I love Sophie Gonzales and anytime I see a book about fan fiction and fangirl content, I can’t help but pick it up. While I am a big fan of the author’s work and I did enjoy this story, I felt like it was a little lacking. While the life lessons the main characters learn and the resolution of the miscommunication at the end are valuable, I just wanted more from the story overall. There was too much focus on the fan fiction character and not enough on developing the romance and characters for me personally.

Sophie Gonzalez can literally never go wrong. I've been following her career since her debut and have enjoyed every book she's written, including this one. Filled with heart and humor, TPGDE is such a love letter to fandom culture, and I love how it explored friendship alongside romance (especially the fallout of a friendship breakup).

I will not be giving my honest and genuine review of this book until a time in which Wednesday Books addresses the racist and anti-Palestinian rhetoric of one of their higher-up employees. At which time, I am happy to post my thoughts. For others wanting to know more about the reviewing boycott, please visit https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1-DF5GG6yvaF99fglOL2g4DwP2Eirc9Ur.
As a Jew, I do not support anti-Palestinian hatred or Islamophobia.

I will not be giving my honest and genuine review of this book until a time in which Wednesday books addresses the racist and anti-Palestinian rhetoric of one of their employees. At which time, I am happy to post my thoughts.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book, but that does not impact my rating.

Sophie Gonzales is one of my favorite YA rom-com authors, so I was really excited to read her upcoming book. I'm don't think this one stole the spot as my favorite of hers (that honor still goes to Perfect On Paper) but I still really enjoyed it, and I think I would have loved it even more if I had read it as a teenager. It was just so fun to read a book that unapologetically and enthusiastically explored fandom and all its assorted tropes, from soulmates to coffeeshops to enemies to lovers. It's silly and fun, but it's supposed to silly and fun, and I had an excellent time reading about Ivy and her friends trying to deal with the fact that she accidentally manifested a fanfic of her favorite character. Also, this book had a sapphic friends-to-enemies-to-friends second-chance romance, and I'm really a sucker for those. Ivy definitely read on the young side for a YA protagonist (there was a part near the beginning where she said she didn't known how to use her house's oven and couldn't ask her parents because they were leaving her alone for the first time I was like "oh my god I feel so old") but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Basically: a very fun read, especially for anyone who's spent any time in a fandom and was a media-obsessed teen.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Had a hard time getting into this one, probably due to it being firmly YA and revolving around fanfic. But it was cute and light and funny.

The main pluses for me were the representation- it’s a sapphic love story and also has aroace rep which is so rare & awesome.

I really wanted to love this book because I loved all the books by this author. For some reason I didn’t connect with this story. Probably because my favorite character of this story was Henry and my least favorite was…..Ivy. I also struggled to get into the book because it didn’t really feel like Ivy and Mack had any chemistry so I didn’t really care whether they got together or not. The whole Weston thing was goofy and made the story seem like Ivy was more of a preteen. Not a bad story, but not a favorite either. Hopefully, I’ll like the next one!

If this premise appeals to you, I think you'll really like the book! I love Sophie Gonzales, but wasn't particularly into the "fanfic character is brought to life" story, so I thought it was just okay. I also did struggle to care too much about the main relationship since the girls truly had nothing in common and I find it hard to believe their relationship would last lol.

This was fun! I liked the friendship dynamic that developed between Mack, Henry, and Ivy. I also thought Mack and Ivy's relationship was done well. Often with characters billed as hating each other, it comes off as forced, but Mack and Ivy really DON'T hate each other - this is just the fallout of a falling-out from the prior year, and both sides are hurt and want the other side to hurt too (because both sides were wrong and fail to realize it). Accurate to my teenage experience.

The situations with Weston were so ridiculous that I did laugh aloud and at length multiple times. I did think the messaging at the end at the climax was a bit more heavy-handed than it needed to be, but that's just personal preference.

Do you like sapphic books? Rom-coms that are actually funny? Fan-fiction? Then this book is for you!

Sophie Gonzales has written a masterclass in satire with this one. I always like her books, because her sense of humor is up my alley, along with the way she makes you truly care about her characters. She has a knack for writing lovable, in-depth protaganists that are flawed, but not so flawed you want them to fail.

This is as far as I know Gonzales's first foray into magical realism. The explanations for what is going on are brief (think Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and Groundhog Day, where the actual mechanisms behind the magic aren't the point of the story), and sometimes character reactions to circumstances are more on the comical side than the serious (there's plenty of self-aware commentary here), and I say all this as a huge plus. It leaves us with a lighthearted, fun book that explores a fantastical scenario to its fullest, without worrying too much about the constraints of realistic reactions or the rules of the real world.

