Darcy Phillips has a secret that no one in her high school knows: she’s the mastermind behind Locker 89, where students go to share their relationship woes and get advice. When Alexander Brougham catches her in the act, he enlists her to be his relationship coach in exchange for keeping her secret, and an hourly fee of course. Darcy has a lot of reasons for wanting to keep her after-school activities a secret, from its questionable legality to the fact that she may have used her power to do something terrible to her best friend and secret crush, Brooke. All she has to do is help Brougham get his ex back. How hard could it be? I received an invitation to read a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press. Trigger warnings: alcoholism, divorce, manipulation, bisexual erasure (countered), biphobia/some internalized (countered).

Sophie Gonzales is my new queen of contemporary YA. Only Mostly Devastated and Perfect on Paper are two of my favorite releases this year, and have you read the description for her upcoming Off the Record? Because YES PLEASE. In some ways, I like Perfect on Paper even more. Part of that is how utterly personal it feels to me having a bisexual main character who has both male and female love interests in the story (but no love triangle trope, don’t worry). I’ve read books with bi mc’s before, but never one that so directly addresses bi erasure and not feeling “queer enough” to be in queer spaces if we happen to be dating the opposite sex, like bisexuality is something that vanishes once we’re in relationships. So, thank you, Sophie Gonzales. I feel seen. There’s also a very cute wlw romance, a number of LGBTQ+, nonbinary, and poc side characters, and an absolutely amazing trans character that I love to bits. 10/10 would wear something Ainsley made for me with her mad sewing and fashion skills. I love their awesome sister relationship.

The other part is that Perfect on Paper feels a little more polished and cohesive as a novel. Maybe it was all the humor of Ollie’s perspective in OMD, but the narration in PoP feels slightly more mature, like Gonzales is more comfortable in her narration style. I found it easy to slip into, and the pages flew by because I didn’t want to stop reading. It’s relatively fast-paced, and there was only one point where I felt a little bogged down in the high school drama (but it’s a YA novel and I’m an adult reader, so that happens). I enjoyed the novelty of the relationship advice plot. On the one hand, there are all the many spectacular ways that can go wrong, but on the other, Darcy is always promoting healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and getting needs met on both sides.

If only it were that simple, right? As we can see with Darcy, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and she’s not in a position to make good choices when it comes to her best friend and secret crush, Brooke. While she does some things that aren’t okay, she spends much of the book realizing her mistakes and trying to make up for them. Her relationship with Brougham is more of a slow-burn with a hint of enemies to …? I won’t spoil anything by finishing that sentence. They don’t hit it off, but the more they get to know each other, the more supportive and understanding their friendship becomes. I ship it. Perfect on Paper is as good as its title promises, and it’s not to be missed for readers looking for wider representation in their YA contemporary romances.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Boy times have changed since my day in HS. Ok ok it was over 20 years ago, but still. lol.
However, even in my Gen X old age, I still LOVED everything about this book.
The characters are alive and jump off the pages to you. They are all relatable and just awesome to read about!

After I read this, I gave it to my freshman to read and she was done with the book within a matter of hours she enjoyed it that much. When I asked her why, her response was "Sophie Gonzales just gets it!" which is the highest honor a teen can bestow on someone!

Perfect on Paper was an adorable queer friendly feel good teen novel. Full of wonderful characters that leap off the pages and into the heart. Darcy is such a lovable bisexual main character and the Queer and Question club made me wonder why every school doesn't have such a safe environment. A cozy comfortable read,

Such an interesting story that I read it all in one sitting! It's rare to see such a diverse cast of characters in any book, much less one for the YA audience. Darcy is a relatable protagonist, and I found myself rooting for her and laughing at her quips.

This was the perfect read for #BiVisibilityDay this year! I loved Perfect on Paper and hope we keep seeing many more fun romcoms with great representation like this (which I wish I'd had when I was in high school, but better late than never).

This was a really cute, sweet romance. It's predictable, but a little bit of predictable is expected a romance. I loved reading about the relationship progression between the two main characters. I appreciate when characters in a romance spend time together and get to know each other before falling for each other.

WOW! Sophie Gonzales has truly done it again. I did not think there was any way for her to beat out my love of Only Mostly Devastated but BOOM - She did it. I am beyond shook after having read this book.

One thing I loved so dearly about OMD is that we saw a bi character in a m/f relationship and I don’t think we see enough of that. Bi people are still bi no matter who they are dating. In OMD that was very much a side plot but here that is the front and center narrative. Darcy is so beautifully and unabashedly queer, even when she starts to have feelings for Alexander. Her queerness is such an integral part of her identity and it was fantastic to see how Darcy navigated that while within a m/relationship.

Without giving anything away there is a scene at the end of this book in a meeting of the Queer and Questioning club that is so earth shatteringly important. You will know exactly what scene I am talking about when you get to it. I promise. I was a WRECK of emotions.

Everyone needs to read this book. It is so clear the care and love Sophie put into each and every page. Darcy is smart, funny, and such a fantastic mess. Sophie has a way of writing that keeps you engaged every step of the way. There was not a moment of this story that felt slow or rushed. It moved at the exact right pace it needed to move.

Sophie is also so great about building an entire world within her books. We not only have fantastic and multifaceted main characters but the entire world of Perfect on Paper is made up of a whole incredibly diverse ensemble of side characters. There is literally room for everyone to feel represented in this book. This type of book is SO NEEDED in the YA space right now. Sophie Gonzales is a master of the page and I cannot see what she gives us next!!

Also shout out for the first time I have ever seen an author pull out the word Schadenfreude! That is one of my favorite words of all time.

First off, this had excellent and well-rounded queer representation. I love that Darcy was struggling with her bisexuality and how it defined her throughout the book. The relationship between her and Brougham was a lovely friendship that blossomed into something more. I loved the depth of understanding that came from Darcy's attempt at trying to learn the inner-workings of her classmates (and Brougham). I was on edge about how the whole locker 89 secret was going to come out but [I was very happy that Darcy was the one who ended up revealing it to Brooke (hide spoiler)]. Also, Darcy's sister Ainsley was a wonderful comic relief (and a huge support!). Everything tied neatly together and I had been hopeful that [the locker 89 advice would continue after the truth was revealed so I was happy the book ended with that as a potential Brougham/Darcy project (hide spoiler)]!

"Perfect on Paper" is a fun, rom-com - esque YA story centered around Darcy, whose secret relationship advice giving business at school brings her anonymous popularity in the form of Locker 89, and also brings her plenty of headaches and heartaches, because love is complicated and messy. I thought this was such a cute story and I loved the premise of it. Darcy is a great character, and as much as I was rooting for her through the whole book, I appreciated that she was allowed to be incredibly messy and flawed. The other characters are all great, and I loved the wide range of LGBTQ+ identities that were represented in the book. I especially loved the ways in which Darcy navigated the world being bisexual, and the ways in which the book addressed biphobia, especially from the queer community. The scenes that dealt with this were so, so good and so important. The fact that this book got to center around a bi girl who starts falling for a guy and made sure to validate her queerness the entire time was so, so good. There are so few books that handle this at all and "Perfect on Paper" made sure to say loud and clear that people who are bisexual shouldn't have to feel like they're not queer enough, no matter the gender of their partner. Overall, the story was really enjoyable and I loved the slow-burn build up between Darcy and Brougham, along with Darcy's evolving relationships with her friends and family. The characters all got to mess up deeply, but also got the chance to work towards forgiveness, and I appreciated the realness of that. Definitely looking forward to this book being out in the world so more people can read it!

“A love letter to high school relationships, Sophie Gonzales’s Perfect on Paper is perfect and unputdownable.”

Author Becky Albertalli’s praise for Gonzales latest novel, “Perfectly Wonderful” is exactly how I would describe Perfect on Paper. I enjoyed everything about this book and more.

I often find the books I read where I take notes are the ones I end up falling head over heals for. Where I map out my reaction of certain passages, noting the deep feelings and emotions they caused and the memorable lines I wanted burned into memory. Where a love sick boy seeks out and hires the main character to be his relationship coach to get his ex-girlfriend back, but possibly falls for the main character instead??? In my notes I wrote: “melt my heart; internally screaming if this actually happens!”

Okay, so the first thing that popped into my head when I was reading Darcy’s letter’s that are scattered throughout the book like stars in an unlit sky, was of the radio show Love Line back in the 1990’s (which apparently is still on air).

My husband said he used to listen to Love Line when he was in high school. He was drawn into the questions people had about relationships and Dr. Drew’s advice. Plus the added bonus of the hilarious dynamic between the hosts, especially Adam Carolla. It was a way to get relationship advice when you didn’t have anyone else to ask.

Now, I know Darcy is not a licensed physician and there are a number of legal and ethical reasons for not running an anonymous relationship advice service through a school, but the advice she does give is helpful. With this in mind, there were many exceptional aspects about this book I adored, including the letters Darcy received and responded to.

What was most profound was how Gonzales explores friendship (both plutonic and romantic). Perfect on Paper dives into the depths of what it means to be a friend. How sometimes the water is dark and murky, unsure of what our friends actually wants versus what we want for them. And as we dive deeper our lungs burning, desperate for oxygen, we see how far we would go for those we care about. Craving the closeness, respect, and acceptance like a diver coming up for air.

It’s how Gonzales shows those layers of friendship that makes this novel perfect. Like pealing back an onion piece by piece, your senses fully aware of each layer being pulled back as the story unfolds. You feel the sting of uncertainty and rejection, your eyes watering with tears. While also tasting the full flavors of the unexpected and the delight that a new found friendship can mean.

The absolute beauty of this novel is the LGBTQ representation. For this reason, I love how Gonzales focuses on friendship. Because that’s what high school is all about. Making those friendships that build on who you surround yourself by and how you see yourself with and without those people in it. It feels personal, relatable. It shows the solidarity of having a safe space for being Queer, with representation across the spectrum. And Gonzales does not shy away from the truth of social discrimination and homophobia, particularly when it comes to being bisexual.

Darcy herself is Bi. And as a bisexual teenager she experiences homophobia in a different way, one that in essence delegitimizes her queerness because her sexual preference is both male and female. As the reader we experience those fears and anxieties first hand. Doubting herself and fearing that the Queer community won’t accept her as Queer if she’s in a relationship with a straight or bisexual boy. But the underlining message is clear by the end of the novel. That everyone, regardless of sexual preference or gender orientation wants one thing: to be accepted.

Perfect on Paper is extraordinary. Gonzales paints real people into her stories with dysfunctional families, complicated relationships, and characters who could be a reflection of ourselves or people we care about and know.

This is a read you won’t want to miss.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

This is the first book I have read by Sophie Gonzales and I found it to be a pretty good YA rom-com. She unpacks a lot of LGBTQ+ issues and manages to work in all sort of family and relationship advice and analysis into it as well. On one hand I LOVED the book for this. Gonzales is skilled at weaving it all together with humor and your standard rom-com situations that involve lots of misunderstood signals and self discovery. The other edge to that sword is that it is A LOT and sometimes feels a little crammed. I'm unsure whether my high school readers will love that or be put off by it. I'm sure it will depend on the reader. I appreciate the fresh perspective/representation of a bisexual girl that chooses a hetero relationship and doubts her place in the queer community and her bisexual identity if she chooses to go this route. I have seen this situation play out before and it was nice to read a story for teens about this and watch Darcy process it. I happened upon Gonzales' comment on Goodreads about how this story came out of a train of twitter comments she was engaged in and I think she did a wonderful job of building the world and characters from the kernel idea.
Great YA read.

This novel is a celebration of diversity--exuberant, witty, splashing emotions all over the place.

Meet Darcy, who adores Brooke, and who in spite of her out-there personality and lifestyle, has a secret life: she gives advice to her fellow teens via anonymous letters deposited in an otherwise unused locker.

The letters are interspersed between chapters in which Darcy is drawn into helping a guy get his ex girlfriend back. Watching that friendship turn into something else is one of the joys of this novel, especially when Darcy begins to realize what's going on, and fears she's losing her queer street cred.

In this deceptively comedic, even wacky style, the novel confronts the hassles bi people get from both straight people and gay people, and sometimes from within. Then there's the whole discussion about secrecy and the power the advice-giver wields, and what their motives might be.

One of the other joys of this novel is Ainsley, Darcy's sister, who always has Darcy's back--and the support both sisters get from home.

Altogether a real roller-coaster ride, full of laughter, tears, insight, bringing our characters into safe harbor. Reading it this time of year, with so much anxiety and hatred and divisiveness in the world was exhilarating.

I loved Only Mostly Devastated by this author. This is another fun book. I love all the diverse characters and how it represents the real world and how it isn't just straight and white characters. It's funny and sweet. A great book.

This was a charming book of friendship and love. Kind of gave me Simon Vs. the Homosapiens Agenda vibes! Very sweet! Lot’s of LGBTQ representation. It was lovely!

Sophie does such a wonderful job creating characters I am quickly invested in. Loved this book a ton. Can’t wait for others to read it! It will definitely be a hit.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

I enjoyed this romcom featuring some LGBTQIA diversity. Darcy (assumed White) is the secret relationship guru behind a locker that dispenses relationship device along with a nominal fee. She’s also a teacher’s kid at a wealthy prep school who happens to be in love with her best friend Brooke (Asian). She’s caught as the locker letter writer by a classmate (white Australian), who blackmails her into helping his relationship drama in real time. The book was breezy and fun, like watching a teen romantic comedy film from the 90s.

I'd like to start off by saying that I am an #ownvoices reviewer and I can confirm that the bi rep is the best bi rep I have read in a novel, ever, and I've read many books with really good bi rep as it is. I appreciated the nuanced conversations the story had about biphobia, especially the constant invalidation of bisexuality when someone bi is in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender. I just...I think I needed this book right now.

Moving on, I really enjoyed the writing (I laughed so many times!), the inventive plot line, and the banter between the two love interests. I appreciated that it wasn't insta-love-y and that we actually got to see them develop their feelings for each other over time amidst misunderstandings. Usually I hate when misunderstandings are used as a plot tool, but here it made sense!

I do think the pacing was a bit off, with what felt like the climax at the 60% mark and then the resolution taking up the next 40%, but I honestly don't have that many qualms about this book. It was cute, sweet, reminded me why my love life is absolute garbage, and validated my sexuality. (We love to see it.)

I would like to note that the reason this isn't a 5 star read isn't so much anything the book did wrong, but more that it didn't illicit a strong enough emotional reaction out of me for a 5 star. Some points were cliché, I definitely knew what was going to happen from the get-go, and ultimately despite all the important conversations it had, it didn't bring anything groundbreaking to the table.

But with that said, of course, I did absolutely adore this and I highly, highly recommend it.

(Although one last note...I could tell immediately that the author doesn't live in California because Disneyland is far too expensive for someone who describes herself as poor to be park-hopping in one day and going whenever the heck she feels like it. And, a girl from LA wouldn't be surprised to hear that Australian students don't have a traditional indoor cafeteria because California students don't either :) )

-Book Hugger

Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for this book!
I recently read Sophie's book Only Mostly Devastated, and I enjoyed it so much! So when I saw this book on NetGalley and I new I had to read it!
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the concept of anonymous person giving love advice through a locker (where was that when I was in High School). It had everything I want in a book love, humor, drama. Loved all of the representation of the queer community. Darcy was a great MC that was so relatable. In the beginning I did not really like Brougham in the beginning but he grew on me in the end. Overall I really enjoyed this book!
Also posted on Goodreads!

This book is everything I wanted. I just finished and honestly can’t stop smiling. It’s genuine good-hearted romance with tons of representation and all of the classic high school hijinks to boot.

This book is ideal for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han books! Darcy Philips represents those who are single, but constantly gives advice to those who are in a relationship or those who want to be in one. I love her relationship with Brougham which doesn't start off on a great foot. It's disguised as blackmail but she'll also be getting paid for a job she does anyway at a higher rate than what she's been getting. This is an adorable YA book that YA contemporary fans can indulge in.