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!

Mack and Ivy, once inseparable friends, find their bond shattered in a dramatic friendship breakup. A year on, Ivy has a brand new best friend who shares her passion for Hot, Magical and Deadly, a fantasy TV series with a marvelously self aware name. In an unexpected twist, Ivy, while penning a self-insert fanfic, unintentionally brings the main character of the show to life. Now, she desperately needs help from both her new friend Henry and her estranged friend Mack to handle the magical character who's taken up residence in her home.

This story stands out with its self-aware humor, affectionate nods to fanfiction tropes, and a well-paced narrative. It smartly intertwines the mystery of Ivy and Mack's past friendship fallout through a dual timeline, which I found enriched the story's present events. I also found the slight tonal shift between the two timelines worked incredibly well, with the "past" timeline being more grounded in reality, and the "present" almost reading like a self-insert wish fulfilment fanfic, complete with zany rules and over the top scenarios. The story thoughtfully addresses themes like escaping loneliness through storytelling, how to navigate friendships when your interests are diverging, feeling rejected and unwanted and how that can make you clingy and insecure, and accepting behavior that's not okay in exchange for feeling wanted.

One of the best books of the year for me! Hilarious, heartfelt, fast-paced, smart, amazing characters. The relationships were the standout for me here with beautiful commentary about the value of platonic love between Ivy and Henry (the scene where Henry discusses being ace and Ivy is scrambling to make his coming out experience as special as it was for her made my eyes wet) and an excellent development arc between Mack and Ivy, who very believably go from close friends who don’t have the tools needed to navigate their changing friendship, to ex best friends, to lovers who finally understand where they went wrong. The sarcastic humor in here was also right up my alley and the fanfic references were 10/10.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I’ve enjoyed other books by Sophie Gonzales, this one was a miss for me. I’ve read a book about fan fiction before, but this one felt like I needed to have watched the fictional show to appreciate it. The fan fiction writing felt juvenile and wasn’t interesting. I also didn’t buy the whole bringing a character to life aspect. We were supposed to believe that she really liked this guy and wanted him to exist, but there was not enough actual build up to suggest that. It was also mentioned how attached to him she was, but she never showed anything but annoyance with him. There was no chemistry with any of the characters and I just couldn’t become invested in their plight. Maybe I’m missing something, but the dots just did not connect for me.

This was a really cute and easy read! I would say it hits more of a younger YA audience but that does not change the fact that it's a good story! I enjoyed the past scenes and all the scenes with Mack and Ivy, while their issues felt a bit juvenile - this is bang on for how a lot of younger teenagers act. The scenes with Weston were a little hit or miss for me, some were really good and others did end up feeling a little silly. My favourite thing was probably seeing how both Ivy and Mack grew from their past mistakes, we love some nice character development.

It's also clear Sophie has a great understanding of the world of fanfic and is part of that community - which helps a lot as it means there are none of those vibes where an author just tries to co-opt something that's hip with the kids but doesn't fully understand it. Sophie is undoubtedly one of us!!!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Sophie for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was off the wall bonkers in the best way! As a fanfic lover and closet-writer, I thought the references to fanfic tropes and lines (soulmates, coffeeshop AU, ABO, hurt/comfort, y/n, hate to love, only one bed) were genius level lampooning. Down to blink and you'll miss it asides / references such as:

I go to leave, but Weston grabs my arm to stop them. “Just tell me one thing,” he says gravely. “Have either of them even once told you they see the way I look at you?”
“What?”
“You know, like . . . ‘I see the way he looks at you, Ivy. He doesn’t hate you. Not at all.’ ”

Had me dying. I loved the bonkers tone, the way the story didn't take itself too seriously, the characters, the representation (bi, lesbian and ace as well as BIPOC characters), the friendship, the sweet sapphic love story, As always in sophie gonzales books, I especially appreciated how the arguments that took place weren't a matter of anyone being in the wrong as much as they are an exploration of how different perspectives can view the same situation differently, and also how distance and maturity can help you rebuild broken friendships once the negative emotions have chilled and you get some perspective on things. It's a fantastic lesson for young readers. Recommended for ages 13+ (some swearing, no sexual content, minor references to attempted violence. Characters are 15 and 16 years old).