Darcy Phillips has a secret: For the last two years she's been the person behind "Locker 89", a space where her fellow students can leave letters with their relationship questions and Darcy answers under cover of anonymity. With what she would say is a 95% success rate, she feels pretty confident in her advice skills and judgement, except when it comes to her best friend / crush Brooke who is in love with someone else.

When her secret is threatened by Alexander Brougham, who happens upon her retrieving the letters from the locker. He agrees to keep her secret if she helps him with his own relationship woes: getting his ex-girlfriend back. She has no other option but to help him, seeing as how if her secret ever got out, there would be some other things that could come to light as well, things that Darcy is not proud of.

Darcy just doesn't know what to think about Brougham. He's popular, entitled, brash. Or at least that's what she's always thought about him. As they work together to win his ex-girlfriend back, Darcy realizes she has no idea who Brougham really is, but quite possibly, she'd like to find out.

I was immediately interested in this story for the bi representation. I read a statement by the author on Goodreads and agreed 100% that there is currently not enough bi rep where the character ends up attracted to someone of the opposite sex and also deal with the inherent biphobia within society.

Thing is...I wanted the story itself to deal with these topics with more focus. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely issues that are brought up, they are talked about and discussed, but it is not all the story is about. It's a part of who Darcy is as a character for sure and it also lends itself to her insecurities and vulnerabilities, and then the insecurities and vulnerabilities when she starts to feel something for Brougham more than friendship, but I wanted more centered focused on the issue.

Beyond that, Perfect on Paper was the kind of sweet romance I like. This opposites attract story. I loved the build up of the relationship between Darcy and Brougham which goes from frenemies to genuine friends who could be more.

I do like that Darcy is a flawed character. I like that she owns up to those flaws and genuinely wants to do the right thing and fix her mistakes. Reading the various pieces of advice Darcy gives you have to hand it to her, she really has a knack for it, but it's also one of those things where it's hard to follow your own advice. That's how Brougham and Darcy help one another. They point out those things that they each are maybe willfully ignoring about themselves. For Darcy, the fact that her friend Brooke may never feel the same way about Darcy as Darcy does for her, but that Brooke still deserves her own happiness. And that there was a reason Brougham's girlfriend broke up with him in the first place, so a reconciliation might not be for the best.

It's in these moments that Darcy and Brougham are so great together because even when pointing out the other's mistakes or flaws they still unabashedly support one another and don't use those flaws against the other.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It was a quick read with wonderful moments of representation and support and acceptance. It's certainly not one to be missed.

Everyone needs to go and buy this book RIGHT NOW. If you’re on a budget, then you need to go and request it from your library. You need to get your hands on this book ASAP. Meet Perfect on Paper, one of, in my opinion, the best books of 2021 and a new personal favorite book of mine.

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. I knew this book had 5-star potential from the very first page--and I wasn’t wrong. There was never a dull moment in this book. I was riveted from the start. In fact, it was exceedingly difficult to put this book down. I may or may not have stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this book. No regrets.

Darcy, our main character, was the perfect combination of sweet and dramatic. I adored her. Her humor and sarcasm were endlessly entertaining. I laughed so many times while reading this book. Cue Alexander Brougham, our love interest, and my new book boyfriend. I LOVE MY LITTLE AUSTRALIAN CINNAMON ROLL SO MUCH. If you couldn’t tell, I’m really passionate about this book and the characters. I have no shame. In addition to these two main leads, we have a great cast of side characters. My favorites were Finn, Brougham’s best friend, and Ainsley, Darcy’s sister. They cracked me up. I need Netflix to make this book a movie stat.

Now, if you know me even the slightest bit, you know that I live for witty banter. Let me tell you, this book had that in spades. Darcy and Brougham have some of the funniest, most entertaining banter I’ve ever read. And that’s saying a lot coming from me. Just saying.

Sophie Gonzales incorporated a lot of LGBTQIA+ representation in this book, and she wrote it very well. For example, Darcy is bi, her sister is trans, her best friend is lesbian, and Brougham’s best friend is gay. One thing I really loved was that Darcy’s high school has a Queer and Questioning Club which is meant to serve as a support group for anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community and provide them with a safe space. In this club, they can talk about any problems, questions, or concerns they have and get feedback from each other. It’s a space that allows them to feel heard and accepted at all times. If you haven’t read the author’s review on Goodreads, you should go do that. She talks about biphobia, which is addressed in this book, and why she decided to write this book as a m/f romance instead of a f/f romance.

If you couldn’t tell, I really loved this book. I cannot say enough good things about it. I can’t wait until it releases so I can get my physical copy. I know this will be a book I reread anytime I need a happy read. I encourage everyone to read Perfect on Paper!

