Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

It seems so perfect… on paper

Waverly Bryson almost has it all: a dream job in sports PR, two loyal best friends, and a neighborhood bar where everybody knows her name. What she doesn’t have is a ring on her finger, but after being left at the altar, she’s in no hurry to go down that road again. Besides, she has other things to worry about, including a wayward father, a new rival at work, and the nagging fear that she’s not living the life she always thought she would … or should.

Review: 

Charming as well as witty, Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane is the kind of adult contemporary read I adore!

Perfect on Paper begins the story of Waverly Bryson, a girl who hasn’t had the best of luck in the last year. It seems to all go back to when her then fiancé left her two weeks before they’re wedding claiming “he didn’t love her.” Since then, Waverly’s had some bad dates and some really, really bad dates, all of which have left her to think she’s not cut out for dating. Moreover, her “perfect” sports PR job is as far from perfect as it can get, especially given the fact that the new girl seems to be out to get her. However, everything seems to change when she meets Jake, an adorable and endearing guy who also works in the Sports field. There’s one tiny problem, though, she can’t seem to figure him out, but until she does, she has her friends as well as her “Honey Notes” to help her out along the way.

As soon as Waverly first appeared on the page, I knew she was going to be a funny protagonist, and as it turns out, she was just that and more. Her humor, which especially shined through with her “Honey Notes”, kept me laughing throughout, and the awkward yet funny situations she always seemed to end up in did much of the same. What I liked best about her, though, was that she seemed real. She had her own set of problems ranging from ones dealing with family to friends to her job to her dating life, and she had to work for the most part to get what she wanted. In addition to Waverly were several other hilarious and charming characters, which included McKenna and Andie, Waverly’s two best friends, as well the various people Waverly meet through her job.

The plot in this one was pretty simple and predictable, but it was still enjoyable. For one, I loved seeing how Waverly’s Honey Notes went from a funny way to get out her frustrations to an actual business idea! Secondly, Waverly’s romantic life plays a big role in Perfect on Paper, and while for Waverly it’s not always perfect, the various dates she went on caused for many laughs to say the least. Plus it was fun to see her relationship with Jake begin, even though it had quite a few problems itself. In addition, I also really liked seeing how Waverly’s job played a role in the book as did her friends and family. It gave this book an extra edge so to say.

However, while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t really like a few things. For one, I felt the book dragged in some places, especially in the middle. Also, I would have loved some more development to Jake’s character, but I guess there’s always the sequel for that to occur.

All in all, Perfect on Paper is an endearing and fun read about one girl’s journey to finding herself once again. I simply can’t wait to read more about Waverly!

Grade: B

Perfect on Paper (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publicist at Little Bird Publicity- thanks Katie!