I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley. This was a cute teen rom com. The premise seems a little silly and is confusing at the beginning but comes together nicely by the end. It is well written and fun to read. Teenage me would have loved this book! I would definitely recommend it to my 8th and 9th grade students.

I am withholding my review in solidarity with Readers for Accountability and the publicity boycott currently going on for St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday books. Speak up, SMP!

Honestly, I skimmed through this book because I found the first 30 pages kind of boring. I think a younger version of myself would have been all over this novel, but it was significantly more YA veered than I expected. However, I will say that the concept of fanfics coming to live is such an ingenious plot!! Also, I love the fav that the LGBTQIA+ was mentioned throughout the novel! We need more representation for that community, especially in YA novels.

Ivy's looking forward to a few things when her parents go out of town—eating all the junk food she wants, watching her favorite show with her best friend...and maybe writing a bit more fanfiction about that same show. What she *doesn't* expect, though, is to wake up with a lead character from that show in her bed. Not the actor—the character. And it's not quite what she imagined...

If you were ever big into fanfiction—or if you read the entirety of the Protectors of the Plot Continuum more than once—this one is for you. It's obvious throughout that Gonzales has a lot of love and respect for fanfiction, and I'm here for that, but my favorite thing about the book, hands down, is how unabashedly terrible Ivy's own fanfiction is:

"He was so hot! His windswept, ice-blue waves were messy, like they'd been styled by the wind. His beautiful glowing orbs were extraordinarily wide and soulful. His biceps were visible through the thin cotton of his shirt.

'Weston!' Ivy cried, her heart coming to a shuddering halt. 'Is it really you?'" (loc. 373*)

I've read so many novels about incredibly talented teenagers who are winning contests and scoring book deals and so on and so forth—and it is just deeply refreshing to read about someone who is doing something she loves, mostly getting comments to the tune of 'please work on your spelling and grammar', and carrying on anyway.

"Weston scooped her up into a hug, and it was easy for him, like she was a doll he could toss around. But of course, Weston wouldn't do that, because he knew she was a human who needed to be cherished. But he could toss her if he wanted to. But he didn't want to." (loc. 382)

The trouble, Ivy finds, is that what is so romantic and swoon-worthy in her head does not always, ah, translate to real life. I find it hilarious that there's still so much of her manifested Weston that she finds romantic throughout the book—with time and experience and so on, Ivy might turn into a more critical viewer and writer, but for the time being she's a teenager and enjoying herself and that's enough. It makes for an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek read, and I'm here for it.

Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Such a fun and different read! There is nothing quite like a unique story to totally hook you.

In ‘The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist’ we meet Ivy who is a huge fan of H-Mad and popular tv show. Ivy has a huge crush on the main character, Weston, and writes fan fictions about him falling for her. One morning, she wakes to find Weston in her bedroom in real life. She enlists the help of her friend and fellow H-mad enthusiast Henry but her arch nemesis, and true inspiration for her fanfics, Mack, gets roped in as well. Meeting her perfect guy in real life forces Ivy to consider if this is what she really wants, a perfect life? Or does she want a life in reality with challenges, real friendships, and a huge crush on her ex best friend?

The characters and prose throughout this book felt honest and well thought out. This is a true YA novel with teens who may not be the best at identifying feelings or communicating yet. I found myself really falling for these characters and their quirks. The plot was very different from my normal reads but I found it fun and interesting!

This book is the perfect young adult romcom with elements of magic, multiple timelines, and an amazing sapphic romance story.

Ivy and Mack were best friends up until an argument ended their friendship. One year later, Ivy has a new best friend Henry. He shares her love for H-MAD, a fantasy TV show. Ivy’s parents leave her alone for a few days while they are out of town and in her panic of being alone she wishes the main character Weston to life. She needs the help of both Henry and Mack to help figure out what happened and what to do with the magical boy that now lives with her.

As the story goes on Ivy starts to realize that her “perfect guy” (originally thought to be Weston) isn't really the perfect guy but the perfect person for her might be closer than she thinks.

The author creates a narrative that has great pacing while she also weaves the timeline of Ivy and Macks friendship breakup with the present. This story is a beautiful look at Ivy’s wants to escape her reality and the loneliness she faces along with the negative consequences of denying our pain. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist is really cute story of Ivy, a shy junior in high school who uses her free time to obsess over H-MAD (a fictional tv show) and write fanfiction (about H-MAD). She's a sweet, slightly over parented child who has an ace/aro bestie, and a lesbian ex-bestie neighbor, turned nemesis. Her life is perfectly imperfect, filled with drama and silliness until her parents leave her alone for 4 days to go on a work trip and she wakes up the next day with Weston from H-MAD in her bed.

This book does a lot of things right. I think the representation of LGBTQIA characters, especially teenagers, is really good, and the care and execution of the development of those characters is very well done. The coming of age reckonings for Ivy herself are inspiring and sweet. She does some real self reflection, and I grew very proud of her as a person, because we get to know her very well over the course of the story.

This book, unfortunately, dragged a lot in the middle. I got about halfway through before I really struggled everyday to finish it. I think the beginning and the end were very well done. The dialogue was funny, and the conflict was really silly. This book did a great job of not taking itself too seriously and being such an affectionate retelling of self-insert fanfictions written by millions of little girls on Wattpad back in early to mid 2010's. That being said, I did not enjoy the climax and or conflict resolution. I think that the story had a lot of whimsical and silly elements that it should have leaned in to a bit more, such as Ivy being an unreliable narrator, as well as Weston being magical, but not having magic. I think if the entire conflict had ended up just being a fever dream by Ivy, it would have been more believable, but for what it was, it was okay. The conflict was resolved, I just didn't feel satisfied by it. Just a little bit confusing. Is Ivy magic? Why was that never explained? I have more questions than answers at the resolution, which soured my experience a bit.

Regardless, I enjoyed the story. It felt like a warm hug of a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC! Really enjoyed this one. The characters were fun & I loved the romance. Definitely will read more from this author!

This was a very sweet book. The characters are what really made it. Each of three main characters is so loveable right from the start. There is a lot of character growth in Ivy and Mack as they navigate friendship/a feud/dating and I loved reading it. Henry is a delight!
Fanfiction plays a big role in the story and I absolutely loved that. It was so fun to read about/see the different tropes play out.
While the main idea is sorta silly/fantastical (a fanfic character comes to life!), I’d say the actual theme is friendship and it was written so well in a very real way.
I enjoyed this book.

The idea that fanfiction comes to life is something that I have not read before and I really enjoyed it! Ivy's life is turned upside down when her fanfiction character barges into her life. It forces her to look at her best friend break-up with Mack and how she sees herself in general. Ivy hadn't spoken much to Mack in the past year after they had a big fight and fell out, but when Weston appears, they work together to solve Ivy's problem, alongside Ivy's new bff Henry. The YA romance is cute and has parts that had me laughing. I enjoyed the incorporation of not only different sexual identities, but maybe ones character's don't typically have like aroace.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for an E arc of this book!

As a fanfic writer, I was addicted to this book. Every little detail is thought out so well!! From Ivy's idea to her full drafts to her last story. This book brought me back to the early 2000s movies. It reminds me of "Read It or Weep It" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." "16 Candles" and so many more movies I loved as a child.

Additionally, I appreciated the modern twist that Gonzales had with the lgbtq characters. I think it's important to tell queer stories and advocate for accepting that they are out in the world. I'm personally asexual and can relate to one of the characters a lot.

Even if you don't enjoy writing or reading fanfiction, I encourage you to pick up this creative book March 26, 2024. Sophia Gonzales doesn't disappoint.

This was cute. The fanfic plot had some questionable elements but where this book flourished was in its depiction of friendship and teen romance. The plot involving Weston felt more like a distraction and an excuse to get these three real-life characters to work out their stuff. I’m still a little confused about the mechanism of how he showed up and why. But the relationships were cute and the happy ending was satisfying enough. Although the premise makes it seem like there’s a love triangle, Ivy’s only real interest is in her real-life friend Mack. The depiction of each of the characters coming out with different sexual orientations was realistically and respectfully done. I'd give this to anyone wanting a contemporary romance with a little hint of nerdiness.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher, for the opportunity to read this lovely book in exchange for an honest review.

