Perfect on Paper

As her high school’s go-to relationship guru, Darcy Phillips is great at giving anonymous advice to other students. She knows how to get your oblivious lab partner to notice you, or your boyfriend to be more emotionally present. Until fellow classmate, Alexander Brougham, finds out who’s actually running this (previously) covert operation and recruits Darcy as his personal dating coach. In exchange for helping Brougham win back his ex-girlfriend, he promises to keep Darcy’s secret identity under-wraps—which she desperately wants, because if her best friend (and long-time crush) Brooke found out who was behind locker eighty-nine, she’d also uncover some unsavory secrets Darcy’s been keeping. 

For fans of Netflix’s Sex Education or anyone who loved Sophie Gonzales’ previous YA rom-com, Only Mostly Devastated, prepare to be dazzled yet again. Perfect on Paper is a hilarious, heartfelt story full of great relationship advice, trips to Disneyland, and a damn-good romance. The novel is also an unabashed rejection of queerphobia (biphobia specifically), showcasing widespread normalized queer representation and an openly bisexual heroine whose interest in a boy in no way “erases” her queerness. 

Gonzales is a talented storyteller who brings new life to young adult romance through her unique concepts, dynamic queer characters, and spot-on dialogue. In Perfect on Paper, she both engages with and subverts classic tropes of the genre with wit and skill. I mean, and I know I’m not the first to say this, but there’s just something about the timeless “two characters who only refer to each other by their last names suddenly switching to a first-name basis to show the growing intimacy between them” that really hits me hard in the ole heart.

So let me channel my inner Darcy Phillips for a moment and offer you some advice: don’t miss this book! 

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us 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.)

I had high expectations for this novel—and Sophie Gonzales exceeded all of them. Perfect on Paper is a funny & sweet, and also deeply important read. The characters are three-dimensional, messy, and real. I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and I had a genuinely excellent time reading this story. 

I really appreciated seeing a diverse cast of queer characters; this story showcased a spectrum of sexualities and gender identities in a really positive way. The main character, Darcy, is a bisexual girl who is dealing with internalized biphobia and her place in the queer community when she starts getting feels for a straight man, and it’s handled in a really beautiful and inspiring way.

All in all, this is an excellent novel & highly recommend it!

This book is everything I wanted. I just finished and honestly can’t stop smiling. It’s genuine good-hearted romance with tons of representation and all of the classic high school hijinks to boot.

I've been wanting to read Perfect on Paper ever since I read a comment Sophie Gonzales wrote about it on Goodreads, about how writing it was partially pushback against the criticism she'd received over having a bisexual character end up with a person of the opposite sex. As a bisexual teen, I've often been made to feel by people both inside and out of the LGBT+ community that I'm "not queer enough" whenever I express attraction to masculine-presenting human beings. I've even felt pressured, on multiple occasions, to speak negatively about my attraction towards men, as if it is some burden I would rather not carry, in order to feel accepted in queer spaces. I really wish I'd had a character like Darcy to hold on to when I was first struggling with these issues post-coming out. That was one of my favorite things about this book: it isn't a coming out story. Darcy is out and proud and openly discusses her bisexuality with her love interest, but still has niggling doubts about being viewed as not queer enough if she's in a "straight passing" relationship. Reading about Darcy's struggle with this internalized biphobia, and her friends' reassurance that she is queer, was exactly the sort of catharsis I was hoping to get from this story. And that was just one of the many many things I loved about the book! 
Other things to love about this book: Awesome relationship advice that acknowledges that romance can be tricky and there's no one right way to approach a conflict. A variety of beautifully queer characters, including Darcy's sister who is a really badass trans YouTuber, High school musical discourse. And flirting at Disneyland! (Seriously this book might as well have been handcrafted for me because it gave me so many things I never even knew I needed from a contemporary. I finished it in a single evening because it made me so freaking happy I just couldn't put it down.

This was the perfect read for #BiVisibilityDay this year! I loved Perfect on Paper and hope we keep seeing many more fun romcoms with great representation like this (which I wish I'd had when I was in high school, but better late than never).

WOW! Sophie Gonzales has truly done it again. I did not think there was any way for her to beat out my love of Only Mostly Devastated but BOOM - She did it. I am beyond shook after having read this book. 

One thing I loved so dearly about OMD is that we saw a bi character in a m/f relationship and I don’t think we see enough of that. Bi people are still bi no matter who they are dating. In OMD that was very much a side plot but here that is the front and center narrative. Darcy is so beautifully and unabashedly queer, even when she starts to have feelings for Alexander.  Her queerness is such an integral part of her identity and it was fantastic to see how Darcy navigated that while within a m/relationship. 

