An anonymous love advice locker and two people who run into each other at the exact wrong time, what could go wrong? The story follows Darcy Phillips, a highschooler who runs a side business of giving love advice to anyone for just $10 and it all has to be done anonymously through a letter in a defunct locker. Too bad for Darcy, she gets caught by Alexander Brougham, who is willing to blackmail and pay Darcy to help coach him get his ex back. And so begins one very quirky and very cute love story. Darcy has been in love with her best friend Brooke since forever and can’t seem to ever make it work. Brougham challenges Darcy and she finds herself really looking at what she’s doing and maybe seeing that Brougham isn’t as cold and rude as he seems. I adored the enemies to friends to maybe something else that was between Darcy and Brougham. They had so much chemistry and they had adorable and such sweet bonding moments. Darcy is part of the LGBTAQ club at her school and her feelings and fears on biphobia really touched me. I had so much fun reading this book and watching the bond between Darcy and Brougham grow was just the best! I would highly recommend this for anyone looking for a fun and great romance story!

I received an early e-arc of Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this title as it was blurbed by Becky Albertalli and is compared to her novel Leah on the Offbeat, and I wasn't disappointed by this comparison. I think that if you like any of Becky Albertalli's books then you will also like this story.
Perfect on Paper was a fun queer contemporary story about a bisexual girl giving anonymous love and relationship advice to her classmates via Locker 89, she then gets caught opening the locker by a popular guy who then hires her to help him win his ex-girlfriend back.
I liked the addition of the Queer and Questioning club that Darcy and her friends were apart of as well as the conversations that Darcy had by talking about her experience being bisexual and feeling as though this identity was erased based on who she had crushes on/was dating. There were many LGBT+ characters throughout the novel and the Queer and Questioning club provided a safe space for most of the LGBT+ characters.
I also thought Darcy's sister, Ainsley's, YouTube channel, thrift shop hauls and tailoring was an interesting part of the story.
Overall I gave Perfect on Paper 3 out of 5 stars, I would definitely recommend if you liked Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda or any of Becky Albertalli's books.

This book was interesting to read, not at all what I was expecting. I found it to be quite mature, the subject matter and things that were being dealt with, I would not recommend it for a young audience, but the characters were quite immature in how they handled things, so that was confusing to me.

I am apologizing right off because this turned into an essay but:

I'm giving this baby—⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ !

Perfect On Paper by Sophie Gonzales is an unapologetic, queer YA rom-com where the endgame pairing is m/f.

Yes. You heard me RIGHT.

We follow Darcy Phillips, a bisexual high-school girl who is in love with her best friend Brooke, supports the hell out of her trans sister Ainsley—oh, and she has been running an anonymous relationship advice business out of the mysterious Locker 89 for two years now. Normal stuff.

When Darcy is approached (completely out of Locker 89 protocol) by Alexander Brougham, they come to an accord: Darcy will help the aloof, sarcastic, emotionally stunted Brougham win back his ex-girlfriend and Brougham will keep Darcy's secret. A simple case of equivalent exchange.

Of course, love is never simple.

OKAY SO.

This book took me through an absolute slew of emotions. Darcy made me crazy for the first two chapters until I, with utter clarity, realized I was annoyed because I saw myself in her. (You know what they say about being friends with yourself? Yeah.)

She is a loving person. Witty, sarcastic, a hyperactive chaos gremlin. But as a secret advice-giver she struggles with both her ego and the pressure she puts on herself to make sure all of her advice is absolutely 100% perfect. Her love for Brooke makes her completely blind to her own bullshit (and I feel like many of us can relate to that) often mistaken protectiveness for petty jealousy. I vividly remember being in a similar situation in school and wondering where all of these conflicting feelings were coming from. (Hello, bi awakening) But the way she took charge of herself, the growth we see from her—it was fantastic to watch an MC make HUGE mistakes, suffer for them, and make amends FOR the people they hurt and not just for themselves.