To start with, I am GUSHING! I gobbled this story UP! All the warm, fuzzy, and squishy feelings? They’re mine now. I have them.

The characters are a breath of fresh air. Ivy? Hilarious and relatable. Henry? I want to squeeze him. Mack? Moody and brilliant. Weston?! Don’t get me started.

I laughed out loud at so many parts that I had to stop reading this in bed because I was waking my husband up. As a fan-fiction reader and writer, this hit me hard in a good way; the best way. The story is original, and how it flipped common tropes on its head was brilliant. Ivy’s voice was also so well-done and a pleasure to follow along with as she navigated conflict, both internally and externally, and the mystery of Weston’s appearance. I need more!

Well done, Sophie Gonzales! Well done.

This was such a fun book! I truly enjoyed the elements of fanfiction, the sweet romance, and the writing was actually ready steady.

Very cute romance with just the right amount of tension and adventure. The best part about it was the witty dialogue between characters! It kept the story moving at an enjoyable pace, and had me giggling throughout the whole book. Excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reader’s Advisory:

Features an asexual & aromantic character, which makes this a great book for ace individuals.

No major trigger warnings!

Great for readers age 12-18.

Mild swearing.

4.5 rounded up to 5 for netgalley and goodreads. Thank you to netgalley for an advanced reader copy!

The author has said in several interviews that The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist was intended to be a satirical comedy about fanfiction and popular fanfic / romance tropes, and in my opinion it absolutely delivered! We have so little YA for younger readers with minimal spice these days, and I am thrilled to see one coming out.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist is unique in the YA space because it's a true comedy. Think along the lines of Brooklyn 99, The Good Place, maybe even as another reviewer mentioned Family Guy. The jokes and nonsense are front and center, and while the character development is done with care, if you're looking for spice or a sweeping romance this might not be the book for you. If you're looking for a book that is lighthearted, hilarious, doesn't take itself seriously, waltzes back and forth across the fourth wall, has a very fast pace, and feels a little like Scary Movie, this is the book for you. It doesn't read like most YA rom-coms, including Gonzales's other rom-coms, and I'm hopeful it will open doors for more YA comedy books, as it's an almost empty genre and it's a personal favorite of mine.

I can see myself re-reading this when I'm having a bad day and just want to laugh and unwind.

I received a copy of this digital ARC on NetGalley for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. When I first requested it, I thought I had read that it was YA, which it is. I did not see the “Teens” in the tags.

While I was reading the book I was questioning if it was geared more towards young adults because it read more middle school, and now I understand why. I did not like the book, but that is entirely my own fault. This was much more fantasy/fiction whereas I thought it would be more heavily based on romance.

I made myself finish the book so that I could give my honest opinion and because I truely needed to know why Mack and Ivy were no longer friends.

I believe that young adults, and middle school aged individuals will like this book. While it is not my cup of tea, it may be someone else’s. It is a great story all around though. Great job.

This was so fun! What a good bit of magical realism, and I loved the romance that ended it all! I also really enjoyed reading a story about a fanfic writer, as I have dabbled in that myself. :) I will add this to the list of recommendations.

Sophie Gonzalez is one of my favorite YA authors that I will continue to pick up as I get older. I really enjoyed this book, even though it took me so long to read it. That end of the year slump was no joke. I really enjoyed the concept of this story and how Sophie always comes up with interesting plots. This wasn't my favorite of hers, but I still really enjoyed it. I was mildly confused as the cover seems to depict a character of color, but I don't think during the book that the main character was described as being a character of color. I will say again, it took me so long to read it that I might have forgotten. I enjoyed the anxiety rep in here, as well as the talk of relationships and friendships. Can't wait to recommend this one!

I really loved this book! I loved the fanfic aspect of the story and the way that Ivy gets to learn who she is through her best friends. It's a really sweet book and I enjoyed it a lot.