I will continue supporting Sophie Gonzales, but this wasn’t a favorite of mine. This is mainly because it’s so fanfic centric and very “cutesy” and very teen-forward! For an actual teen, especially one who loves fanfic, you’ll eat this up. As an adult who has never been into that, it didn’t hit home for me. Mack and Ivy were cute, and I liked Henry, but I honestly just got annoyed with the plot. Still an easy read, but it isn’t one I would jump to recommend.

3.5⭐️

16-year-old Ivy is nervous to be alone when her parents are away on business; desperately she wishes her favorite fictional character - Weston - from her fav TV show, were there to keep her company. To her surprise, when she wakes the next morning, her wish has come true - not just TV Weston, but Weston as she’d written him in her fanfic. He seems so perfect, but as time goes on, Ivy has more trouble getting Weston to stay hidden and wrangles not only her new friend Henry, but her former best friend (and still huge crush) Mack, into helping her. What will happen when Ivy’s parents return and Weston’s time runs out? And … is there maybe a chance for Ivy and Mack to not only repair their friendship, but have their HEA after all? This book is perfect for YA readers who have anxiety and lack confidence in their ability to handle life’s stumbling blocks or to try new things, those who are involved in fandom (any fandom), and queer readers of any flavor (Ivy is bi, Mack is lesbian, and Henry is ace & aro). Also discussion of racial disparity, finding commonalities when you have different interests, and striking a balance between parents who are over involved vs completely blase. Written by the always amazing @sgonzalesauthor and narrated magnificently by @jercarpar. This book is a must-add for any library with a YA collection. Release date 26 Mar. I received this audio ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #yabooks #yalgbtbooks #yaqueerbooks #yasapphic #sapphicbooks #romcombooks #lgbtqbooks #lgbtbooks #australianauthor

Main character Ivy is left alone for a week while her parents go on vacation, and besides going to school, her plans involve a lot of TV watching with her best friend and a lot of ignoring her ex-best friend. Where things get interesting in the plot is when Ivy’s TV celebrity crush comes alive seemingly through the fanfic that she’s been writing. Through writing that had this reader laughing out loud many times in the first half of the book, this seemed like the perfect rom-com for the summer. Unfortunately, midway through the story, the humor fades and the plot stalls out. The resolution could have been quicker, and nothing was really added by drawing out the story. All in all, it was a fun, lighthearted read, perfect for someone needing to escape reality for a few hours.

This book was what I always wish happened to me. You have these tv crushes and then they come to life, how wild! Like the title suggests, things you wish for don't always work out the way you want them to and maybe real life could be much better!


Thanks Netgalley for the advance audiobook to enjoy this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

Jeremy Carlisle Parker was a wonderful narrator.

This story was cute. I enjoyed it.

With a minor rewrite, this book would make a perfect Tina side-plot in an episode of Bob’s Burgers— in the best way possible.

As a former teenage fanfiction lover and writer, this book called out to me. This story was super fun and unique. The fictional universe and fandom Gonzales created felt so real. Oftentimes I find YA books to be too whiny and immature, but this book did not feel that way. It did feel a touch creepy at times, a little like Coraline. There was the stress of needing to figure out what to do next to resolve everything. I liked that everything wasn’t just easy though.

Do I think the couple in this book belongs together? Heck no. But they’ll go to college and break up, so it’s fine.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist-a standalone

by Sophie Gonzales- I read Never Ever Getting Back Together and gave it 4 ⭐

Rating: 3.5-4/5 ⭐

Publication 3-26-24 Read 3-15-24

Format: eBook 298 pgs.

🏃🏾‍♀️Audiobook Run Time: 9:43

🎧Narrator: Jeremy Carlisle Parker-read all the characters. I believe the voice fit the characters with standouts from Ivy and Weston. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and it was fast paced but flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync and they fit together. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came between the two timelines of the past and present. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Epilogue: yes, a full circle moment

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC💜! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

✔️ YA
✔️ Magical Realism
✔️ Fantasy
✔️BFFs to enemies to lovers
✔️LBGTQ+ rep
✔️dual timelines- the past and present

Summary- In the past, Ivy comes out as bisexual to her BFF and neighbor Mack, who she has a crush on. But in the present they had a falling out and are enemies. Ivy's parents are super overprotective to the point of stifling her from growing up. Ivy and her other BFF Henry are die hard fans of the fantasy TV show, H-MAD (Hot, Magical, and Deadly). It's a show about supermodels who gain supernatural powers and kill demons. Ivy loves the character Weston-real name Chase Mancini- who she writes fanfiction about. While Ivy's parents are away on vacation leaving her alone for the first time, Weston "appears" to Ivy as a real person claiming to be her soulmate. Ivy enlists Henry and a reluctant Mack to figure out how this happened and fix it.

Overall, the YA rom com was cute but very PG. It had a little angst with Ivy, Henry, and Mack's friendship, but the Weston stuff was a little cheesy. My recommendation is to read the audiobook because it's a quick read.. I read the e-Book and audio together and liked both.

3.75 ⭐

such a fun silly little YA rom-com!! this would make a really fun quirky movie.

wholesome and adorable just like Sophie's other books!!

the narrator was great and well spoken! happy to have read this!

Careful what you wish for.
This book was absolutely adorable and so much fun I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters so much and the idea of a character i wrote coming to life is both a dream and a nightmare. Even though I've seen this idea done several times the say Gonzales wrote it was so fresh and humor I couldn't stop reading.
I also felt like the chemistry between all f he chemistry was so authentic. The friendship and the way it develops between the mc and her best friend was so real and so natural.
If I had to make a complaint it would be the the fall out happened between the mc and her former best friend. It felt a little far fetched that they would go from best friends to enemies over something minor. I could see them just not being friends but enemies took it a little far for me. Then again its been a while since I was in high school and everything is different when you are a teen.
Overall I would say this is a really solid read. I can definitely see this being a hit with fans of Love Simon or To All the Boys I Loved Before.

