Perfect on Paper was a fabulous, emotional, and charming contemporary. I loved how it tackles responsibility, objectivity, and biphobia. I fell in love with Perfect on Paper. Darcy was a phenomenal character who reminded me that we don’t have it all figured out. That we can study theories and ideas, and still be perplexed. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts!
Summary
Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.
However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service―that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach―at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.
Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.
Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: biphobia
Darcy has my whole heart! Not only is she in love with her best friend, her complexity, and relatability unfolds on the pages. Thinking she has all these relationships figured out, despite not really being in one, Darcy is committed to helping. But, what we often discovery, is there’s no formula. We can think we are playing one game with one set of rules and our opponent has a different rule book. We can prepare for our heart, for our future, and then when the moment comes, it turns out to be anything else.
Characters & Pacing
Perfect on Paper has a fabulous sense of momentum and pacing. The action wraps you up in a whirlwind. I finished this one in half the time because I could not stop reading. With great power, comes great responsibility. And we’re only human after all. I became hooked on the drama. The ways Perfect on Paper examines accountability, good intentions, and how life can sense when you have a plan – and mess it all up. As someone who grew up on Chicken Soup for the Soul, I also am a sucker for relationship/anonymous letters. SERIOUS CAT NIP!
At the same time, the characters in Perfect on Paper stole my heart. I loved the sister relationship with every fiber of my being. And Darcy. She was this relatable, flawed, endearing character who spoke to my heart. Totally would not only be friends with her, but would probably have cooked up something like this too. What really struck me in the heart, was the way Darcy tackles internalized biphobia. The ways society has filtered into our consciousness. Some of Darcy’s scenes confronting her own identity, made me tear up.
Overall,
We can get so wrapped up in what we think we want, we miss what ends up happening. When we run away from our feelings, and refuse to be honest with each other, we can lose touch with ourselves. I loved that Perfect on Paper allows us to see the ways we misread, the ways we’re stuck in our own head. It’s a fantastic book that balances action and revelations with character detail and development. Find Perfect on Paper on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.
I enjoyed Perfect on Paper as well! I also liked how Gonzales the objectivity aspect of what Darcy is doing and the internalized biphobia. That last or next to last club meeting was such a great moment, probably my favorite part of the book.
I haven’t read too many books with anonymous letter writing. The only one I can think of that I also liked aside from Perfect on Paper is Kasie West’s P.S. I Like You.
OMG YES! I loved that scene with Darcy SO MUCH! oohhh I need to check that one out now