First off, this had excellent and well-rounded queer representation. I love that Darcy was struggling with her bisexuality and how it defined her throughout the book. The relationship between her and Brougham was a lovely friendship that blossomed into something more. I loved the depth of understanding that came from Darcy's attempt at trying to learn the inner-workings of her classmates (and Brougham). I was on edge about how the whole locker 89 secret was going to come out but [I was very happy that Darcy was the one who ended up revealing it to Brooke (hide spoiler)]. Also, Darcy's sister Ainsley was a wonderful comic relief (and a huge support!). Everything tied neatly together and I had been hopeful that [the locker 89 advice would continue after the truth was revealed so I was happy the book ended with that as a potential Brougham/Darcy project (hide spoiler)]!

"Perfect on Paper" is a fun, rom-com - esque YA story centered around Darcy, whose secret relationship advice giving business at school brings her anonymous popularity in the form of Locker 89, and also brings her plenty of headaches and heartaches, because love is complicated and messy. I thought this was such a cute story and I loved the premise of it. Darcy is a great character, and as much as I was rooting for her through the whole book, I appreciated that she was allowed to be incredibly messy and flawed. The other characters are all great, and I loved the wide range of LGBTQ+ identities that were represented in the book. I especially loved the ways in which Darcy navigated the world being bisexual, and the ways in which the book addressed biphobia, especially from the queer community. The scenes that dealt with this were so, so good and so important. The fact that this book got to center around a bi girl who starts falling for a guy and made sure to validate her queerness the entire time was so, so good. There are so few books that handle this at all and "Perfect on Paper" made sure to say loud and clear that people who are bisexual shouldn't have to feel like they're not queer enough, no matter the gender of their partner. Overall, the story was really enjoyable and I loved the slow-burn build up between Darcy and Brougham, along with Darcy's evolving relationships with her friends and family. The characters all got to mess up deeply, but also got the chance to work towards forgiveness, and I appreciated the realness of that. Definitely looking forward to this book being out in the world so more people can read it!

“A love letter to high school relationships, Sophie Gonzales’s Perfect on Paper is perfect and unputdownable.”

Author Becky Albertalli’s praise for Gonzales latest novel, “Perfectly Wonderful” is exactly how I would describe Perfect on Paper. I enjoyed everything about this book and more.

I often find the books I read where I take notes are the ones I end up falling head over heals for. Where I map out my reaction of certain passages, noting the deep feelings and emotions they caused and the memorable lines I wanted burned into memory. Where a love sick boy seeks out and hires the main character to be his relationship coach to get his ex-girlfriend back, but possibly falls for the main character instead??? In my notes I wrote: “melt my heart; internally screaming if this actually happens!”

Okay, so the first thing that popped into my head when I was reading Darcy’s letter’s that are scattered throughout the book like stars in an unlit sky, was of the radio show Love Line back in the 1990’s (which apparently is still on air).

My husband said he used to listen to Love Line when he was in high school. He was drawn into the questions people had about relationships and Dr. Drew’s advice. Plus the added bonus of the hilarious dynamic between the hosts, especially Adam Carolla. It was a way to get relationship advice when you didn’t have anyone else to ask.

Now, I know Darcy is not a licensed physician and there are a number of legal and ethical reasons for not running an anonymous relationship advice service through a school, but the advice she does give is helpful. With this in mind, there were many exceptional aspects about this book I adored, including the letters Darcy received and responded to.

What was most profound was how Gonzales explores friendship (both plutonic and romantic). Perfect on Paper dives into the depths of what it means to be a friend. How sometimes the water is dark and murky, unsure of what our friends actually wants versus what we want for them. And as we dive deeper our lungs burning, desperate for oxygen, we see how far we would go for those we care about. Craving the closeness, respect, and acceptance like a diver coming up for air.

It’s how Gonzales shows those layers of friendship that makes this novel perfect. Like pealing back an onion piece by piece, your senses fully aware of each layer being pulled back as the story unfolds. You feel the sting of uncertainty and rejection, your eyes watering with tears. While also tasting the full flavors of the unexpected and the delight that a new found friendship can mean.

The absolute beauty of this novel is the LGBTQ representation. For this reason, I love how Gonzales focuses on friendship. Because that’s what high school is all about. Making those friendships that build on who you surround yourself by and how you see yourself with and without those people in it. It feels personal, relatable. It shows the solidarity of having a safe space for being Queer, with representation across the spectrum. And Gonzales does not shy away from the truth of social discrimination and homophobia, particularly when it comes to being bisexual.

