Perfect On Paper
- Downloads：1170
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-27 12:12:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sophie Gonzales
- ISBN：1444959271
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Jill Czeck
，
It is YA。 Silly teen drama。 I liked Alexander brougham though。 The locker was a fun plot device too
Antonia
，
Sophie Gonzales never disappoints
Jennifer
，
I really enjoy YA books。。。 but I am beginning to realize that I had a very boring life as a Teen， nothing book worthy at all。
aashna
，
super cute！ i definitely needed to read something light or a contemporary and i loved this book a lot。 darcy and brougham were both really great characters as well as really relatable and fleshed out。 a few of the lines really Hit and i had to put my phone down to process them properly。 the book tackled biphobia （internalized and otherwise） well， and i loved how much casual lgbt+ rep we got。 i wish that the side characters （mainly brooke and ray） were more multidimensional but other than that i super cute！ i definitely needed to read something light or a contemporary and i loved this book a lot。 darcy and brougham were both really great characters as well as really relatable and fleshed out。 a few of the lines really Hit and i had to put my phone down to process them properly。 the book tackled biphobia （internalized and otherwise） well， and i loved how much casual lgbt+ rep we got。 i wish that the side characters （mainly brooke and ray） were more multidimensional but other than that i don't really have many complaints！ 。。。more
Maabena Nti
，
This was a great book with great lgbtq rep and Great discourse on biphobia and dating culture
Emily （thegirlwiththetbrpile）
，
Yet another gem from Sophie Gonzales。
Amelia Oswald
，
So much dating advice that I don't thing that I need but thanks anyway。 So much dating advice that I don't thing that I need but thanks anyway。 。。。more
Courtney Williams
，
So it’s 4 am and I’m crying after I just finished this beautiful， wonderful book and I’m not quite sure how to put into words how much I absolutely adored it。 This was my most anticipated book of the year and it exceeded my expectations， which I don’t really know how it’s possible， but wow wow wow， this book was seriously EVERYTHING。 I’m gonna write more about it later but for now I’m going to pull myself together and sleep for the few hours I have before I have to wake up for work。 😅
Rima
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What I liked: the writing was great， Darcy and Brougham’s banter， some of the scenes were pretty unique like the thunderstorm and the last dinner， bi rep What I didn’t like: Brooke as a character， Brooke and Raina （I don’t think what Raina did was forgivable even if she was going to tell Brooke。 Also they became official within a week after Brooke had disliked her before）， I wish there had been one scene during the two months of Brooke and Raina initially dating when Darcy starts to lose interes What I liked: the writing was great， Darcy and Brougham’s banter， some of the scenes were pretty unique like the thunderstorm and the last dinner， bi rep What I didn’t like: Brooke as a character， Brooke and Raina （I don’t think what Raina did was forgivable even if she was going to tell Brooke。 Also they became official within a week after Brooke had disliked her before）， I wish there had been one scene during the two months of Brooke and Raina initially dating when Darcy starts to lose interest in Brooke。 The time jump also made Darcy and Brougham feel a bit rushed like he was just trying to get his ex back and now he’s kissing Darcy？ No wonder she was confused。 And I didn’t like how Brougham acted in the last half of the book。 Also SO much manipulation and lying in this。 I know they’re 16-17 but yikes And as a lesbian， the fact that the most likable character was the man was so strange for me。 That never happens 。。。more
Sarah
，
6/10
Bianca
，
I loved this so much！💕 Some of my favourite parts of the book: 🌈 amazing sister relationship💖 importance of friendship💜 realistically flawed main character who grows and learns from her mistakes💙 great queer rep especially the bi rep💜 talk about bi erasure and （internalised） biphobia💖 extremely cute and slowburn （light） hate to to friends to love relationship🌈 actually made me laugh out loud If you want the perfect summer romcom， pick this up！ cw: （internalised） biphobia， parent with addiction， I loved this so much！💕 Some of my favourite parts of the book: 🌈 amazing sister relationship💖 importance of friendship💜 realistically flawed main character who grows and learns from her mistakes💙 great queer rep especially the bi rep💜 talk about bi erasure and （internalised） biphobia💖 extremely cute and slowburn （light） hate to to friends to love relationship🌈 actually made me laugh out loud If you want the perfect summer romcom， pick this up！ cw: （internalised） biphobia， parent with addiction， friendship breakup， talk of messy divorce， drug/alcohol use， toxic parents 。。。more
eve
，
Filed under: am I having a tough time now and this book hit all the right spots or did it make me cry all on its own？ Or both？ Seriously though。 Imagine how happier my life would have been had this existed when I was fifteen。 It read like a movie in my head with John Hughes directing it， only with a better， healthier， more open set of characters。
Franzi
，
4。5！ super cute & i loved the bi representation！！ finally a book to relate to
Irena BookDustMagic
，
Starting this and， not gonna lie， the expectations are high！
Judy Beetem
，
Darcy Phillips runs a secret relationship advice business out of the unused locker 89 in her high school。 She is very good at giving advice to others， even though her own love life is non-existent。 Darcy has had a crush on her best friend Brooke for years。 Brooke has had other girlfriends but looks at Darcy as bff material， not gf material。 Not even Brooke knows about Darcy's business - no one does， until Alexander Brougham confronts her as she's picking up the locker 89 letters after school。 Th Darcy Phillips runs a secret relationship advice business out of the unused locker 89 in her high school。 She is very good at giving advice to others， even though her own love life is non-existent。 Darcy has had a crush on her best friend Brooke for years。 Brooke has had other girlfriends but looks at Darcy as bff material， not gf material。 Not even Brooke knows about Darcy's business - no one does， until Alexander Brougham confronts her as she's picking up the locker 89 letters after school。 The annoying Brougham blackmails Darcy into helping him win back his girlfriend。 Darcy has no choice but to consent， especially when he sweetens the pot with a generous hourly fee。 She needs to keep her Locker 89 identity secret - because if her identity is leaked things will be discovered that will ruin her chances with Brooke forever。 Forced to spend time with Brougham， she learns that everyone has secrets they'd like to keep， even hunky， annoying athletes with Australian accents。 As Darcy begins to fall for straight Brougham， she learns more about her own biphobia and her fear of losing touch with her friends if she's no longer considered "queer enough。"Gonzales does a fabulous job writing about teens involved in the LGBTQ+ culture。 Darcy has a great relationship with her mother （although she feels neglected） and her trans older sister who founded the Queer and Questioning Club when she was in high school。 There is plenty of cultural and sexual diversity in Perfect on Paper and the characters are well-developed and relatable。 Perfect on Paper would be a great book for discussion - especially with young adults。 Also an excellent jumping off point for discussion between teens and their families。 I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it。 I look forward to reading more from Sophie Gonzales。 Many thanks to Net Galley for the ARC。 。。。more
Anjali
，
Darcy has been running an anonymous advice service at her private school and pining away for her best friend， Brooke， when Brougham unmasks her secret identity and hires her to help him win back his ex-girlfriend。 Gonzales writes complicated and interesting characters; she allows them to make mistakes （some of them real doozies）， but still makes you want to root for them。 I really appreciated the way Gonzales educates the reader about bi erasure and the other problems bisexuals face without bein Darcy has been running an anonymous advice service at her private school and pining away for her best friend， Brooke， when Brougham unmasks her secret identity and hires her to help him win back his ex-girlfriend。 Gonzales writes complicated and interesting characters; she allows them to make mistakes （some of them real doozies）， but still makes you want to root for them。 I really appreciated the way Gonzales educates the reader about bi erasure and the other problems bisexuals face without being （too） preachy。 。。。more
Yeganeh
，
3。5 star
Clare
，
Such a cute a and diverse little book。 I loved knowledgeable Darcy was in all matters relating to relationship advice。 How she took the time to do her research and base it on a lot of things that are present and relatable in real life。 Also the fact we learn that Darcy's sister is trans but its not made into this huge deal was such a cool thing to me。 Like she is who she is and that's that。I also loved how Darcy is highkey a mess who can fix everyone else's relationship but is completely blind a Such a cute a and diverse little book。 I loved knowledgeable Darcy was in all matters relating to relationship advice。 How she took the time to do her research and base it on a lot of things that are present and relatable in real life。 Also the fact we learn that Darcy's sister is trans but its not made into this huge deal was such a cool thing to me。 Like she is who she is and that's that。I also loved how Darcy is highkey a mess who can fix everyone else's relationship but is completely blind and confused when it comes to applying the same thing to her life， or even seeing the facts and truths about herself。If you want a cute a（and hilarious） little romance with great friendships， sisterly bonds， and genuinely loveable characters， then pick this book up 。。。more
Amy
，
More like a 4。5 maybe？Objectively speaking is it a five star read？ not necessarily。 However， at the time I read it and the meaning of the story just hit me， it was amazing
Diany Freire
，
To say the least， I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did。 It hits so many important points and messages I wish I had when discovering myself and my sexuality in high school。 Darcy is such a relatable main character。 She makes mistakes， she's not perfect and she's also stubborn which is a little bit annoying in the middle of the book but that's okay because she's human。 She's allowed to have flaws and she doesn't have that "I'm not like other girls so I'm quirky" vibe。 She's genuine a To say the least， I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did。 It hits so many important points and messages I wish I had when discovering myself and my sexuality in high school。 Darcy is such a relatable main character。 She makes mistakes， she's not perfect and she's also stubborn which is a little bit annoying in the middle of the book but that's okay because she's human。 She's allowed to have flaws and she doesn't have that "I'm not like other girls so I'm quirky" vibe。 She's genuine and you can see her internal struggles she has with herself。 I think a lot of young girls and women could really benefit from reading her story。 Also， if you're queer， you are indeed queer。 No exceptions， no if， ands， or buts。 Don't let what society tells you about your sexuality dictate how you view yourself。 If you're a part of the Alphabet Mafia， welcome。 We're so lucky to have you， babe。 。。。more
Ali
，
Sophie， you bloody ripper！ As a South Australian bisexual who struggles with feeling 'queer enough'， I can't even begin to express how much this book means to me。 It feels like it was written just for me。 Sophie， you bloody ripper！ As a South Australian bisexual who struggles with feeling 'queer enough'， I can't even begin to express how much this book means to me。 It feels like it was written just for me。 。。。more
Tina
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3。5 stars
Melinda
，
This a wonderful coming of age LGBTQ book that I wished I had when I was a teenager and glad it exists for my daughter。 I love that it acknowledges all types of relationships from parenting and friendship to being romantically involved。 I had a few LOL moments and absolutely loved all of the characters。 Darcy is a strong female lead who gives advice to her fellow classmates anonymously and I'll let you know I found the advice to be seemingly helpful even as an adult！ The perfect YA book for all This a wonderful coming of age LGBTQ book that I wished I had when I was a teenager and glad it exists for my daughter。 I love that it acknowledges all types of relationships from parenting and friendship to being romantically involved。 I had a few LOL moments and absolutely loved all of the characters。 Darcy is a strong female lead who gives advice to her fellow classmates anonymously and I'll let you know I found the advice to be seemingly helpful even as an adult！ The perfect YA book for all readers。 。。。more
Ryan Kovatch
，
Sophie Gonzales is not only a uniquely talented author， but also simply an all-around great human being。 She's one of those authors whose books I will always pick up， no matter what。And I'm so glad I picked up Perfect on Paper。 This beautifully queer love story has just about everything good in this world。 It tackles biphobia both inside and outside the community with grace and compassion， and the queer support network that Darcy has is indomitable。 I could not pry my eyes away from this story f Sophie Gonzales is not only a uniquely talented author， but also simply an all-around great human being。 She's one of those authors whose books I will always pick up， no matter what。And I'm so glad I picked up Perfect on Paper。 This beautifully queer love story has just about everything good in this world。 It tackles biphobia both inside and outside the community with grace and compassion， and the queer support network that Darcy has is indomitable。 I could not pry my eyes away from this story for very long。It was also super interesting watching love play out in different ways through the lens of someone like Darcy， who's armed with a wealth of knowledge surrounding interpersonal relationships， but often fails to apply her skills to her own life。 Sometimes her intellectualization is helpful， and sometimes it's a barrier。 I learned a great deal from her perspective。And finally， it was so fun reading an Australian love interest from an Australian author。 I know Sophie doesn't often write about her home and culture， so these parts of her shone so bright through Brougham。 I could tell he was an extension of herself。Definitely read this wonderful， unforgettable story。 。。。more
Alex
，
4。1
Victoria
，
I thought this book was going to be different， but it was actually pretty good the way it was！ One of my only problems was that for me it was LONG （and it was only 300 and something pages， same thing with OMD by the same author）， AND it was described as a rom-com， but i didn't see the 'com' part。 Sure it was lighthearted and nice， but it didn't have many comedic elements。 Other than that， it was a really nice story！ Sophie's writing style is very good and fun to read， the characters were AMAZING I thought this book was going to be different， but it was actually pretty good the way it was！ One of my only problems was that for me it was LONG （and it was only 300 and something pages， same thing with OMD by the same author）， AND it was described as a rom-com， but i didn't see the 'com' part。 Sure it was lighthearted and nice， but it didn't have many comedic elements。 Other than that， it was a really nice story！ Sophie's writing style is very good and fun to read， the characters were AMAZINGLY DEVELOPED， and the plot was simple but with many well done layers。 I loved the two MC， and the representation （especially the lgbtq+） was amazing！Sophie Gonzales did really well with this book， can't wait to read her next one！ 。。。more
Estelle
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4/5🌟This book has been sent to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review Find more reviews on my blog！After reading Only Mostly Devastated by the same author last year， let me tell you that my expectations were high on this one。 And yet， here we are， a strong 4，5 stars rating and my heart full of love。 I don’t know when exactly it happened， but Sophie Gonzales really became one of my new favourite contemporary writers。 She has a way of creating such vivid and real char 4/5🌟This book has been sent to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review Find more reviews on my blog！After reading Only Mostly Devastated by the same author last year， let me tell you that my expectations were high on this one。 And yet， here we are， a strong 4，5 stars rating and my heart full of love。 I don’t know when exactly it happened， but Sophie Gonzales really became one of my new favourite contemporary writers。 She has a way of creating such vivid and real characters to whom everyone can identify at some point。 It is what happened with the cute and messy Darcy Phillips。 This teenager with a passion for relationships counselling and advice。 What was truly relatable with her wasn’t her passion itself， because it is definitely a niche not many people know about， but the fact she is part of some kind of online community of people talking about that。 Just like us， with books and other passions， we can have。 Putting her characters in such a relatable world and settings makes the whole story real and tangible， and touching。 I adored every single character from this story， but not at first。 And that’s the magic， because this is how life works， right？ You meet people that you might not like at first – because you don’t know them – and then you start hanging out and realizing those people are cool， that you have something in common。 This is the feeling I got reading this book。 I got scared for a moment when I thought the story was going a certain way that I wouldn’t like。 So scared I stopped reading for a few days – oops。 But the author didn’t take the path I was expecting AT ALL and I ended up absolutely loving the storyline， from A to Z。 Because this book does imply a slow-burn-some-kind-of-enemies-to-lovers trope and it was everything。 Because by taking her time developing those characters and the story， the author really is able to talk about bisexuality。 And the fact a bisexual woman dating a guy will still be queer as fork because it does not change how you identify as a person。 It deals with internalized biphobia as well-meaning the things we start to believe because of society， like not being bi by dating someone from another gender – and it was the first time I found this issue in a book。 Such a great bi representation here。 Also， this story is a great reminder that nothing is set into stones。 Your feelings， your life， your sexuality， your gender， everything will be fluctuating in your life at some points， and it is okay。 This is something incarnated by every single character: Darcy with her bisexuality questioning， Alexander with his mixed feelings towards his ex， Brooke and her rancour for people who hurt her。 Nothing is meant to stay this way forever， and I think this novel delivers the message in the most perfect way。 I think you got it: I loved this book。 I reached a point at which I will read anything Sophie Gonzales writes because it is THIS good。 TWs &CWs:Mention of a divorce， parents’ fights， mention of cheating， internalized biphobiaDiversity radar:Bi MC， Asian-American SC， trans SC， POC and Queer cast of characters， Aroace reps 。。。more
Lauren
，
Dear Locker 89， what’s the secret to writing a book as phenomenal as Sophie Gonzales’s？ I cannot express enough my love for “Perfect on Paper”！Darcy Phillips runs an anonymous relationship advice service from an abandoned high school locker。 Until Alexander Brougham catches Darcy in the act of collecting letters， no one knows she’s the love guru behind the successful operation。 To keep her identity a secret， and her own locker secrets at bay， Darcy agrees to help Brougham mend his broken relatio Dear Locker 89， what’s the secret to writing a book as phenomenal as Sophie Gonzales’s？ I cannot express enough my love for “Perfect on Paper”！Darcy Phillips runs an anonymous relationship advice service from an abandoned high school locker。 Until Alexander Brougham catches Darcy in the act of collecting letters， no one knows she’s the love guru behind the successful operation。 To keep her identity a secret， and her own locker secrets at bay， Darcy agrees to help Brougham mend his broken relationship。Darcy is a wonderfully witty and informative protagonist。 Gonzales’ research is evident given Darcy’s expert explanations of attachment styles and advice answers。 Not only did I walk away learning more about the characters， I also gained knowledge about myself and how to navigate my own relationships going forward。 As well， Darcy’s voice is well developed and relatable。 When chapters don’t start with answering Locker 89 letters， Darcy often provides character and self-analyses or begins with a sarcastic revelation。 It’s Darcy’s simultaneous self-awareness and stubbornness that makes her an ideal character to see the story through。“Perfect on Paper” also does a fantastic job of highlighting numerous LGBT+ identities and topics。 The author notes， “this is， at its core， a very queer story。” The Queer and Questioning Club is an anchor of this novel， with Darcy frequently attending meetings and building friendships with other members。 Darcy’s bisexuality and the biphobia she faces both internally and externally are addressed with care and consideration， which Gonzales should be commended for。Finally， we need to talk about Alexander Brougham。 Brougham has risen to the top of my fictional boyfriend list。 It’s endearing to see Darcy play into Brougham’s particular attachment style。 As Brougham opens up and Darcy re-evaluates her initial perception of him “Perfect on Paper” really begins to shine。I cannot wait to get my hands on Sophie Gonzales’ other novels！ 。。。more
Tiffani Darling
，
Yes。 Yes。 YES。 This book is for all of the chaotic bisexuals out there！ ✨💖💜💙✨But seriously， this book had so many important things to say about bi erasure and biphobia all wrapped up in the cutest rom-com。 I love seeing more books being written that are truly exploring a bisexual main character and the bi experience in such a way。 Thank you Sophie Gonzales。
Bojana
，
An actual review from me？ Wow！ Anyways， do not read too much into the premise and description of the book， it is much more than Leah meets tatbilb， it stands on its own in its own special way， honestly quite above the said books。 Excellent bi representation， conversations re: sexuality and queerness and also an interesting story pulling you quickly in！ Characters are great， every single one and quite fleshed out too。 10/10 would recommend"I had to move， because I wanted to stay put so badly。" An actual review from me？ Wow！ Anyways， do not read too much into the premise and description of the book， it is much more than Leah meets tatbilb， it stands on its own in its own special way， honestly quite above the said books。 Excellent bi representation， conversations re: sexuality and queerness and also an interesting story pulling you quickly in！ Characters are great， every single one and quite fleshed out too。 10/10 would recommend"I had to move， because I wanted to stay put so badly。" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Perfect On Paper
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Perfect On Paper&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Perfect On Paper&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0