I had a bad day yesterday and was struggling to get into a book. I picked this one up assuming I would have the same trouble concentrating as I had on the others and 2 hours later, I finished the entire thing. Perfect on Paper quickly grabbed my attention and did not let go until the very last page. Darcy is one of the most fun teen characters I've read in quite a while and her relationships with her sister Ainsley was one of the best parts of the book. The book deals quite a lot with biphobia, both internal and external and definitely had me reflecting on some of my previous thoughts/statements and how judgemental they actually were. So much representation in one book, combined with a great storyline and it was clear to me the author did her research about attachment styles and other relationship advice before writing the book. Really wonderful story and I look forward to picking up more from this author.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advance copy.

I don’t know where to begin with this review. So, I’m just going to dive right in. We start the book off in a very Simon vs the Homosapien way with the blackmail. But where Becky failed at Sophie did it better. Perfect on Paper is a fluffy YA romcom, with the usual YA romance tropes, very predictable and cheesy, but still worth the reading experience. I will say that it starts off super slow. I reread the first two chapters at least twice before I gave up and put the book down. When I came back to it I was able to push on to the end of the book. I loved the array of diverse representation mentioned in this book. Giving people advice on life, love, and relationships can be tough and Darcy learns that the hard way. Darcy Phillips is her high schools resident relationship guru. Only problem is she has never actually been in her relationship herself so her advice is a lot of guesswork and learning from the experts. Also, no one knows Darcy Phillips is the person giving the advice. Students contact Darcy through a locker system at school. Students drop letters into the locker and Darcy anonymously retrieves them and responds with her best advice. Everything goes well until she gets caught by senior, superstar, Brougham who needs her help with getting his ex-girlfriend back. The humor and emotions were conveyed nicely and helped the story along. There were times that I wanted to shake Darcy and yell at her that she should take her own advice. She had some very naïve moments that drove me crazy. The sister relationship was okay, Darcy would feel bad about certain girlish things Ainsley didn’t get to experience, so Darcy would let her sisters behavior slide a lot. I also, didn’t care for the callous nature Brooke took on when she was the cause of what happened to Darcy. She didn’t even apologize for her role, which annoyed me. Overall, I loved the discussion around bisexuality and biphobia. I think it’s something many people struggle with not just teenagers. Some adults question themselves and their sexuality. So, yeah awesome job on that Sophie. I am grateful to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance.

Fuck Biphobia. PERFECT ON PAPER is that book. Sophie Gonzales writes with a witty humor. The trio on the front cover are fully fleshed out and easy to root for. The book is well paced. What a lovely book with a bi protagonist. Here's the book for you

Really enjoyable read that I've ended up booktalking for my library! Bisexual Darcy is the love guru of her school, anonymously available for hire by her classmates. When she's hired by resident hot guy/her nemesis, Alex, she has to be his dating coach to help him get his ex girlfriend back. What folllows is a fun romantic comedy as Darcy realizes that Alex isn't quite as bad as she thought he was. Gonzales's writing style is funny and witty, and even though. most readers will see where this is heading, they'll have a great time along the way.

3.5 Stars ~

I was absolutely so charmed by Sophie Gonzales’s Only Mostly Devastated—the writing, the characters, and the storyline, especially, were a lot of fun, so I was excited for her latest release, Perfect on Paper.

This book offers up an entirely different sort of story in a high school enemies-to-lovers romance that reads like a Gen Z-er’s guide on how to navigate and survive the inevitable ups and downs of teenage relationships. Darcy Phillips has been running a low-key moneymaking gig, secretly offering advice to the lovelorn out of Locker 89, an abandoned locker at school where her fellow students leave anonymous letters (and a little cash, thanks) seeking advice on a variety of woes, from breakups to finding out if someone is interested enough to risk asking out.

When Alexander Brougham catches Darcy at the locker collecting letters after school one day, the jig is up and Brougham takes advantage of the secret to ask her for help to get his ex-girlfriend back.

It becomes clear early on that Brougham is Darcy’s foil, and eventually the same becomes true for Darcy to Brougham, the more time they spend together. I would even go so far as to say some of their dynamic might have given me some Pride & Prejudice vibes, but that may just be me. I do have to say, I did not love Darcy or Brougham outright, so kudos to the author for giving me a storyline that kept me engaged even as Darcy was salty and Brougham aloof, and then allowed me to judge Darcy pretty harshly for doing a no good, awful, very bad thing—which she does at least realize and acknowledge was bad, and felt the appropriate levels of guilt for even if it took her a while to make amends for it—and kept me hooked to the end.