Alexander genuinely made me laugh out loud. *Oh* do I know what it's like to fall for a smart-mouthed boy on complete and total accident. He was layered. Every glimpse we got of his personality, his likes/dislikes, how he saw the world, I was a little more charmed and just as annoyed about it as Darcy was. Their communication styles were so entirely different and I was rooting for them SO HARD by act two. The misunderstandings were almost torturous.

INTERVENTION: Ainsley is the best sister ever and no one can tell me otherwise. We need to scream about this beautiful, sweet, completely FERAL girl forever because YES.

Ahem, moving on.

I also need to say that this book made me cry. Darcy struggles, as a bi girl who's queer identity has been such a big part of her, with her crush on a straight boy. She struggles with the internalized bi-phobia that I think many of us have gone through or do go through. It comes down to the question: Are we queer enough if we date the opposite gender? Does falling in love with this person really erase us? Does it exclude us from the community we love and identify with?

And the answer should be a resounding NO. But for many of us who find ourselves in relationships with the opposite-presenting gender (or who haven't been in a relationship at all, or never dated someone of the same gender, etc) this haunts us. Even within the community we are told we are "straight-passing* and maybe we do pass, but that doesn't erase the fact that we are still queer. And Darcy confronting this very real fear, these true anxieties and being supported and loved and reaffirmed in her queer identity—yeah, I cried about it.

I felt seen. I felt heard. I felt understood. And I believe that others will too. This isn't just a love story, this is a love *letter* to all people in the queer community that think they aren't enough. And also an acknowledgment that none of us are perfect, or free from our own bias, but that we can learn and grow and come out better as long as we open ourselves to that change.

I cannot recommend this book enough. When it hits the shelves 09 March 2021 you BET that I will be sliding it in right next to Only Mostly Devastated and going back to it with fondness.

I was really happy that the main character was bisexual, it's great that that's expanding. I love how they handled her feelings that she bi anymore if she dated a guy. I'm straight (and not a teen), so I really have no say, but I think all teens should read this.
The main character Darcy sends advice anonymously through a lockers to her fellow classmates, mostly about relationship advice. She starts helping Brougham try and get back with his ex, when he catches her there. Hijinks continue..

I think I liked this more than ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED, and definitely eager to pick up whatever Sophie Gonzales has next.

The treatment of bisexuality was SO. DARN. GOOD. We need more of this. Bisexual characters tend to only appear in same-sex relationships in literature, so it's refreshing to see the problems that come up (Also! The ace rep! Yes please, thank you, absolutely perfect, don't change a thing. I was ready to be up in arms if it went sideways, but it was just what every book needs. Yes, every book.)

This was compulsively readable. Darcy's commentary on relationships and the research she had done was absolutely fascinating, and I of course loved that a lot of it boiled into my theory of "just communicate, darn it!" It's always easier to psychoanalyse someone else than yourself, which was fun to see happening to her.

Loved the evolution of her relationship with Brooke most of all, and the way she was able to realise her feelings.

This was a slow start for me, but I ended up loving it. Gonzales writes so wonderfully about being bi and dealing with biphobia, the wrapping of a fun, messily complicated rom-com. All of the characters are flawed, but never fully vilified and I loved all of them. There's a lot of gender and sexuality diversity that is handled with elegant ease. The whole book is funny, sweet, and satisfying. Great for fans of Becky Albertalli, Amy Spaulding, Emma Mills, and Netflix's Sex Education.

PERFECT ON PAPER by Sophie Gonzales

Solid 4.5 stars!

This was the perfect, light, with just enough seriousness contemporary that I needed right now. I requested this as soon as I saw it as I adored Sophie’s previous novel, Only Mostly Devastated.

