I really, really wanted to love this one because I've loved previous books by Sophie Gonzales, but I just really do not enjoy magical realism. I stuck it out to finish the book because I loved the YA queer aspect and I wanted to know what happened, and it was a quick read. But overall, thanks to not enjoying magical realism, this one was not for me.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist is a perfect YA novel for youth who are just trying to figure it all out. Navigating friendships, crushes, and your identity, all while going through school can be tough - but Sophie Gonzales does a great job bringing it all together and wrapping it up with a bow.

It was an easy read at first but then I started to get bored and skimmed through the rest of the book. I felt like younger me would've enjoyed this a lot more. I just felt like everyone was so immature. Ivy and Mack's friendship seems toxic as hell. Ivy has an unhealthy attachment to Mack and Mack just seems so hot and cold. One minute she seems genuine and then the next minute, she wants nothing to do with Ivy. I don't know how I'm supposed to root for them as friends and as a couple.

The fictional character coming to life wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Maybe because I found Weston over the top annoying. Yeah, this novel wasn't for me. Maybe I'm outgrowing YA because a lot of these new novels are either the same book written over and over or just plain ole boring.

I didn't feel super attached to the characters which was disappointing because as a nerd, a premise like this was really interesting. I think part of it may just be because I feel I have "aged out" of fandom culture, atleast compared to how I used to be.

Ivy is a high school junior who spent a year of her life writing fanfic about her favorite show after a disastrous fight left her without her closest friend, Mack.

Now she spends her time with Henry, her new best friend and obsessive fan of the same fantasy show, H-MAD.

Now, she’s got a week at home alone to do as she pleases, which includes hanging with Henry and binge watching her favorite show. Except, after a frightening thunderstorm, she finds Weston, the blue haired main character from H-MAD very much alive and standing in her bedroom.

Somehow that fanfic has brought her version of him very much to life. Ivy quickly realizes she needs help, and between wise cracking Henry and nosy Mack, they’re determined to figure it out…and maybe find their way back to friendship or more.

Here’s what worked for me:
•The book safely explores sexuality and coming out in a way that could be beneficial to kids.
•Henry is a delight.
•The girls have a good, level headed conversation to work out their differences and what led to the end of their friendship.
•It feels very much like a pre-teen novel.

Here’s what didn’t work for me:
•It reads like a book for 10-14 year olds, not 13-18 year olds. I could imagine it, with some edits, as a read aloud for my classroom.
•The characters and their dialog do not seem like juniors in high school. They read much younger.

For what it’s worth, with the fantasy elements, I could see this as a fun graphic novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC to read and review. Available March 26, 2024.

A fanfic writer brings her favorite TV character to life in this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers novel full of humor and heart.

I was excited to read this book, but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks you for the ARC

i am withholding my review and any promotion of this title due to the boycott of SMP. if SMP eventually speaks up and the boycott ends, i will update this with a review.

I think Sophie Gonzales is just a delight. Her books are so sweet and hopeful and lovely. This one is just so much fun. I think Sophie was made to write YA romance/contemporary because it's always so good. It just fills me with such happy vibes. This book is like a love letter to fan-fiction and also a statement about how important it is to live in the real world just as much as you live in fantasy ones. I think it perfectly toed this line and never ended up feeling like something that was against fan fiction and fan culture. Overall it was an adorable and fun romp through fandom and romance.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist was a quick and enjoyable read, but it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. The characters were well drawn and felt real, but they just weren't particularly interesting or unique. I enjoyed the novel premise - what if your own fanfiction came to life? - but I didn't feel like it was explored deeply enough. The plot as a whole seemed transparently designed to serve the central romance, which isn't really a problem but left me wanting more action. Overall this was a fun read but didn't offer much beyond a basic young-adult romance, although I did think the queer elements were sweet and well done.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I love me a Sophie Gonzales book! Ivy’s parents are leaving her alone for a week and as much as she’s excited she’s also scared too. But worst of all this means she’ll have to interact more with Mack, her next door neighbor and ex best friend, because Mack’s will be checking in on her and giving her rides to school. After the first night alone, filled with thunderstorms, she wakes up to find she’s not alone in her room. Somehow her favorite character from H-MAD, a popular tv show, has shown up in her room. Weston doesn’t seem to realize he’s not real though. How did he get there and what does Ivy do with him when her parents get home? It’ll take working with Mack and Ivy’s best friend Henry to figure it out. I loved all the different tropes that are brought into this one! And I’ll say it even as they disliked the enemies to lovers trope in the book I found it to be delightful! I enjoyed Weston’s forced behavior! I like that you get the past and present as well so we get to see what led to the end of Ivy’s and Mack’s friendship and where they are at now! Plus I adored Henry! Full of silliness, humor, and charm! If you enjoy rom coms, definitely check this one out!

