We land into the world of Chase Myles. Sophisticated, elegant, perfect. Chase who can show you how to pack the perfect beach bag or how to style your home. Host of "Myles of Style" he is the hot, young thing on the LGBTQ+ scene.

Except Chase isn't those things, Ethan is. Chase is actually a temperamental man child who walks off set mid filming and a few weeks before NYC Pride festival.

Ethan, producer & brainchild of "Myles of Style", is in a bind. But remembers Myles has an equally handsome twin brother, if somewhat off grid & wild. This is where the real story begins.

Beau is the opposite of Chase and maybe he's exactly what Ethan needs to remind him that perfect isn't achievable. This is a real fun book that reminds its readers that no one is perfect, embrace the messy & never be afraid to be yourself. The main characters are fleshed out & there's no side stories and side drama that don't overtake from the main one but round it off nicely.

It's a very typical romcom with its misunderstandings, no straightforward talking & third act drama between the two protagonists but you know what, that's exactly what I signed up for!

4.25/5 stars! The premise of this book sounded quirky and fun and I was excited to read this queer contemporary romance. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Beau was a breath of fresh air and I appreciated his authenticity to himself. Ethan was a bit harder to get behind early on. He felt like a control freak who cared more about results than the costs. But, as the story developed, and as Beau showed him there was a different way to live, I appreciated seeing him grow and them grow together—a sweet contemporary romance.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Funny and charming. I loved all of the behind-the-scenes stuff and the writing was very funny. Ethan is a bit dry so if you if you don't like your humor sharp this might sting. Loved Uncle Clams and the senior drag queens.

I was glad to see an LGBT novel with an interesting premise, so definitely wanted to try this one out. Ultimately, I didn’t make it past the first couple chapters. I’m tired of reading books with characters that are extremely unlikable at the beginning.

I adore a Hollywood romance or a romance that takes place in the tv scene. This was so fun and I adored Ethan and Beau. This book wasn't anything revolutionary and memorable but I had a great time reading it and really enjoyed.

Very cute and clever, but there needed to be a final lovemaking scene. Nothing too raunchy, but a romance needs that climax. Good enough, and nice to read a gay romance written by a gay man.

I really wanted to love this but it fell flat for me.

The characters felt very one dimensional, like caricatures and not real people. This meant the jokes just felt forced and overdone instead of clever in any way.

The writing style also felt like it needed work. I think a simple style works when there’s something to back it up, but this didn’t have that for me.

I think this one is a 3.5 read for me. Aspects of it were excellent and others were just mediocre. I do think that a lot of areas and plot points were never adequately fleshed out and sort of left hanging. I wish they had been explored more deeply and wrapped up better. Some things that were brought up never had a conclusion unless I completely missed them.

I really liked Beau's character but never fully warmed up to Ethan however my opinion of him definitely approved from what it was at the beginning of the novel. The twin aspect mostly worked and I did like how Beau handled impersonating his brother and it wasn't what I expected to happen which I enjoyed.

This was a delightfully queer book and I enjoyed all the different forms of representation.

This was a pretty light read with some deeper messages in it and overall a pretty fun and easy read.

The Problem With Perfect was a fun and adorable read that had The Charm Offensive vibes. I really loved the relationship between Beau and Ethan. The side characters were hilarious and I would read a whole novel with Ethan's found family taking center stage. Also, I need to know more about the trio of drag queens that Ethan's Uncle Clams is a member of!

This was a fast read that had all the hallmarks of a good rom-com. I will definitely be on the look out for more from this author!

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Problem With Perfect by Phillip WIlliam Stover. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

The Problem With Perfect was a fun read. Ethan and Beau are a cute couple, and the twin story arc was fun. It also was a great use of the social media trope to create conflict. Both characters were well-developed with realistic flaws, and it was entertaining to watch them figure out where they wanted to go in their lives. I give this book a solid 3/5 stars.

3.5 stars
This was a fun and enjoyable read with incredible characters. Ethan is intense and driven but still so full of love and life and Beau is charming and calm and exactly what Ethan needs. The book, given that it's written with Ethan's perspective, gives the reader such a good understanding of Ethan's perspective and his complexities - it is abundantly clear that Ethan is someone who at heart, tries to do good but over the years has become lost in business and busyness of his job. Ethan definitely has flaws and there were at least a few moments where I just wanted to whack him over the head because of his decisions, but his flaws were very relatable and made me like Ethan even more. Beau I understood less of since we just didn't get too much of his internal dialogue, but he was perfect for Ethan. The author did such a fantastic job of building a relationship between the two characters and showing their journey - I had no doubts about why they loved each other at all.
Some places that I thought could be improved were:
- the ending felt a little bit rushed - I love epilogues and would have loved to read a little bit more toward the end. There were definitely other parts of the book that could have been cut to make space since length can be a real issue. Also, Beau's talk with Chase and the parade etc. was so rushed and took away from the solid ending that I would have wanted.
- the secondary (tertiary?) cast members - it felt like none of them were really introduced super well? I still didn't quite understand the deal with Keegan and Chase or some of the other cast. The complications that Beau faced with Chase's relationships with everyone are definitely important, but I felt a bit like Beau having been dropped into someone else's life out of context with a bunch of people you don't know or understand. Beau and Ethan's relationship was so well developed and it was fantastic, but I think some work on the secondary/tertiary cast could have been done to make it clear who everyone is and make them memorable. I also loved Clams and Amnesia and would have loved to see more of them.
- Seeing more of Beau's internal thoughts in some way would have been so nice. It felt like I got to understand Ethan so well, and I would have loved to have some of that understanding for Beau too.