Darcy is the perfect example of someone who takes her advice-giving seriously, but whose own love life is such a disaster that you wonder how she can be so perceptive for everyone but herself. The aphorism “know thyself” isn’t one Darcy’s necessarily familiar with. She’s head over heels for her best friend Brooke, but doesn’t know how to tell her, does some shady stuff to try to keep Brooke for herself, and then loses her anyway. It takes working for Brougham, then with him, to confuse her even more, but only in the way that makes her look inward a little more.

Perfect on Paper is about more than relationship angst and getting busted for running a questionable, possibly illegal, business out of a high school locker, though. It’s a book that celebrates queer teens and diversity, and it confronts biphobia head on. One of Darcy’s greatest anxieties is that if she falls for a straight guy, people, especially her friends in the Queer & Questioning club, won’t accept her anymore. There are lots of great messages delivered through these conversations about bisexuality, affirming and supportive conversations that speak directly to teenage readers.

While I didn’t love this book with quite the level of joy and excitement I did Only Mostly Devastated, it’s got its own charms and delivers an important message to boot, which elevates it to something much better than good.

hanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

This certainly could be a potential #netflix series for all those who enjoy teenage dramedy. The main protagonist, Darcy has been anonymously offering self-help to her schoolmates since 9th grade from locker 89. Until one night she is caught and blackmailed into helping get a couple back together, but Darcy's got her own relationship mess to figure out.

The novel explores relationships (both love and family), identity and is a compelling coming of age story.


Goodreads review published 25/05/21
09/03/21

Locker eighty-nine. It’s unassigned, but everyone knows if you drop a letter with $10 inside, you’ll get an email back from locker89@gmail.com with the relationship answers you seek. Guaranteed, or your money back. No one in school knows who is behind Locker 89. Well, no one except Darcy Phillips. She’s the one with the locker combo and spot-on advice. And she’d like to keep it that way. Until Brougham catches her in the act of collecting the day’s letters – and turns Darcy into his personal relationship coach.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sophie Gonzales, but it won’t be the last. I adored Perfect on Paper, a YA romcom with great characters and a fun storyline. For me, the book had a bit of a You’ve Got Mail mixed with Clueless vibe, which I loved. (I think it was just the mix of letter/email writing and then Darcy seeing some of her anonymous advice playing out around her in small ways at school, not to mention the Darcy/Brougham interactions.) Perfect on Paper did feel a little predictable at times (due to typical romcom-type situations), but for me the predictability didn’t detract from the characters (who I found delightful) and the engaging story.

Perfect on Paper is funny and relatable with the right amount of heart. It’s about relationships. And friendships. Following your own advice. And what to do when we mess up. Loved, loved, loved this book.

I love the representation in this book. Darcy is bisexual and I loved her questioning liking a boy. Brougham made this book for me though and I felt Darcy was too much in her head. It felt like a NA book which generally frustrate me.

What a fabulous novel! It was absolutely perfect. The main characters were all just wonderful, and I loved how Sophie Gonzales gave representation to teenagers who identify as LGBTQIAP+ in such a wonderful way, as well as wrote in a very honest and enlightening way about biphobia. I loved Darcy and how she wanted to help everyone by giving relationship advice while struggling with her own relationship feelings; I felt that the book gives excellent advice to young adults who might be struggling with their own identities, feelings, and especially with knowing that loving yourself without changing who you are is the most important thing of all.

I'd highly recommend Perfect on Paper be implemented in high school curriculums or at least be encouraged to be read by the teenager in your life because it really handles topics well that many of them face today and does so in a delicate, heartwarming way.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

"For the first time, the very very first time, I really believed them. That my relationship status did not change me. And that even if other people didn't agree, every single person in this room had my back without hesitation. I was with them and they were with me and we were with each other. A community within a community within a community. No questions asked. No proof needed. No valid form of identification required. We just belonged because we belonged."
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🌟🌟🌟🌟
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THIS. LINE!
Okay, I love this book and the topics it discussed and the way the author discussed them. After a very long time, I related to a character in a book so much! Darcy was a collosal mess, and she did everything a teenager would have done. Making messy decisions, jealousy, advice columns. She was flawed and her relationship with her bestfriend was flawed, but she made it work. All the characters had their own quirks and poor decisions on their sleeves, so it was impossible not to love them. The support she got through the group when she was not feeling her real self, even from someone who hated her? THAT! Thats was what made this book amazing. Being someone who struggled to identify herself, this was such a balm. Even though I didn't like certain scenes and the way it was executed (especially towards the end) this book was a solid one. There was one particular line that stuck with me..
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"No one looked judgy or irritated, even though it felt like such a stupid, trivial thing to bring up. The fear of passing as straight, for god's safe. "I feel like if I'm with a guy, I won't belong here properly anymore. What if I got a boyfriend? I'd feel weird bringing him to pride events, or even telling queer people I have a boyfriend. I'd feel judged."
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It might not be a big deal, but it is for me personally. The author addressed the identity issue and the judgement that surrounded it really well and it made me emotional. I can't recommend this book enough ! Just read it and feel the lasting effect a single sentence said in passing has on a person.
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Thank you @netgalley for the gifted e-arc!
Kindle/ Arc/ Netgalley/ May2021

