
Perfect on Paper
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $14.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Barrie Kreinik
-
By:
-
Sophie Gonzales
About this listen
"Not only is this queer rom-com audiobook PERFECT ON PAPER - it's also perfect on audio.... The wonderful writing coupled with [Barrie] Kreinik's execution makes this a spectacular audiobook." (AudioFile magazine, Earphones Award winner)
In 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 back
Her 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?
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books
"Perfectly wonderful.” (Becky Albertalli, New York Times best-selling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Never Ever Getting Back Together
- By: Sophie Gonzales
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Natalie Naudus
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If the world only knew the real Jordy, the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart. Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. Now his face is all over the media and Skye is still wondering why he stopped calling.
-
-
Love it
- By Aisha on 01-21-25
By: Sophie Gonzales
-
Some Girls Do
- By: Jennifer Dugan
- Narrated by: Nora Hunter, Bailey Carr
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings.
-
-
I love this book.
- By Elliott Bakunzi on 06-01-21
By: Jennifer Dugan
-
Home Field Advantage
- By: Dahlia Adler
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Lori Prince
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose. Amber tries for unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she's only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down. Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other.
-
-
Really freaking excellent
- By Kindle Customer on 06-12-22
By: Dahlia Adler
-
She Drives Me Crazy
- By: Kelly Quindlen
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, Irene Abraham, who is as beautiful as she is mean. When the damage sends Irene's car to the shop for weeks' worth of repairs, the girls are forced to carpool for the foreseeable future.
-
-
SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE!!
- By Madison on 05-26-21
By: Kelly Quindlen
-
Cool for the Summer
- By: Dahlia Adler
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life. Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine.
-
-
Great narration & Bi representation
- By Austin Pierce on 05-23-21
By: Dahlia Adler
-
Not My Problem
- By: Ciara Smyth
- Narrated by: Sarah Jane Drummey
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t solve. But when she stumbles upon overachiever Meabh Kowalska having a full-blown meltdown, she sees one that she can actually fix. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help - by pushing her down the stairs. Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when one of their classmates learns about their little scheme, more “clients” start asking for Aideen’s “help”.
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Jackson Theofore Keys on 08-18-21
By: Ciara Smyth
-
Never Ever Getting Back Together
- By: Sophie Gonzales
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Natalie Naudus
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If the world only knew the real Jordy, the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart. Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. Now his face is all over the media and Skye is still wondering why he stopped calling.
-
-
Love it
- By Aisha on 01-21-25
By: Sophie Gonzales
-
Some Girls Do
- By: Jennifer Dugan
- Narrated by: Nora Hunter, Bailey Carr
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings.
-
-
I love this book.
- By Elliott Bakunzi on 06-01-21
By: Jennifer Dugan
-
Home Field Advantage
- By: Dahlia Adler
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Lori Prince
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose. Amber tries for unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she's only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down. Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other.
-
-
Really freaking excellent
- By Kindle Customer on 06-12-22
By: Dahlia Adler
-
She Drives Me Crazy
- By: Kelly Quindlen
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, Irene Abraham, who is as beautiful as she is mean. When the damage sends Irene's car to the shop for weeks' worth of repairs, the girls are forced to carpool for the foreseeable future.
-
-
SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE!!
- By Madison on 05-26-21
By: Kelly Quindlen
-
Cool for the Summer
- By: Dahlia Adler
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life. Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine.
-
-
Great narration & Bi representation
- By Austin Pierce on 05-23-21
By: Dahlia Adler
-
Not My Problem
- By: Ciara Smyth
- Narrated by: Sarah Jane Drummey
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t solve. But when she stumbles upon overachiever Meabh Kowalska having a full-blown meltdown, she sees one that she can actually fix. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help - by pushing her down the stairs. Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when one of their classmates learns about their little scheme, more “clients” start asking for Aideen’s “help”.
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Jackson Theofore Keys on 08-18-21
By: Ciara Smyth
-
Only Mostly Devastated
- A Novel
- By: Sophie Gonzales
- Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Tavares is the dream summer fling - he’s fun, affectionate, kind - but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his happily ever after, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy-tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to...except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High.
-
-
Only Mildly Entertaining
- By CMB4062 on 07-28-20
By: Sophie Gonzales
-
If This Gets Out
- A Novel
- By: Sophie Gonzales, Cale Dietrich
- Narrated by: Ramon de Ocampo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?
