So I’m obviously in the minority, but I didn’t enjoy this one. Yes there was great LGBTQ representation, almost an overwhelming majority in fact. But for me Darcy fell far short of what I want in a main character. I just didn’t like her and the constant internal monologue, especially on all the types of relationships, was boring. I ended up skimming a lot. The second half was better at holding my interest,with more of the romance and conflict. Overall it was okay, and I did actually finish the book, but it won’t be one I remember or reread.

Ugh... Sophie. Always hitting me in the feels. An arc of Perfect on Paper has been sitting on my Kindle for entirely too long. I remember the day I got approved for it. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who let Sophie know the earcs we're finally a thing when I freaked out about it on Twitter. Despite my excitement, being a mood reader with sporadic and recurring reading slumps, I only just picked it up. I DNF a lot when I'm in a low reading mood and I knew I would love this book so I saved it for later. And I'm glad I did. Thank you for this beautiful book Sophie Gonzales. Truly. From the bottom of my personal heart and my Bellarke stan heart. 💕

✔ Has a fearful avoidant attachment style?
✔ Probably needs therapy.
✔ Definitely needs a hug.


I was instantly drawn into Darcy's story the exact same way I was drawn into Only Mostly Devastated. Sophie's writing is a warm comforting Summer breeze. It's a relatable cup of hot chocolate with extra cream. Darcy runs a super secret romance advice column business out of a sketch High School locker and is in love with her best friend. Best friend is in love with someone else. Darcy doesn't take it well. Darcy also might be in love with a client. High School, amirite?! Seriously, I adore how Sophie takes hard topics and still makes them awkward and weird but also... light. It's tough to put into words. I don't deal well with hard or awkward most of the time but Sophie makes it not so hard. Sophie Gonzales is officially on my autobuy authors list. **Disclaimer: this list doesn't actually exist anywhere but in my head at this current time. All proceeds go to the author.**

An absolutely charming YA contemporary that has diversity and a super sweet story? Yes, it's here, it's real, and Perfect on Paper delivers everything you could want and more! I'm so glad to see characters that reflect teen readers and I know they (as well as adult contemporary YA readers) will devour this.

Perfect on Paper is a perfectly cute book about sixteen-year-old Darcy Phillips, a bisexual teen who gives anonymous relationship advice to her peers via locker 89. She is good at it, and yes, she charges 10.00 a letter, which may not be too cool to do on school grounds, but she is helping people! Too bad she cannot seem to help herself. When Alexander Brougham sees her opening locker 89, he uses her secret to help himself...he needs a relationship coach, so he and Darcy strike a deal.

A pleasing YA story which a bisexual lead, gay supporting characters, a straight hot guy. Plus, Darcy’s older sister is Trans and founded the Queer and Questioning Club in her Junior Year which Darcy and her best friend, Brooke now attend.

There are so many positives in this book: Darcy and her sister, Ainsley are close, and their relationship is endearing; the friendships are well done and the dialogues between characters is believable. The book also touches on many issues teens face (as do adults) i.e., crushes, relationships, romance, deception, dysfunctional families, identify, belonging, jealousy, to name a few.

There are serious moments, there are funny moments, there are sweet moments, there are misunderstandings, and even a trip to Disneyland! Plus, the letters and emails are fun, and Darcy does give some good advice!

This was a delightful book which I completely enjoyed. The characters are all likeable and I was rooting for every one of them. I have been hit or miss with YA, but this was a hit for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

So much inclusion and diversity- loved it!
Darcy has been giving advice for years, using locker number 89 for both to maintain the confidentiality of her identity as well as those submitting questions. Following YouTubers giving relationship advice as well boosting the inquirer's confidence has earned her a stellar reputation.
Her unrequited love for her bestie, Brooke, along with Darcy's undying love for her transitioning sister Ainsley, lends humanity and humor, insight into Darcy's personality.
Everything is great. Until Brougham discovers her secret. And Brooke starts dating Ray.
So much positivity in this book. Especially questioning what makes a person queer - dating same sex, identifying as queer while dating opposite sex. Amazing example for teens who are supposed to be confused, struggling with their identity and what label fits, or does one need a label?

I'm not always into YA contemporary, but I *had* to get this book because of the bi-rep. I'm so glad I did because it was immaculate and so realistic. Now I gotta read Sophie Gonzales' previous book.

This book was a breath of fresh air- I really just loved it.