TWs: biphobia, internalized biphobia, divorce, alcohol, drugs, and toxic parents.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly March New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

4.5 stars

This is so good and so queer. I normally don’t read arcs six months ahead of publication date; I can’t wait until March 2021 so I can squeal about this book with other people.

A very cute YA contemporary with good writing and flow. The characters and relationships, from narrator Darcy through to side characters such as Finn were well-drawn (not to mention Ainsley - oh my goodness, Ainsley, I hope that she only ever has good things in life!!) and the enemies to friends to romance arc was extremely sweetly done. I appreciated that all of the different storylines going on in Darcy's life didn't feel overwhelming, but instead intersected throughout the story. Although I did feel that the final message about Darcy's advice business got a bit muddled and the last few pages might have packed a bit more of a punch, I especially liked seeing Darcy's realistic growth during the course of the book, and the confrontation with internalized biphobia laid out so nicely. Recommend to fans of Emma Mills and Jennifer E. Smith.

A typical high school story of love and heartache, but turned on its head. Brougham is a star swimmer, rich boy,
and the guy everyone wants to be with...just not his ex-girlfriend. Here is where Brougham decides to enlist the help of the main character Darcy Phillips, the school's secret advice "columnist". Darcy is in charge of locker 89, where student drop off anonymous letters, requesting advice about their relationships, and in turn Darcy...gives them advice. Sounds simple enough, no? Yet, when she is caught by Brougham opening the locker one day, her simple, routine life is now turned upside down....and throw in the major crush that Darcy has on her best friend Brooke, What could go wrong?
Gonzales weaves a story that is rich with detail and strong female characters, you begin to see yourself rooting for Darcy, and even for Brougham. Yet, one knows that some of the secrets Darcy is holding onto have to eventually come out.

Honestly I love the message that this book gives! I never thought about a bi-sexual not really feeling apart of the LGBTQ community if they wind up dating someone of the opposite sex. That's definitely something that needs to be worked on within the community. I think I love the idea that Darcy has an idea of what she wants to do for the rest of her life. She knew since she was a freshman which seems to be kind of a rare thing. Darcy is a smart character and very relatable. Can't wait to read more books by Sophie Gonzales!

Let me tell you a little story. One day around November, NetGalley had sent an email. There were three YA books available as Read Now. I was able to score the two I wanted (You Have a Match, Perfect on Paper). I specifically picked the two mentioned because I wanted some light hearted and wholesome reading. Which I tend to go to YA for when seeking wholesome. You Have a Match was the worst decision of my life and I’m still salty about it. While Perfect on Paper was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Cute as hell!

Perfect on Paper was pretty perfect in its own way.

1. I love Darcy Phillips. She was a legit protagonist. She was a teenager, but wasn’t annoying and angsty about it.
2. The representation in this book is phenomenal. It makes me want to start my own Q&Q club because every school should have one of these groups.
3. The love interest stuff didn’t suck at all. I hate romance. I am probably the least romantic person on the entire planet. That being said, love crap can easily ruin a novel for me. But I actually really enjoyed it from this story.
4. Character growth and development. There were some points where I was like, “Darcy, you are being a little narrow minded right now.” And she does eventually see there are two sides. I appreciate that when reading.

One little critic: I found the representation of edibles a little dramatic and off. But I suppose it served its purpose.

I would highly recommend this to young adults and adult-adults. It has such a positive vibe. There are lessons to be learned about growth and acceptance. It just really gave me that wholesome-forget-the-pandemic-read that I’ve been chasing after.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read. It just what the self-prescribing doctor ordered. For clarification, I am that self-prescribing nerd doctor in case that wasn’t clear.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Perfect on Paper is about a bisexual girl who uses her spare time to write anonymous love advice to her fellow classmates in school, despite her inability to solve her own love life problems herself as she pines for her best friend. This routine seems to work well for Darcy Phillips until she finds herself blackmailed into helping Alexander Brougham win back his girlfriend.

There are many aspects of this book I really loved. For starters, our main character is very humorous and entertaining to read about. She approaches most conversations with her friends, peers, and sister with humor and made for wonderful dialogue. I also loved the inclusion of the letters Darcy gets asking for advice, and her responses back to these advices. As someone who has studied psychology and learned about these psychological theories used to analyze individual’s relationships and attachment styles, Gonzales does an amazing job explaining these theories as well as applying them. My psychology major definitely had me geeking out when reading this!