Perfect on Paper centres on Darcy, a girl in high school who has been anonymously giving out relationship advice through letters sent to “Locker 89”. When we meet Darcy, she is in love with her best friend and perfectly confident in giving advice to everyone in her school. But when she is enlisted by the guy who catches her taking the letters out of the locker, she begins to question what she thought she knew.

This book felt so real compared to many contemporaries I’ve read. The characters were three-dimensional; they were messy, they were complicated and at times, did not make the best decisions. There was also great LGBTQ+ representation with Darcy herself being bi and many of the side characters being a part of the community as well. On top of all that, this was genuinely funny. The dialogue did not feel stilted at all and I could see myself, as a teen in highschool, having those conversations. This also included just the right amount of pop culture references to make it relatable but not overdone.

The relationships in this, from the friendships to the romantic relationships, felt organic and were not forced at all. Darcy and Brougham’s development throughout the book, and the respect they had for one another was so heartwarming to read. As well, Sophie’s emphasis on the importance of just having a good friendship to count on was so important!

Ainsley was probably my favourite side character and I loved that her and Darcy had such a supportive and dependable sibling bond.

All in all, this was super enjoyable and I definitely would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a heartfelt contemporary that has a perfect balance of discussing realistic issues, humour, and deep characters.

Thanks again to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I actually read this book in an afternoon. It was very cute. I quite liked the relationship between Darcy and Brougham and found the lesbian relationships very nuanced as well. I typically don't read LGBTQ+ stories, but I liked this one.

It was a little uneven, but it was a good quick read. I liked Darcy's relationships with everyone and I liked the twist that she was the relationship guru behind Locker 89.

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

This was a very well written book.
Just the whole story behind this book was amazing.
It was diverse, enjoyable, amazing.

I enjoyed this from n start to finish

Thank you NetGalley publisher and author for this gifted ebook!

In Perfect on Paper, Darcy Phillips has a secret that nobody (except for her sister, Ainsley) knows—she’s the mysterious relationship advice columnist behind the notorious Locker 89 at her high school. Until one afternoon when another student, the popular and attractive swim team star Alexander Brougham, catches her in the act of checking the locker for new letters. Instead of telling her secret to the school, however, Brougham requests her services as a private relationship coach to help him win back his girlfriend.

I admit I’ve never read any of Sophie Gonzales’s work before, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised by this book. In many ways, I expected a run-of-the-mill young adult rom-com from Perfect on Paper. And although the book definitely fits the “young adult rom-com” mold, it’s a bit more than just that, with refreshing representation of a bisexual teen learning to navigate her own personal romantic relationships while at the same time posing as a “relationship expert” for her school. The book deals with some of the more subtle aspects of human relationships and the sometimes confusing experience of figuring out one’s own identity, as Darcy is forced to examine her crush on her best friend, Brooke, and consider her reasons for this crush while also exploring her new feelings for Brougham. This book also stands out as a book about a bisexual teenager who has to confront this part of their identity and consider its implications and validity—in a moving scene, Darcy confesses her confused feelings regarding her romantic feelings to her fellow Queer and Questioning Club members, who reassure her that her feelings are normal and that she is “queer enough,” even if she chooses to be with a partner of a different gender. Although Perfect on Paper appears light and fluffy at first glance, it is a book with real depth and emotion that is sure to hit home with many teenagers struggling to find their place in the world.

This was a rare 5/5 ⭐s! I wish I'd had this book when I was in high school.

Perfect on Paper has everything I love in a YA novel: romance, some drama, friendships built to last, and characters in unique situations. Darcy is certainly in a unique situation having been giving her classmates anonymous relationship advice secretly through an empty locker for a couple years!

Then she meets Brougham, who wants her advice in person. She doubts she can do it, but takes on the task...and finds herself falling for him? But what about her best friend, Brooke, she's been quietly in love with for years?

With Darcy as a "relationship expert," this book gets to address sex and relationships in an incredibly healthy way, still through the lens of a teenager. Gonzalez uses the school's Queer and Questioning Club as a device to permit deeper discussions around queer identity and gender, and it's just perfect.

