Perfect on Paper

Gr 8 Up–Darcy Phillips excels at giving others relationship advice. Her anonymous Locker 89 advice business is booming, despite the fact that she can’t seem to admit her own feelings to her best friend Brooke. However, when Alexander Brougham (whom Darcy can’t stand) catches her taking letters out of Locker 89, he convinces Darcy to help him win his ex-girlfriend back, threatening to out her as the locker’s owner. And if there’s one thing Darcy doesn’t want, it’s Brooke finding out about Locker 89. Gonzales creates a cast of characters whose relationship woes are painfully relatable, yet satisfying to devour. Darcy is not an expert when it comes to relationships, but she does her research, which makes her success rate much more believable. She applies relationship theories and practices in her advice letters (seen between chapters) and with Brougham, highlights that tone and intent are the main foils in these characters’ relationships. There’s a strong suggestion of seeking advice when one’s personal insight may be compromised, as seen through Darcy and Brooke’s interactions. Most importantly, as Darcy struggles with her evolving feelings for Brougham, she confronts her own internalized biphobia to understand that it’s completely valid to be attracted to someone who identifies as another gender and still be bi. Darcy has shoulder-length blond hair and a gap between her front teeth. Brougham has blue eyes, dark brown hair, and an Australian accent, and Brooke has a Vietnamese surname.