussions, internal monologues about what bisexuality actually is and how biphobia comes into play. I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA book with bi rep this good.

And yes, the Boy. Brougham is just… so sweet. Basically always willing to help, to spend time with someone, make them feel better. But even more importantly, Brougham puts a lot of weight on other people’s feelings, opinions, boundaries. In a phrase, he respects people. If Darcy tells him she doesn’t enjoy something, he’ll stop. A revolutionary concept, yes, I know.

That’s just to show you, though, what an important part relationships play in Perfect on Paper. Obviously the romantic ones, given the whole premise of the book. Even with those, Gonzales took some turns you might not be expecting; some happy endings that don’t look like them from the start. But different kinds of relationships aren’t downplayed at all. Darcy and her sister are a major point in the story. Parents are actually visible here, and while they’re not always perfect, the narrative actually talks about that.

Perfect on Paper is a perfectly wholesome story about imperfect people. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you yearn. It might even make you learn something. Most of all, it will make you feel loved.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Darcy has been giving anonymous advice to her fellow private school students for awhile, and it’s a great source of income for her since she’s a scholarship student whose mother works at the school. But when she agrees to help Alexander Brougham, it sets off a series of event that changes everything.

Darcy specializes in relationships, and her advice is actually useful, focusing on setting boundaries and different attachment styles. But she ends up breaking her own rules in several different ways—this affects her relationships with her friends and loved ones, including her best friend Brooke, who Darcy has been pining over for years.

One of the best things about this book was its inclusiveness. Both the protagonist and the supporting characters represent the full spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. However, that characterization represents only a small facet of their overall personalities rather than *the* defining characteristic. It was an especially moment to see Darcy’s friends validate her bisexuality even if she happens to like a straight guy. Quick aside—I’ve said many times that I don’t think teens are influenced by drinking/drug use in YA books. However, seeing messages combatting stereotypes are absolutely influential and bear repeating.

Darcy is a delightful protagonist. She means well, but she doesn’t always do the right thing, and over the course of the book, she faces the consequences of her actions. But she learns from her mistakes, and this makes her into a better person.

I would totally recommend Perfect on Paper. This book is sweet and heartwarming and fun and quirky, and I could go on all day with positive adjectives to describe how much I enjoyed my reading experience. Having grown up in Los Angeles, I got a bit homesick during some of the scenes, especially the ones set in Disneyland. This is the second book I’ve read from Gonzales; I’m totally a fan, and I’m already looking forward to whatever comes next!


I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley

Frenemies to Lovers
Excellent banter
For fans of Becky Abertalli, Kasie West, Jen Bennett

I have not read a 5 star YA in a while. I know I am out of the demographic range, but I started to wonder if I was growing out of YA books or if I just wasn’t picking up a 5 star. I finally found a 5 star with this one. Perfect on Paper is everything I want in a YA romance - smart, funny, cute with great representation. I mean, the characters go to Disneyland in this one - what more could I want? I loved the writing style and the way the author built the relationship. Such a delight!

I am so happy after reading this! This book is just so sweet, it is such a feel good story that really makes you feel the love. This has such good rep in it, and it is so well-written. I highly recommend this one.

Sophie Gonzales is two for two! Her first novel, Only Mostly Devastated, was more up my alley...or so I thought. This story was just as good and kept me engaged the entire time. I was able to relate to several characters in this story and I was rooting for everyone. I can not recommend this book enough. The conversation of bisexual individuals in society was such an interesting discussion. I already have her third book, If This Gets Out, preordered and am eagerly waiting for December 2021. I can totally see me rereading this book again before then.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

OHMYGOD. I finished this earlier today and it was just so good, so pure and so heartfelt. I LOVED THIS WITH MY WHOLE GAY AF HEART. Darcy Phillips has a secret: she runs an anonymous relationship advice service from Locker 89 in her school. When Alexander Brougham catches her collecting the letters, they strike a deal: in order to keep Darcy's secret a secret, she'll help Brougham win back his ex-girlfriend.

Darcy was such an interesting character, she's flawed but grows through them and learns from her mistakes. I loved that there's so much relationship advice in this book, especially seeing Darcy educate one of them about the difference between the asexual spectrum and the aromantic one. It made me so happy. ALL THE FEELS!! Seeing the letters from the locker and how Darcy came up with her replies was one of my favorite parts of this.

I loved this contemporary so much. It tackles biphobia both external and internal, unrequited love and the consequences of bad decisions. Friendship is also a huge theme of this book. I definitely don't have enough words to tell y'all how much I loved this. I definitely cried happy tears at the end. ITS JUST SO GOOD.

Such an interesting plot and story line. Young adults are going to be immediately engaged and interesting in reading more. The suspense and irony are what keep readers on the edge of their seats. This does a great job offering a variety of interesting and relatabl,e characters that are real and honest,