This is a book I'd buy for any young adult reader in my life, and wish I could go back and read at age 15! Highly recommend. I know it's out in March but...is it too early to ask for a movie version?! Thank you to @netgalley
And @macmillanusa for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review! Really enjoyed the author's ability to present inclusive material from an entirely genuine standpoint. This makes me want to read the rest of Sophie's books!

I absolutely adored this. The representation, the characters, the plot...I loved everything about this and can't wait to force every single one of my friends to read and gush over it with me!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the DRC. How hard is it to tell a story about a bisexual? You have to work in love interests from the two primary sexes and not make it a competition between them as if the teenage protag's happily ever choice is a forever statement about their preference.

Regardless, Sophie Gonzales, can write a fun romance. Darcy Phillips has two secrets: a crush on her best friend, Brooke and a thriving romantic advice business that she's only abused twice, so far, both times to manipulate Brooke. What could go wrong?!?

The Locker 89 conceit is a good one. Darcy, whose mom works at her fancy private high school, which enables her lower middle class self to attend, has taken over a locker (found the combo and taken it out of circulation due to Darcy's borrowed admin access). Students slip a letter and $10 into the locker, describing their romantic woes, and Darcy emails back from an anonymized email address. If her advice doesn't pan out, she refunds the money, but that doesn't happen often. Darcy's success rate is 95%. I was please do see that her advice is warm and wise, never dismissing. Darcy does a lot of relationship theory research, even if she doesn't need it anymore. She's never like, "dump that needy brat." Instead she advises clients to understand the real issue. Why does the lover think they require so many text messages; what is it they actually need?

I don't think it's too spoilerish to say that the things you think are going to happen, happen, and that's fine. Along with way we have a well-adjusted trans woman sister, Ainsley, whose existence is just a fact, a supportive Queer and Questioning club where lots of genders and sexualities are represented, students of color, divorcing and divorced parents, class differences, and sort of regular high school life.

I'll be glad to hear corrections or conflicting interpretations of Ainsley's role and experience.

After gaining access to this book through NetGalley, I was eager to see how Gonzales painted this typical trope of advice-giving in a high school setting. I can easily say that despite the commonality of this plot concept, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was and how much I ended up enjoying this book.

First of all, for those of you looking for LGBTQIA+ books, this one definitely falls into that category. Additionally, as a Mexican-American author, the diversity of the book, the perspectives, the author, and the characters allows for this young adult novel to be relatable for many who choose to pick it up.
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This novel follows high school student, Darcy, through her own analytics of those around her. She is a self-defined relationship expert, despite never really having had a relationship herself. But no one knows this. And no one knows that she's behind the advice.

Started during her freshman year, Darcy took to retrieving letters about problems her classmates faced in their relationships from locker #89. Anonymously, she'd respond with relationship advice for each individual letter, often doing research through YouTube from the people she followed and trusted most.

But keeping this secret ends up unraveling the relationships that Darcy holds closest to her heart. Especially when someone discovers the truth, and it spirals into needing to tell another person. Especially when she uses the top-secret knowledge for her own benefit and ends up hurting those she cares about.
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This is the first book I've ever read by Gonzales, but she manages to make the characters relatable, even for those readers who are not members of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

More than this, nearly ever chapter begins with a letter from a classmate and a response from Darcy, and while this in itself is great insight into what she's been doing and who Darcy is as a character, the letters and advice actually foreshadow her own experiences and self-doubt throughout the chapter attached to said letters. A very intriguing style that helps pull all of it together.

On top of the typical YA romance trope, Gonzales allows her characters to be full people. They make mistakes, they have crushes that don't pan out, they explore relationships, but more than this, they grapple with their own identity. Darcy faces a lot of self-doubt and self-hatred even in regards to her identity as a bisexual individual, and this process of coming to terms with her own biases helps readers understand not only what others go through, but how easy it is to allow society to shape how we see ourselves, too.

