Reviews

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

kaikai1618's review against another edition

4.0

Really cute feel good book and I enjoyed it far more than this author's first book. The characters were fun to read about and the representation didn't feel forced. It's nice to have stories where there's diversity without there being a focus on identity, instead there's a focus on character. I liked the dating advice given in the book. It was healthy and mature even while imperfect, yet it acknowledged that imperfection. The book went into the lives of the characters and their struggles in a way that never felt too serious. I think this book is a good introduction to LGBTQ+ topics and healthy relationship dynamics. For me as a queer person there was a lot of basic information on certain topics, but the struggles with bisexuality, the feeling of not being queer enough were nicely discussed. Still, don't go into this book thinking you'll learn a ton about queerness and the nuanced problems behind it. I think this book is more about queer people being regular people and having their own love stories apart from their identity. And though a lot of the book was surface level it carried a self awareness and genuine feeling that made it work. We need books like this to see that we too can have the kind of romance straight cis people do. It was kind of refreshing to see a trans character who's story had nothing to do with her transness. Instead we dove into her character, charm, and interests. I'm not saying being queer is always comes with that amount of privledge, but I can appreciate this book for being the light hearted YA fiction it was and introducing queer experiences beyond that of a white gay protagonist.

l43nna_'s review against another edition

4.0

ngl i had trouble figuring out who the love interest was half the time but the book was slay

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

5.0

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My heart has bursted several times and I am in love with this book! Wow! It's exactly what I needed to read.

I don't know how to review this - and tbh I feel like this every time - but when a book has a special place in your heart because of how much you connected to it, it makes it that much more difficult.

I loved Darcy and Alexander on so many levels individually and as couple! The development of the relationship between them feels very natural and real. Definitely one my favorite YA couples.
This books covers internalized biphobia so thoroughly it was great to see in contemporary young adult.
Perfect on Paper is wonderfully queer, all of the characters were distinct and well-rounded.

Gosh, I wish there were many more pages! I cannot wait to reread this again!

emaer2's review against another edition

5.0

*4.75

xabbeylongx's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Spoilers Ahead: 

I was really really excited for this book, but honestly, I was left a little disappointed. 

We follow Darcy on her journey through school. She has a business called Locker 84, in which she gives out advice to people for a small fee. When Alex, one of her peers, spots her collecting the letters, he blackmails her, and enlists for her help. 

Meanwhile, Darcy has a crush on her best friend Brooke, who is becoming more attached to someone else, and it makes Darcy so mad! 

Darcy and Alex get closer, until they’re hanging out as just friends. Alex wanted help with getting his ex back, but Darcy knew they weren’t right of reach other. And then she finds out that Alex never meant to blackmail her, he just wanted help! They started to develop feelings for each other, but Darcy got scared, and ran away. 

One of the girls Brooke was interested in sent a letter in to Darcy, and She betrayed the girl’s trust. By this time, Brooke and Darcy are dating, but Darcy is still trying to get over her, and tells Brooke, who then tells the whole school. He’s annoyed, because Darcy has messed up two relationships of hers. Darcy gets suspended, for running an illegal business, and when she returns, people ask for their money back. She manages to right it with Brooke, and her and Ray become a trio (?) and her and Alex, who’s the only one who has been there for her, end up becoming a thing, and she makes her own business giving advice - legally, this time. 

The plot itself was decent. I really enjoyed dreading the advice of Darcy’s, I genuinely thought it was very interesting to read, and even a little helpful! I think the introduction of a trans character, Ainsley, is also really important, and I love the representation. I also loved how the queer characters weren’t penalised for their sexualities, and that wasn’t a main focus for them. I loved the identity issues! That’s so prevalent in books for children, so I really liked the representation, especially as a bi girl dating a man - I feel like that is an issue that is overlooked, even today. 

One thing I couldn’t stand was the amount of mistakes in the book. It felt like the publishing was very rushed, it almost felt like a first draft, to be honest. There was gaps between punctuation, dialogue not punctuated properly, and as a reader, this really takes away from the story itself. Even some of the sentences didn’t make sense, and I had to go back and read it a few times, and then the flow was interrupted, and it kind of ruined the story a little for me. 

I can’t stand Brooke. I know what Darcy did is so wrong, I’m not disputing that, but Brooke wasn’t a good friend to her anyway. She completely forgot her when Brooke started dating! And to be that rude… oh my god, I felt so frustrated. And the ending felt too neat, too perfect. There were some points that made this book okay, and others that brought it down, unfortunately. With a little more editing, this book could have been a real favourite of mine. 

carmenpeerezm's review against another edition

4.0

It was cute, entretenido y lo que necesitaba en este momento.
Es como una película americana de instituto típica de adolescentes, pero sin ser tóxica y realmente aportando algo (parecido a sex education pero más family friendly).
La pareja principal es la mítica relación que todos queríamos en el instituto, desgraciadamente yo nunca conocí a un Brougham :))))
El discurso relacionado con la bifobia fue un poco bassic para mi, pero para cualquier persona que sea nueva en estos temas es perfecto.
Ah y para concluir...AMO A AINSLEY OH POR DIOS MERECE UN LIBRO PARA ELLA SOLA

maryyykayyy's review against another edition

5.0

i absolutely adored this book. first, the mc, darcy, was such a relatable character. personally i felt so drawn to her. i loved how she always found a way to help others. i loved her journey of discovering her own bisexuality and the discussion of biphobia that gonzales includes. the q&q club scene where they speak on what it means to be queer warmed my entire heart. to all bisexuals who fear that they aren’t “queer” when in a het relationship, YOU ARE QUEER. and no one can change that. it was so refreshing to read about a topic so important, especially being bisexual myself :’) honestly the representation in this book was just beautiful. and lastly we have mr alexander brougham. this man was such a sweetheart and i instantly fell for him. i love these two together and how much they believe in one another. such a cute little story that made my heart so happy.

4.5⭐️

annathebanana's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gus_reads's review against another edition

5.0

4.25/5⭐ pero le doy 5 en GR porque tiene muchas cosas buenas y distintas de las que me alegro muchísimo:

rudaaabook's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful slow-paced

3.75