I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

This is perfect for anyone who used to write or read fanfiction!

This book is so funny!
It's about a girl named Ivy who writes fanfic for H-MAD a TV show she likes, and the main character Weston ends up coming to life after she writes about him (a lot), and she eventually ends up teaming up with her ex-friend Mack to figure out what exactly to do with him.

The amount of references and tropes you usually see in any fanfic is insane. It is fun to look for every little trope but turned on its head. This is poking fun in the best way possible at all the fanfic we used to read. I loved the strong start with sharing the same bed to everything after. I also love the dual timeline, you get to figure out what happened with Ivy and Mack and fall in love with them! Weston is the most ridiculous character and he had me laughing the whole time. It is definitely a great read!

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read this book by sending me an arc copy. I enjoyed this book a lot. There was a lot of humor and cuteness. I also got attached to the characters as if I knew them myself.

If you could write your perfect man, would you?

Ivy loves a few things: her favorite action-drama ‘Hot, Magical and Deadly’; the main character of H-MAD, Weston Razorbrook; writing and reading fanfiction about H-MAD’s Weston Razorbook; hanging out with her best friend Henry, playing video games. And watching H-MAD.
The one thing she hates? Her FORMER best friend, Mack. Her arch nemesis. The bane of her existence. Absolutely NOT someone she secretly misses dearly or definitely harbors a years-long crush for. Nope. Not at all. But there’s nothing to be done about any of that now.

Until Ivy wakes up one morning to a huge surprise in the form of Weston Razorbrook himself. He is suave, sweet, doting, and absolutely head-over-heels for Ivy. The dream come true, her perfect fanfic boyfriend is in her bedroom and claiming to be her soulmate. Every trope she’s written, every plotline, every twist, is suddenly happening to her, with Weston as her love interest. What could be better than a specially designed true love? Maybe… something, or some ONE, more real…?

As a not-so-former fanfiction writer/reader, I absolutely love this premise; I may or may not have a poorly written self-insert floating around in the bowels of ff.net. So with Ivy, I can relate. And the obsession with a television series that most people don’t get? Yeah. I’m there.

This fast-paced YA novel doesn’t feel rushed, despite so much happening in less than a week. Bouncing back and forth between current day and the past, when Ivy and Mack went from friends-to-nemeses, the story unfolds slowly, letting you understand both where the two stand, and how they got there. And while their falling-out may seem blown out of proportion, especially as you see how much both girls miss each other and wish to take back whatever was said, it is truly accurate to the teenage girl experience. A great example of a coming of age, with a twist of fantasy, and a splash of romance.

Four stars.

This book is a fanfic writer's dream (or nightmare) come true! I really enjoyed the very original plot and how it brought common fanfic tropes to life (and shows why they must stay in print). The "issue" Weston was resolved in such an "anticlimactic" way that really rounded out all the havoc that the wrought. It was refreshing to see. I also really liked the progression of Ivy and Mack's relationship and the display of the ideal "enemies to lovers" relationship.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

Definitely want to hand this title to my tween/teen fanfiction writers at the library! It was a cute read with a solid point about how real people are never "perfect" and "perfect" people tend to not be so great in the long run. To me, the levels of teen angst and awkwardness felt pretty on point, and eventually resolved so I didn't suffer from second hand embarrassment for too long. Basically a cute little romance with some age appropriate depth. For sensitive readers, there is very little objectional content outside of the aforementioned second hand embarrassment, which I know for some is a strong deterrent on its own.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the humor and the cuteness of this book.

As a fan of fan fiction I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The characters were cute and very likeable. I did not love the writing style, but that does not mean it was bad. Its just not my cup of tea. I also really enjoyed the author showing us that someone may seem like the perfect person, or in this case your dream partner. But we learn, and all know that an image of a celebrity or idol is only so deep. It's very easy to find things about them we didn't know when they are no longer on the screen or in a book. I will definitely be giving the author a second chance.

Gonzales weaves an engaging narrative as Ivy's fanfic writing somehow brings Weston to life, revealing that the romantic tropes she adores may not translate smoothly into reality. Ivy's not-so-fictional crush becomes a source of real-world complications. Teaming up with Henry and, reluctantly, Mack, Ivy embarks on a quest to uncover why Weston is here and what to do with him. Weston's hilarious antics and the relatable dynamics between the characters kept me eagerly turning the pages.

"The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" by Sophie Gonzales beautifully taps into those daydreams many of us secretly harbor. Who among us hasn't wished for their fanfics to come to life or imagined their ultimate star crush falling head over heels for them? It's a delightful fantasy that often dances through our minds.

Gonzales' novel takes this familiar longing and adds a generous dash of reality to the mix. The result is a heartwarming and humorous story that showcases the charm of these fantasies while reminding us that real-life relationships can be wonderfully complex.

This was another really fun romance from Gonzales! It sang with her signature humor, and was a really interesting exploration of fandom.

This was a 4.5 rounded up to a 5 for me. It was a little young for me personally but I'm reviewing the book based on whether it is good for the intended age group / did what it set out to do, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to younger readers, which makes it a 5/5 for me.

While it didn't do anything astounding in terms of deep ideas or hugely unexpected plot points, it was a very fun, entertaining read, which I think it was meant to be. I loved all of the characters and found them pleasant and funny in their own ways, I loved the sweet friendships, and the situations involving Weston (the fanfic character) made me laugh out loud, in real life, a few times. The story was sweet, fast paced, and had some smart commentary on romance tropes that I really appreciated.

I'm really happy to see sweet, fun books like this being available for younger YA readers who still want to read about 15 and 16 year old characters and aren't ready for spice or heavy themes. I'm doubly happy to see young queer readers have access to these sort of books that let them see themselves as the stars of a fun story with no homophobia. I would buy this for the younger YA readers in my life in a heartbeat (and think older enjoyers of fanfiction and romance who appreciate satire would get a lot out of this too). Call it a 4 for my personal enjoyment, and a 5 for the intended audience.

So funny, so smart, so fun and unique. I haven't read a ya book with this tone before and it wasn't something I knew I needed until now. It was so lighthearted and zany and focused entirely on having fun and not taking itself too seriously. I read it in a night because I just needed something hilarious and not-too-deep to escape from the world and this is exactly what I needed.

Ivy loves writing fan fiction for her favorite fantasy TV show. And then, it literally comes true with the main character showing up to her house. She has to figure out what the heck is going on enlisting the help of her friend Henry and estranged best friend (and crush) Mack. For me, the best part of this was the last 20% when the plot really picked up in a number of ways! I also appreciate the love this gave to the fanfic communities out there. I do generally like a dual timeline like this had, but I wish this one had "chunked" time together a bit more versus alternating every other chapter, so I could become more invested in each storyline before switching gears. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this March 2024 release.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

It was cute, just not for me. I’ll definitely be recommending it to others though!

I really should stop reading YA. I picked this one up because I'm a big Sophie Gonzales fan and have loved her YA in the past but this is the kind of book that reminds me that I have grown out of this genre.

Absolutely a unique, fun read!
You have a fan fic writer, a fan fic character come to life creating chaos, two best friends who where very close but since have grown apart, a new friend pairing, bipoc representation, etc. This book is really has a great deal of appeal.
That being said, I'm a POC adult mother. I'd probably recommend this to my 16 year old.
Thank you Sophie Gonzales and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist a true homage to the people who wrote crappy fanfic and those who had way too much unfiltered internet access when they were younger, reading Y/N wattpad fanfics under their covers learning wayyy too much!

this was really cute!!! a super quick and easy read, perfect for fans of friends to enemies to lovers, this has great rep and really captures being in a fandom in high school! I recommend :)

Thank you for the advance copy of The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist. It was a new take on this trope and I think will be more enjoyable for teen readers. which is the point because it's YA and I'm adult so I'm not going to rate it based on that alone. I've loved other books by Gonzales that I enjoyed more and the pacing was a bit slow. I just don't think this one was for me, which is okay.

This was such a cool and engaging book, it cheered me up so much! I love a touch of fantasy/sff in contemporary books (like groundhog day based romances), and this book had a very unique and cool plot - the MC wills her fanfiction hero into existence, and he seems to be perfect for her.. until he's not? :) it's a cool play between what the MC thinks she wants in an idea partner versus the very real person she actually has a crush on (her ex bff with whom she had a MAJOR falling out).

The book is narrated in a past/present fashion, which is very effective in showing and explaining the depth of emotions the MC is feeling. Also! The book has a bi MC (and a sapphic romance as well!), AND an ace/aro secondary character, and both reps were done so well, I could cry 🥲

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!