However, the biggest aspect I really loved was the representation of bisexuality throughout this book. The story deals with biphobia, both internalized and externalized messages our main characters get from others. It reinforces the notion that your sexuality is not decided on the gender you date. You are not magically straight if you date someone of the opposite sex, just as you’re not all of the sudden a lesbian or gay once you date someone of the same sex. Bisexuality is a valid, regardless of the gender of the person you are dating. This is such an important message for young adults to learn and I’m so happy to see it expressed in this novel.

Overall, Sophie Gonzales does an amazing job writing a fun book with relatable characters while discussing important themes that people who identify as bisexual experience. The romance was cute, the drama entertaining, and the messages impactful. Definitely highly recommending this one to anyone who is a lover of YA contemporaries!

This book was so fun! An absolutely delightful contemporary. Gonzales does a fantastic job of keeping the pacing up, the humor flowing, and the representation nuanced. I had such a genuinely great time reading this title. So many laugh out loud moments! Though it is primarily a light read, Gonzales weaves in more serious issues like biphobia and divorce in such a respectful, fleshed-out way. It never feels preachy, but it doesn't shy away from the issues either. As someone who is bisexual myself, I adored the way that Gonzales tackled both internalized biphobia and biphobia in queer spaces. It's something I think more YA should address, and it means so much to me to see it handled so deftly here.

Darcy Phillips is excellent at doling out relationship advice. So good, in fact, that she secretly runs locker 89 at her high school where her fellow classmates drop off letters asking for help and Darcy answers them (for a $10 fee). But her secret identity is challenged when Alexander Brougham catches her at the locker after school. So Darcy reluctantly agrees to help him get back together with his ex-girlfriend, Winona. At a hourly cost, because Alexander is loaded and Darcy's a rare scholarship student. And after all, if everyone finds out she runs locker 89, not only will her secret be out, her best friend/crush, Brooke, will realize she's done some questionable meddling in Brooke's life via the locker. All she needs to do is help a rich, entitled guy win his former girlfriend back? How hard can it be?

"Why was it so much harder to answer my own relationship questions than everyone else's?"

This is a really cute and fun read. It totally stressed me out in places. I'm not good with lying, and here we have Darcy not only fibbing about "being" locker 89, but then she's using the locker to meddle with her friends' relationships? Ahh! Cue my blood pressure going up.

But I couldn't help but feel fondly for this girl who so meticulously researched her letters, who so desperately wanted to help others, but was afraid to take risks in her own world. She's starry-eyed in love with Brooke, but too scared to say anything. Who hasn't been there?

Gonzales gives us a huge handful of diverse representation--such an excellent set of queer characters. Darcy is part of the Queer and Questioning Club at her school. There's an episode at the club covering bi-phobia that made me cheer out loud and honestly is worth the read alone. I love the trend of all these YA books with such strong, positive queer messages. I could have used this as a teen, for sure. Now if we could normalize bisexuality in literary and contemporary fiction!

There's some melodrama in this one and Darcy's self-centeredness and angst got to me, at times--perhaps this book could have been just a bit shorter. But, it was probably a fair representation of the turmoil teens experience.

Overall, this is an easy read covering both serious and fun (romance! Disneyland!) topics. It offers an excellent cast, lots of cute moments, and some strong insight into bisexuality and other LGBTQIA issues facing teens today.

Perfect on Paper is a perfect queer YA romance. Darcy Phillips is a bisexual teen who secretly receives relationship questions via an unused school locker and dispenses advice by email. Hopelessly in love with her lesbian best friend, she's great at giving advice and terrible at managing her own relationships. When she's caught in the act of opening the locker by Alexander Brougham (who goes by his last name), she agrees to help him get his ex-girlfriend back. (PS Brougham is Australian like the author.)

They initially get along terribly, a meet-disaster that calls back to Pride and Prejudice, and the relationship advice emails are reminiscent of newspaper columns and the TV series Sex Education. Darcy watches and reads a lot of relationship experts, so her advice works 95% of the time. You know, until she has to look objectively at her own problems. Her trans older sister sees through her crap and I loved their relationship, definitely the healthiest one in Darcy's life.

I really enjoyed Sophie Gonzales' last book, Only Mostly Devastated, but I loved Perfect on Paper even more than I expected. She's taken some classic tropes and a couple of familiar premises and blended them together with all the queerness I could hope for. Yes, the bisexual female protagonist does end up with a cis boy. And that doesn't make her less queer, dammit.

Darcy is messy and makes some irresponsible choices. She hurts her best friend twice and is hurt by that friend as well. Gonzales excels at writing characters who make mistakes--not just the accidental kind--and still come across as relatable and sympathetic. A book in which you can yell at the main character several times and still want their HEA? Really something.