The simple premise is Darcy is secretly operating a relationship advice business via letters dropped into Locker 89 at her high school which has mysteriously stayed vacant for the past few years. While Darcy prides herself on her record of satisfied customers- it's when she receives requests from people in her orbit, including her best friend (and secret love interest) Brooke and her annoying/rude, yet not quite an enemy, acquaintance Ray that we see Darcy slip from her professionalism to a more human reaction. With not such great results. All of this is going on while she is being "forced" to help Brougham, a boy who knows Darcy's secret and wants her help winning back his ex-girlfriend. Her plans with Brougham are complicated by the fact Darcy has made some wrong assumptions about him, as well as the fact the two don't always communicate in the same way.

I have to start by saying I don't read much YA anymore- I selected this book because honestly I felt it was important to diversify the kind of characters I was reading about, and as this book was so inclusive, and the story sounded cute, I decided to give it a go. While some of the actions taken by the characters frustrated me, they were likely pretty realistic to kids reactions. Other actions seemed wise beyond their years. It's been awhile since I've been a teenager, so I am not sure what's realistic, but I very much enjoyed the story. One aspect I really appreciated is just how normalized the fact that Darcy is bisexual, Brooke and Ray are both lesbians, Finn is gay etc. While it is important as to who they are, it is not focused on. Brooke is Brooke, Darcy's best friend and love interest. Darcy is Darcy, someone who very much wants to help make others happy. They are not struggling with their sexuality per se. The characters know who they are, although they are not always confident about that. Something normal to all teenagers (and frankly adults). In fact, one of the best parts of the book was Darcy's revelations about her fears about how others view her queerness/bisexuality if she happens to have feelings for a boy.

The characters were real and they had real concerns that seem relevant to not only teenagers, but a lot of people these days. Our identity and our relationships with others is an integral part of our lives. I also very much enjoyed some of the discussions these characters had about their own assumptions and biases. Darcy has a really cool discussion regarding assuming gender and pronouns with Brougham and honestly, I think it is a really good explanation of why it matters. Finn had a good discussion with explaining how maybe someone who doesn't have the same experiences he does can't necessarily give good advice on how to deal with some issues. So maybe readers can learn a thing or two as well.

My one negative is I really enjoyed Darcy's relationship with her sister who I don't think got enough focus in the book. But I guess only so much you can do in a book with so many interesting characters. I'll hold out hope she gets her own story maybe :)

All in all a cute fun book book that even though it was YA gave my heart a sigh. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and while this was the first book I've read from this author, I would be interested in reading more.

Enjoyable fluff that takes some expected formulas and puts a modern twist on them. While the supporting characters were two-dimensional, at best, and the relationship style lectures could be overwhelming, I enjoyed spending time with Darcy as she navigates from her crush on one friend to developing feelings for another, and her advice was interesting. I wish the discussion of internalized biphobia had been given more space, as it felt a bit shoehorned at the end. My biggest complaint is that the love interest (either time) never seemed to be a person to me. We were told her views of them, but they had about as much substance to them as a wall poster.

4.5. I loved Gonzales' Only Mostly Devastated, which I read as an eARC last year. This book is similar in that it deals with tough and very real topics (e.g., biphobia, emotional abuse, trauma) while also threading in some sweet, emotional moments that feel very authentic to the teenage experience. There's a scene in which the characters address internalized biphobia that almost brought tears to my eyes. I appreciated Gonzales' exploration of some of the (inherently confusing) feelings that come with having different attachment styles and trying to navigate friendships, family dynamics, and romantic relationships (and high school in general).

I do have a gripe with the marketing, though--this is less To All The Boys than it is The Half Of It. I haven't read Leah on the Offbeat, so I can't speak to that.

Now THIS is the kind of teen rom-com fluff I could get behind!

I’ve been struggling lately to find quirky, lighthearted romances that I enjoy, but Perfect on Paper truly hit the right notes.

The premise is oh-so-tropey and oh-so-good: Darcy Phillips is a high school junior, bisexual, member of the Queer & Questioning Club, daughter of the school’s science teacher. She’s also the person behind Locker 89, a mysteriously abandoned locker where everyone knows you can drop $10 and a letter seeking relationship advice, and bam! You get an e-mail back from an anonymous relationship guru, love and satisfaction guaranteed. No one knows who she is, and that’s how she likes it.

Until the day Alexander Brougham discovers her identity. (Picture Bill Skårsgard but Australian, aloof, and on the swim team.)

And, to her horror and outrage, proceeds to blackmail her.