It's also important to highlight the significance of the title. Perfect on Paper is one of those titles that just seems brilliant once you finish reading the book. While, at first glance, I thought the title might be about a job application or a relationship online profile, I was pleasantly mistaken. Instead, it's about seeming to be perfect on paper as you remain anonymous to the masses. It's about analyzing those around you without analyzing yourself. It's even about recognizing that we aren't perfect, and that that is okay.

While this book is not yet out, I highly recommend pre-ordering or grabbing a copy in March 2021 when it is released!

I'm beginning to develop a massive amount of love for the written works of Sophie Gonzales, having just fallen head over heels and hand over foot for <em>Perfect on Paper</em>. I loved this book's story so much that I finished it in less than a day. <em>Perfect on Paper </em>very much feels like one of those YA romances that just <em>demands</em> to be made into a film. That's how good it is. In so many ways, I desperately need to see this. So, Netflix, where are you at? This is so much better than many of the nonsense you've movie-tized over the years. Come and get it.

<b>On Paper</b>

So, at surface level this is the story of Darcy Phillips and the ups and downs involved with the anonymous relationship advice giving business she has set up for herself. The whole student body knows about it, they just don't know who runs it. It's an unquestionable fact that if you need advice and stick your letter through the slot of locker 89, you'll receive an email telling you how to fix your problem.

And so, one day, as Darcy is retrieving her letters she is caught by surprise when one of her classmates catches her in the act.

Honestly, you pretty much get the gist of this story from it's blurb. And while <em>quite</em> predictable, <em>Perfect on Paper</em> is just the kind of cheesy predictable that is, <em>perfect on paper</em>.

<b>Let's Talk About the Characters</b>

<u>Diversity </u>

This is probably the most sexually diverse cast of characters I have ever come across. First, there's Darcy--our main character--who is bi. Then, her best friend, Brooke Nguyen is a lesbian. Fairly prominent side characters Raina and Finn are bi and gay respectively. Then there's Ainsley, Darcy's sister, who is trans. Finally, we have Alexander Brougham, who is straight. And the best part? They are all <em>brilliantly</em>, wonderfully gifted with amazing personalities and incredible depth.

<u>Darcy Phillips</u>

There's so much I could say about Darcy, really. She carries the whole story in such an expertly executed way. This is only my second novel of Gonzales' and if this is the level of brilliance she is going to continue to have with her lead characters, it won't be the last. The research and development that went into this character was impressive. You can tell that Gonzales really put her all into building Darcy, especially as she incorporated all those pieces of relationship psychology.

Now, let me be perfectly clear here: Darcy isn't perfect. In fact, she makes several huge and honestly terrible mistakes throughout the course of the novel that, at times, you may find yourself furious with her.

The thing that got me, though, about Darcy with both her good and bad moments was how utterly <em>real</em> she felt. This is a girl who is young and learning. She does some admittedly awful things to someone based solely on personal emotions that several have referenced made her difficult for them to like in their reviews. But honestly? For me, I had very little trouble forgiving her for all of it.

Not only was Darcy only fifteen for the worst of it and sixteen for the next piece, but she'd also never been in a relationship. She also <em>recognizes </em>where she's been awful and makes an effort to become a <em>better</em> person. That's a <em>lot </em>more than I can say for all those novels with cheating plots that basically reward the cheaters with their new relationship and never really condemn them for it.

I guess this is kind of a hill I want to die upon, in the end. Darcy is a teenager, understandably prone to stupid mistakes based off emotions that she has not had the time or experience to fully understand the scope of her actions. And while that never excuses it, the fact that she actually takes actionable steps toward righting her wrongs is utterly amazing. Honestly? Go Darcy. I love you.