I'm not sure if Gonzales intended this, but at the end of the book I was left wondering if the present timeline was meant to be read as real-life at all. We find out through the story that Ivy has a penchant for self-insert fanfiction, and that her fanfics often explore what's going on in her real life through fiction. There's an obvious tone change between the flashbacks and the present-day chapters. Is it possible that the present day chapters are intended to be Ivy working through her fears of being home alone and what can go wrong, along with her desire to fix things with Mack, through fiction? It would explain a lot. I'm not sure if it was intended that way, but it's my headcannon, because it makes the most sense to me!!!!

The scenarios were absolutely hilarious, the references had me choking, the friendships between all the characters tugged at my heartstrings. The main trio were so extremely well-developed I could basically tell who was speaking without even looking at a dialogue tag, which is how I know I've been properly sucked into a world. It's also so wholesome and wonderful for me to see more sapphic books that aren't too serious / don't have to explore "hard-hitting topics" and angst, because we truly need more additions to the lighthearted, low stakes queer story collection. Especially sapphic stuff.

10/10 recommend this love letter to fanfiction.

This book was just overall very fine. The characters were fine, the plot was fine, the pace was fine. The chemistry wasn’t really palpable, I think mostly because the two points in time in which we saw our love interests interact was when their friendship was falling apart, and their tentative regaining friendship, which was taken over by the main plot point of Weston poofing into existence. The main reason I wanted the two of them together was because Ivy, our mc, wanted them to be together.
Oberall, it was cute, funny, a good ya. Not my favorite Sophie Gonzales book, but I’d still read more. Major shout out for aroace rep!!

So The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist definitely pushed me beyond what I thought I would enjoy- a fictional character come to life is not exactly my thing. However, I couldn't put it down and found the writing and storytelling so great that I didn't even care about the less believable plot point. Fun and witty!

1 Sentence Summary: Ivy has a harmless obsession with the TV show H-MAD, but when the fanfiction she wrote about her favorite character somehow brings him to life, it’s not so harmless anymore, and she has to team up with her best friend Henry and ex-best friend Mack to figure out what to do.

My Thoughts: This was SO GOOD and SO FUNNY. I was seriously dying of laughter. (And I loved the dual timeline!)

All the characters were amazing and Ivy had a lot of great growth and development over the course of the book. The romance was cute too! We love a good friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. Ivy and Mack were pretty good at communicating by the end, which I liked. And Ivy and Henry’s friendship was so wholesome.

The entire concept of a fanfiction character coming to life was so creative and hilarious. Omg some of the things the character Weston did had me cackling. It’s so true that the tropes we enjoy in stories are usually not so romantic in real life haha.

This was such a fun, well written, enjoyable read. I read it in basically one sitting because it was too good to put down. A definite pick-me-up romcom full of wild hijinks and emotions and longing and satire and silliness. Sophie Gonzales has done it again!

Recommend to: People who enjoy YA romance, bisexual representation, laughing a lot, and fanfiction.

(Warnings: swearing)

Yes. Yes it's my new favorite romcom.

In the perfect guy doesn't exist, Sophie Gonzales demonstrates that she's a master of satire. As someone who cut my teeth on fanfiction, this book was written for us. There isn't a trope she doesn't lampoon, and the amount of blink-and-you'll-miss-it references make me tempted to start it all over again from the top.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist was a hilarious love letter to writing (and reading!) fanfiction, separating fiction from real life, being a better friend, and learning how to stand on your own without the reassurance of others. Ivy Winslow has the house to herself all week long while her parents are away, and she has a pretty solid plan for how things are going to go. She'll spend most of the time with her best friend Henry, watching their favorite fantasy TV show, H-MAD, and avoiding her neighbor and former best friend, Mack. But then she wakes up to find Weston, the very handsome, very fictional main character of H-MAD, in her bedroom, claiming that he's her soulmate. Ivy soon realizes that all of her fanfic writing has brought her favorite character to life—but the situation is not quite as dreamy as she expected it to be. As Ivy teams up with Henry and Mack to try to figure things out, she's forced to wonder whether her "perfect" guy is really the perfect match for her...or whether it was really someone else all along.

I loved this book! I thought the dual timeline was the perfect way to tell the story, and enjoyed how one half felt more like a romcom (or even a fanfic), while the other half had a more grounded, serious tone. I also really enjoyed the clever fanfic references and the commentary on how sometimes what you enjoy in fiction may not be what you want in a real-life relationship or friendship, as well as why people might find comfort in certain tropes or scenarios. It never looks down on the romance genre or fanfiction overall—instead, it celebrates it, while also providing some thoughtful discussion. All of the characters were so likable and well-developed, and Ivy, Henry, and Mack had such great chemistry and a fun dynamic as a friend group! Henry was funny, sarcastic, and a friend everyone would love to have. Ivy and Mack's friendship and romance was so well-done, and even while they weren't on good terms, you could understand both of their points of view while simultaneously rooting for them to work it out and finally admit their feelings for each other. I loved watching Ivy's realization of what—and who—she actually wanted, and seeing her become her own person while also fostering her relationships with her family and friends. Overall, I thought The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist was such a great read—it was sweet and lighthearted, but also had a good message. This was my first Sophie Gonzales book, but I already can't wait to read her others! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC.