Darcy herself is Bi. And as a bisexual teenager she experiences homophobia in a different way, one that in essence delegitimizes her queerness because her sexual preference is both male and female. As the reader we experience those fears and anxieties first hand. Doubting herself and fearing that the Queer community won’t accept her as Queer if she’s in a relationship with a straight or bisexual boy. But the underlining message is clear by the end of the novel. That everyone, regardless of sexual preference or gender orientation wants one thing: to be accepted.

Perfect on Paper is extraordinary. Gonzales paints real people into her stories with dysfunctional families, complicated relationships, and characters who could be a reflection of ourselves or people we care about and know.

This is a read you won’t want to miss.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

This is the first book I have read by Sophie Gonzales and I found it to be a pretty good YA rom-com. She unpacks a lot of LGBTQ+ issues and manages to work in all sort of family and relationship advice and analysis into it as well. On one hand I LOVED the book for this. Gonzales is skilled at weaving it all together with humor and your standard rom-com situations that involve lots of misunderstood signals and self discovery. The other edge to that sword is that it is A LOT and sometimes feels a little crammed. I'm unsure whether my high school readers will love that or be put off by it. I'm sure it will depend on the reader. I appreciate the fresh perspective/representation of a bisexual girl that chooses a hetero relationship and doubts her place in the queer community and her bisexual identity if she chooses to go this route. I have seen this situation play out before and it was nice to read a story for teens about this and watch Darcy process it. I happened upon Gonzales' comment on Goodreads about how this story came out of a train of twitter comments she was engaged in and I think she did a wonderful job of building the world and characters from the kernel idea.
Great YA read.

This novel is a celebration of diversity--exuberant, witty, splashing emotions all over the place.

Meet Darcy, who adores Brooke, and who in spite of her out-there personality and lifestyle, has a secret life: she gives advice to her fellow teens via anonymous letters deposited in an otherwise unused locker.

The letters are interspersed between chapters in which Darcy is drawn into helping a guy get his ex girlfriend back. Watching that friendship turn into something else is one of the joys of this novel, especially when Darcy begins to realize what's going on, and fears she's losing her queer street cred.

In this deceptively comedic, even wacky style, the novel confronts the hassles bi people get from both straight people and gay people, and sometimes from within. Then there's the whole discussion about secrecy and the power the advice-giver wields, and what their motives might be.

One of the other joys of this novel is Ainsley, Darcy's sister, who always has Darcy's back--and the support both sisters get from home.

Altogether a real roller-coaster ride, full of laughter, tears, insight, bringing our characters into safe harbor. Reading it this time of year, with so much anxiety and hatred and divisiveness in the world was exhilarating.

I loved Only Mostly Devastated by this author. This is another fun book. I love all the diverse characters and how it represents the real world and how it isn't just straight and white characters. It's funny and sweet. A great book.

This was a charming book of friendship and love. Kind of gave me Simon Vs. the Homosapiens Agenda vibes! Very sweet! Lot’s of LGBTQ representation. It was lovely!

Sophie does such a wonderful job creating characters I am quickly invested in. Loved this book a ton. Can’t wait for others to read it! It will definitely be a hit.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

I enjoyed this romcom featuring some LGBTQIA diversity. Darcy (assumed White) is the secret relationship guru behind a locker that dispenses relationship device along with a nominal fee. She’s also a teacher’s kid at a wealthy prep school who happens to be in love with her best friend Brooke (Asian). She’s caught as the locker letter writer by a classmate (white Australian), who blackmails her into helping his relationship drama in real time. The book was breezy and fun, like watching a teen romantic comedy film from the 90s.

I'd like to start off by saying that I am an #ownvoices reviewer and I can confirm that the bi rep is the best bi rep I have read in a novel, ever, and I've read many books with really good bi rep as it is. I appreciated the nuanced conversations the story had about biphobia, especially the constant invalidation of bisexuality when someone bi is in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender. I just...I think I needed this book right now.

Moving on, I really enjoyed the writing (I laughed so many times!), the inventive plot line, and the banter between the two love interests. I appreciated that it wasn't insta-love-y and that we actually got to see them develop their feelings for each other over time amidst misunderstandings. Usually I hate when misunderstandings are used as a plot tool, but here it made sense!