Overall, it was a delightful read that was fun and lighthearted, but with some important messages in it. I recommend it to anyone wanting to read a light, feel-good romcom.

I just couldn't get into this at all. Neither character was particularly well written, it was very formulaic and predictable. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you Hera Books and NetGalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I really enjoyed this love story! Ethan is into fashion, high end eating, etc. and wanted to pursue it but was not good in front of the camera, then he meets Chase, a very handsome man. He’ll look great on camera and he loves it. It’s a perfect match, but years later the two can barely get along for their show and Ethan is wondering why he got into this in the first place. Then Chase runs off and if Ethan doesn’t do something he’ll lose all the hard work he put in. Enter Beau, Chase’s estranged twin brother, with a little sprucing he’ll look just like Chase and no one will know the difference. But with a strong attitude, a warming personality, and good looks, can they pull off the switcheroo? And what if Ethan starts to develop more then a working relationship? I enjoyed that Ethan was a complex character he had gotten more involved with the show and his trajectory towards a high position that he hadn’t spent any time looking and whether he liked it or not. This also led to him putting up with objectionable things as a means to an end! I enjoyed the slow burn between Ethan and Beau and how Beau made Ethan really reflect on himself! And Ethan helped Beau come back to who he was! The only thing o would say is there were some slow parts that got bogged down in details but overall I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it! Can’t wait to read it again!

This was a fun, sweet read. Although it was filled with many cliches, I loved how the book was unapologetically queer. Ethan wasn’t the most likable character in the world, but he felt very real and ended up having quite a lot of depth to him and loved seeing his journey unfold, especially the connection between him and Beau. I do wish the ending was more fleshed out (I felt things ended a bit too abruptly) but overall, I enjoyed this one.

3,5*
This is a very nice and enjoyable book, that leaves you with something to think about whoever you are.

Ethan is a television producer, always in control and with a clear view on how things should be or how he'd like them. He doesn't like the spotlight and when he meets Chase, who loves it, he gets the perfect showman for his lifestyle program. But things are not so shiny, after a few year, Chase's not so keen to follow Ethan rules and suddenly leaves in the middle of a tight schedule a month before the Pride.
Who's better to take his role than his twin brother Beau who's living alone in the middle of nowhere and unknown to most?

We get a very lovely introduction to the story with Ethan comparing his role in life to characters of The wizard of Oz, whether he wished to be someone to style and fashion things up, he's now the man behind the scenes.
It starts as funny and entertaining, witha charming writing style, but life as a tv producer is no easy task and we have to deal with Ethan levels of stress growing everyday.
In this scenario Beau feels like fresh air: slowing things, leaving space for thoughts to be had, things to be enjoyed; he also has a grounding role: like a compass he leads Ethan and the reader to reflect upon what's really important and true anymore in a world of fiction.
I would have given it 4 stars but at some point it became a bit overly dramatic and anxiogenic, even if I get that anxiety really works that way growing bigger and bigger if you can't find a way to stop it.
I would have also liked a little more romance.

Even if the book is obiouvsly centered aroung gay/queer lyfestile, his themes about being true to oneself and finding your own way in the world are universal.
Thank you netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half stars.

Ethan Wells has been producing a lifestyle tv show Myles of Style hosted by an openly gay presenter, Chase Myles. Ethan is the brains and the flair of the operation, Chase is the pretty front-man, I was going to say nice but dim, but he isn't very nice, in fact he's a complete diva and very unprofessional. The studio also likes the idea of Chase and Ethan as a couple so the two of them have been fake dating for years, even though Chase is sleeping with other men left right and centre. When Chase swans off to a party in Miami when the team have time-critical social media pictures and content to film and post Ethan can see his longed-for promotion slipping out of his reach. With no time to fly to Miami and drag Chase back, Ethan decides to try to persuade Chase's identical twin brother, who lives in the wilds of rural New York, to step and take the shots.

Chase's brother Beau is nothing like Chase, intelligent, thoughtful, kind, mindful, oh and he looks like the wild man of Borneo, although that's easily fixed. The trouble is, on set no-one can understand how 'Chase' is no longer throwing tantrums on a daily basis and suddenly remembers the names of all the crew members. But when Chase decides to fly off to Abu Dhabi with a film producer he met in Miami will Beau be able to pull off a longer deception? And what will happen when Chase eventually returns?

Literature and films are mildly obsessed by identical twins/doppelgangers. Just think of The Parent Trap, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Man in The Iron Mask, or Dave. So the idea of a look-alike or twin being nicer than the original is not a new one. But if you enjoy that sort of thing (which I do) then this is a fun take on the theme.

I think my grading would have been higher if Beau hadn't been so dargone perfect, he felt too good to be true. Even his big bad secret was truly nothing of the kind. And in contrast, Ethan seemed to be the one who had to change himself, it's interesting that this is often a complaint I make about hetero romances, it is always the woman who has the faults and has to change - maybe its just something that writers lean into more heavily on the protagonist rather than their love interest? Anyway, it did make me wonder what Beau found to like about Ethan when he was (apparently) so bossy and needed everything to be perfect. But a minor gripe, otherwise it was a fun read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Ethan is an uber intense lifestyle producer for s gay television streaming production company. He discovered Chase Myles because Chase would appeal to the majority, as an out, handsome gay man. The trouble is, Ethan created a bit of a monster and Chase becomes demanding, and prima-donna'ish. When Chase goes missing Ethan finds himself in a bit of a pickle, as Ethan's success and a future promotion is banking on chase. They even have everyone fooled believing they are dating - for the cameras. Then Ethan remembers Chase has an identical twin brother Beau who might come in handy. Ethan sets about convincing Beau to moonlight as Chase which is where things start to go awry because now THEY have to pretend to be dating, and Ethan finds out Beau is nothing at all like Chase .... which is a really, really good thing.

The Problem With Perfect is a fun, quirky MM rom-com. I had imaginings of Queer Eye with Ethan the quintessential man about town in New York, and Chase a hairy, alternate, meditative type who has everyone wondering what's going on with Chase. I enjoyed the way Beau challenged Ethan intellectually (in ways Chase doesn't) and confronts Ethan's need for everything to be perfect, presentable, and preened. Ethan was surrounded by such a colourful group of friends and family, and I enjoyed his balancing this while yearning for someone to call his own. Beau was simply too good to be true I have to say, but it's a rom-com so I'll take him. He was just the balance to Ethan's high maintenance, the relaxed-zen vibe to Ethan's intensity. I didn't feel like the chemistry was overwhelming, but more a comfort level between the two of them, but this might be because any loving scenes occur off the page. It's sweet, a bit Priscilla Queen of the Desert vibes as well with the case of drag queens.

A really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Hera and Netgalley fo the digital copy of this book to read and review.

The Problem With Perfect is a terrific novel! I loved it! So maybe it isn't perfect, but the enjoyment it gave me was quite satisfying. The author creates a scenario where a pretty boy takes off, leaving the TV show he is working on without its star. Cleverly, author Philip William Stover creates an identical twin to take the place of his brother. We now see two wildly different "identical" twins and the fun begins. The story is warm and affectionate and includes lots of diverse characters. Count me in for the sequel!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I DNFed this at 47%. I liked the concept, but everything just seemed to DRAG. The storyline and the characters were fairly two-dimensional and boring and I just COULD NOT get into it.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Hera books. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Ethan is the executive producer on the show, Myles of Style, starring the utterly clueless Chase Myles. He has no real skills beyond his good looks and always throws a tantrum on every shoot. After a particularly bad fight at filming, Chase storms off right before the big pride parade. Livestreams, multiple segments, and even a ribbon cutting are in peril. Ethan needs the parade to go well so he can get a huge promotion. After going to Chase’s apartment, Ethan realized that Chase wasn’t really stressed out … he was just selfish. He left to go have fun in Miami. What is Ethan to do? Insert Beau, Chase’s twin with whom Chase had a falling out many years ago. Beau filling in for Chase is a brilliant idea, right? It isn’t like Beau is in deep debt or anything. Or, you know, of the gruff mountain man variety who lives completely off the grid. Not a problem in sight … not one.

This was really cute. Beau was awesome. I wish I knew more about the mountain man version of him. However, everything we did learn kept me interested and engaged. He kept impressing me with things he did and knows. Chase was a great “villain” whose selfishness and lack of awareness knows no bounds. The side characters (here’s looking at you Uncle Clams and the trope you instigated) were fun to get to know. Ethan was probably my least favorite character. He could have been a bit more likable. He wasn’t terrible, but clueless in his own way. The end was worth it though.

There were some super fun scenes in the book. One of which was the quintessential makeover scene. Some of the products “Chase” had to promote were hilarious.

If the synopsis seems like something you’d like … then definitely go for it! You won’t be disappointed.

CW: death of parents off page (accident, cancer), panic attack on and off page, family falling out described on page.