Perfect on Paper is definitely one of my favorite contemporary YA romances. I just finished this sweet book today and now I want to push it into every bi bbs hands.
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I didn’t realize I was bi until I was in my early 20’s, and I wish I had books like this to read when I came out. There’s a level of internalized bi-phobia I think a lot of us go through where you feel like you’re not queer enough because you could pass as straight. This is something Darcy Phillips faces in this book and it was just reassuring to read how her friends respond.
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If you’re a fan of Disneyland at all, this book has an entire chapter set at the parks and I was just 🥺🥺🥺 over here.
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Not only did this book have great bi rep, but it has great LGBTQ+ rep overall. Darcy’s sister Ainsley is trans and a YouTube creator who takes thrifted clothes and turns them into amazing pieces of fashion, and let’s just say I would love a spin-off book all about her.
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Honestly loved this book so much. From the friendships to Darcy’s relationship advice business and the fact that each character felt like a whole person with a whole life outside of the main plot. More books like this please! 🥺

Although a lot of the characters are really shitty to each other, it’s really entertaining drama. I like the conversation around biphobia and the relationship advice aspect. Gonzales is one to watch for sure.

Oh my god, this book. IT IS SO DAMN CUTE. I cannot. Perfect on Paper has it all - excellent LGBT+ representation, an anonymous relationship advice locker, and a super cute enemies to lovers story. Perfect on Paper feels like a new classic in the YA genre.

I can’t get over how multifaceted and intricate each of the characters are in Perfect on Paper - everyone from the main characters to the side characters all felt like people you could have known in high school. They were all complex and flawed individuals. I particularly loved how the relationship between Darcy and Brougham’s relationship unfurled. Darcy went into their friendship with a lot of assumptions about who he was - she thought he was arrogant and surface level. As they got to know each other, it quickly became apparent just how much Darcy had misjudged him. When they started to see eye to eye, the sparks started flying.

Darcy was a wonderfully complicated character - on the surface she was a bit overconfident (particularly in her knowledge of relationships) and was definitely playing god a bit in her peers’ lives. When she started to get to know Brougham via helping him win his ex back, the cracks started to show in her seemingly perfect character foundation. What I really enjoyed about her was how she grew when everything around her started to fall apart - she learned from her mistakes and worked hard to become a better person.

I really loved how Perfect on Paper tackled some pretty serious topics - specifically, biphobia. Darcy was an out bisexual teen who was active in her school’s LGBT+ community. As the book progressed it became clear she had some serious internalized biphobia. I’ve never read a book where biphobia is directly discussed the way it was in this book - I particularly appreciated Darcy’s speech during a meeting for her school’s Queer and Questioning club.

Perfect on Paper is a new classic YA contemporary for me - I already know I’ll be rereading it ASAP. Between the excellent characters, fun story, and how it tackled important topics, this is definitely one of my new favorite books. This was the first book I’ve read by Sophie Gonzales that I’ve read, but it definitely won’t be the last - I can’t wait to read her other books. 5/5

The cutest!! I loved the MC, her rocky relationship with her love interest, and how they both changed throughout the course of the book. Gonzales is such a readable author, and her characters are always so voicy.

"Perfect on Paper" surprised me in such a good way. I was convinced I knew how the book was going to flow from the minute I looked at the awesome cover and I WAS WRONG!

Darcy gives anonymous advice via an empty locker at her high school. When she is "found out" her secret becomes more complicated than she thought it could get when she starts giving advice "in-person." Bisexuality has never been so difficult.

This story has the right balance of drama and cautionary tale. It raises some great issues without being preach and remains a cute romance and a fun friendship and sister book.