Audio Notes: The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, is prolific so I'd listened to another book by her just a week or so before this one. I ended up not enjoying that book, but I loved this one. That tells me only one thing: this narrator doesn't magically save boring material. She is, however, a capable narrator. As mentioned above, this protagonist is messy but I still rooted for her. A narrator has to be able to convey that internal struggle in single POV and make it compelling and Kreinik is successful here.

Happy to recommend this in whichever format you like best!

***

Content Warnings: mentions of racism and homophobia, several references to biphobia (internalized and otherwise), divorced parents, Broughan's wealthy parents are in a terrible relationship with cheating, fighting etc., and he has an unstable home environment, lying, public shaming and suspension from school

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher for review. (I also received an ebook review copy.)

What a fun read this is! Admittedly, it's tropes on top of tropes but what makes it different and oh so entertaining is the diversity, Darcy has been running a relationship advice service for her classmates. She's got a lot to say but then she's surprised by Alexander, a privileged and annoying at the start young man who more or less blackmails her into providing him with specific help. It's a hoot in spots and In others it will bring a warm smile to your face. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This might be YA but it's a great one for older readers as well.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales was such a fun and delightful read. It follows Darcy Phillips, a bisexual teen, who has managed to commandeer a locker at her high school and uses it to anonymously dispense relationship advice to her fellow classmates. Students write letters and enclose a $10 fee and their email address, and after school, Darcy empties the locker and takes the letters home so that she can respond to them. What could possibly go wrong with this scheme? Enter Brougham, a member of the school’s swim team, who catches Darcy in the act of retrieving letters from the locker. Rather than rat her out, however, Brougham tells Darcy he desperately needs her help and wants to hire her to help him win his ex back. Again, what could possibly go wrong here?

For me, the most fun about this book was Darcy herself and what a perfectly imperfect character she is. She gives this business of hers her all, truly going out of her way to research the psychology of relationships and provide thoughtful answers to each of her classmates’ questions. Even though what she is doing is morally and ethically questionable, Darcy truly believes she is helping people and wants everyone to be happy. But when it comes to Darcy’s own love life, however, she’s basically a hot mess and can’t follow her own advice. For example, Darcy is in love with her best friend, Brooke, but she can’t work up her nerve enough to tell Brooke how she feels. Instead, she goes out of her way to sabotage all of Brooke’s relationships so that Brooke stays in her orbit and available in case she ever does work up the nerve. Darcy’s flaws in this area just made her all the more lovable of a character for me and I just wanted her to find her own happiness the way she was so intent on everyone else finding theirs.

There was really just so much to love about this book. In addition to adoring Darcy, I also really adored Brougham. He comes across as arrogant and obnoxious at first but it becomes clear over time that he is soft boy with a very dysfunctional home life, who just really needs a hug. I loved watching his friendship with Darcy evolve as they worked together and got to know each other better.

In addition to being a fun and super cute read, Perfect on Paper also tackles some important topics such as biphobia. I was a huge fan of the Q and Q (Queer and Questioning) Club where queer students could meet up and discuss whatever is on their minds. Darcy is the student who brings up biphobia as she discusses how people question whether or not she is actually queer if she has a boyfriend rather than a girlfriend. I loved that she had a group like this she could go to and receive support and validation from her peers.

Perfect on Paper is just an all around wonderful read and it really does have something for everyone. Friendships, flawed characters, humor, drama, teen angst, and so much more. If you’re looking for a fun read that will leave you with a contented smile on your face, this is the book for you. 4.5 STARS

I don't think I will ever stop thinking about this beautiful story and its unforgettable cast of characters. Usually, when you read a book, you get attached to a few of the characters, but here, it is impossible not to love absolutely all of them. From the romance, to the friendships, and the sisterly bonds, as well as the hilarious scenes and the heartwarming ones, all were completely captivating. I'm not going to give any details because I need every single one of you to experience this book and discover this feeling the same way I did.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ARC on NetGalley.

I love the whole premise of this book and I was excited that the story did not disappoint. Darcy is a main character that is multi-dimensional and relatable! I experienced a lot of the same emotions she went through when I was still in high school. Darcy runs a locker at school that provides relationship advice and gives out great advice, even if she is running the locker anonymously. While Darcy is good at helping others with their issues, her love life is non-existent. I loved the writing and the story in general. Personally, I felt the ending left a lot to be desired which is why this was not a five star read for me. This may be a five star read for you! I highly recommend it to anyone who is in high school or anyone who enjoys YA. It's a home run for the genre. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this story!

