Queen B’s Decree: Perfect on Paper had so much LGBTQ+ representation but it didn’t feel gratuitous. I love how normalized it was. This didn’t feel like an exposé about LGBTQ+, it was just a story about teens.
Darcy is a bisexual teenager who has been running an anonymous relationship advice service from locker 89 for the past two years. Which is pretty ironic, if you think about it, since Darcy hasn’t ever been in a real relationship. She gets caught by a popular jock and gets “blackmailed” into helping him win back his ex-girlfriend. A relationship tutor, if you will.
Darcy’s advice is well researched; I recognized topics that I’ve only recently learned about myself. But she doesn’t come off as some love guru. She’s a teen and makes some major mistakes, but that made her so much more relatable. Often I’ve read YA and the characters read and sound like adults, so it was wonderful to read a story that legitimately shows mistakes I would have made back then. Darcy recognizes her mistakes as she’s making them but is unable to stop herself, just like I’ve done too.
Perfect on Paper really gives a voice and mimics the thoughts of anyone who has struggled with their sexuality, relationship, identity, consent, etc. The topic of biphobia is brought up and I thought it was handled very well. It’s not something that I think of often (as a heterosexual woman) but I can recognize the problems bisexual people face.
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.
The full range of emotions hit me with this one and I can’t wait to read more from Sophie Gonzales.
Book: Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
Series: standalone
Genre: Young Adult/High School
Hotness: mild salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: a little enemies-to-lovers