<u>Alexander Brougham</u>


I honestly cannot with this kid. I think the best thing about Brougham was the slow-burn love you, as the reader, develop for him. Gonazales did an exceptional job with this character. He, too, I think benefited from the research she did for this novel. Of course, the most brilliant piece to how we slowly fall in love with Alexander Brougham lies with Darcy.

I cannot express enough how much I deeply appreciated the main character's unreliability as a narrator.

Perhaps this sounds weird, but trust me on this. You see, readers get to experience and learn about Brougham through the lens of Darcy Phillips and her perceptions. What's great is that Darcy's perceptions are very individual and not always correct. Not only was this a brilliant way to develop her character, but it served to do wonders for Brougham as well. You get a first impression that is clouded in Darcy's understanding of the world. Then, wonderfully, it <em>shifts </em>just as new information arises to enlighten her.

I can honestly say that I have never been more impressed with the way a YA romance has been narrated. <em>Ever</em>.

Aside from that, though, there is an adorable vulnerability to Alexander Brougham's character that I just couldn't keep myself from finding incredibly endearing. And as we get to know him better, our own understand of him surpasses Darcy's. In that sense, Gonzales introduces us to a great deal of information about Brougham that even Darcy misses and it is truly <em>fascinating. </em>While, sure, this does make the novel feel somewhat predictable, I found it honestly refreshing in a weird way.

You might have to wait for Darcy to catch up to everything, but you find yourself <em>loving</em> Brougham so much more than you would had everything been obvious to her from the start. His development was just so phenomenal. From a psychology perspective, I frankly found <em>Perfect on Paper</em> utterly brilliant.

<u>Sides</u>

Okay, so the side characters are excellent.

It's difficult to pinpoint which of the side characters is the most important. Many of them play rather large roles in the story as a whole. Genuinely, I find myself torn between calling out Brooke or Ainsley. I'd say, out of everyone, they are the most pivotal to the tale. And I loved everything about them. There are, of course, Brougham's friends--the most notable being Finn--but they don't play large roles in the events of the novel.

As for the parents, Darcy's mom is the most prominent character in terms of 'screen time.' And while I enjoyed reading her moments, the dichotomy of parental relationships was more interesting. It was utterly fascinating to see how Gonzales incorporated the psychology of divorced parents as well as parents who are in a rather toxic relationship into her novel.

<b>Perfect</b>

Truth be told, I don't have a lot of complaints about this one. Though, I suppose that could be evidenced by the 5-star rating. I frankly don't think there's much more that I could ask of this novel. I genuinely loved how Gonzales did research into the psychology of relationships in order to write this. It's pretty clear just from the novel and the great thing is that you don't <em>have</em> to have a background in psychology to understand it. Though, admittedly, it is really cool to have that background.

There is some commentary about biphobia in this novel, too, as it relates to the invalidation of bisexuality and belonging to the LGBTQ+ community when one is in a relationship with the opposite gender. As far as I'm concerned, this was handled <em>incredibly</em> well. There's so much sincerity and community in the culminating moment. That said, I don't consider myself to be an authority voice on this subject and thus I point you to Gonzales own <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3082619741?book_show_action=true&amp;from_review_page=1">statement</a> on this and implore you to read own voices reviews before taking my word on it.

I had a lot of fun reading this and I feel so in love with the characters. I fell infinitely more than I did for the characters in Gonzales' last novel, so if you liked that one you should definitely try this one. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Darcy Phillips gives anonymous love advice to the students at her high school. Operating out of an abandoned locker, she has been collecting letters (and money) while emailing replies for years. Her secret has been safe until she is caught by a fellow student and suddenly she is agreeing to be his personal dating coach. What could go wrong?

This book was a perfect mixture of To All The Boys I've Loved Before and The Half Of It. At first, I was concerned that the plot would be too similar to The Half Of It, but was pleasantly surprised when it took turns I hadn't expected.