Thank you Netgalley for this fantastic ARC.
Perfect on Paper was such a lovely representation of the teenage experience. Darcy runs an annonymous advice program via Locker 89 in her school. That is until she is made by Brougham, senior swim team hunk. Darcy has another problem- she is in love with her best friend Brooke and completely unable to function when Brooke shows interest in any other gals. Together both ladies are in the school's Queer and Questioning Club, where characters show representation to all walks of queer and questioning humans and are the predominant supporting characters throughout. This book felt youthful, naïve, romantic, flustered, dramatic, and all the other emotions that generally represent being a teenager. Darcy's world was well represented throughout the book and the supporting characters did not leave anything in the dark. Darcy must navigate the twists and turns of Locker 89, her own queer identity, her relationships with her best friend, mother, and Brougham, her first disciplinary action at school, and her desire to help people navigate their confusing interactions with other people. Overall, this book ranks high on must reads for this year.

Headlines:
Page turner
LGBTQIA+ rep for days
Incredibly cute

A clever story was contained in these pages, all centred around Locker 89 and Darcy. Darcy was bi-sexual, crushing on her friend and seemed to limit her life options and expectations. She also ran an advice service through locker 89 (you'd have to read to understand). Now I've got that out of the way, I can talk about my own expectations - I had no idea where the romance of this story was going to go for the first part; I loved the lack of expectation.

Friendships were on the menu, a smattering of drama, lots of secrets and lies and problematic parents. I liked Brooke but only a bit, Ray definintely grew on me, Ainsley was fab and Brougham delivered on the slow building chemistry. Brougham slowly defrosted in this story and I enjoyed the reveal of his character.

"There was something special about being seen the way that Brougham seemed to see me."

There was something flawed and cocky about Darcy but also plenty of self-realisation and awareness to mitigate the cockiness. The story was fun, absorbing and had a lovely pitch of light with the odd casting of darkness across the page. I loved that circle back around to the 'job' towards the end.

Perfect on Paper confirmed that Only Mostly Devastated was not a one-off piece of goodness, Sophie Gonzales followed that up with another superb offering. I still need to visit her back catalogue of titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I think I’m laying in a puddle of happiness, love, cuteness and the feeling of being seen. I can’t even begin to explain how much I absolutely loved this book. Holy moly. I am in awe. This was absolutely fantastic. I read it in one sitting. Un-put-down-able.

My top five to ten YA contemporary couples has been jostling a bit recently. But the top three hasn’t been touched in quite some time. Laura Jean & John Ambrose have been a long standing number one for me. Until Karina and Ace came along. But my love for Darcy and Brougham have slide right into the top spot. I absolutely LOVED this relationship. The slow burn. Ahhhhh i can’t get over it. I’m obsessed. To be fair, i thought every character in this book was well thought out and wonderfully done. Her friendship/crush on Brooke was beautifully explored and I loved their ability to be friends despite everything.

There’s a portion of this book that really stood out to me. I don’t want to give it away, but I want to thank Sophie for making this bisexual feel incredibly seen and heard. A lot of Darcy’s concerns I’ve had in my life and what she said resonated more than you will ever know. Thank you. This was masterfully crafted and well executed and I can’t get over how much I love it. What a fun concept with so much underlying beauty I’ll never stop thinking about it.

If you need a great book- please grab this. You won’t regret it.

Sophie Gonzales has done it again! Perfect on Paper is a perfect glimpse into a realistic coming of age moment for 2021 teens. Darcy is her school's anonymous relationship advice guru. Like most things when you're 16, her perfect plan to coach her peers blows up in her face. Darcy has a reliable and diverse friend group (The Queer and Questioning club) that is there for her no matter what. Even when it's some of the club members that suffer her ill advised advice. The school club was the shining gem in this book for me. The club was an informative, welcoming, judgement free zone. I hope spaces like this really exist!
Also, her trans sister Ainsley's happy and healthy side-storyline was perfect. It's so refreshing to read about a trans character that doesn't focus on trauma.

I feel like I've been transported to high school again, but it was never this entertaining!

Darcy Phillips is a Junior in high school that runs an anonymous relationship advice business from the infamous locker 89. When she gets caught by Alexander Brougham, the strike a deal to help Alexander get his ex back. I never know how exciting high school should have been until now! This book made my high school experience very uneventful, but alas we can't all have a Darcy Phillips that gives people relationship advice!

As I don't read much YA, this book was fun! I was thoroughly entertained by the plot and the storyline and the high school life and I loved Brougham, he was the best moody teenager in the whole book!

If you like to see what should have been your idea of an entertaining high school experience, or just some good relationship advice, this book will have you hooked!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review