If Darcy will help him get his ex-girlfriend back, he won’t tell the school she’s Locker 89. Sounds simple enough—until their antagonistic, strictly business relationship starts to become something more.

Except Darcy’s been crushing HARD on her best friend, Brooke Nguyen, for ages. She likes Brooke. Not Brougham… Right?


I'm not kidding—someone make this film adaptation stat!!!

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Perfect on Paper wasn’t, well, perfect. (I’m so eloquent, aren’t I?)

I mean, were certain moments cheesy? Yup.

Was it overly didactic sometimes? For sure. The messages in this book are not subtle whatsoever, and they occasionally even verge on instructional. It felt at times like this novel was contorting itself to be perfectly inoffensive. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It just felt a little conspicuous.

(And I’m not simply talking about the advice that Darcy dispenses as a relationship guru. Though, for the record, I actually really liked reading Darcy’s responses to the students who sought her relationship advice—her words were optimistic, usually nuanced, but still firm and grounded in reality. I don’t personally buy into every psychological theory on love & relationships (my psych degree cured me of that gullibility) but I did appreciate Darcy’s advice. I felt like I could use her words in my own life, too.)

◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️

This novel touches on fatphobia and body positivity (via Darcy’s plus-size mum). It has scenes depicting characters being responsible drivers after a night of drinking, partners asking for consent (explicit and implicit), friends taking care of friends who’ve taken one too many weed gummies, and Darcy standing up to biphobia from her parents and her queer/straight friends and herself.

This novel models boundary-setting. It affirms the heart-rending pain of friendship breakups, and how hard it is to accept we’ve fucked up, that we’ve hurt someone we love. And then it goes on to show that even in spite of this, we can own up to our mistakes.

And of course: this novel, to my utter delight, represents a brilliant array of queer characters. There’s Ainsley, Darcy’s sister; she’s trans and a popular YouTuber with a knack for fashion, thrifting, sewing, and bugging/loving the heck out of Darcy. There’s Brooke, who’s Vietnamese and lesbian, and Finn, who’s Korean, gay, and convinced Chad/Ryan from HSM are the biggest conspiracy to ever exist. There are several other members of the Q&Q Club: Alexei’s pan and nonbinary, Lily’s ace, Raina’s bi like Darc.

In fact, that was the best part about Perfect on Paper: it embraces queer characters in all roles and spaces. These are queer folk who are loving and petty and funny and hurtful and kind, all of it at once.

It felt so goddamn real.

And that’s what I loved best about Darcy, too: Sophie Gonzales was NOT afraid to write all of Darcy’s imperfections, her selfish and petty and straight up mean moments. This book toes the line between being a little too preachy and being just the right amount of instructive—and it’s Darcy who really keeps the balance firmly on the side of authentic and believable and fun.

Here is a protagonist who is neither perfect on paper nor in practice; she fucks up, several times, and each time you can’t help but root for her.


Bottom line: Was this book perfect? Not at all. But it DID make me genuinely laugh. Its protagonist was imperfect and all the realer for it. The love interest, despite being a rich straight white dude, was fucking adorable. And the REP WAS INCREDIBLE. Like I said: Perfect on Paper hit all the right notes.



Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

For the past two years Darcy has been her schools secret advice giving guru. That is until Alexander Brougham catches her redhanded at the locker where people drop off their letters asking for relationship help. In exchange for his silence, he recruits (or casually blackmails) her to help him win his girlfriend back. If that’s not complicating Darcy’s life enough, her best friend (and longtime crush) has started seeing someone new. She is use to being the one giving the advice, but as she grows closer to Brougham, the more she comes to realize she might not have it all together.

This book is full of great representation and full of good advice for teens exploring relationships. It explores LGBTQ+ topics and the messiness of family/friend/relationship dynamics.

The first half of the book was a little slow. There was a lot of Darcy’s internal narrative and too much psychoanalyzing to be enjoyable. But the second half picked up as she got out of her head, and that’s when the rom-com fluff started.

The true gem of this book was Darcy’s love interest, Alexander Brougham. My only wish is that I would have loved more exploring of Darcy and Brougham’s relationship. I felt their story was overshadowed by all the drama going on around them.

Not the fluffy read I was expecting, but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.

Perfect on Paper was a fantastic rom-com that played on tropes while also turning them on their heads. The honest discussions of sexuality were a breath of fresh air and the character dynamics were on point. I felt the authenticity of Gen Z students in high school in a way that didn't feel forced in the slightest. Will recommend to many of my students.

