Perfect on Paper: A Novel

Product Description
“Perfectly wonderful.” ―Becky Albertalli, New York Times–bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda “An electrifying love story.” ―BooklistIn Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before: a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex backHer advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.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?
From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-Darcy Phillips excels at giving others relationship advice. Her anonymous Locker 89 advice business is booming, despite the fact that she can't seem to admit her own feelings to her best friend Brooke. However, when Alexander Brougham (whom Darcy can't stand) catches her taking letters out of Locker 89, he convinces Darcy to help him win his ex-girlfriend back, threatening to out her as the locker's owner. And if there's one thing Darcy doesn't want, it's Brooke finding out about Locker 89. Gonzales creates a cast of characters whose relationship woes are painfully relatable, yet satisfying to devour. Darcy is not an expert when it comes to relationships, but she does her research, which makes her success rate much more believable. She applies relationship theories and practices in her advice letters (seen between chapters) and with Brougham, highlights that tone and intent are the main foils in these characters' relationships. There's a strong suggestion of seeking advice when one's personal insight may be compromised, as seen through Darcy and Brooke's interactions. Most importantly, as Darcy struggles with her evolving feelings for Brougham, she confronts her own internalized biphobia to understand that it's completely valid to be attracted to someone who identifies as another gender and still be bi. Darcy has shoulder-length blond hair and a gap between her front teeth. Brougham has blue eyes, dark brown hair, and an Austrian accent, and Brooke has a Vietnamese surname. VERDICT A highly inclusive read with many characters identifying as LGBTQ+, this delightful foray into the world of high school relationships is a fantastic read for romance fans.-Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., ILα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
Praise for Perfect on Paper“Didn’t know it was possible to pack a book with this much charm, humor, sincerity, and wisdom, but then again, it’s Sophie Gonzales. Perfect on Paper is perfectly wonderful.” ―Becky Albertalli, New York Times–bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda"Packed with humor, romance, and wisdom but most of all a wonderful sense of queer pride. Perfect on Paper reads a bit like what you’d get if you mixed Leah on the Offbeat and Netflix’s Sex Education.... This book absolutely won my heart!” ―Shelf Awareness“Sophie Gonzales, who wrote last year’s