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist is a light and fun YA contemporary romance. Gonzales' fans will enjoy this one. I wish the plot had a little more depth to it, but the story is full of comical moments that will entertain readers and keep them hooked.

Sophie did it again with another home run
I’m obsessed with his messy queer hilarious coming of age sapphic story
Add in the touch of magic and a fictional character coming to life trying to bring all the tropes we love in fan fiction into the real world and it was hilarious perfection
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life

I really thought I would love this one. I had no idea it would be magical realism and that is not for me at all unfortunately. I pushed through but it didn't work for me at all. I was confused at some parts, the romance didn't feel real, I didn't quite grasp the whole concept.

I can see that it will work for so many people I was just not the targeted audience.

🎧 Thanks to the audiobook for making me finish this one as if I would've read it I probably would not have finished.

✨️ Thank you to @netgalley & @MacMillanaudio for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

Ivy writes fan fiction for a TV show. Her parents are going out of town and there's a crazy storm. Ivy wishes that Weston was there with her. The next morning Weston the fictional character is there with her. As she tries to hide him while at high school. We learn about her past friendship with Mack.

I didn't really find this book engaging. I wasn't excited to read/listen to it. The narrator did a good job. This book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Narration was perfectly fine. I listened at 3x speed with no issues.

The plot didn't quite hit for me. Ivy needs things to go her way; when they don't, she spirals a bit. Also, her near breakdown at being left alone for a few days at 16 years old? That seems like a teen's dream, but she is not dealing well.

The MCs are all exploring their sexuality (normal for teens) and all end up in the minority-which understandably causes them some extra stress. I was confused about the fan-fiction come to life since it took awhile to parcel out that's what happened. Also, the power to manipulate the thoughts of others seems like a pretty aggressive addition to make the story work.

It was nice to see the supportiveness that the friends had for each other once communication was established. Not my favorite read of the year, but I do think some YA audience members will relate to various elements.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, LGBT+

**Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

DNF @ 30%

I picked this up because I LOVED Never Ever Getting Back Together, but unfortunately I just don't think this one is for me. It's weird but in a way I'm finding off-putting rather than intriguing, but of course your mileage may vary. The premise sounded entertaining, but in practice it's just not working for me. The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist is told in two timelines. In the past, Ivy has come out as bi and is crushing on a friend. In the present, they're enemies and she only has one real friend. When her parents go out of town for a week, the hero from her favorite TV show appears in her bed, apparently brought to life by her fanfic and causing problems.

Again, the premise is fun but the interactions with this magical guy are giving me second-hand embarrassment rather than making me laugh at the cringe-worthiness. And while I think the past timeline is supposed to give us a sense of the characters history and friendship, it's coming across to me as more toxic than anything else. This is clearly intended to be a satirical comedy and humor is very subjective so you might give it a try. It's just unfortunately not working out for me. The audio narration is fine, I don't have specific praise or criticism for the narrator. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun and sweet read! I wish there had been more between the two FMC’s to build up their romance, however I thought the fanfiction character that came to life was absolutely hilarious. This book was both super fun and super heartwarming.

I thought the plot was a great idea i. Theory but unfortunately this one just missed the mark.

I felt like these characters vacillated between middle school and high school behavior. I felt like Weston was so bland and he was like a giant baby they had to watch but since they were also babies it was just a train wreck.

I thought the fanfic idea was going to be fun but the execution was ABYSMAL.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the alc. My opinions are my own. I enjoyed this ya book I found parts a little harder to follow jot being a gamer nor a fanfiction fan. But I loved the overall message and the character development.

Give it a try.

🎧Song Pairing: Jealousy, Jealousy- Olivia Rodrigo

💭What I thought would happen:

Great title! I thought this was an exploration with sexuality where of course the perfect man doesn’t exist when the perfect girl is right next door. This was not accurate. At. All 😂

📖What actually happens:

Ivy has one friend. They crush over the teen fantasy series H-Mad. Ivy even writes her own fan fic of the series. It’s her entire personality. When she wakes up and the main character, West, is in her bedroom she is wondering wtf is up. Not the actor the actual character.

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Soooooooooo this isn’t a romance. It’s magical realism x Black Mirror that just didn’t quite work for me. Like maybe others BUT NOT MY THING.

LOVED Never Ever Getting Back Together so this was one of my most anticipated of the year. I should read the authors backlist asap

I haven’t seen any reviews of this one so I’m genuinely curious what others thought…

Better luck next time. Didn’t hate it. Wouldn’t take a bullet for it.

I may be dating myself but I am going to put myself out there that questions and conversations about sexuality were not normal when I was growing up. I am so grateful that books with honest dialogue and “normalizing” these conversations exist for young adult readers. The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist is a delightfully honest and fun read! Ivy’s parents are finally loosening their leash and trusting her with more responsibilities! Chocolate chip cookies, fanfic writing, and pizza with a best friend sounds like heaven…anything to avoid Mack (who Ivy can’t figure out her relationship with after a messy crush). However, when her dreamy man from her writing manifests into reality, her whole week of freedom takes a wild turn full of adventures and soul searching. The Perfect Guy Doesn’t is definitely one to add to you TBR pile with a fun plot, great dialogue, and nonstop laughs!

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on Instagram 3/22!