Perfect on paper by Sophie Gonzales is a ya contemporary novel that I've been looking forward to read for a whole year and just now in September 2021 I finally got around too it!
This follows a girl who has a secret job on her school campus. She gives advice to all her classmates about love life and what to do in a ceritan situation, and nobody have caught her doing this yet until one day when Broigham catches her and then he deciedes to blackmail our main character. So we have a lot of characters that we follow so that was a little confusing for me but other than that I thought this was an overall a cute and lovely story! Can't wait to read more from Sophie Gonzales! 4/5 stars

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

I’ve been on contemporary slump this past few months, but Perfect on Paper single-handedly brought back my love for this genre. It’s just THAT cute and adorable.

This book follows Darcy Phillips, who anonymously runs a relationship-advice business. She’s pretty good at it, though the fact that she’s the one who run this business cannot ever go out since once upon a time, she abused her knowledge and power on Brooke aka her best-friend (and crush). One day though, Alexander Brougham, a quite-popular senior, caught her in the act of collecting letters and ask her to help him win back his ex-girlfriend.

Y’all could probably guess what happens next. I’m a sucker for this kind of romance where initially they’re just helping each other and then find out they’re better off with each other instead. Darcy and Brougham are no different, they had such great chemistry that it’s hard not to ship them! I smiled a lot whenever these two interacts. Of course, I can’t talk about this book without talking about the bi representation, especially regarding internalized-biphobia. I’m not bi, but I really think it’s done well and quite eye-opening. Also the Queer and Questioning club is such a cool concept, I really wish every school has them since I imagine it’d help lots of people.

All in all, Perfect on Paper is definitely worth the read! You won’t be disappointed.

This was okay didn’t stand out. I wish books were more original and I know it’s hard with contemporary. I was just expecting so much more. Thank you so much for the book!

I absolutely loved this book. This isn’t the first time I’ve read Sophie’s work and she doesn’t disappoint. The inclusion of different sexualities and genders is refreshing. One of my favorite parts was the section on internalized biphobia. I myself have experienced that, and it was very nice to see that so eloquently represented in print. I think teens and young adults, both straight and queer could benefit from and enjoy reading this book.

Dear Diary,
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Perfect on Paper is a teenage sex education Netflix reminding tale that I wish would have been written fifteen years ago.
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Locker 185 <I think that was my high school locker number?>
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Ever felt like you've had to scream at the top of your lingd? Get all the stress out? Broughman and Phillips have the best place for you.... Disneyland. 
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Perfect on Paper is a stellar followup to Sophie Gonzalezs freshman novel. With spark, sass and Disney a reader will not go wrong when picking up this tale.

We all look perfect on paper. Behind profiles and social media, through video screens and iPhones. What we write and comments we make can come off as so smart, so ingenious, and downright brilliant.

But what happens when the screens are closed, the social goes down, and people find out who you really are? In real life? Do we really want people to know all those things we said and little secrets we told behind the scenes (or screens) came from us? It’s easy to say whatever you want when nobody knows who you are, but what kind of backlash would there be if we were exposed? Good question.

@sgonzalesauthor wrote a charming book called PERFECT ON PAPER that is wonderful and sincere and full of humor and love, and I know if you haven’t read it yet, you really need to. Its unputdownable and just darn-right enjoyable as heck. Put this one on your TBR now.

This was such a cute YA story. I loved Sophie's writing and appreciated the queer representation in her work. The romance was such a great story as well. Will definitely keep an eye out for her next book.

This book was really good and we will be purchasing for our collection. I really like the fresh take and think our teens will love it

I love when plans go awry and I get to spend time with a book such as this. Well written and timely, especially in the discussion of how others view us and how we internalize those views. Locker 89 has been a cash cow for Darcy. She anonymously exchanges relationship advice for money and it has been a lucrative and successful business. Until, that is, Brougham spots her after swim practice. Will he keep silent? Will her help with winning back his ex keep her secret safe?

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed Ainsley, Darcy and Alexander's characters. The pacing of this book is good. It is set in Britain. It has great LGBTQ representation. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is a great contemporary romance. It is in stores for $18.99 (USD).

Very enjoyable read. Super real characters. As a middle school librarian, the use of "gummies" and underage drinking but this out of reach for my readers, but I would recommend to high schools who are comfortable with such content and are looking for more books with relatable LGBTQ characters.

The tagline pretty much says it all: "Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off."

I enjoyed Perfect on Paper's fresh rom-com energy. Darcy operates as an under-the-radar Agony Aunt at her school, which lands her in hot water when the Brougham catches her emptying the locker. She makes some tough choices, does quite a few things wrong, but always wants to help her classmates and support her friends. I really can't fault her for that. Gonzales does a great job at creating empathy for her characters throughout the novel. There's room for readers to disapprove of or question their actions, but still have heart to love them and want to see the ends of their stories through.

Some moments felt overly moralistic, as though the novel was trying very hard to be inoffensive and model "good behavior" for readers, but for the most part I truly enjoyed the realism of each character. We get to see Darcy's flaws and mistakes, even while she's being kind or funny or supportive one chapter later. And that's something we get so rarely in queer characters--the ability to have flaws and be imperfect, maybe not a role model for "ideal citizen." Even though it's true. Queer people aren't exempt from being human--we can be petty and precocious and anxious all at the same time as fun, reactive, and empathetic, just as Darcy is.

My favorite topic addressed in the novel is biphobia--Darcy is bi, and encounters erasure of her identity, and the idea that bi people aren't queer if they're in an m/f relationship. That harmful misconception is addressed in the novel, and this discussion will be so validating for bi readers. If you're out there, reading this, please know that I'm happy to talk or find more books with bi characters for you! It's a hard knock life out there in terms of queer rep in media, so this is me saying you're not on this path alone.

Look no further than Perfect on Paper for a nuanced contemporary rom-com that offers discussion of queer issues, honesty & trust in friendship, and how to step back and learn from mistakes. Darcy and her crew will make their way into your hearts in a snap. 4/5 stars.

(actual rating: 4.5/5)

I'm someone who absolutely hates love triangles, in any shape or form. Usually, this is because the person that the mc will end up with is quite obvious from the very beginning, and the only reason that there even is a love triangle is for the added drama. This book has broken my streak of hating on love triangles just because they exist, which is definitely something I didn't see coming.

'Perfect on Paper' follows Darcy Philips, a bisexual teen with a secret: she's the one running locker 89, an anonymous dating advice service for her fellow classmates. However, when Alexander Brougham discovers her secret, he has a proposal: Darcy helps him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he keeps her secret (along with generous pay, of course). The only problem? Darcy can't stand Brougham, and is in love with her best friend, Brooke, who she hasn't exactly been honest with.

Part of the reason that I love this book is because, as mentioned earlier, the love triangle isn't there to create more needless drama in the book, but rather, to explore Darcy's bisexuality and all that it entails. This book itself is so, so, so important because of the way that it tackles bi erasure - it acknowledges that bi's don't need to have been involved with both people the same gender as them or not to be considered bisexual, they're queer enough on their own. I absolutely loved reading about Darcy's experience with the way other people reacted to her bisexuality, and the way others stood up for her as well.

The romance is absolutely adorable, I cannot even. Brougham and Darcy have such good chemistry, and the love triangle never felt like it was impeding the progress of the romance, but rather that it helped it along.

The characters, but Darcy specifically, were awesome. I loved how she was able to grow as a person over the course of the story - she wasn't some picture perfect book character, but rather, a realistic teenager who made mistakes but also learned and grew from them, which really is an attestation to Sophie Gonzales' writing.

The plot was admittedly a bit all over the place, but in a good way? It's a bit hard to explain, but it often felt like two-steps-forward-one-step-back with Darcy and her love triangle. And while this made for some entertaining relationship dynamics, it could be a bit hard to follow at times.

Overall, I really, really, really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to all the YA romance fans out there. It was a little different than the books that I usually read, but I certainly don't regret picking this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
So apparently, YA rom-com is not my cuppa tea. It’s a cute story with some fun characters and an engaging plot. But just not really up my literary alley. I would recommend it to my 8th grade students who are interested in the genre-- I think that they’d love it!

This book is full of great representation and filled with good advice for teens exploring relationships.

