very cute. i appreciate romances like this and this is definitely worth your time. not life changing but sometimes you don’t need that lol

I will edit to include a full review after the demands of Readers for Accountability are met. #SpeakUpSMP

Ivy is a fan-fic writer, focusing mainly on her favourite TV show H-Mad. Her parents are out of town for a week, and her plan is to hang out with her best friend Henry, and binge watch H-Mad, while actively avoiding her ex-best friend and neighbour Mack. She wakes up one morning to Weston, the main character of H-Mad in her room, claiming to be her soulmate. She decides to team up with Henry, and reluctantly Mack, to figure out why Weston is there, and how to send him back.

This was cute for what it was, but I don't think it was anything groundbreaking. I think this is definitely geared towards a younger YA audience. I liked how this poked fun at the common tropes used in books, and I found it entertaining. I think the conversations on the romanticization of these tropes, and how that may not be necessarily a good thing, was really well done. I liked the characters for the most part. I thought Ivy was a good main character, she was filled with anxiety, but very sweet. I was not the biggest fan of Mack, especially when we found out why their friendship had deteriorated. I didn't like the way she had treated Ivy, and thought the way she acted towards her was very childish. I can't say I was rooting for their romance, but I didn't hate it in the end. Weston was funny, and made me giggle a few times with how quirky he was because of the tropes he was emulating at the time. My favourite though was definitely Henry, he was so sarcastic and he was the highlight of the book for me.

I dont know, I liked it but I also felt like it was missing something. I usually like Sophies books but this kinda missed the mark

I love a YA romance, but I think this one was a liiiitle too YA for me. I couldn't get past the way the characters were written and I didn't love the paranormal aspect. Full of antics and humor though!

Although in theory this book sounded great, the execution didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped. This is a YA with a BFFs to enemies to girlfriends subplot, with the main plot focusing on how the protagonist Ivy suddenly wakes up to find her fanfic version of Weston, the hero of her fav fantasy TV show, has come to life, with funny and then more serious consequences. I liked the material about the friend breakup and almost wished Ivy and Mac didn't get together, as there are so few stories that focus just on (queer!) friendship!

Almost 3.5 stars

The was a very rough start for me. Soooo much introspection and exposition. And the main POV character was not working for me (much teenage dramatics). I ended up listening to the audio of this book and if I hadn't sped it up super fast, I would have DNFed around 12%. But I thought I should see how it played out once the first dramatic milestone hit and in the end it was cute and fun enough that I don't regret listening to it. If you are looking for a YA book with very light fantasy, it's a quick and easy read.

“Another part of me was relieved, and felt lighter, because I’d figured out an important truth about myself. And I love that truth, because it’s me. Sometimes, you really just need to say scary truths out loud to someone you trust.”

In some respects, this story is a romance. There’s a best friends to “enemies” to finally being honestly in love relationship arc, and it’s just as sweet as you can imagine (other than the times you want to punch them because they suck at communication and keep hurting one another because they assume the other couldn’t possibly like them back). In addition to romance, though, this story is about all relationships, the need we have as humans to be deeply connected to one another, to feel loved and seen, and to have people you can trust.

I don’t know exactly where Ivy’s fear of abandonment comes from, since her parents are perhaps a little too involved in her life, but I sense it stems a little from her difficulty in connecting with people she doesn’t seem to have things in common with. When you only have a friend or two, it can be natural to fear that someday even that friend might leave you, too, especially if you suspect they were only friends with you because it was convenient (say, you grew up across the street from one another). So instead of holding tight to the person you love the most, you end up pushing them away before they can leave you, as if that will somehow soften the blow of being alone.

Oh, and add in all the angst of growing up, the queer confusion of having crushes on your friends and not knowing if they like you back, and the fear that you might trust the wrong person with your true self and be betrayed. Even though I hate Ivy and Mack’s fights and separation, I can see how it happened, especially when emotions are heightened and feelings were vulnerable. Even without their romantic feelings for one another, it’s hard to avoid jealousy when your best friend seems to have found a new person to hang out with, someone they get along more naturally with.

I loved Henry, not just because it’s awesome to see aro/ace representation, but because he came into Ivy’s life at a time they both needed some extra support. Ivy needed someone who didn’t make her feel like her interests were stupid, someone to show her there were people in the world who would love her for herself. Henry needed someone who he could be comfortable being himself around, with no expectations. He brought the fun, humor, and real talk when it was most needed, and had Ivy’s back when she needed to vent.

And luckily, Ivy somehow brought some magic intervention into their lives when she wish-summoned the fanfic version of her favorite fictional character into their lives. I felt a little sad for Weston sometimes because he was sort of his own person but not really. He served as both a symbol of what Ivy and Mack thought Ivy wanted in her perfect match, but also a mirror to show them how terrible things are when they aren’t real or earned. I’d almost say it was one big dream sequences except if it was, it was shared by 3 people, haha. In the end, Weston fades out of their lives as quickly as he appeared, but he was essential in forcing them each to be brave in their honesty with one another.

And I have to mention the sweetest scene, at the mall at the end where Ivy and Mack both admit to having secret crushes on one another. Aka what we all knew the whole time. So satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book, which is out now!

dnf @ 21%

i just couldn’t get into this one friends. it just felt a little too young for me. yall know i love a magical premise but this one just didn’t hit.

