I admit to approaching this book with a bit of reluctance, since plots predicated on secret-keeping or lying (by omission or otherwise) generally turn me off. Thankfully, the book avoided the two pathways which would have made it an immediate no-go for me (spoiler: a love triangle between Darcy's best friend-crush and the boy obviously crushing on Darcy, or else letting Darcy's lies "pay off" in the form of--even temporarily--having Darcy's friend develop feelings for her as a result of being manipulated), and the rest of story, though a little cringey with secondhand embarrassment on occasion, was kept mostly light and entertaining. Worthy of particular mention would be the special focus on biphobia, internal and outward. Darcy's mixed feelings about being in a relationship with a boy are important to acknowledge, and it's not something we see nearly enough, especially in YA fiction.

I will say that, unlike some books that feel shorter than they are by virtue of pulling the reader in completely, I found myself checking my progress often during the first half, feeling like the plot was unspooling too slowly for me. The second half definitely picked up the pace, though, which helped my enjoyment factor. ( )

Perfect on Paper was a sheer delight. I stopped multiple times to take photos of pages that I really wanted to comment on, but I think the standout for me was the beautiful scene of the Q&Q meeting where everyone affirms Darcy's queerness. As a bisexual non-binary person I've had my fair share of 'am I queer enough?' moments because to the unknowing eye my marriage looks as allocishet as can be (well, depending on whether or not I'm wearing one of my multitude of bisexual non-binary t-shirts and pronoun badges!).

I really enjoyed the concept of Darcy as a secret agony aunt, even knowing that shit was most certainly going to hit the fan, and her wonderful narrative voice unfolding the story for the audience. I loved the whole ensemble of characters and how they all had their moments of growth along the way. And the spectrum of queer representation! Bloody delightful.

Finally, never have I ever read a book categorised as YA that uses the word 'fuck' so much and it delighted me to no end, especially because we got that immortal line 'I'm not here to fuck spiders' IN PRINT IN A BOOK. Aussie Aussie Aussie! ( )

When I picked this up and requested it, I really did want something easy breezy and something to break up the mystery and bloody reading sprees. I was enchanted by the story. There were times I laughed and flipped through it and got lost in the cuteness. I liked Brougham. He was all big heart and grumpy brute and it was great. The way he opened up to Darcy as the pages turned it was great. His family life added to the story for me and when things rough and he opened up to Darcy and showed us his inner silly I was sold,


Darcy however was a tougher sell for me. While I felt like she had a generosity of spirit and a big heart, some of her actions were just...really off-putting. But also, Probably true to her age. And in the end, I was happy with the way it was all resolved. And I loved her with Brougham. There were sweetness and honesty to their relationship that felt so heartfelt to me. But I also appreciated the honesty in the inner-conflict Darcy felt while sorting through her own feelings for him. In this, I felt like everything was basically perfection.

I enjoyed this book but this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. That is why it is getting three stars. I liked the writing style of the author. It took a bit for me to settle into the story, and then some parts felt like they dragged - I found most of it engaging and relatable but the pacing of the storytelling felt off to me, or maybe it was just that I wasn't as invested in all storylines? In any case, I enjoyed the LGBTQ representation and once I got comfortable in the pages, I was happy to see it through to the end. If you are looking for an easy-breezy diverse read this is a great one to read.

( )

I think I liked this more than ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED, and definitely eager to pick up whatever Sophie Gonzales has next.

The treatment of bisexuality was SO. DARN. GOOD. We need more of this. Bisexual characters tend to only appear in same-sex relationships in literature, so it's refreshing to see the problems that come up (Also! The ace rep! Yes please, thank you, absolutely perfect, don't change a thing. I was ready to be up in arms if it went sideways, but it was just what every book needs. Yes, every book.)

This was compulsively readable. Darcy's commentary on relationships and the research she had done was absolutely fascinating, and I of course loved that a lot of it boiled into my theory of "just communicate, darn it!" It's always easier to psychoanalyse someone else than yourself, which was fun to see happening to her.

Loved the evolution of her relationship with Brooke most of all, and the way she was able to realise her feelings. ( )

Cute and fun read! ( )