I’m a little nervous that between her last book and this one that I’ve fallen out of love with Sophie Gonzales’s writing.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist should be a fun, irreverent story of a fanfiction writer who accidentally brings one of her characters to life. Ivy puts so much of herself into her writing (literally) that when this character from her favorite show that she writes about shows up in the real world, he is immediately in love with her. As her writing clearly states. But to get him out of the house before her parents return home from their trip, she’ll need to enlist the help of her new best friend Henry and her former best friend turned enemy who also lives across the street, Mack.

There is a good story somewhere in here, but the problem is that the premise is too silly for the emotional core of the book. Either that, or it just doesn’t seem to hold a consistent tone. Again, I think there’s something here that could be fun and frivolous, but you’d need to lean into the absurdity more. And Gonzales never really does. It flirts around the edges for sure, but the story seems stuck between wanting to focus on Ivy and Mack and… how ridiculous it is that a fanfic character has come to life and is throwing himself at Ivy until she returns his undying love.

See? It should be hilarious. But it never reaches that point.

In theory, this premise is incredible. The execution however was not it for me. This YA is a friends to enemies to girlfriends alongside a accidentally wishing your favorite character into existence. Overall things just felt kind of flat to me. While there was an alternating timeline between past and present, and it was done well, it didn't make me root for Mack and Ivy. It kind of just made me dislike Mack more based on her past behavior.

This lacked the usual charm of Sophie Gonzales' other books for me. It's a bit silly and cheesy at times, but overall kind of cute. I loved that the character felt like teens. This just wasn't a good fit for me. And if I wasn't reviewing it and needed my NetGalley ratio to improve I probably would have DNF'ed

I'd recommend borrowing over buying and, if you're a person who finds audiobooks are easier to get into, then try the audiobook version because the physical book was a bit of a slog for me

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Ivy Winslow is a fanfic writer, who happens to bring her fictional crush to life. While the premise is intriguing and offers plenty of comical and heartfelt moments, the overall plots falls short. There is also an best friends to enemies to lovers plot line that felt lukewarm and a bit predictable. I am a big fan of Sophie Gonzales and appreciated the unique storyline, a bit of fantasy, and the genuine characters she created.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was never a teenager that read fanfic when it was all the rage. I grew up in the time of Twilight and knew all my friends were diving deep into the world of Twilight Fanfic.

Despite not being a fanfic reader, I adored this romance. I love a YA romance that I think (as a middle school teacher) my students will fall in love with and be able to relate to. Growing up you picture your perfect partner and a lot of teens even spend time writing about them. This is so validating to finding it, but also realizing no one is perfect.

Sophie Gonzales' "The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" is a refreshing and heartfelt exploration of love, identity, and the complexities of modern relationships. The novel follows protagonist Noah Ramirez, who, after a series of dating disasters, decides to prove his theory that the perfect guy doesn't exist by setting out to find flaws in potential partners. What ensues is a charming and witty journey as Noah navigates the highs and lows of romance while discovering unexpected truths about himself.

Gonzales excels in creating authentic characters with depth and relatability. Noah's voice is both humorous and introspective, making his journey of self-discovery engaging and poignant. The narrative tackles themes of self-acceptance and the importance of being true to oneself, while also exploring the pressures and expectations of modern dating culture. The supporting cast adds richness to the story, each character bringing their own quirks and vulnerabilities to the table.

While the premise may initially seem lighthearted, Gonzales infuses the story with emotional depth and nuance. She deftly balances moments of laughter with heartfelt insights, creating a narrative that resonates long after the final page. "The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys a mix of humor, romance, and genuine emotional growth, proving that sometimes the perfect guy isn't the one you expect, but the one who challenges you to be your best self.

I had high hopes for this, but it continued to go downhill as I read. I ended up DNFing by chapter 5. I did enjoy Sophie Gonzales' writing style, just not this book or the characters.

Cringy. I was turned off both by the left-field swearing, the awkward situations, and the odd ways that representation creeped into the story which was unnecessary or crowbarred in.

I had anticipated this one from a Netgalley advanced copy but I didn't get to and now I recognize that the cover/title and premise were intriguing however the execution of the story with it's nonlinear timeline wasn't the same as say [book:Going Bicoastal|61885040] and didn't have a solid foundation in it's use of fanfiction like [book:Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga|52854406].

Not for me and I don't know if I could sell it to many of my teens.

This book was such a weird concept! I didn't hate it but the TV character was not likable at all. I know that's how he was written, but yeesh! I also just didn't feel it with the person who was the one meant for the MC. It was hard to make that connection by the end with all the negative at the beginning.

"The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" by Sophie Gonzales is a delightfully fun and engaging young adult contemporary romance that blends fantasy elements with real-world relationships. The story follows Ivy Winslow, a fanfiction writer who unexpectedly brings her favorite fictional character, Weston, to life. As Ivy navigates this surreal situation, she finds herself teaming up with her best friend Henry and her former friend-turned-enemy Mack.

Gonzales crafts a narrative that is both humorous and heartfelt, exploring themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery. The novel cleverly subverts romantic tropes, showing how idealized fictional relationships may not translate well to reality. This allows for genuine character growth and introspection, particularly for Ivy.

The book's strength lies in its ability to balance lighthearted, binge-worthy entertainment with more profound emotional moments. Gonzales' writing shines in creating diverse, relatable characters and maintaining an unserious tone that keeps readers engaged throughout.

While the premise of bringing a fictional character to life sets up comedic situations, the true heart of the story lies in the evolving relationships between Ivy, Mack, and Henry. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Ivy and Mack is particularly well-executed, providing depth to the romantic elements of the plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read! I can’t imagine a one of my high school fanfic characters coming to life.

