Perfect on Paper had me squealing with delight and I couldn’t help but smile as I finished. This novel is everything I want in a young adult book - young love, sweet sibling relationships, school drama. The reader gets a taste of the struggles in mother/teenage daughter relationship, the closeness between two sisters, the confusing feelings of love unrequited, and the yearning of a budding new love. Darcy is not perfect (hence the title) yet she gives everything her heart. And as she discovers more about herself, she begins to realize it’s okay to make mistakes, because the people you choose around you are what is important. The side characters were all well done, and none of them felt like token representation. They felt natural and were fun to read. Darcy's sister especially was a great show of sisterly affection and love, and while the fact that she's trans is mentioned, it's never a plot point for pain or contention. It's just a fact of the story. Brooke, Darcy's best friend, felt like every best friend I've had. It was interesting to watch Darcy pine after a clueless Brooke and watch how it changes their relationship. Brougham started as the literal worst. Seeing him through Darcy's eyes meant seeing him as the spoiled rich jerk she assumed he was, and he is. But learning about the layers of his past and toxic familial relationships meant giving us insight into why he behaves the way he does, and how he wears his good behavior like a suit of armor. There was really just so much to love about this book. In addition to adoring Darcy, I also really adored Brougham. He comes across as arrogant and obnoxious at first but it becomes clear over time that he is soft boy with a very dysfunctional home life, who just really needs a hug. I loved watching his friendship with Darcy evolve as they worked together and got to know each other better. The characters in this book are so vibrant and diverse! We see representation of bi, trans, gay, ace, aro, and more! I loved to see a bi protagonist—in most of the lgbtq+ books I have read, I usually only see gay/lesbian leads. And while biphobia was discussed in the novel (yes!!), I do wish I would have seen more of it before the end of the book. I thought Gonzales did a wonderful job bringing up many instances of microaggressions and bi-erasure that are experienced every day.

The major point of the book was biphobia which happens very often from either het community or queer community. Bisexual erasure is something that is not discussed enough and I was glad to read about it in this book. Not to mention the other queer issues were very interesting albeit only slightly touched upon.If you couldn’t tell, I really loved this book. I cannot say enough good things about it. I can’t wait until it releases so I can get my physical copy. I know this will be a book I reread anytime I need a happy read. I encourage everyone to read Perfect on Paper! 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!) Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.

I’m definitely going to be thinking about this book for a while and recommending it to every single person I know. I loved Only Mostly Devastated, and I loved this one even more, so I can’t wait for Sophie’s next one. Darcy is messy and makes some irresponsible choices. She hurts her best friend twice and is hurt by that friend as well. Gonzales excels at writing characters who make mistakes--not just the accidental kind--and still come across as relatable and sympathetic. A book in which you can yell at the main character several times and still want their HEA? Really something. I hadn’t settled on what I believed would happen if I ever got caught. Mostly because I’d preferred not to worry about it too much. But if you’d forced me to guess what the person catching me would do, I would’ve probably gone for “turn me in to the principal,” or “tell everyone in school,” or “accuse me of ruining their life with bad advice.”

My Weekly Fiction Editor Claire Gill chats to Gillian about her long route to success…

Perfect on Paper was such a great book. It handles delicate topics well and doesn’t shy away from any difficult issues. Darcy and Brougham’s relationship slowly morphs from annoyed acquaintances to friends and then to more. It felt realistic and was filled with the impulses and issues teenagers face. I shook my head and laughed a little too loudly. “No.” The heat in my cheeks told me my face was betraying me. Normally, I don’t love when a bi character ends up in a hetero relationship because it oftentimes kind of feels dismissive, but this was done right. Darcy was able to express her fears surrounding biphobia and internalized biphobia. I can’t get over how much I loved this book. The representation was abundant, and not in a forced, overbearing kind of way. Just some rep examples throughout this book: ace, bi, transgender, gay, lesbian, non-binary. Tal vez me ha faltado algo de realismo o empatizar más con las motivaciones y acciones de algunos secundarios, porque tal y como están contadas algunas resoluciones, me parecen inverosímiles, pero puede que sea porque yo personalmente no podría aceptar nunca algo así, y creo que eso dice mucho de lo realista que me ha parecido el resto del libro.