I do think the pacing was a bit off, with what felt like the climax at the 60% mark and then the resolution taking up the next 40%, but I honestly don't have that many qualms about this book. It was cute, sweet, reminded me why my love life is absolute garbage, and validated my sexuality. (We love to see it.)

I would like to note that the reason this isn't a 5 star read isn't so much anything the book did wrong, but more that it didn't illicit a strong enough emotional reaction out of me for a 5 star. Some points were cliché, I definitely knew what was going to happen from the get-go, and ultimately despite all the important conversations it had, it didn't bring anything groundbreaking to the table.

But with that said, of course, I did absolutely adore this and I highly, highly recommend it.

(Although one last note...I could tell immediately that the author doesn't live in California because Disneyland is far too expensive for someone who describes herself as poor to be park-hopping in one day and going whenever the heck she feels like it. And, a girl from LA wouldn't be surprised to hear that Australian students don't have a traditional indoor cafeteria because California students don't either :) )

-Book Hugger

Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for this book!
I recently read Sophie's book Only Mostly Devastated, and I enjoyed it so much! So when I saw this book on NetGalley and I new I had to read it!
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the concept of anonymous person giving love advice through a locker (where was that when I was in High School). It had everything I want in a book love, humor, drama. Loved all of the representation of the queer community. Darcy was a great MC that was so relatable. In the beginning I did not really like Brougham in the beginning but he grew on me in the end. Overall I really enjoyed this book!
Also posted on Goodreads!

This book is everything I wanted. I just finished and honestly can’t stop smiling. It’s genuine good-hearted romance with tons of representation and all of the classic high school hijinks to boot.

This book is ideal for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han books! Darcy Philips represents those who are single, but constantly gives advice to those who are in a relationship or those who want to be in one. I love her relationship with Brougham which doesn't start off on a great foot. It's disguised as blackmail but she'll also be getting paid for a job she does anyway at a higher rate than what she's been getting. This is an adorable YA book that YA contemporary fans can indulge in.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Either Sophie Gonzales is a relationship therapist, or she has read every book on the market on relationships. In <u>Perfect on paper,</u> Darcy Phillips is a budding relationship doctor who operates anonymously out of locker 89 in her private high school. She learns the hard way why professionals are bound by so many confidentiality and conflict of interest rules. Darcy is caught in quite a few of those situations when her own love life stirs up trouble.

Darcy is an extremely emotionally intelligent teen, but like most of us, she has trouble distancing herself from her own issues when the spotlight is squarely on her own emotions. She has a huge crush on her best friend Brooke, but an unexpected friendship between a new client, Brougham, brings an interesting wrinkle into her love life.

Darcy's sister, Ainsley, is transitioning. Ainsley started the Queer and Questioning club at their private high school. Darcy is openly bisexual, but has never seriously ventured into the "relationship quagmire" - which is ironic, given her moonlighting job!

The dialogue is often deeply introspective, intelligent and even funny. I enjoyed spending time with Darcy and her gang. There were times when I felt there was too much description of physical settings, but I also gathered that the author felt that each character's physical environment reflected an aspect of their emotional issues. One house was cluttered but cozy; another would be over-the-top pristine and showy. Darcy and Brougham's characters reflected their "homescapes."

I rate this a solid 4 out of 5. (I would have given this one a 5 out of 5 rating, but whenever I encounter distancing vocabulary - "Schadenfreude" being on the top of my list - I start to deduct points. And hey, I know I shouldn't throw any stones! I used to memorize a new word every day in high school, but I realized that when I tried to use these rare gems in conversation, I came across as a "show off." My friends called me on this more than once. It was like speaking another language at the dinner table: very excluding. And here is another big point reducer: I dislike when authors don't translate their foreign dialogue - either in brackets or in a footnote. This is just my own point of view, but my reasoning is that if we are ever going to be an inclusive society, we should try not to leave ANYONE out of the conversation. (Also, the flow of the story gets interrupted whenever you have to pause and Google a translation!) All hail to you polyglots out there - and I myself can speak several languages - but we need to build bridges, not roadblocks, with our words.

This was a very well written, intelligent story. I highly recommend this novel, and am on the waiting list for this author's other books.