What an incredibly fun book. The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist follows high school student Ivy in two timelines: first, the past, where we see her best friendship with Mack, the girl who lives across the street who Ivy's secretly in love with, break down; and the present, where Weston, the man of her dreams and starring character of her favorite TV show, comes to life. It's a lovely story about the way reality and fiction collide.

My favorite subplot is that Ivy has the most extreme helicopter parents and doesn't have the fortitude to tell them to back off. In fact, she doesn't really want them to! Ivy likes living in a world where she's never alone, where someone always has her back. As you follow her story, you can see how Ivy copes when the most important thing—not being alone—comes back to bite her.

Another five-star read from Sophie Gonzales!

This one didn't work for me! It's the first Sophie Gonzales book I haven't enjoyed. I LOVE a homoerotic, codependent best friend, and I love that Gonzales plays with fanfic tropes (enemies to lovers does NOT work IRL!). Gonzales is fab at romantic banter/chemistry––the Mack and Ivy scenes are fun!––but this book has surprisingly few present-day scenes between the leads. Overall, TPGDE is a bit too heavy on the magical realism/fantasy elements, and wayyy too light on the romance itself!

All I know is I would die of embarrassment if any of the characters I wrote fanfics for came to life and were suddenly living in my house. This book was laugh out loud funny and I flew through it because I wanted to know what happened next. The different tropes, the fanfic character come to life, and the actual romance were all so perfect. Sophie Gonzales is one of the best YA contemporary authors out there!

I went into this book very much head empty ready for some ridiculousness and shenanigans. I grew up on fics and dreams, this book was meant for younger me. Little me would’ve given a thumbs up on the fixation of fictional characters and how people go through strong emotions for them.

I loved the silliness and the banter between Ivy and Henry. Their friendship was so wholesome and he’s just a little guy I wanted to put in my pocket. He is not who Ivy needed in a crisis but who she got anyway and I was here for it.

The romance aspect between Ivy and Mack was not my favorite. It felt more hostile than silly little miscommunications. I love miscommunication it rocks me to sleep at night but I felt like their problems rooted deeper than not talking about what happened between them in the past.

The fictional character appearing was hilarious and I was eating it up for the first half. The second half I felt like things weren’t as strong and it left me feeling like he kinda wasn’t necessary to be there at all.

Overall, really cute and sweet read. Henry was adorable and would’ve loved to have more of his friendship with Ivy present.

This was ridiculous, and so much fun. This was a love letter to fanfiction, through our main character Ivy, who brings a fictional character to life. This book was such a joy, and very funny. I really enjoyed watching the friendships of ivy and Henry and ivy and Mack. I liked watching ivy and Mack apologize and resolve their issues. I wish there was more romantic development but I still had a lot of fun with this.

While I'm usually a big fan of Sophie Gonzales and her books, this one just fell short for me. It honestly felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. Ivy was also a very unlikeable character and came off as really immature compared to her friends. The ending left me feeling a bit uneasy, and I get that it was done for character growth, but such a supernatural element just felt out of place.

I received a Digital Reader Copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an enjoyable novel that I read over one weekend. It is categorized as Young Adult, and I think it suits a much younger audience than me reading it as an adult. I did appreciate the friendship aspect of this novel, and how it is okay for friendships to change as new hobbies and interests are discovered. The main characters in this novel are sixteen years old.

I have loved every Sophie Gonzales book and this one was also enjoyable, however, my least favorite out of all of them. I always love the character development and plot but the plot of this one was just my vibe, but I still was entertained throughout.

The sudden appearance of Weston, a character from Ivy's favorite show, on a stormy night serves as the main plot point for this contemporary YA romance. It forces Ivy to reconnect with her crush and former best friend Mack. The book jumps back and forth between the present where they try to figure out what to do with Weston and the past events that led to their falling out.

I enjoy Gonzales's novels but this one did not quite hit the spot for me. I usually like when magical realism plays a role, but I would have enjoyed it more without it here. I understood Weston's purpose in the novel and what he stood for. Even then, I wanted the book to delve into Ivy and Mack's relationship without Weston's presence. I wanted something more realistic, which is strange for me to say because I love fantasy and magic. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

2.5 Rounded Up

I received an advanced copy of The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales from the publisher St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books is a Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Ivy Winslow has the house to herself for a week while her parents are away. She’s hoping to spend the time watching her favorite TV show, hanging out with her best friend, Henry, and avoid her neighbor Mack who happens to be her former best friend-crush turned enemy. However, plans go awry when she wakes up to her favorite character from her TV show, Weston, telling her she loves him. Ivy quickly realizes that somehow Weston has arrived as a figment from her fanfiction writing and adapted the personality, she gave him, and it turns out that the guy she swoons over in her story and the traits she gave him aren’t so perfect after all.

What I Loved: I really liked Mack and Ivy as a friends to lovers aspect in the flashback aspect of the book. I also liked Henry as a character and his friendship with Ivy.

What I Didn’t Like: This book is an example of YA fiction that reads very young. I found our main character quite annoying and immature to the point it was difficult to cheer for her or support her. I will say that Ivy does grow a bit at the end of the book. The reasons for the friendship break up was annoying. I found this book very goofy to the point it was difficult to finish, I think that if you like fanfiction of this type (I don’t love the inserting a Mary Sue in fanfiction), you might like it more. For me it was very, EH.

Who Should Read It: People who love fanfiction tropes.

Summary: When a character from her fanfiction comes alive, Ivy must figure out how to send him back.