This was a beautiful ode to fan-fiction, adolescence and the joys of both creating and forgiving.

This book is chock full of beloved tropes that are prominent in both published books and fiction, with a sharp attention to detail that almost read as a secret-handshake to fan-fiction readers and writers alike.

A fun read that has you reflecting whether what you really want is in reality or fiction and the importance of friendship, communication and reconciliation.

5/5 stars

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars

When Ivy wakes up to her favorite character, Weston, in her room, it seems like a dream - especially when he is obsessed with her and thinks they’re soulmates. As the days pass on, she realizes that what should be a dream isn’t turning out how she would hope and she teams up with her friend, Henry and her ex-best friend and crush Mack, to figure out what to do with Weston.

This is an author who I have loved in the past, but this one fell a little flat for me. I was hoping this would be a wonderful sapphic love story, but it ended up being mostly what I would consider a realistic fantasy and dealing with a weird magic fanfic character brought to life.

I feel like there wasn’t enough tension between Mack and Ivy in the present day and Ivy’s revelation felt kind of meh when she was never really super into Weston in the first place beyond just not wanting to get rid of him.

My favorite character in this was Henry (I love a good acearo character!) and I’m mad on his behalf we didn’t get the audition tapes

I LOVE Sophie Gonzales' writing and stories. She always has a fun, unique take on something, and delivers on the characters and plot.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist takes on fanfiction and it's tropes and shoves them into reality and it's hilarious.
The chapters are split into past and present as we explore the history of Ivy and her love interest Mack, how they became ex-friends, and how they come back together.

The way the fanfic character, Weston, is explained requires a bit of magical believability, (and oh my goodness that last day!), but it was so spot on for how fanfics would actually play out. I was dying at the one bed scenario and Ivy's response, as well as the other tropes she explored. I'm trying not to give spoilers, but I just loved how this was all handled.

This book also explores friendships well, and how you have friends for different things that interest you, and you have to work to maintain deep friendships that might not have as much in common anymore, and how adding friends to a friend group could be difficult.

This was such a fun read as a fandom lover and I can't recommend it enough if you love fandoms, fanfic, queer young adult contemporary romance books, Sophie Gonzales, books with heart, etc. Just read it.

Such a fun read! As an avid fanfic reader from a very young age, I’ve read all the tropes and AUs from so many different fandoms. This book feels like a cozy love letter to fanfic writers and readers both. Featuring some of my favorite tropes, caretaker, enemies to lovers, and coffee shop AUs, this book was a joy to read! I will say that the only thing I wish would’ve been explained or discussed more was *what* exactly brought Weston to life. This book seemed very lifelike with teenage characters in a normal school, but out of nowhere, this magical event happens and there ends up being no satisfactory conclusion as to why or what caused it. “Your longing and imagination” just doesn’t cut it when it comes to someone coming to life and it even gets mentioned by the MC that “my imagination won’t work this time” to resolve the issue. Maybe that’s because I’m more used to other fantastical elements playing a role in such a scenario, but it felt a little lacking in its explanation. However, it didn’t detract from the overall coziness I felt when reading this book.

Fanfiction & reality mixing, spells for a lot of fun.

The understanding that this book portrays what fanfiction means to people was very touching and hilarious. As it's true, it can be bizarre but sweet and honest. Listen, I wrote those Y/N fanfictions & ones with myself inserted, and I felt so much cringe and goddamn envy in this story, as honestly, I would love to have a chance with my fictional sweetheart. I know it gets weird for Ivy, but I will pretend it wouldn't be in a situation with me, haha.
I had in my mind that the favourite character coming to the real world was going to go a certain way, but Sophie Gonzales switched it up on me and kept it fresh.

Fanfiction is about expression. You can use emotions & scenes in real life to inspire a scene or write what you wish would happen, and at the heart, that is what this story is. While I was still bitter about the Mack & Ivy situation, listen, I'm a grudge holder; they were better than me and used what they learned to grow & change their story. People making a person be what you want isn't truly what you want & need.

Also, as a Supernatural, Teen Wolf, TVD, Doctor Who & What We Do in the Shadows fan, I know I would watch 'Hot, Magical, and Deadly'.It certainly seems like my jam!