While Darcy has her moments that made me question her as a lovable character, I couldn't help but root for her the whole way. The plot was creative and kept me turning the pages. This was supplemented with strong characters that each had their own complexities and challenges to work through. There wasn't anyone I truly disliked as a character. Sometimes, I found the advice Darcy gave to be a bit unrealistic of a high schooler (but when you consider the author works as a psychologist).

While I am not a member of the LGBTQA community, I really loved the representation in this book. It was well thought out and not tokenizing characters just for the sake of more representation. The emotions and struggles were raw and gave me a glimpse into the marginalized community.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and encourage everyone to check it out when it's released in March 2021!

I loved Sophie's previous novel, Only Mostly Devastated, so I was really looking forward to this one! Perfect on Paper a diverse cast, the main character being sixteen year old, bisexual Darcy who is the anonymous person behind a locker where people slip letter's and ten dollars into looking for advice. She's been able to keep it a secret for years, until she's caught by a popular, senior named Brougham. In exchanged for his silence, Darcy agrees to help him get his ex-girlfriend back.

As Darcy tries to help Brougham win his back his girlfriend, Darcy is trying to figure out her own love life. She's in love with her best friend, Brooke, who has just started dating another member of the Queen & Questioning club that they are apart of.

I loved the conversations around Darcy's bisexuality and about pronoun usage. It felt natural to the story and not a info-dump. Overall, I loved this. It had it's moments of angst but was a fun YA romance read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Perfect on Paper ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️I cannot and will not stop talking about this book! I adored Sophie’s debut novel Only Mostly Devastated and was so grateful for a chance to read her upcoming 2021 release Perfect On Paper. Sophie struck gold with this incredibly heartwarming romance that had me fully captured by page one. Darcy Phillips’ journey navigating internalized biphobia, unrequited love, and not being able to take your own advise is something stuck such a chord and made for such a lovely prospective for this story. This book also includes a diverse cast of lovable characters across the gender and sexuality spectrum that I can not wait for everyone who reads it to meet. Perfect on Paper lived up to my expectations and I can not wait until I can physically force this book onto everyone in my life March 9th, 2021. Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for this EGalley.

Hands down! What a great mash up of Simon vs Homo sapiens agenda, Leah on the Offbeat meets Netflix’s Sex Education series, To All the boys I loved before is fresh baked from the oven with amazing LGBTQ representation!

Bisexual heroine, straight hero and gay, lesbian, trans supporting characters present us wide spectrum of sexual identity exploration of the young adults, challenges they face and learn to love true selves are well told by reflecting different perspectives honestly and realistically.

Darcy Philips is school’s secret relationship consultant, yes, she’s different from Otis Milburn character from Sex Education :She doesn’t only help her friends with her objective opinions to solve their sexual problems with partners, she also help them to face their emotional problems gently.

Of course she keeps her identity secret, collecting the letters from a secret locker, answering the questions via a pen name. She’s bisexual and she has second thoughts to date with opposite gender because she is afraid of being perceived as less queer by her inner circle! See, firstly she needs to fight against the wrong thought patterns to have a fulfilled, satisfying relationship.

But unfortunately the most disturbing guy who pisses her off all the time finds out her secret. Yes, the one and only Alexander Brougham knows who she is and in exchange of his silence, he demands free relationship consultation from her to earn back his old girlfriend.

It seems like easy peasy task for Darcy but what if the guy she thinks a real douchebag slowly starts to attract her attention more than she thinks and there is still risk that her best friend Brooke can learn her true identity which may end their whole relationship. Yes, when it comes to hearts, there will be always unexpected, surprising complications.

Do you want to know what will happen next? Go on, but the book, devour the pages and find out!

I mostly enjoyed this sweet, thought provoking, meaningful story. The first half of the book was a little slow for me and I wish the story may have been told in lesser pages which would have been helpful with the pacing but it was still enjoyable, entertaining, lovely.

I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 brave, complex, smart stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this impressive ARC with me in exchange my honest review.