I was super invested in the backstory of what happened between Ivy and Mack, and I found all the fanfic references funny and relatable as someone who read a ton of fanfic in my younger days. Overall a cute read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital ARC

AHHHH. One of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it certainly didn't disappoint! I loved the fanfic-y premise and the self-aware writing style, although I wasn't the biggest fan of the dual narrative, I often found myself wanting to read one or the other more. I liked the drama and the writing style as well. I recommend this for teens and satirical rom-com readers!

Sophia Gonzales’ “The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist” was a delight! The story flowed easily, diving into the world of fanfic and teen angst, delivered on a platter rich with self discovery and friendship. I LOVED the queer representation and story-telling style.

Gonzales’ use of time, flipping back and forth between the past and present, gives us little bits of history between Mack and Ivy. As the present builds and the past unravels, Ivy, Mack, Henry, and Weston offered hilarious commentary with a healthy dose of self awareness. There is so much humor and satire in this book that I found myself giggling repeatedly. My favorite aspect of this book, however, was its ability to poke fun at the classic tropes we love in the romance genre.

I would suggest this book to adults, young adults, or teens that love romcoms, queer coming of age stories, or novels with magical themes.

If you were one of those dark one direction fanfic readers or dare I say, WROTE those fanfics, this is YOUR BOOK!!!

"The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" is a YA satirical (contemporary) novel that follows Ivy, a bi teen and fanfic writer. Growing up, Ivy has been close to her best friend, Mack, until she realizes she may or may not be hopelessly in love with her, and their interests begin to draw them apart. Now enemies, Ivy misses Mack, so she writes fanfics to distract herself from her lonesome reality. One day, after her parents have left on a trip leaving Ivy all alone, she writes another fanfic revolving around her fictional crush, Weston, from a tv show called, "H-MAD," wishing more than anything that he were real to keep her safe.

But be careful what you wish for...The next morning, a familiar name introduces himself! With Weston somehow existing and Mack still not talking to her, what's the worst thing that could happen?

This book was so funny. I loved the chaotic characterization of Ivy and how relatable she was as an insecure, nerdy teenager who just wanted her crush to like her. Can we also talk about Henry and the aroace representation?? As someone who just realized they're aroace, his character (even if not a huge focus) meant the world to me.

This is definitely a book that is easy to read and a simple slice of life to binge. That being said, if you take your time like I did, it can definitely get to the point where you just want to finish it. Overall, a super enjoyable read, I loved it and can't wait to check out more of Sophie Gonzales' books.

As always, endless gratitude to Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. "The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" goes on sale March 26th!!

Ever since reading my first Sophie Gonzales I knew I was in for a treat with The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist. The main character brings one of her fanfic characters to life only to find out perhaps what she thought she wanted wasn't the case. I love the use of fanfiction throughout this. I also found much love and joy in fanfic in my youth and wouldn't be who I am without it. This is a wonderful love story I cannot wait to recommend to friends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review the advanced copy of The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist. First, I am pretty far out of the target age group in some ways - however in other ways I was the queer teenage girl obsessed with a tv show writing fanfiction and doing everything fannish when those around me couldn't care less. In some ways I felt this book was written for a younger me!

It was super cute. Again, as I'm not the target, I found a lot of it a bit too simple and silly - but in ways that were quite sweet and told a fun story. Awesome representation. Great discussions of being ace, bi, queer! POC characters! Teens that act and sound like teens! I'd buy this for my teenage niece and hope that she'd read it so we could talk about it.

