Perfect On Paper – Review

Title: Perfect On Paper
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Publication Date: 09 March 2021
Synopsis: Everyone in school knows about Locker 89. If you slip a letter in outlining your relationship woes, along with a fiver, an anonymous source will email you with the best advice you’ve ever gotten.
Darcy Phillips, a quiet, sweet junior, is safe in the knowledge no one knows she’s the genius behind locker 89. Until Brougham, a senior, catches her.
The deal Brougham offers is tempting: in exchange for his silence–and a generous coach’s fee to sweeten the deal–Darcy can become Brougham’s personal dating coach to help him get his ex-girlfriend back.
And as for Darcy, well, she has a fairly good reason to want to keep her anonymity. Because she has another secret. Not too long ago, she abused locker 89 to sabotage the budding romance of her best friend, Brooke. Brooke, who Darcy’s been in love with for a year now.
Yeah. Brooke can’t find out about that. No matter what.
Format: Paperback courtesy of Hachette Australia
RRP: $17.99
Disclaimer: I received a finished copy from Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has no way impacted my thoughts.
Rating: 4/5 stars

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The second I found out that Sophie Gonzales was doing another contemporary with a queer main character I knew I needed to read it.

This book is everything I hoped it would be and so much more.

Darcy, our beloved bisexual disaster – in person – main character runs a secret advice giving business through locked 89 at her school. Her fellow peers and other school students write in seeking advice about the relationships in their lives, all while having zero clue that it’s Darcy who runs the locker.

Darcy is hopelessly in love with her best friend, Brooke, as well, and wants nothing more than to woo her and be in a loving relationship with her.

Her plans go awry when Alexander Brougham catches Darcy in the act of emptying the locker, and he employs her to help win his ex-girlfriend back.

Together, the two of them hatch out different scenarios in which Brougham can be alone with his ex to see if she’s interested in him still, and wants to get back together. If it doesn’t all go arse up, of course.

*

I loved that the friendships in this book were so messy and real. The way that Sophie has written them is very reminiscent of any high school friendship and relationship.

The characters were funny, well rounded, and there was no stereotypical ‘there only as a plot device’ characters that I found.

One of my favourite characters of the entire book is Darcy’s sister, Ainsley. Her humour is absolutely amazing and she can come and tell me my ghosts of Christmas past story any time.

One thing I loved that I need to make known is that at the start, I really didn’t like Darcy. But as the story went on and the plot unfolded, I found myself enjoying her a lot more than I anticipated.

She’s whip smart and has a lot going for her, even if she doesn’t believe it herself. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story.

There is a passage in here about bisexual erasure and being queer enough that made my heart sing in my chest. I have had countless friends tell me that that scene meant so much to them, and I am so glad that this book exists even for that scene alone.

And the best part? Apart from Brougham’s Australianises popping up all over the place, was the mention of fairy bread. I adored that so much.

If you enjoyed Sophie’s first book Only Mostly Devastated, then I highly recommend this one. I found this one to be even better than the first, and think everyone who liked OMD will love this one, too.