Finding Perfect Review

Finding Perfect

Kendra C. Highley 

Entangled Crush

September 14th, 2015

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Description:

How far will you go for perfection?

For “Perfect Paige” Westfield, today is “D” Day. As in, she just got one on her calculus test. With her dreams of Stanford, her reputation, and her parents’ expectations at stake, Paige needs to find a way to save face before everything she’s worked for goes up in flames.

Ben Franklin (yes, he’s related) is from the wrong side of town, with the wrong clothes and the wrong kind of life. He also knows an opportunity when he sees one, and he’ll be happy to tutor Paige—if she makes him into the kind of guy her best friend, the hottest girl in school, will date.

It’s the perfect arrangement. And Paige is determined not even the inconvenient—and utterly imperfect—attraction simmering between her and Ben will ruin it…

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I wasn't sure how the author was going to pull off a story about a boy agreeing to tutor a girl in order to get a date with her best friend. Somehow, it truly did work in a surprising way. I loved the characters and felt like each one, even the supporting characters, developed throughout the book. This is one that I recommend for people who love YA romance and are looking for a story that is just a little bit different from the others.

Paige was a very realistic high schooler who also happened to be a serious overachiever. She wants to please her parents and follow in her fathers footsteps to become a doctor. She's extremely stressed due to her calculus class and knows that if she fails it, it'll ruin everything for her. I liked Paige because she was a relatable character and sometimes I can't always relate with main characters in YA books. I've read a lot of books recently that are similar in the respect that the girl seems uptight and perfect, but Paige was more than what appeared on the surface. Ben was also a lot different than what he seemed to be. He was also serious about grades but for reasons both similar and different from Paige's. The similarity being that they both want to please their parents and get into school, different because Ben feels the pressure of providing for his mom and taking care of her. I liked how the book explored social class, it never seemed out of place or unrealistic, it was fitting in the story. Even the adults in the story were well developed and seemed to grow along with the main characters. I loved Ben's mom and felt like she was a sweet and supportive adult character. In contrast, Paige's parents weren't as warm and fuzzy in the beginning. However, I did like how the book wrapped things up involving their relationship.

The chemistry between Paige and Ben becomes obvious early on in the book. During only like the second time they hangout, they get pretty close to kissing. My point is, I like that the adult has them build up from just helping one another out, to becoming aware of their attractions and not knowing what to do with it. It drove me a little crazy how they both seemed to beat around the bush and focus on him getting a date with Zoey, even though it was obvious that he would be a better match for Paige. Zoey's role in getting the pair together was one of my favorite parts. It just wasn't what I was expecting to happen in the best way. Paige and Ben make a fabulous pair that never was boring to read about and I really loved the unique element to the love story.

I'm beyond glad that I read this book. It exceeded all of my prior expectations of it. This was a book that I believed, and I was invested in each and everyone of the characters. I was even wanting to know more about Zoey and wanted her to find her own love story. The ending made me hopeful that maybe we'll get to see a book with Zoey as our main character that follows her college years, but who knows! Regardless of whether or not this is the last we'll see of Ben and Paige, this was a book that was a quick read and one that made me really happy.