My Review: Lots and Lots of Really Good Themes
Rep: LGBTQIA+

TW: biphobia, toxic parents, drugs, alcohol

The Pros: What Worked For Me

Confession time: yours truly used to be Top Advisor on Yahoo Dating for my relationship advice back in the day … which was when I was 12 years old. Even though I had no real experience with relationships, I loved being able to help people and give them advice on their love life. Reading about Darcy writing letters was just so nostalgic for me!
Although this book gives similar vibes to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens, I liked Darcy A LOT MORE than Simon!
One of the key things that made me love this novel was the way in which the author presents the idea of biphobia. I’ll be honest right now: I have struggled constantly with biphobia without even knowing that it was a thing. For years, I just thought there was something wrong with me and felt horrible about myself. It took this novel for me to realize that my fears, concerns, and struggles are valid and felt by others in the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m still coming to terms with it all, but I actually have to thank the author for finally giving the accurate representation I needed.
There is really good LGBTQIA+ representation and presentation of issues throughout the book!

The Cons: What I Didn’t Like

As someone who has studied psychology, I found the theories being quoted to be a bit of a stretch.
The novel was a bit too long and some of it could have been cut out to make the flow better – but this is me nitpicking.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is important for what it does in terms of bisexual representation and the positive relationship advice that it promotes. If you’re looking for a sweet story with a really good message, check this one out for sure!

Thank you to St. Martin's press, NetGalley and Sophie Gonzales for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Darcy is our 16-year-old bi-sexual heroine of this adorable book. She runs Locker 89, which she started as a freshman. Her classmates put letters in the locker asking for relationship advice. Darcy is the mini Ann Landers of her generation. Her identity has been kept secret for two years until one day, Alexander Brougham (Bro-hum) discovers her retrieving letters from the locker. He asks for her help in getting his girlfriend, Winona, back and he will pay her.

What I enjoyed about the book; almost everything, but my favorite was the burgeoning friendship between Brougham and Darcy. I loved them together, and I enjoyed reading about her confusion when she started having feelings about him. I also really liked how supportive her Queer club was.

Four stars, as some parts were slower than others.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales is a light-hearted, funny, cute and queer rom-com. There is a variety of LGBTQ+ representation - bi, lesbian, gay, ace and trans characters.
I loved every part of this book. I loved the discussions about the internalized and the not so internal biphobia, the characters and their relationships, everything.
Darcy's responses to letters asking for relationship advice were really interesting to read and I really enjoyed them. I think they may help some readers who might be going through similar things.
I wish every school had a Queer and Questioning Club like the one in the book so everyone could openly and safely discuss their feelings and whatever makes them anxious about who they are.
The Chad and Ryan from High School Music reference was so funny. Yes, they were obviously dating and no one can tell me otherwise.
Sophie Gonzales keeps blowing up my expectations and I keep smiling every time I think about this book.

Wednesday Books gifted me a digital copy of Perfect on Paper in exchange for an honest review.

"You are queer enough"

Darcy Phillips is a bisexual girl who offers anonymous advice on the love lives of her schoolmates. Now she uses her powers for good (well, there was this time once… maybe twice), has a great big crush on her best friend Brooke, and tries to generally be a good person.
One day, a very attractive guy named Alexander Brougham catches her sneaking the letters out of the locker, locker 89, that holds all the letters she collects in order to answer. He hires her to help him get his ex-girlfriend back. What choice does she really have considering he’s the only one who knows who she is? If word got out who she was, Brooke would absolutely never speak to her again.
She knows she can help him out since his ex was once his girlfriend so it can’t be all that hard to get them back together, can it? Of course, she’s stuck with the ever annoying and oh so bratty Alexander in the process.
This book is much better than I’m making it sound. It’s got a lot of rep in it and it’s all done so well. I think you get a really good bi rep in this one that I haven’t encountered a whole lot of. Not that there aren’t characters who are bi but characters who question the way it’s done in this book. A lot of the representation here is just done very well.
This was a quick read as well. Mostly because it was nice and smooth reading. You start it and just keep going and don’t even realize how much of the book has passed when you go to put it down. It just flows so well. I really enjoyed it a lot.

Being a mood reader can be hard. I'm fairly certain I could love this book, however it wasn't grabbing my attention at the time I went to read it. Sadly I have not been vibing with YA as much as I use to, I'm still interested in this story but for now, it is a DNF from me. There is a chance I may come back to in it the future and will update my review at that time.