Better Than Perfect

Gr 9 Up—Juliet has a charmed life. She is a high school senior with a perfect family, boyfriend, and most likely a perfect score on her SATs. Juliet wants to go to Harvard and has the perfect plan to achieve her goals. Then a bomb goes off in the teen's life. Her father moves out, and her mother ends up in psychiatric hospital. As she struggles with what is important and tries to rebuild her relationship with her parents, Juliet realizes that the life she perceived as flawless is a superficial ruse. Then the protagonist meets the less-than-perfect Declan, whose family encourages her to join their band. Spending time with Declan and the band has Juliet questioning her life choices. Perhaps there is a future for her that is "better than perfect." Kantor poignantly captures what a broken marriage can do to the whole family. The characters are well developed, and readers experience Juliet's pain as she realizes her parents' fallibility. The language is authentic and contains expletives along with references to sex and drugs. The narrative skillfully reflects the protagonist's ups and downs. However, the plot development and pacing at times feels slow and out of sync, not always accurately reflecting Juliet's turmoil. Give this to teens who enjoyed A Different Me by Deborah Blumenthal (Albert Whitman, 2014), another realistic novel that explores the theme of perfectionism and its costs.—Jeni Tahaney, Duncanville High School Library, TX