Without giving anything away there is a scene at the end of this book in a meeting of the Queer and Questioning club that is so earth shatteringly important. You will know exactly what scene I am talking about when you get to it. I promise. I was a WRECK of emotions. 

Everyone needs to read this book. It is so clear the care and love Sophie put into each and every page. Darcy is smart, funny, and such a fantastic mess. Sophie has a way of writing that keeps you engaged every step of the way. There was not a moment of this story that felt slow or rushed. It moved at the exact right pace it needed to move. 

Sophie is also so great about building an entire world within her books. We not only have fantastic and multifaceted main characters but the entire world of Perfect on Paper is made up of a whole incredibly diverse ensemble of side characters. There is literally room for everyone to feel represented in this book. This type of book is SO NEEDED in the YA space right now. Sophie Gonzales is a master of the page and I cannot see what she gives us next!!

Also shout out for the first time I have ever seen an author pull out the word Schadenfreude! That is one of my favorite words of all time.

I absolutely loved this book. As a bisexual female, who was in love with my female best friend, and now dating a straight cismale, I have never related so much to a character. 

Darcy Phillips runs an advice service out of one of her school's empty lockers. No one knows it's her, which is naturally how she would prefer it. And then, one day, she's caught by Alexander Brougham. He needs advice on how to get back together with his now ex-girlfriend, and, well Darcy really can't say no, can she? 

Honestly, I tend to stay away from straight up romances. The genre itself is a mix bag for me, but I am so, so, so glad I read this. There are so many great topics in this book: biphobia, setting boundaries, questioning asexuality and the pressure of having sex. Darcy's advice is something I wish I had when I was in high school (hell, I wish I had it now). 

The hardest hitting elements of this book was the discussions of biphobia and the internalized biphobia. Despite having been known I was bisexual since a young age, I have mostly dated straight cismales. Fitting  into queer spaces had always felt awkward for me. After all, here I am, saying I love women, and yet I'm dating a man. I haven't had the discrimination against me for "taking the easy way" or for "passing" or for "not being queer enough." but I have heard the stories from friends over the years, and shied away. This topic is so important to discuss and the way this book discussed it had me in actual tears. 

Darcy and Alexander are cute together. It's not necessarily an enemies to lovers trope, more of a "severe annoyance/moderate dislike to lovers", but I loved it. I loved the mutual pining and, as I call it, "idiots in love" syndrome where they both are ultimately oblivious to the other's feelings.. The representation in this book is really outstanding,

In this riveting diverse YA contemporary, the Netflix TV show Sex Education meets Too All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han when a young teenage bisexual girl struggles between giving relationship advices and applying them to her own love life.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, St.Martin's Press, for sending me an arc in exchange for an unbiased opinion. 

Darcy is crazily in love with her best friend Brooke for now what seem like ages. She can’t know if the feeling is reciprocated though and Darcy is afraid of making a move that would scare her off. So weird that Darcy don’t know how to act around Brooke, because she knows everything about love and relationships. Since the beginning of high school, she answers letters asking for relationship advices from other students of the school that they drop in the locker 89 with a little money as a compensation. So far so good since the letters and the money keep coming in. But nobody knows about Darcy’s little secret, not even Brooke… well, no one excepts Alexander Brougham, that is. 

What I loved the most about this novel was its unicity. The concept has been made before, that cannot be denied, but Sophie Gonzales really has a way of making her story unique. The characters all seemed so real, so palpable through the page, as if I could just pick up my phone and text Darcy or Brougham whenever I wished for it. 

This book deals with the theme of identity crisis and, more precisely, how to accept your sexuality, all mastered beautifully into an atmosphere of jokes and comedy. Still, the message is no less powerful. In fact, it is probably more enjoyable and worthy because it shows the true ups and downs of teenage years. In Perfect on Paper, Darcy is a bisexual girl and the love interests in the novel are both girl and boy. It was reliable to see her wondering if one was better than the other from societal or queer point of vues. 

I also want to stress the fact that this book is funny. Like really funny. I laughed out loud multiple times and smile throughout most of the rest of the book. It was refreshing to read such a novel and I have not come across as funny as this one in YA in a while. 

I highly recommend that book. I really do. It has a great message about queerness and being true to yourself. It is fresh and sweet. Grab yourself a copy!