This is a book that is so relevant and not just to teens, bi teens, queer teens, trans teens or straight teens. This is so impactful even to this 40 something mom of a teen boy who is light years away from having to deal with something of this magnitude personally. I am so glad that teenagers have people out there who write about the stuff that they may be afflicted by and represent it in a way that is good. A way that shows them that they deserve respect and they are ok just the way they are.

Perfect on Paper is an absolutely perfect read. I thoroughly enjoyed the arc of the storyline and the interactions with all the characters especially when it came to respect, owning up to your mistakes and forgiveness. This book just has it all.

**Received an ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

UHHHH, this might be my favorite book of 2021 so far??? I had high expectations for this one because I loved Only Mostly Devastated and Sophie did not disappoint. I loved this group of characters, I loved their friendships and relationships, and I especially loved the Q&Q group. There is a lot of good queer rep in this book and I especially liked the Q&Q meeting where they discussed internalized biphobia.

CW: biphobia, vomit, infidelity

I absolutely adored this book! It was such a charming YA story with focuses on emotional intimacy & and the importance of both romantic and platinic relationships, as well as an incredibly diverse cast of characters along the queer spectrum.

I thought that the emails and letters spoke of incredible important topics that aren't often discussed growing up and I even learned stuff! I also loved the characters who were so endearing and flawed in such realistic ways that you couldn't help but root for them.

I really liked this book and how it challenge how bisexuality is seen in society. More than seen, erased by society, and how this affects our main character.

The way Darcy researched every answer she wanted to write to people asking for advice was really cute and her emails were really insightful and thoughtful.

Brougham was the grumpiest and softest cinnamon roll! I loved him from the start. It was obvious there was more going on behind his blank expression. And indeed he was really sweet.

Our characters all have flaws and they should work on their communication skills, but they face their problems one way or another, and they learn and grow!

The writing was easy to follow and, just as with Only Mostly Devastated, the group of characters were likeable for different reasons and you just wanted them to be okay.

Highlighted recommended!

This is a meet cute YA. When 2 high school students meet each other unexpectedly in the halls after school one day; one clearly doing something she shouldn’t, the other catching her in the act and the rest is history. Darcy is a budding relationship expert with her vast 16 years of knowledge and Brougham is the dreamy swim team jock. Darcy is currently crushing heavily on her bestie and has never really been with a boy, although she’s never really been with a girl either. This story explores one’s sexuality in a YA form teaching the protagonist (Darcy) that one doesn’t just HAVE to like girls or just boys. Darcy makes some crucial mistakes and it even becomes cringe-worthy at times. I was hard pressed to continue about halfway through the book because of some her horrible choices. As with nearly every rom-com/meet cute, Darcy learns the error of her ways and atones for them. She also learns much about herself, her sexuality, and that it is ok to explore those choices. It was an overall cute book, easy to read, and great for a quick beach read.

Darcy Phillips is her high school's secret relationship guru, despite not ever being in a relationship herself. She runs Locker 89, where students can anonymously drop a letter asking for relationship advice and a tip and get their problems solved by Darcy. Guaranteed to solve your problems or your money back, and she has a 95% success rate.

Except a secret like this can only stay a secret for so long. While removing a bundle of letters from the locker, senior Alexander Brougham catches her and in exchange for his silence, asks Darcy to help him get back together with his ex. Darcy is annoyed but confident she can get him another date despite his less-than-stellar personality.

Darcy earnestly tries to help Brougham, with diagrams, research, and analysis but finds herself kind of bummed when he ends up getting the date with his ex. Which she shouldn't be, because of his stupid giant eyes and demanding personality, and most importantly, because Darcy is in love with her best friend Brooke. She's only ever been interested in girls and worries that being potentially interested in this straight man lessens her queerness. For all the relationship advice she gives out, Darcy has no idea what to do when it comes to her own love life. And things are only just starting to blow up.

This book was adorable. I loved Darcy and her quirks, and I loved all the queer representation that felt natural and not cherry-picked to make an inclusive story. This story focuses on relationships - friendship, romance, family - all treated with the importance they deserve. I'll definitely be recommending this one.

Sophie Gonzales just made my heart feel every emotion possible. I absolutely loved this book and it's going to be a massive hit. The writing was incredible, the story flowed perfectly without a lull, and the characters likeable. There is so much representation in this book as well which was super fun to read. I need more from this author. I can also see this becoming a Netflix movie.

I received this young adult novel as an ARC from NetGalley. It explores the complicated dynamics of high school relationships. Delightful rom com and story of secret identity.