I thought this was a cute and fun coming of age story. I liked the idea of Ivy's fictional character coming to life, which threw her world into a tailspin.
It had a good message- while the grass may be greener on the other side, that's not always a good thing.

Ivy likes to write fanfic on one of her favorite TV shows. One day she wakes up and the guy from the show is in her bed. Along 4 days she trys to figure out if she wants to live in a fantasy world or to deal with he rlif won her own

I am... not the target audience for this. This reads very cringy and juvenile, which is fine for younger end of YA readers but I'm suffering.

The story also makes no sense to me - I thought Ivy and Mack had this big fight, shown by the scene when Mack brings food round but a couple of chapters later Mack comes round to pick her up from school as if nothing had happened? I'm so lost.

I’m a little nervous that between her last book and this one that I’ve fallen out of love with Sophie Gonzales’s writing.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist should be a fun, irreverent story of a fanfiction writer who accidentally brings one of her characters to life. Ivy puts so much of herself into her writing (literally) that when this character from her favorite show that she writes about shows up in the real world, he is immediately in love with her. As her writing clearly states. But to get him out of the house before her parents return home from their trip, she’ll need to enlist the help of her new best friend Henry and her former best friend turned enemy who also lives across the street, Mack.

There is a good story somewhere in here, but the problem is that the premise is too silly for the emotional core of the book. Either that, or it just doesn’t seem to hold a consistent tone. Again, I think there’s something here that could be fun and frivolous, but you’d need to lean into the absurdity more. And Gonzales never really does. It flirts around the edges for sure, but the story seems stuck between wanting to focus on Ivy and Mack and… how ridiculous it is that a fanfic character has come to life and is throwing himself at Ivy until she returns his undying love.

See? It should be hilarious. But it never reaches that point.

In theory, this premise is incredible. The execution however was not it for me. This YA is a friends to enemies to girlfriends alongside a accidentally wishing your favorite character into existence. Overall things just felt kind of flat to me. While there was an alternating timeline between past and present, and it was done well, it didn't make me root for Mack and Ivy. It kind of just made me dislike Mack more based on her past behavior.

This lacked the usual charm of Sophie Gonzales' other books for me. It's a bit silly and cheesy at times, but overall kind of cute. I loved that the character felt like teens. This just wasn't a good fit for me. And if I wasn't reviewing it and needed my NetGalley ratio to improve I probably would have DNF'ed

I'd recommend borrowing over buying and, if you're a person who finds audiobooks are easier to get into, then try the audiobook version because the physical book was a bit of a slog for me

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Ivy Winslow is a fanfic writer, who happens to bring her fictional crush to life. While the premise is intriguing and offers plenty of comical and heartfelt moments, the overall plots falls short. There is also an best friends to enemies to lovers plot line that felt lukewarm and a bit predictable. I am a big fan of Sophie Gonzales and appreciated the unique storyline, a bit of fantasy, and the genuine characters she created.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was never a teenager that read fanfic when it was all the rage. I grew up in the time of Twilight and knew all my friends were diving deep into the world of Twilight Fanfic.

Despite not being a fanfic reader, I adored this romance. I love a YA romance that I think (as a middle school teacher) my students will fall in love with and be able to relate to. Growing up you picture your perfect partner and a lot of teens even spend time writing about them. This is so validating to finding it, but also realizing no one is perfect.

Sophie Gonzales' "The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" is a refreshing and heartfelt exploration of love, identity, and the complexities of modern relationships. The novel follows protagonist Noah Ramirez, who, after a series of dating disasters, decides to prove his theory that the perfect guy doesn't exist by setting out to find flaws in potential partners. What ensues is a charming and witty journey as Noah navigates the highs and lows of romance while discovering unexpected truths about himself.

Gonzales excels in creating authentic characters with depth and relatability. Noah's voice is both humorous and introspective, making his journey of self-discovery engaging and poignant. The narrative tackles themes of self-acceptance and the importance of being true to oneself, while also exploring the pressures and expectations of modern dating culture. The supporting cast adds richness to the story, each character bringing their own quirks and vulnerabilities to the table.

While the premise may initially seem lighthearted, Gonzales infuses the story with emotional depth and nuance. She deftly balances moments of laughter with heartfelt insights, creating a narrative that resonates long after the final page. "The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist" is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys a mix of humor, romance, and genuine emotional growth, proving that sometimes the perfect guy isn't the one you expect, but the one who challenges you to be your best self.

I had high hopes for this, but it continued to go downhill as I read. I ended up DNFing by chapter 5. I did enjoy Sophie Gonzales' writing style, just not this book or the characters.

Cringy. I was turned off both by the left-field swearing, the awkward situations, and the odd ways that representation creeped into the story which was unnecessary or crowbarred in.

I had anticipated this one from a Netgalley advanced copy but I didn't get to and now I recognize that the cover/title and premise were intriguing however the execution of the story with it's nonlinear timeline wasn't the same as say [book:Going Bicoastal|61885040] and didn't have a solid foundation in it's use of fanfiction like [book:Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga|52854406].

Not for me and I don't know if I could sell it to many of my teens.

This book was such a weird concept! I didn't hate it but the TV character was not likable at all. I know that's how he was written, but yeesh! I also just didn't feel it with the person who was the one meant for the MC. It was hard to make that connection by the end with all the negative at the beginning.