If you’re looking for a fun and queer teen romance, this is definitely it. The main character Darcy is openly bisexual and I enjoyed the way the book presented the issue of biphobia and the sometimes uncomfortable place that bisexuality has in the queer community. The romance of the story is filled with little cues and misunderstandings that come off quirky and fun. I did feel that sometimes Darcy went too far into the explanation of her advices and the science behind it all, and found myself skimming through those paragraphs. Despite that, it was fun to see her struggle to follow her own advice and apply those guidelines and exceptions to herself. This was a good quick read.

4,5/5 stars. Perfect on Paper is the bi-rep, Charlie Bartlett (minus the prescription pills) romcom that 2021 needs! I really enjoyed Sophie Gonzales' Only Mostly Devastated, and this story has the same humor, cute queer characters, and engaging dialogue. It follows Darcy Phillips, who runs a secret romance/relationship advice business through locker 89 at her high school. She is discovered by swim hottie Alexander Brougham, who is desperate for advice, and she begrudgingly agrees to help him.

I really enjoyed watching this story develop, including a very cute date scene at Disneyland, all of the nuggets of really good relationship advice that are sprinkled throughout the book (you can learn about attachment styles!), supportive friendships, and a description of a horror movie that would scare my socks off!

The book slows down for me in the last third, and it started to feel bogged down by the consequences of Darcy's actions. This reminded me slightly of Sex Education, although much cleaner and with fewer bad decisions on the part of the teenagers included. I was rooting for these characters all the way through, and it has cemented my interest in reading all future books written by Gonzales. Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions are my own.

I will give a full review of this book on www.pluckyreader.com, but I cannot say enough good things about PERFECT ON PAPER. The premise is lovely, the storytelling is masterful, the characters are relatable and perfect in their imperfection. This is a book I will definitely recommend to my students and readers at every opportunity. It deals with important conversations, like bi erasure and how complex and complicated sexuality really is. It was a book I had trouble recovering from once it was over.

A very enjoyable read. Darcy is a smart and caring lead character. She never backs down, and she doesn't change herself to make Brougham like her. And she helps him with his issues. I also loved the supportive parents in this book as a support for Darcy, and in opposition to Brougham's very flawed (and realistically so) parents. There's a lot of humor and realistic teen talk in this book. I would recommend to my students.

Relationship advice for the YA set .... impressively compiled and realistically applied. But the LGBTQ+ dialogue was on point! You don't often get to discuss the 'B', but the voice lent to that conversation is needed and appreciated. What starts out as advice on dating for high school students turns into a tale of trusting how a person makes you feel about yourself.

Review won't be available on my blog, The Reading Fairy until March 8th, 2021

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars!

TW: biphoba, blackmail, ableist language, divorce, description of sex, drug use, mention of vomit, cheating, use of alcohol, breakup, doxxing
Rep: Bisexual MC, Queer (Ace/Aro, bi, gay, trans, pansexual, enby) side characters, Black side character

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publicist via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion.

“Love makes people softer”

I’ve been eyeing this book for a little bit, mostly because I adored Only Mostly Devastated and the bisexual representation in the book. This is one of the very few books that I could think about right now, especially with the bisexual representation in it, and how much it tackled.

Probably might be thinking that bisexual rep. is a little common in books? But honestly, this book felt special-mostly because it tackled internalized biphobia from both society and from the queer community. It brought tears to my eyes, because even though I may be a-spec, I still identify as bisexual. And I have thought that I couldn’t be queer if I was attracted to the opposite gender multiple times.

But what also makes this book special, is that it has a m/f relationship in it. Most books that have a bisexual protagonists only do sapphic romances in them.

But also, can we just talk about the queer rep in particularly? We have an a-spec side character in it and it just makes me feel seen. There was was quite a bit of other queer characters in which they created their own space and club where they talk about all things queer and stuff. And the diversity is just chef’s kiss.

This book felt like 3 stars for a while, but after that Disney chapter-I may have gave upped my original rating. It was adorable, and honestly it was such an original idea that I really liked it.

Locker 89 is a locker that sends out advice from the letters they get, and money. And Darcy is behind it, giving advice from friendships, relationships and consent until someone-Alexander Brougham, finds out who the person running Locker 89 is. And now, Darcy is stuck helping him unless he tells everyone who really is behind Locker 89.

It almost reminds me of The Half of It on Netflix, a film I really adore. I got those kinda vibes from it, but those vibes helped me enjoy this book a lot more. It was really good, and how the romance was developed.

I loved it quite a bit. I loved the way Sophie Gonzales wrote Brougham and Darcy. The romance was so believable, and I adored every second of it.