#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #PerfectOnPaper #SophieGonzales

This is one of the best #LGBTQIA books I’ve read and an excellent YA novel. You know a book’s got you hooked when you actually care about the characters, when you’re rooting for them even when they do something stupid and when you stay up late reading because you just have to know what happens. This book was all of those things and more. Highly recommended. I received an #ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley

Charming and witty. High school junior Darcy provides relationship advice anonymously and for a fee. Her identity discovered by a hot senior boy, she reluctantly becomes his romance coach to win back his ex, while trying to keep her secret from coming out. A well rounded representation of high school environment, funny and irreverent.

I'm in love with this author's writing style and will gladly read anything and everything she ever writes. Following Darcy was a blast from start to finish and I wish we could keep following these witty, funny, and relatable characters. Looking forward to re-reading it soon.

Highly recommended LGBTQIA YA Contemporary read. When this reaches retailers - run, don't walk!

All right, let us all take a moment of silence to thank the gods for giving us the most talented author, Sophie Gonzales. I LOVED reading this book. Perfect on Paper has a wonderful BI rep, tackling issues that BI people constantly struggle with, and it has also helped me so much to be educated on these said things. I found the type of attachments presented in this book highly informative to me in the way that I was also able to identify myself in the things that were presented. Yes, It was an informative and an educational book but it has also done its job on the romance comedy department as it didn’t forget to flutter my heart. Darcy and Brougham’s dynamics was so good, I loved seeing these two together, they made me smile so much. 

*spoilers*
Aside from the different reps we got from this book, issues revolving family, school, and friendships were also present which makes this so much more a perfect book for teenagers to be able to relate to. The part where Darcy was being manipulative towards Brooke’s life was handled well, that kind of behavior was problematic so I was glad that after everything, Darcy apologized and has seen it by herself how the actions that she has done was wrong and how the people were affected by it. This is why I would honest-to-god promote this book to every one of my friends because this book dealt with so many issues and helped me become more knowledgeable in a lot of aspects that I haven’t known before. After this book, I would gladly read anything Sophie Gonzales writes. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me an ARC of this wonderful book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book exceeded every expectation I had. I loved Only Mostly Devestated, so I had high hopes for the newest book by Sophie Gonzales and I was so blown away by how much I loved it. The characters are very three dimensional and really give you a sense of who they are. They were also so diverse! It's really powerful to read a book with a spectrum of sexualities and gender identities. and is something so needed in the YA book community. 

The plot is also hilarious. Full of hijinks and high school romps, it also has some really powerful discussions of things such as internalized biphobia. As a bisexual woman in a straight passing relationship, this really resonated with me as this concept of, "Am I queer enough?" 

I think that this is a really positive and important, unique and fun read that is a welcome addition to the YA genre.

I went in blindly, knowing nothing more than the fact that it's a rom-com, so I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked by the premise on the FIRST page. Darcy Phillips keeps her identity a secret as she receives and responds to letters placed in a locker from students seeking relationship advice. While this is her area of expertise, she isn't quite as good at following her own advice—or even recognizing that perhaps she should evaluate her own situation. But it's hard to be unbiased when it comes to your own feelings...and love!

The story faces sexual identity issues head on, especially internalized biphobia, as Darcy realizes she doesn't feel "queer enough". It offers representation from all over the sexual identity spectrum and shows young adults exploring their identity and navigating their internal and external challenges, learning to love themselves as they are and to believe they are enough. (Plus, Gonzales/Phillips gives some sound relationship advice!)

The book had me laughing out loud, and I was fully invested in the characters finding happiness and love. I loved them so much. The banter, the fact that they are complete messes but find each other, how deeply they care for the people in their lives. And, of course, the problems caused by miscommunication...or lack of communication...because talking about feelings is hard! And, again, I can't say it enough, the rep in this book! Omgsh. I loved it so much. Highly recommend

This book has been hailed as a Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda, Leah on the Offbeat meets Sex Education (as far as the advice part goes) and I’d say that it is, but it’s also very much it’s own thing and I adored it! 

There’s definitely representation in this book, the main character, Darcy, is bisexual and this is the first book I’ve ever read that covers biphobia and what some people who are bi have to deal with every day. There are gay, lesbian, and trans characters and a lot of identities. Was a nice change for a story that takes place with high school-aged characters. 

The characters are likable, and Darcy, our main character is lovely and owns her mistakes and faults in a very mature way. 

Was a very refreshing read. Thanks NetGalley!

Utterly delightful and perfectly bi! A highly recommended purchase for public YA and high school fiction collections, particularly those needing more diverse offerings.