I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

Anyone that loves a fictional character, wouldn't you love for them to come to life? Really just an overall nice, warm read. If you're looking for a fun book to read you should definitely read this! The writing is fun, and I loved the premise of a fanfic character coming to life.

Really enjoyed the book.

Sophie Gonzales' latest novel, The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist, is a delightful romantic comedy that will leave you smiling from ear to ear. The story follows Celia Ramirez, a young woman who is determined to find her perfect match after a series of failed relationships.

Gonzales' writing is witty and engaging, filled with relatable characters and hilarious situations. She captures the essence of young adult romance perfectly, with all its highs and lows. The story is also heartwarming and uplifting, reminding us that love is not always about finding the perfect person but about finding someone who loves you for who you are.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales is a delightful book that combines humor and romance in a refreshing way. The story follows two best friends who decide to create the ultimate boyfriend using a dating app, leading to unexpected twists and heartfelt moments.

I tackled this one as an audiobook and the narration is lively and engaging, perfectly capturing the fun and playful tone of the story. The chemistry between the characters shines through, and their witty banter makes for an enjoyable listening experience. Gonzales does a fantastic job exploring themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery, making the characters relatable and their journey authentic.

Overall, The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist is a charming and lighthearted listen that will leave you smiling. If you’re in the mood for a fun rom-com filled with heart, this audiobook is definitely worth your time!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley

I really wanted to read this book but the premise just does not appeal to me anymore. I did enjoy one of the author's books. So maybe I will return to this book

I'm so sad that I didn't really enjoy this book.. but this book was whack. I was entertained enough to not give it less than 2 stars, but I'm astounded that this level of writing has come from one of my favorite authors. Definitely more Middle Grade and 100% everyone sucks here, but an especially big fuck you to Mack. All of the characters were frustrating and it was filled with frustrating decisions/lingo that did not seem to reflect their ages.

I think some of this came down to this book being marketed as a contemporary romance and it is hardly a romance, nor is it really contemporary.

I thought this was a fun read but it skewed a little younger YA than I am normally used to. I thought that Sophie did a great job of making her characters feel like teenagers. A lot of my frustration with the characters was because they are young and don't have the tools to actually do better. The story was on the right side of absurd and I had a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love how Sophie Gonzales explores queer teen experiences in such fun and original ways in her books. As a fellow fanfiction girlie, I loved seeing pieces of fandom culture and fanfiction tropes on the page. I normally really enjoy books with elements of magical realism, but this one was a little bit of a stretch for my suspension of disbelief. It was still a really fun read, and I liked the characters and friendships. I hope Sophie Gonzales continues telling stories of queer teen joy, because I will read every one.

I love everything by Sophie Gonzales, and this was no exception. Plus, the "bringing your perfect guy to life" part was so fun! The entire book was so hilarious, but also full of heart. It was very self-aware and one heck of a fun time!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This was a bit of a departure from Sophie's previous books! A lot more unserious for sure. I wished that I had gotten a deeper understanding of Ivy and Mack; the Weston-causing-chaos of it all meant there was a lot less room for character development and chemistry between the actual love interests. Overall, though, great book as always, and I can't wait for Sophie's next one!

This was SO GOOD. I’ll literally read anything Sophie Gonzales reads, I just adore her writing. I loved the twist on the trope of “dream bf come to life.” I appreciated how it portrayed this as something that seemed good at first… but then wasn’t. I adored how she slowly fell back in love with her ex-friend turned enemy, Mack. The banter between everyone, including her friend Henry and the “dream man” Weston was great too. Sophie Gonzales has such a way with words where she can just add so much humor to her books. I loved the sarcasm and examination of romance and classic tropes. Overall, this was such a fun read and I’m so glad I got an arc of this!

This book made me realize that i’m growing out of YA. I love what else i’ve read of Sophie Gonzales, so when I got this ARC in my email I was stoked. And then I read it. The premise is very unique and interesting but the actual words on paper gave me so much secondhand embarrassment and the quirkiness of the teenagers that was definitely supposed to be endearing was off putting to me and very cringy. I think writing YA might not be Sophie’s cup of tea either unfortunately. I settled on a 2.75⭐️ rating rounded up to 3.

Another fun, epic and geeky Sophie Gonzales book - this time around perfect for anyone who ever dreamed of their favourite fictional character coming to life and sweeping them off their feet! 🥰 I had the best time reading this one and I can't wait for the next Sophie masterpiece!

You need to read The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist if you love:
- friends to enemies to lovers arcs
- stories with a dash of magic
- wonderful fictional characters coming to life!! (this is what dreams are made of!)
- heart shattering sapphic love stories (but with a HEA!)
- amazing SCs with their own arcs

Sometimes reality can be better than fantasy. But before we get there Ivy has to heal some scars that we don’t know yet. With the dual POV of past and present, it gives us a little bit of a mystery.
A cute story for those that enjoy fanfic.