Ahhh this concept was so unique and fun and I was super into it! If you are a fandom lover then this book is for you!! I could relatable to the fandom love for sure and overall this book was just so dang cuteee!

I was so excited for this book after loving Never Ever Getting Back Together and loved the premise of a teen’s fanfic character coming to, and subsequently upending her life. This started off cute and I liked the build up to the moment when Weston appeared in Ivy’s reality… but it quickly fell apart.

Ivy and Mack were not likable - and I will champion an unlikable character, so when I say unlikable, there was no redeeming or making them endearing in the end. This lack of self awareness and cringy behaviour was highlighted even more by the dual timeline, which explained Ivy and Mack’s falling out as friends. The structure of these two timelines was very choppy and quite chaotic. The mystery of Weston’s existence might have been more intriguing, but the writing lacked focus made me unable to connect with the characters and the story.

I think YA readers may enjoy the drama of the story, but I don’t think they’ll connect with or find the characters particularly endearing. Ultimately, with the overall chaos of the story and lack of structure and humanity within the characters, this was, sadly, a miss for me.

5 Stars!!!

With her overbearing parents leaving her home alone for the first time, Ivy is looking forward to relaxing, watching her favorite TV show H-MAD with her bestie Henry, and writing fanfic of said show about the protagonist Weston. Her neighbors are helping her with rides to school and checking in periodically to make sure she’s safe, but unfortunately her neighbor includes her ex-best friend (and ex-crush), Mack. After an especially aggravating check-in with Mack, Ivy goes to sleep wishing for Weston to be real. When she wakes up, not only is Weston real, but he’s convinced he’s Ivy’s soulmate. Ivy needs to figure out what to do with him before her parents come home, and she enlists the help of Henry and (reluctantly) Mack to help her figure it out.

I’m not sure if I’m doing the plot summary justice here. I’m just wanting to avoid too many spoilers, but I highly recommend just checking this book out for yourself if even an inkling of you is intrigued. Sophie Gonzales is an amazing author. This is the second book of hers I read, and both sucked me in completely and made me laugh with nearly every single page. Seriously, the friend group in this book is hilarious!

The romance aspect and the magic realism aspect of this book work together perfectly. Weston was so amazing one minute and then extremely creepy the next. At times I was getting some Black Mirror vibes, which is just so cool to see in a YA Romance and made this book stand out. It makes sense how Ivy would want to initially keep him around before realizing that not all that glitters is gold.

Which goes into the character development. Our main cast of characters were very multi-faceted and all had gone through some sort of change by the end, not just Ivy. It’s what also made them so fun to read about.

This book was also split into the past, where we would see how Ivy and Mack’s friendship crumbled, and the present where, obviously, we’re dealing with this Weston stuff. I appreciated how short the past chapters were. They gave us enough information to proceed with the story without distracting from the present day problems. The conflict was realistic, and both girls contributed to the downfall of the friendship in little ways until it completely shattered, but also are realizing what they could’ve done better as they begin to work together in the present.

Basically, this book is utter perfection and I cannot praise it enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Like, seriously, thank you!!!

I am a HUGE Sophie Gonzales fan - I've read all of her books, and own multiple editions - so I had high expectations going into this. And - no surprise - she blew me away completely. Another incredible book by one of my favourite LGBTQ authors.

I don't know what else to say because I have nothing but glowing praise to offer. So many authors have tried to incorporate fanfiction into their traditionally published novels, but Sophie's take is so fresh, and so different. You can tell that she has actually spent time in online fan spaces, and that she respects readers who engage there, which is SO special. Speculative fanfiction world aside, the romance between Mack and Ivy was absolutely the star. They are adorable and tender and perfect. I was giggling and kicking my feet while reading because they were just that cute. I love them, I love them, I love them.

Lastly, in typical (but amazing) Sophie Gonzalez fashion, this book touches on difficult and beautiful moments in friendship, remdinding you of why platonic love is just as important to fight for as romantic love.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this eArc. And thank you to Sophie Gonzales for writing yet another BANGER. I can't wait to buy every copy and every edition imaginable.