THE PERFECT GUY DOESN'T EXIST

Ivy Winslow's parents are gone for the week, and she's got big plans. She's not throwing any wild teen parties, though. She's having movie night with her best friend, Henry. She's writing fanfiction late into the night. She's catching up on her favorite TV show, H-MAD, about teen-models-turned-superheroes. She's going to have the best week of her life... as long as she can avoid thinking about her former best friend (and neighbor) Mack.

But Ivy's plans are dashed when she wakes up on the first morning on her own to find she's not alone. Somebody is in her house... Somebody very familiar: superhero and romantic lead Weston Razorbrook, star of H-MAD. And not, like, the actor who plays him. Weston himself is in her house.

Or it's Weston as Ivy writes him in her self-insert fanfics. Weston her sometimes enemy-to-lover. Weston her soulmate. Weston... her favorite barista? Weston, who is totally obsessed with her, and who she can't quite seem to get rid of. Ivy might need to enlist some help for this one.

THOUGHTS

It's been a long time since I actually, legitimately laughed out loud while reading a book. This book absolutely made me laugh. It's so incredibly stupid but in a very self-aware way. It's intentional. It's hilarious. I had a lot of fun reading this.

PROS

Fanfiction Fanatic	Sophie Gonzales has clearly read (and probably written) her fair share of fanfiction in her life. This book isn't afraid to dive into that niche. It feels really reminiscent of a bygone era in Internet culture, when fanfiction groups were much more active than they are today, and I appreciated that. This book nails the aesthetic, down to Ivy's unfortunate use of the word "orb" to describe Weston's eyes... and her questionable punctuation (that doesn't get in the way of her fanfiction success).

Friendship Fallout	This book starts with one looming question: the question about Mack. Mack and Ivy were best friends, and they had some sort of falling out. This book teases readers in just the right way, giving hints and nudges toward what could have happened all along the way. When we get that actual, final confrontation scene, everything comes to a head... and both sides seem kind of justified. It's irreconcilable, but... it doesn't have to be.

Actual LOL	I said it above, and I'll say it again here. This book made me actually laugh out loud. Each and every fanfiction twist, playing out in reality, was the perfect amount of tongue-in-cheek funny. From the exact wording of Weston's "soulmate tattoo" to the one-note tone of his changeable nature, everything was just funny. Stupid--incredibly stupid--but hilarious. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was definitely mine.

CONS

Now, I know the red flags are part of the point... but Ivy doesn't seem particularly alarmed by them. Even when she's recognizing that her fanfiction, in real life, doesn't really have the same dazzling, romantic quality as it does on the page, she doesn't seem to mind having Weston around. She even wants him to stay, and... I absolutely wouldn't want that, with how many problems he gives her. But that's just me.	Red Flags Much?

Also the point. I get it. I can hear the critics of this critique now. But at times, Weston skewed so hyperbolically fictional that he was hard to read.	Fictional

Speaking of, Weston doesn't have much of a personality at all. Obviously, his character traits change depending on what fanfic he's acting out... but he also doesn't have a personality outside of these tropes. That's kind of the point, too, but I mean, it did make it harder to believe that Ivy would want to keep somebody so flat around all the time.	Flat

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Emily Henry's Book Lovers will enjoy the way Sophie Gonzales plays with tropes and readerly expectations. Those who loved Sophie Gonzales's Perfect on Paper will like this new self-aware romance.