I ended up liking this much more than I expected. I loved the aspect of a fanfic author character coming to life because it reminded me so much of older disney movies. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot of the book and relationship but my favourite part would for sure be the plot.

I love a YA romcom, and Sophie Gonzales writes great ones, but the thing is, you have to root for the romance for it to work. This is such a fun read on all accounts. The writing is fun, and I loved the premise of a fanfic character coming to life, and the shenanigans that ensued. But I just didn't love our main character and Mack together. The way they interacted took me back to high school, and not in a fun way. It reminded me of toxic friendships I was so relieved to be rid of once I graduated. I wasn't convinced by their friendship in the first place, and even by the end I still wasn't. So I wasn't rooting for the romance at all, which affected my enjoyment.

This book was an absolute delight to read! Going into it, I had some reservations about the concept of bringing fan fiction characters to life, as I worried it might come across as awkward or unrealistic. However, Sophie Gonzales once again proves her exceptional talent. Within less than 300 pages, she masterfully constructs an intricate fictional universe, complete with its own fan fiction, and populates it with complex characters and detailed backstories. Remarkably, she achieves this without making the story feel rushed or overcrowded.

One of my initial concerns was the use of dual timelines, shifting between the past and present. Typically, this technique can be jarring, but Gonzales handles it with such skill that the transitions felt seamless. This narrative structure allowed me to connect deeply with Ivy, the protagonist, and experience her journey as though I had known her for a long time. The back-and-forth between timelines enriched the story and added layers of depth to Ivy's character and her world.

Despite the inherently fantastical premise of fan fiction characters coming to life, Gonzales approaches the idea with such humor and affection that it becomes completely believable by the end of the book. The way she intertwines humor with heartfelt moments makes the concept not only plausible but also incredibly engaging and original.

Overall, this book stands out as a refreshing and imaginative read. Gonzales’ ability to blend humor with a unique premise, along with her deft handling of complex character dynamics, makes this a standout work that is both entertaining and emotionally resonant.

thank you to the author, publishing group, and netgalley for this ARC

This was such a fun, YA story! Ivy is home alone for the first time after her parents fly out of state for a few days. She is determined to prove they can trust her and hopefully convince them to stop micromanaging her life. The next morning, she wakes to find a boy in her bed who isn’t quite a stranger. She has somehow magically brought to life her favorite character from a show called H-MAD. Weston believes they are soulmates and something about his stories seems all too familiar. Ivy, her best friend Henry and her ex best friend Mack have to figure out how to keep Weston, and his glowing eyes, hidden and how eaxactly to get rid of him.

What I enjoyed:
- Told in dual timeline
- Full of humor (satire)
- Realistic teen drama focused on friendship, crushes and jealousy
- Representation: sapphic romance + aroace character
- Magical Realism
- Henry was my favorite side character

This book is perfect for those who enjoy the world of fanfic and fandoms. The story was unique, entertaining and had a touch of mystery. I think my favorite part was where Weston became the world’s best barista for the day. I liked the hidden message of hurt feelings, learning to navigate high school friendships, fear of loneliness and just realizing lots of issues can easily be resolved with an honest talk. Bonus points that the cover is super cute and eye catching!!

After devouring other books by this author and being intrigued by this premise I decided to give it a read. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it through 20ish percent of the book and I had to stop. I was basically forcing myself to read. I'm not sure where the disconnect was, but the writing just felt different and the main character to me was unlikeable. This was sadly a dnf for me, though I will always highly recommend the other 2 books I've read by Sophie Gonzales.

Holy Disappointment, Batman.

Okay, listen, I LOVE Sophie Gonzales. She's among my top YA romance writers, period. Only Mostly Devastated was pretty much perfect in every way. And the rest are pretty dang good, too. When I saw the description for this one, I figured it would be an uber-cheesy ode to fan fiction, but at the end of the day, also a sweet romance, because it's Sophie Gonzales.

Now, it was still cute and quirky and fluffy, like her other books, but the plot just did not compare. The characters were alright--like, I didn't *hate* them. Their relationships were believable and the growth was fine. All the pop culture and fan fiction references were a bit too much for me (like I expected them, but it went beyond that expectation). The plot was just kind of weird. The paranormal thing just didn't really work for me in this one.

I'm probably being more critical because of my high expectation for Sophie Gonzales. but overall this was a cutesy read that just didn't cut it for. Definitely won't stop me from picking up more books of hers in the future, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC

Despite having many of her books on my tbr, this is only the second book I've read by Sophie Gonzales! I really enjoyed this one. The premise was super interesting, it follows someone who writes fanfic, but her character comes to life. I liked how even though he was "perfect" in her fanfics, he caused a lot of trouble in real life. That helped the main character figure out that she doesn't need someone who is supposedly perfect, what she already has is amazing.

I'd probably recommend her other novel Perfect on Paper over this one, but you should still definitely read this one!!