Perfect on Paper

Product Information

I knew him. Or, at least, I knew of him. His name was Alexander Brougham, although I was pretty sure he usually went by Brougham. He was a senior, and good friends with Finn Park, and, by all accounts, one of the hottest seniors at St. Deodetus’s.

I really enjoyed Sophie Gonzales' last book, Only Mostly Devastated, but I loved Perfect on Paper even more than I expected. She's taken some classic tropes and a couple of familiar premises and blended them together with all the queerness I could hope for. Yes, the bisexual female protagonist does end up with a cis boy. And that doesn't make her less queer, dammit. Only Mostly Devastated was one of my favorite romances of 2020, so when I found out Sophie was releasing a new novel, I know I had to get my hands on it. And I was right - this book was the definition of CUTE. The major point of the book was biphobia which happens very often from either het community or queer community. Bisexual erasure is something that is not discussed enough and I was glad to read about it in this book. Not to mention the other queer issues were very interesting albeit only slightly touched upon. The humour and pacing of the book was wonderful as well. I loved the relationship that slowly built between Darcy and Brougham. Even other characters like Finn had me smiling and laughing, I genuinely loved reading about all of them. Run don’t walk to get Perfect On Paper as soon as it hit shelves. Sophie Gonzales just wrote the YA book every single teenager (and to be honest, human) needs to read.

MOST READ REVIEWS THIS WEEK

There was really just so much to love about this book. In addition to adoring Darcy, I also really adored Brougham. He comes across as arrogant and obnoxious at first but it becomes clear over time that he is soft boy with a very dysfunctional home life, who just really needs a hug. I loved watching his friendship with Darcy evolve as they worked together and got to know each other better. The hardest hitting elements of this book was the discussions of biphobia and the internalized biphobia. Despite having been known I was bisexual since a young age, I have mostly dated straight cismales. Fitting into queer spaces had always felt awkward for me. After all, here I am, saying I love women, and yet I'm dating a man. I haven't had the discrimination against me for "taking the easy way" or for "passing" or for "not being queer enough." but I have heard the stories from friends over the years, and shied away. This topic is so important to discuss and the way this book discussed it had me in actual tears. Only Mostly Devastated is the kind of book I wish existed when my kids were younger—a charming, funny, laugh-out-loud teen romance that reminds all readers love comes in a multitude of flavors, and they are ALL sweet.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times–bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

Ultimately, there were very few things I disliked about this book. Darcy was a bi disaster but I loved her anyway. The way she cared about and protected her friends and her sister were so relatable. Plus, I just couldn’t get enough of her and Brougham’s relationship. Their witty banter and hesitant flirting was so endearing, and was part of what made this book just so amazing. Normally, I don’t love when a bi character ends up in a hetero relationship because it oftentimes kind of feels dismissive, but this was done right. Darcy was able to express her fears surrounding biphobia and internalized biphobia. Perfect on Paper had so much LGBTQ+ representation but it didn’t feel gratuitous. I love how normalized it was. This didn’t feel like an exposé about LGBTQ+, it was just a story about teens.I’m not sure I truly buy into the relationship Brooke suddenly develops with someone she didn’t like a moment ago. How do you go from mutual dislike to dating over a weekend? Maybe it’s just been a while since I was in high school, but I have trouble seeing this being realistic. My Opinions Perfect on Paper was smart, thoughtful, funny, and everything I love about YA and more. This is my first book by Sophie Gonzales and I loved the writing style and humor. I thought the author also did a fantastic job with representation and diversity. The relationship advice and love tutor/coach premise has been attempted in books before, but Gonzales put such a fresh spin on it that it felt very new and exciting. The characters and situations were layered and complex, and were laid out in such an honest and relatable way. Darcy was a chaotic mess but in the best way possible. She was flawed and although she did annoy me at times with her bad decisions, she was so endearing and relatable. I could not help but root for her happiness. I also loved her relationship with Ainsley. Their bond was so supportive and sweet. It’s refreshing to see a healthy and supportive sibling relationship. Perfect on Paper is a sweet novel that flips the script on queer YA. Just when you think it’s going on one direction, the ship changes course. In the first half of the book both Darcy, and even Alexander, seem like somewhat irredeemable characters. But when you keep in mind this is a story about teens still finding their way, their growth makes sense. I can’t get over how much I loved this book. The representation was abundant, and not in a forced, overbearing kind of way. Just some rep examples throughout this book: ace, bi, transgender, gay, lesbian, non-binary.

For fans of Netflix’s Sex Education or anyone who loved Sophie Gonzales’ previous YA rom-com, Only Mostly Devastated, prepare to be dazzled yet again. Perfect on Paper is a hilarious, heartfelt story full of great relationship advice, trips to Disneyland, and a damn-good romance. The novel is also an unabashed rejection of queerphobia (biphobia specifically), showcasing widespread normalized queer representation and an openly bisexual heroine whose interest in a boy in no way “erases” her queerness. Darcy was a flawed but lovable main character. Even though we learn throughout the story that she hasn’t always had the best judgement, we see that she has mostly tried to have good intentions. I loved the little moments before chapters when we got to read her relationship advice—I even learned something about myself in like the second chapter!?

ANYWAY, Darcy is our main character, and I honestly enjoyed her so much. She’s relatable for me in so many ways and the fact that she screws up and makes some selfish decisions, but then learns from them... yes, we love a personal growth plot. There were multiple times when just reading Darcy's thoughts made me burst into tears out of recognition. I genuinely don't think I've read anything that explains internalised biphobia as well as this book did- some of the conversation was putting to words feelings I have never even managed to give coherent thoughts to. So let me channel my inner Darcy Phillips for a moment and offer you some advice: don’t miss this book! Now, if you know me even the slightest bit, you know that I live for witty banter. Let me tell you, this book had that in spades. Darcy and Brougham have some of the funniest, most entertaining banter I’ve ever read. And that’s saying a lot coming from me. Just saying. Okay, I don’t mean literally. Lots of people know who I am. Darcy Phillips. Junior. That girl with the shoulder-length blond hair and the gap between her front teeth. The one who’s best friends with Brooke Nguyen, and is part of the school’s queer club. Ms. Morgan-from-science-class’s daughter.

It’s not often that a book meets all of your expectations so superbly, but that’s exactly what Perfect on Paper managed to do. From the protagonist, to the romantic tropes, to the excellent writing, this book was a wonderful little story that made me giddy with happiness.

Jean Meltzer

Audio Notes: The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, is prolific so I'd listened to another book by her just a week or so before this one. I ended up not enjoying that book, but I loved this one. That tells me only one thing: this narrator doesn't magically save boring material. She is, however, a capable narrator. As mentioned above, this protagonist is messy but I still rooted for her. A narrator has to be able to convey that internal struggle in single POV and make it compelling and Kreinik is successful here.