Perfect on Paper is the third book by queer YA romance writer Sophie Gonzales. Released in 2021, it was published by Wednesday Books/Macmillan in the U.S. and has received a Goodreads Choice Award.
Perfect on Paper tells the story of high school junior Darcy Phillips, who has two major problems: the first is that Alexander Brougham, a senior, has accidentally discovered Darcy’s secret relationship advice service. She runs it out of locker 89, and he catches her by accident, one day, coming around the corner just as she’s closing the locker and collecting the day’s letters. Despite Darcy’s initial panic, Brougham promises he won’t tell anyone her secret — as long as she helps him win back his ex-girlfriend, Winona.
Darcy accepts for only one reason: her second problem, which is that she’s in love with her best friend Brooke Nguyen, who’s a lesbian. Brooke can’t find out about Darcy’s crush, and she can’t find out about locker 89, either, because Darcy used her advice service to sabotage Brooke’s almost-relationship with their classmate Jaz — and Darcy, torn up with guilt, will do anything to prevent her betrayal from coming to light.
What follows is the most difficult school year of Darcy’s life, between running the locker, trying to woo Brooke, and making time for Brougham, all the while getting through her schoolwork and attending her favorite group, the Queer and Questioning Club (often shortened to Q & Q).
Darcy is publicly out as bi from the start of Perfect on Paper, as is her classmate and fellow Q & Q member Raina. The novel features a number of LGBT characters, including Darcy’s trans older sister Ainsley, who founded Q & Q. The club is particularly important to the overall plot, as it serves as a place for Darcy to discuss her struggles with biphobia, which increases as she begins to develop a crush on Brougham that may or may not be requited (further complicated by the fact that he’s still trying to impress his ex, Winona).
Since Darcy has primarily crushed on girls prior to Brougham, she starts to feel too straight for the club, which sends her hurtling towards an identity crisis: “‘I feel like if I’m with a guy,’” she says during one Q & Q meeting, “‘I won’t belong here properly anymore. What if I got a boyfriend? I’d feel weird bringing him to pride events, or even telling queer people I have a boyfriend. I’d feel judged.’”
This struggle with biphobia, which contains elements of bi erasure as well, is unfortunately common for bi folx (see, for example, Melissa Faliveno’s memoir-in-essays Tomboyland, or Bi.org’s advice for staying in touch with your bi identity in a straight-presenting relationship). But the Q & Q club comes through for Darcy in this moment of vulnerability: in a beautifully written scene, the club members remind her that she’s bi, whether she crushes on a boy or a girl, and that she belongs — creating a touching moment of queer joy and connection.
In addition to these bi-specific themes, Perfect on Paper
also discusses toxic relationships in their many varieties, whether they’re between parents and children, friends, or (potential) partners. The novel navigates the complexities of these myriad relationships as Darcy, Brooke, and Brougham grapple with growing up — and wanting to be better. These coming-of-age themes comfortably situate Perfect on Paper in the YA category.