This was a really cute YA romance novel. The characters are all diverse (in terms of sexuality, gender, nationality, etc.), which is lacking in most literature. The story was predictable and not at all subtle, but was an easy and fun read, featuring an array of characters who were allowed to have flaws but were ultimately easy to root for. This is an excellent book for reading on a rainy weekend day, and can be easily devoured in one sitting.

In the vein of Cyrano de Bergerac, Darcy Phillips takes it upon herself to create a niche that only she can fill. A bi girl who gives anonymous advice to her classmates, Darcy charges fair fees to help strangers figure out their relationships, for better or for worse. She's got a good thing going, until Alexander Brougham, the class heartthrob sees her collecting the letters from the anonymous locker dropbox, and threatens to out her unless she helps him. Begrudgingly, she agrees to help - because if her identity is revealed, well, that could cause some hiccups for Darcy. Hiccups like possibly losing her best friend.

A cute, diverse, breezy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for advance access to this title!

Perfect on Paper is a great book for high schoolers. This covers a wide scope of sexuality - a topic that is so important now. The main character is bisexual, but she's in love with her lesbian best friend. She offers advice on relationships anonymously to people who submit letters into an abandoned locker. Her brother transitioned to be her sister and she is in a club with other kids questioning their sexuality (asexual, non-binary and aromantic are all mentioned).

Darcy, the main character, works with a straight guy to help him get back together with his ex-girlfriend and an interesting love triange emerges. There are the usual "if only they communicate!" issues in this book, but the over-arching messages are great. I love the amount of relationship information that is included (different types of attachment styles, for example).

I'd highly recommend this YA book, especially because of the topics it covers.

Perfect on Paper was a cute and fuzzy story with a lot of diversity and representation. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Darcy Phillips gives anonymous advice using Locker 89. You put a letter and some money in the locker, you receive a solution to your relationship problem. Simple, right? Except it isn’t quite that simple. At least not for Darcy. She has a couple of secrets she’s been keeping and they are not exactly ethical…

She is caught against the wall, or better -- in the locker collecting letters by Brougham (who she does NOT like AT ALL) and he offers to keep her secret in exchange for help winning his ex-girlfriend back. Darcy has to deal with all of this while coming to terms with her best friend, Brooke, with who she is in love with, but Brooke is in love with someone else. Simple, right? Not at all.

It was a great read, with plenty of action, Disneyland, and some sassy and sarcastic sense of humour, which I loved. Another reader called it gay highschooler chaos, and I agree and was here for it! I genuinely liked all of the characters, even with their flaws and secrets. It had a “To All The Boys” feel with a queer twist, and it was a really great read.

“Probably needs therapy. Definitely needs a hug.” — Perfect on Paper
Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales will give you a smile on your face, as well as a big rush of all the feels due to how invested you’ll become with Darcy, her hijinks involved with running her relationship advice business, and how she comes to terms with her own love life and advice.

Darcy is the kind of storyteller that you immediately connect to, even if you aren’t a teenaged bisexual who runs a successful love advice service. With a whole cast of characters that are equally vibrant, equally soulful, and yet totally down to earth, Perfect on Paper asks the question “How would you handle your love interest asking advice about another person?” and makes it completely relevant for not just teens.

While Darcy is certain she’s been in love with her best friend for years, she ends up befriending her classmate Alexander Brougham. Although, Darcy would claim she’s been blackmailed. Brougham would say he merely took advantage of an opportunity. Either way, the two of them spend time together dissecting Brougham’s love life in a way that leads Darcy to reflect on her own feelings towards friend and crush, Brooke. I found myself sympathetic towards Darcy and Brougham. Even if I didn’t always approve of their respective choices in their lives myself (adulting, am I right?). It isn’t just the teens in the story who have their share of problems. Watching how the adults in Perfect on Paper go through their own transformation throughout the story was really impressive as well.

I adored how inclusive Perfect on Paper is with the LGBTQ+ community! Between Darcy, her sister, and the Q&Q club that is a safe space and everyone is welcome and that extends to Perfect on Paper as well First of all, how cool is it that this book is like 90% LGBTQ+ characters? Second, I love that this inclusivity is the norm, and not the drama. The inevitable drama is just in the relationships themselves, and honestly, I love how all are resolved within the story. It made sense to me, and I feel like there was some serious thought behind the conclusion.

Can I just say how much of a fan I am now? Sophie Gonzales was a new to me author prior to reading this truly hilarious and heartfelt story. From start to finish, I was entranced and did not want to say goodbye to all of these wonderful characters. Perfect on Paper is available today, so go get your copy now!