-
-
Slow Romance, and true Friendship
- By Lockerkm on 12-08-21
By: Sophie Gonzales, and others
-
Late to the Party
- By: Kelly Quindlen
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined. She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world. So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids. But then, Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy.
-
-
Coming-of-age glory
- By B.N. Smith on 05-13-20
By: Kelly Quindlen
-
She Gets the Girl
- By: Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Valentina Ortiz
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.
-
-
Crushes & Self Awareness
- By Anonymous User on 04-06-22
By: Rachael Lippincott, and others
-
Imogen, Obviously
- By: Becky Albertalli
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kinnunen
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa. Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
-
-
Sweet, lgbtq+ YA story
- By Leena on 07-01-23
By: Becky Albertalli
-
It's Not Like It's a Secret
- By: Misa Sugiura
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don't invite her to parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there's the one that she can barely even admit to herself - the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend. When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it's finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez.
-
-
YA contemporary that focused on an important topic
- By AudioBookHoe on 06-21-17
By: Misa Sugiura
-
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating
- By: Adiba Jaigirdar
- Narrated by: Reena Dutt, Shubhangi Karmakar
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan - she’s easygoing and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship...with a girl her friends absolutely hate - Ishita "Ishu" Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular.
-
-
Absolutely Amazing
- By Madison on 10-10-22
By: Adiba Jaigirdar
-
I Kissed Shara Wheeler
- A Novel
- By: Casey McQuiston
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny. But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes. On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed.
-
-
I Am Chloe Green
- By Rachel Fisher on 05-13-22
By: Casey McQuiston
-
Written in the Stars
- A Novel
- By: Alexandria Bellefleur
- Narrated by: Lauren Sweet
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest setup was a success. Darcy doesn't expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle.
-
-
Absolutely wonderful
- By Michelle M. on 11-13-20
-
Love at First Set
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Dugan
- Narrated by: Lori Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The gym is Lizzie’s life—it’s her passion, her job, and the only place that’s ever felt like home. Unfortunately, her bosses consider her a glorified check-in girl at best, and the gym punching bag at worst. When their son, Lizzie’s best friend, James, begs her to be his plus one at his perfect sister Cara’s wedding, things go wrong immediately, and culminate in Lizzie giving a drunken pep talk to a hot stranger in the women’s bathroom—except that stranger is actually the bride-to-be, and Lizzie has accidentally convinced her to ditch her groom.
-
-
excessive angst, panic, and toxicity
- By Jordan P on 05-17-24
By: Jennifer Dugan
-
Purposefully Accidental
- By: G. Benson
- Narrated by: Quinn Riley
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since A-List actress and Hollywood's sweetheart Wren Acker came out, not only is she at the top of the acting world; she's also crush number one for her queer fanbase. Loving life, loving her job, loving her cat-everything is fantastic. Except that lack of any kind of private life. When a car accident brings her to the ER, the bottom falls out of her world when she realizes that reserved Doctor Taylor, her physician, is Madison Taylor from camp way back when she was a kid. And boy, does Madison still hold a well-earned grudge for how that all ended.
-
-
Blah
- By LaToya B. on 10-17-23
By: G. Benson
-
Cemetery Boys
- By: Aiden Thomas
- Narrated by: Avi Roque
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend, Maritza, he performs the ritual himself and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death.
-
-
Absolutely amazing!!!
- By Tam on 09-06-20
By: Aiden Thomas
Critic reviews
"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 best-selling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)
“I devoured this book in one lovely day! Yet again Sophie has created an ensemble of empathetic characters led by a clever, relatable, sincere protagonist you’ll root for all the way through. Perfect on Paper is full of the kind of sharp wit, keen insight, and hilarious rom-com shenanigans that make it a heartfelt reminder that love may come in infinite and unexpected ways, but is still the one thing we all have in common.” (Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute)
“Perfect on Paper is a perfectly-complicated love story in every way. Gonzales has gifted us with a well-intentioned and thoughtfully-complex protagonist in Darcy, whose advice is wonderfully applied not only to the questioning students she anonymously helps, but to readers as well! Full of swoons and angst and packaged carefully with heart, Perfect on Paper was a brilliant study on the complications of first loves.” (Erin Hahn, author of You’d Be Mine and More than Maybe)
What listeners say about Perfect on Paper
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vanessa Melendez
- 05-18-21
What is not to love?
As a bi women who has always had to justify her queerness while in relationships with straight men this book made me feel seen. It was a cute coming of age story about a girl who thinks she is doing everything right until she isn’t. The characters have growth and really come to life. If you’re LGBTQIA+ I think this book has something for you. When I was in HS life wasn’t like this and I love seeing how times have changed for the better. Really good book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 11-15-21
Exactly what was needed
Story and narration was fantastic. But what stood out to me was the validation of bisexuality. I've actually been wanting to see a book with a bi character who expresses an actual interest in a gender other than their own. It's pretty hard to find. This book handled this so well, and is so necessary.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Salomon Rodriguez
- 03-22-24
quite the love story
Definitely an entertaining listen and felt the emotion of the characters. had solid relationship advice and real life occurrences that may happen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Me_Mo
- 05-10-22
A lovely listening experience with a great story
The MC Darcy was such a fantastic, flawed, but nice, strong and amazingly courageous person! I also loved Brougham and the diverse, supporting characters: Darcy's mum, her sister Ainsley, the members of the Q & Q Club.
The author managed to create a book with an interesting and challenging plot and some very valid moral questions about confidentiality, discretion, love, support and trust. She also successfully lead her characters through the complicated issues of how people can screw up despite the best of intentions, then face the music afterwards and grow in the process.
The romance was incredibly sweet in the best of sense and the friendships and the sisterly relationship were a joy (and sometimes sorrow) to read about.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kayla
- 02-04-22
Perfect YA
Finn is right about the club name being changed to triple Q = Queer, Questioning, Qlub.
The character development for Darcy and Brougham was at the perfect pace. And the slow burn was 🙌🏾
I loved the discussions the Triple Q had during their meetings especially the last about biphobia.
This was my first read by Sophie and it won’t be my last!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James Gregg
- 05-17-23
Amazing 💕
My BFF recommended this book to me and I loved it!!! Definitely recommend it to anyone. It was great bc it contained real problems that us teenagers face. And it was a cute love story very good🥰✨
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-01-22
Good Background Listen
The writing is definitely meant for high schoolers and Y.A.s, but bonus points for smoothly integrating/talking about important bisexual issues. Happy the main character was bi and the word bisexual was used in the book.
Story is predictable and performance is average. Solid read, but nothing to write home about.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve J
- 01-24-22
Great book - listened to it over 2 days
I usually prefer mm romances, but I enjoyed this. The main character here is a bi girl, but her story was very well written and interesting. Similar themes to Sex Education on Netflix.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 11-03-23
Great for Adults Too
As a bi person, I lived the MC’s development and her speech about bi issues nailed the lived experience of many bi people of all ages. Alexander was an interesting character about whom I came to care as the story unfolded. Also excellent was the portrayal of the parents; some good and some not so good.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tiffany Preston
- 11-07-21
We stan an author that calls out biphobia in their reader base
This book came to me highly recommended by a good friend whose taste in books is impeccable. Somehow it took me too long to actually read, but now that I have I can’t get it out of my head. Perfect on Paper starts out like your typical queer high school romance, a girl is in love with her best friend but too afraid to tell her. However, this girl, Darcy, also happens to give anonymous love advice to her entire school. She has a fairly high success rate, so it’s no surprise that someone finally manages to suss out who exactly is behind locker 89 (the locker through which she runs her questionably legal advice business). Unfortunately for Darcy, it’s perfectly annoying Alexander Brougham that discovers her, and in exchange for his silence, she must agree to become his personal dating coach so he can win back his ex-girlfriend. The unexpected beauty of this book is the blatant discussion of biphobia and internalized-biphobia. As a bisexual reader, this meant a lot to me, because it’s so rare to see. Sophie Gonzales has even stated herself that “this book is a subtweet” to the backlash she received from a previous book featuring a bisexual character that ends up in a “straight-passing” (male/female) relationship.
It may not be common knowledge to general society or even common knowledge to monosexual queer folks (as is shown in the book), but bisexual folks experience phobic behaviors from all sides. From straight folks, from other queer folks, and from themselves, because it’s that deeply ingrained. I’m glad Gonzales took the opportunity to discuss it, and validate any bisexual reader that happens across this book because the relationship that you are currently in does not define your sexuality. Rather than being “half-gay” or “half-straight”, bisexuality on its own is a whole, valid identity. Also, worth mentioning: enemies-to-lovers storyline (more like begrudging-acquaintance-to-lovers), trans representation (side-character), and some cheesy relationship advice.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful