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Better Than Perfect
Juliet Newman has it all. A picture-perfect family; a handsome, loving boyfriend; and a foolproof life plan: ace her SATs, get accepted into Harvard early decision, and live happily ever after.
But when her dad moves out and her mom loses it, Juliet begins questioning the rules she’s always lived by. And to make everything even more complicated there’s Declan, the gorgeous boy who makes her feel alive and spontaneous—and who’s totally off-limits. Torn between the life she always thought she wanted and one she never knew was possible, Juliet begins to wonder: What if perfect isn't all it’s cracked up to be?
But when her dad moves out and her mom loses it, Juliet begins questioning the rules she’s always lived by. And to make everything even more complicated there’s Declan, the gorgeous boy who makes her feel alive and spontaneous—and who’s totally off-limits. Torn between the life she always thought she wanted and one she never knew was possible, Juliet begins to wonder: What if perfect isn't all it’s cracked up to be?
324 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
67 people are currently reading
3804 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
February 11, 2015
Very very VERY disappointed with this one. I loved Maybe One Day but I couldn't even finish this one. I got up to about 23% when I finally put it down. I couldn't get any emotional link with the MC, the pacing was slow and I felt like not much was happening... and well, the girl cheated on her boyfriend with a guy she just met. WTF. I might review this one but there isn't really much else to say. *sad sigh*
April 17, 2015
Someone once told me that if you had to choose between two lovers, choose the second one. Because if you truly loved your boyfriend/girlfriend you wouldn't fall for someone else. The dude makes a good point but that doesn’t mean I agree with him. No way.
So... Ughhhh. What did I think about this book?
I didn't like it because I ended up disliking the book based solely on the characteristics of the protagonist. I could not for the life of me, get past Juliet's flaws. I'm sorry.
I understood that Juliet was going through an emotional time, that she wanted an escape. But I didn't like what she did. She took Jason for granted because he was familiar --- a part of her old life that she didn't want anymore. Declan was just a distraction. I didn't for one second, believe that their instalove was real. Am I slut-shaming? No. I am merely expressing my disdain for unhealthy maladaptive behavior.
So... Ughhhh. What did I think about this book?
I didn't like it because I ended up disliking the book based solely on the characteristics of the protagonist. I could not for the life of me, get past Juliet's flaws. I'm sorry.
I understood that Juliet was going through an emotional time, that she wanted an escape. But I didn't like what she did. She took Jason for granted because he was familiar --- a part of her old life that she didn't want anymore. Declan was just a distraction. I didn't for one second, believe that their instalove was real. Am I slut-shaming? No. I am merely expressing my disdain for unhealthy maladaptive behavior.
March 23, 2015
Better than Perfect was an interesting book. I liked how the whole book centered around a normal girl's problems.. problems that we have all at least faced at one point in our lives. What I failed to really notice is the emergence of a boy, when she already has a boyfriend, and the overstepping of that line into something that I will never condone or even want to understand.. and that is cheating.
Juliet comes from a rich family but her life is far from perfect. Her dad left her mom (and herself) and now her mom is drowning her sorrows with alcohol and pills. Juliet's life is falling apart in front of her eyes and now she doesn't know if it was ever what she wanted. She is on the harvard track with her amazing boyfriend (guys, i really really love him), and she's a straight A, extra circular load up kind of student. She doesn't know if this is what she wants anymore.. enter this boy, Declan.. I did not understand how this random boy's introduction made her question everything.. or why he was even a main part of the book. He barely shows up and when he does, it's like Juliet loses all logic. I didn't think it was fair the way she was pushing away her boyfriend or the way she was handling her situation. Half the time I was frustrated with her keeping everything to herself and wanting her life to stay the same but at the same time wanting it to change. I was all right with that.. people at this age question everything in life.. but I hated how she concisely knew she was hurting her boyfriend but went ahead with it and didn't give a crap because she was also hurt. That logic is really unlikable.
I like books where teenagers act like teenagers… but at the same time, I like books were there is growth.. because if there isn't, is there even a story to tell? people might tell me "but you just said you like books where teenagers act like teenagers".. but here's the thing.. there are some actions that are unforgivable to me, one of them is cheating. I can't support, or even care anymore about a person who does such a thing. I am all for reading about dislikable characters.. but when their initial motive and the reason they persist to act in such a way is confusing and unanswered.. i question my desire to even continue reading the book. However all in all, even though I really hated that part of the book, I do like Melissa Kantor's writing. My finishing the book and giving it 3 stars is evident enough how I appreciate her writing style. I personally won't recommend this book to anyone because I don't support cheating, but if people don't care about that aspect of the book, then I say go for it.
Juliet comes from a rich family but her life is far from perfect. Her dad left her mom (and herself) and now her mom is drowning her sorrows with alcohol and pills. Juliet's life is falling apart in front of her eyes and now she doesn't know if it was ever what she wanted. She is on the harvard track with her amazing boyfriend (guys, i really really love him), and she's a straight A, extra circular load up kind of student. She doesn't know if this is what she wants anymore.. enter this boy, Declan.. I did not understand how this random boy's introduction made her question everything.. or why he was even a main part of the book. He barely shows up and when he does, it's like Juliet loses all logic. I didn't think it was fair the way she was pushing away her boyfriend or the way she was handling her situation. Half the time I was frustrated with her keeping everything to herself and wanting her life to stay the same but at the same time wanting it to change. I was all right with that.. people at this age question everything in life.. but I hated how she concisely knew she was hurting her boyfriend but went ahead with it and didn't give a crap because she was also hurt. That logic is really unlikable.
I like books where teenagers act like teenagers… but at the same time, I like books were there is growth.. because if there isn't, is there even a story to tell? people might tell me "but you just said you like books where teenagers act like teenagers".. but here's the thing.. there are some actions that are unforgivable to me, one of them is cheating. I can't support, or even care anymore about a person who does such a thing. I am all for reading about dislikable characters.. but when their initial motive and the reason they persist to act in such a way is confusing and unanswered.. i question my desire to even continue reading the book. However all in all, even though I really hated that part of the book, I do like Melissa Kantor's writing. My finishing the book and giving it 3 stars is evident enough how I appreciate her writing style. I personally won't recommend this book to anyone because I don't support cheating, but if people don't care about that aspect of the book, then I say go for it.
February 22, 2015
Hmm. It was just okay. I enjoyed it for the most part, and loved the message that perfect isn't best. But a lot of plot points came too easily (aka if Juliet is really such an amazing singer, how did she not know that before? If she's so into getting into the perfect college you think some killer choir experience would help there...) and were wrapped up too fast (more Declan!) to make me love it.
September 14, 2016
Great. Just great. It's not.
Better Than Perfect is a cliché contemporary read, I would say. This tackles the usual contemporary difficulties such as parents separating, family members falling apart, depression, medication overdose and cheating. After those were mentioned, one would think that this book will be full of drama but, fortunately, it's not. I don't think I'll be able to finish this if it ever presented too much emotionally susceptible characters.
Juliet Newman is the epitome of a girl with a perfect life.
~ Perfect family [check!]
~ Perfect house [check!]
~ Handsome and loving boyfriend [check!]
~ Perfect internship [check!]
~ Perfect SAT score - yup she did [check!]
~ Early admission to Harvard [check!]
~ Life goals [check!]
It seems like she has it all, yes? No.
When her dad decided to move out of their so called "home" everything in her life went to blur. She then began to question whether her perfect life was a reality or not.
She was always so driven in life, always so sure of what she wanted to do and almost everything was perfectly organized for her. She and her boyfriend, Jason, had perfect future plans for the both of them: get into Harvard early action. But there came a point where she realized that everything she did was not actually giving her happiness. She realized that there were things she needed to do, out of her comfort zone, in order for her to attain that happiness.
One thing I like about this book is that it feels real. The characters. The story. The struggles. All those felt real. I guess it's because things were not exaggerated for the sake of writing fiction. Every character is very relatable to certain readers.
> Juliet - a high school student going through some family challenges that changed her life; where her mother became mentally and emotionally stressed because of marital crisis.
> Juliet and Jason - teenagers coursing through high school, trying to survive classes and to earn perfect SAT scores and passing college applications.
> Sofia - being the best friend.
> Declan - being musically gifted with his equally gifted siblings in a band.
And one thing I hate about this book is the ending. There were issues that were clearly not resolved! It's there hanging out in the open. Actually, it seemed like cliffhanger but not really. If that makes sense. I would think the author was confused whether to put a cliffhanger or not. If she did an actual cliffhanger, a second book would be expected but the story does not ask for a second book. Perhaps that's why she settled for the crappy ending? Hhmm...
Better Than Perfect is a cliché contemporary read, I would say. This tackles the usual contemporary difficulties such as parents separating, family members falling apart, depression, medication overdose and cheating. After those were mentioned, one would think that this book will be full of drama but, fortunately, it's not. I don't think I'll be able to finish this if it ever presented too much emotionally susceptible characters.
Juliet Newman is the epitome of a girl with a perfect life.
~ Perfect family [check!]
~ Perfect house [check!]
~ Handsome and loving boyfriend [check!]
~ Perfect internship [check!]
~ Perfect SAT score - yup she did [check!]
~ Early admission to Harvard [check!]
~ Life goals [check!]
It seems like she has it all, yes? No.
When her dad decided to move out of their so called "home" everything in her life went to blur. She then began to question whether her perfect life was a reality or not.
She was always so driven in life, always so sure of what she wanted to do and almost everything was perfectly organized for her. She and her boyfriend, Jason, had perfect future plans for the both of them: get into Harvard early action. But there came a point where she realized that everything she did was not actually giving her happiness. She realized that there were things she needed to do, out of her comfort zone, in order for her to attain that happiness.
One thing I like about this book is that it feels real. The characters. The story. The struggles. All those felt real. I guess it's because things were not exaggerated for the sake of writing fiction. Every character is very relatable to certain readers.
> Juliet - a high school student going through some family challenges that changed her life; where her mother became mentally and emotionally stressed because of marital crisis.
> Juliet and Jason - teenagers coursing through high school, trying to survive classes and to earn perfect SAT scores and passing college applications.
> Sofia - being the best friend.
> Declan - being musically gifted with his equally gifted siblings in a band.
And one thing I hate about this book is the ending. There were issues that were clearly not resolved! It's there hanging out in the open. Actually, it seemed like cliffhanger but not really. If that makes sense. I would think the author was confused whether to put a cliffhanger or not. If she did an actual cliffhanger, a second book would be expected but the story does not ask for a second book. Perhaps that's why she settled for the crappy ending? Hhmm...
"People make choices. That’s what life is. Making choices and living with them."
January 12, 2015
I didn't request this book, but it somehow ended in my doorstep anyway. It is not that, bad but it's not good either.
March 29, 2015
3.5 stars!
Maybe One Day was one of my very favorite reads last year. It was my first introduction to Melissa Kantor. I loved how she brought out so many feels within me. I was definitely looking forward to reading this book as soon as I saw it was coming out this year. It was tough to be patient and wait for the audio instead of jumping into the ARC that I had. But since I also listened to the audio of Maybe One Day and it left such a lasting impression on me, I was eager to feel all the same emotion for this one. I received the audio, downloaded it and immediately started listening.
I went into Better Than Perfect completely blind, like I tend to do with most books I read. I did read the synopsis when I first heard about it coming out last week, but I never refreshed myself by reading the description or any reviews in detail before reading it for myself. Going into this one blind worked well for me.
Juliet and her boyfriend are both super smart. So smart they are applying to Harvard. Juliet has her life completely planned out, and everything seems to so perfect. That is until her dad moves out and her mom has a breakdown. Now her life doesn’t seem so picture perfect, and she’s struggling to figure out who she is, what she’s doing, and where her future is headed.
Okay, okay… let’s touch on the subject of cheating. Yes, there’s cheating in this book. And though I know cheating in books really bothers some people, it doesn’t bother me. Now, that doesn’t mean I condone cheating in real life. It just means that it’s real, it happens, we hear about it every day, and for me to read about it in a book just makes the book more realistic to me. Though I may cringe and feel sad when it occurs, it doesn’t not in any way take away from the story for me. So the fact that cheating was in this book in no way affecting my enjoyment of the story.
I think one of the main reasons that I wasn’t blown away with this story is the characters. I had trouble connecting with them on any sort of substantial level. I liked Juliet enough and felt bad for her and her struggles… but I didn’t feel for her like I do with some MC’s. I also never connected with the other characters either. Her boyfriend was okay, but, honestly, Declan was just meh. I had trouble buying their whole insanely-strong attraction for each other. It just didn’t work for me. I think I needed more on the feelings side of that one.
I love how Melissa Kantor is able to approach such sensitive topics with such gracing, adding in humor and emotions throughout. Her characters always undergo such wonderful inner strength growth and development, which is always a plus to me. Though I didn’t love this one as much as I did Maybe One Day, I definitely still enjoyed it. It was an entertaining read, and one I would recommend to fans of this type of story.
Audiobook Impressions:
I’ve listened to a few other books narrated by Catilin Davies, and I have yet to develop any complaints. This story was fast-paced and flowed perfectly, so listening to it was great. I listened to the entire thing over a weekend while doing chores around the house, which isn’t the norm for me. Caitlin does a wonderful job with the performance of books like this, adding emotion and distinguishing between characters beautifully.
(Thanks to HarperTeen for the review copy!)
Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!
Maybe One Day was one of my very favorite reads last year. It was my first introduction to Melissa Kantor. I loved how she brought out so many feels within me. I was definitely looking forward to reading this book as soon as I saw it was coming out this year. It was tough to be patient and wait for the audio instead of jumping into the ARC that I had. But since I also listened to the audio of Maybe One Day and it left such a lasting impression on me, I was eager to feel all the same emotion for this one. I received the audio, downloaded it and immediately started listening.
I went into Better Than Perfect completely blind, like I tend to do with most books I read. I did read the synopsis when I first heard about it coming out last week, but I never refreshed myself by reading the description or any reviews in detail before reading it for myself. Going into this one blind worked well for me.
Juliet and her boyfriend are both super smart. So smart they are applying to Harvard. Juliet has her life completely planned out, and everything seems to so perfect. That is until her dad moves out and her mom has a breakdown. Now her life doesn’t seem so picture perfect, and she’s struggling to figure out who she is, what she’s doing, and where her future is headed.
Okay, okay… let’s touch on the subject of cheating. Yes, there’s cheating in this book. And though I know cheating in books really bothers some people, it doesn’t bother me. Now, that doesn’t mean I condone cheating in real life. It just means that it’s real, it happens, we hear about it every day, and for me to read about it in a book just makes the book more realistic to me. Though I may cringe and feel sad when it occurs, it doesn’t not in any way take away from the story for me. So the fact that cheating was in this book in no way affecting my enjoyment of the story.
I think one of the main reasons that I wasn’t blown away with this story is the characters. I had trouble connecting with them on any sort of substantial level. I liked Juliet enough and felt bad for her and her struggles… but I didn’t feel for her like I do with some MC’s. I also never connected with the other characters either. Her boyfriend was okay, but, honestly, Declan was just meh. I had trouble buying their whole insanely-strong attraction for each other. It just didn’t work for me. I think I needed more on the feelings side of that one.
I love how Melissa Kantor is able to approach such sensitive topics with such gracing, adding in humor and emotions throughout. Her characters always undergo such wonderful inner strength growth and development, which is always a plus to me. Though I didn’t love this one as much as I did Maybe One Day, I definitely still enjoyed it. It was an entertaining read, and one I would recommend to fans of this type of story.
Audiobook Impressions:
I’ve listened to a few other books narrated by Catilin Davies, and I have yet to develop any complaints. This story was fast-paced and flowed perfectly, so listening to it was great. I listened to the entire thing over a weekend while doing chores around the house, which isn’t the norm for me. Caitlin does a wonderful job with the performance of books like this, adding emotion and distinguishing between characters beautifully.
(Thanks to HarperTeen for the review copy!)
Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!
April 15, 2015
Kantor’s Maybe One Day was one of my favourite reads last year, Kantor’s beautiful writing and characters just struck a chord with me that I had the book on my mind for weeks and months after, I thought this would be the case with Better than Perfect too, although I was mesmerised by Kantor’s gorgeous writing once again, I had a tough time connecting with the characters.
First there was our MC Juliet, she had a gorgeous boyfriend in Jason, she had a lovely home, a doting mother and if she continued to study hard she would be on track for Harvard early action. But everything changes one night when her mother is rushed to hospital and Juliet decides to live on edge for the night and ends up kissing somebody else. I could see why Juliet wanted to get lost for the moment with everything coming down around her, but she knew it would be something she would look back on and regret, especially the way she left things with this guy too and you know how things come back to bite you in the bum? Well this happened in the most awkward way possible for Juliet. I know Juliet had a lot to deal with but it seemed like for most of everything going on around her she had blinkers on, okay so maybe she didn’t know her mum had a drinking problem and an addiction to medication, but I found it hilarious when her brother was shocked to inform her that her parents had been attending counselling sessions and not date night once a week as Juliet had assumed. Also with the love triangle in this book, I kind of knew who I liked from the beginning and who Juliet should have picked, I wished that she didn’t dally about for the ¾’s of the book and did the character change of one of these guys really have to be necessary? Also Juliet and her boyfriend had a habit of calling each other the same nick name “J”, which really began to gripe on me, couldn’t they just call each other by their full names, as it didn’t come across to me as cute at all.
I think Juliet for me was my biggest flaw in this book, I wanted to know how things would end up for her and who she would pick in the end, but I wasn’t able to form that connection with her that I had hoped. Jason too was another character who didn’t work for me, he came across a super sweet in the beginning, but then just became this really irritating guy who was constantly on Juliet’s case, and he eventually did make it easy for Juliet to decide who she wanted to be with.
I feel like I’ve complained throughout this entire review, which isn’t something that I wanted to do. Because even though Jason and Juliet were characters that didn’t work for me, there were some that made this book worth it and that was Declan and his family, they were pretty cool in how they accepted Juliet for who she was and didn’t really try to change her. The scenes with Declan’s family were ones that I did eagerly anticipate, as their quirkiness was hard to resist. And like I mentioned earlier Kantor’s writing is just beautiful, she writes the difficult scenes that a lot of characters had to deal with really well and it was largely because of her writing that I read this book to the very end, it’s just a shame that I wasn’t able to enjoy it more. Despite this being the case, I still will be looking forward to giving Kantor’s future books a go.
This review can be found on: The Readers Den
First there was our MC Juliet, she had a gorgeous boyfriend in Jason, she had a lovely home, a doting mother and if she continued to study hard she would be on track for Harvard early action. But everything changes one night when her mother is rushed to hospital and Juliet decides to live on edge for the night and ends up kissing somebody else. I could see why Juliet wanted to get lost for the moment with everything coming down around her, but she knew it would be something she would look back on and regret, especially the way she left things with this guy too and you know how things come back to bite you in the bum? Well this happened in the most awkward way possible for Juliet. I know Juliet had a lot to deal with but it seemed like for most of everything going on around her she had blinkers on, okay so maybe she didn’t know her mum had a drinking problem and an addiction to medication, but I found it hilarious when her brother was shocked to inform her that her parents had been attending counselling sessions and not date night once a week as Juliet had assumed. Also with the love triangle in this book, I kind of knew who I liked from the beginning and who Juliet should have picked, I wished that she didn’t dally about for the ¾’s of the book and did the character change of one of these guys really have to be necessary? Also Juliet and her boyfriend had a habit of calling each other the same nick name “J”, which really began to gripe on me, couldn’t they just call each other by their full names, as it didn’t come across to me as cute at all.
I think Juliet for me was my biggest flaw in this book, I wanted to know how things would end up for her and who she would pick in the end, but I wasn’t able to form that connection with her that I had hoped. Jason too was another character who didn’t work for me, he came across a super sweet in the beginning, but then just became this really irritating guy who was constantly on Juliet’s case, and he eventually did make it easy for Juliet to decide who she wanted to be with.
I feel like I’ve complained throughout this entire review, which isn’t something that I wanted to do. Because even though Jason and Juliet were characters that didn’t work for me, there were some that made this book worth it and that was Declan and his family, they were pretty cool in how they accepted Juliet for who she was and didn’t really try to change her. The scenes with Declan’s family were ones that I did eagerly anticipate, as their quirkiness was hard to resist. And like I mentioned earlier Kantor’s writing is just beautiful, she writes the difficult scenes that a lot of characters had to deal with really well and it was largely because of her writing that I read this book to the very end, it’s just a shame that I wasn’t able to enjoy it more. Despite this being the case, I still will be looking forward to giving Kantor’s future books a go.
This review can be found on: The Readers Den
April 2, 2016
Juliet Newman’s life is just perfect. She has everything she could ever want until her life just TOTALLY falls apart CATASTROPHICALLY (can you tell I’m being dramatic? Well, Juliet is dramatic with a capital D.) Utterly distraught with her now awful life, she cheats on her boyfriend of FOUR years with a stranger but doesn’t tell him, continuing on like everything is perfect and has virtually no remorse because oh, poor her, she’s going through a tough time.
Juliet spends a majority of the book talking about how her life before her parent’s divorce was just absolutely fan-freaking-tastic and how all these people that envied her beautiful blonde self and her gorgeous, youthful looking, well-off family will now PITY her. THE SHAME.
It was because of all this that I just couldn’t find sympathy for her, although I do recognize her situation was a tough one. We are also told time and time again about how Juliet and her boyfriend MUST get a near perfect score on the SATs so they can get into Harvard. Give me a dollar for every time the SATs or tutoring was mentioned and I could pay for this book tenfold.
Instead of focusing on familial relationships and tough issues like in the author’s other novel, everything is shoved aside to talk about suffering Juliet. There just wasn’t much to this plot besides her goal of “perfection” and her complaining.
Juliet’s relationship with her actual boyfriend even seemed a little messed up and based only on their goals in life. The night something happens to her mother, she decides to cheat on him with a guy she just met. She continues to go out with her boyfriend like nothing happened and shows little regret for her actions because hey, she’ll probably never see him again right? WRONG-O. He shows up at her school as the “hawt” exchange student.
Long story short: she ends up almost going all the way with guy-that-is-not-her-boyfriend (for the SECOND time) and still does not break up with her boyfriend. It isn’t until the novel is almost over she breaks up with him, and not because she cheated or likes someone else, but because her goals in life have changed. WUT?!?!?
Obviously, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. However, I am a fan of Kantor’s other novel MAYBE ONE DAY and would definitely recommend that, especially over this one. I feel like BETTER THAN PERFECT had potential if the focus had been on other elements of the story rather than the romance and Juliet’s need to be perfect.
Juliet spends a majority of the book talking about how her life before her parent’s divorce was just absolutely fan-freaking-tastic and how all these people that envied her beautiful blonde self and her gorgeous, youthful looking, well-off family will now PITY her. THE SHAME.
It was because of all this that I just couldn’t find sympathy for her, although I do recognize her situation was a tough one. We are also told time and time again about how Juliet and her boyfriend MUST get a near perfect score on the SATs so they can get into Harvard. Give me a dollar for every time the SATs or tutoring was mentioned and I could pay for this book tenfold.
Instead of focusing on familial relationships and tough issues like in the author’s other novel, everything is shoved aside to talk about suffering Juliet. There just wasn’t much to this plot besides her goal of “perfection” and her complaining.
Juliet’s relationship with her actual boyfriend even seemed a little messed up and based only on their goals in life. The night something happens to her mother, she decides to cheat on him with a guy she just met. She continues to go out with her boyfriend like nothing happened and shows little regret for her actions because hey, she’ll probably never see him again right? WRONG-O. He shows up at her school as the “hawt” exchange student.
Long story short: she ends up almost going all the way with guy-that-is-not-her-boyfriend (for the SECOND time) and still does not break up with her boyfriend. It isn’t until the novel is almost over she breaks up with him, and not because she cheated or likes someone else, but because her goals in life have changed. WUT?!?!?
Obviously, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. However, I am a fan of Kantor’s other novel MAYBE ONE DAY and would definitely recommend that, especially over this one. I feel like BETTER THAN PERFECT had potential if the focus had been on other elements of the story rather than the romance and Juliet’s need to be perfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2014
This book has a lot in common with Melissa Kantor's 2014 book MAYBE ONE DAY. Both are emotional rollercoasters with realistic friend/family/boy relationships and protagonists who make some bad but justifiable decisions. But BETTER THAN PERFECT's theme of choice (How do you know if the path you've worked so hard to stay on your whole life is right for you? Or if you and your long-term boyfriend are meant to last? Or who you should be?) rang so true to me.
I found Juliet's personal journey intensely profound. I loved her introspection, her voice, her flaws. I was also an overachiever in high school, but unlike Juliet, I never questioned why I had to be perfect at school and my other pursuits. I think so many teens will see themselves in this book. With it, Melissa Kantor has earned a spot on my auto-buy list.
There are so many great lines in this book, but this one I read over and over: "And then I thought that it wasn't fair that at seventeen you could make choices that you might regret for the rest of your life because you really had no idea what you were doing and the stakes were just too high."
I found Juliet's personal journey intensely profound. I loved her introspection, her voice, her flaws. I was also an overachiever in high school, but unlike Juliet, I never questioned why I had to be perfect at school and my other pursuits. I think so many teens will see themselves in this book. With it, Melissa Kantor has earned a spot on my auto-buy list.
There are so many great lines in this book, but this one I read over and over: "And then I thought that it wasn't fair that at seventeen you could make choices that you might regret for the rest of your life because you really had no idea what you were doing and the stakes were just too high."
February 23, 2015
Juliet Newman, from the outside, appears to have it all. She lives in a gorgeous home, she is very smart, and her boyfriend adores her. In fact, they are both planning on going to Harvard. But if you look closer, things aren't what they seem. Her father moved out and set up shop with another woman. Her mother can't recover from this blow. She finds herself wallowing in sadness day in and day out till one day she overdoses on prescription drugs. Juliet finds her mother unconscious and sprawled out on the bathroom floor. Juliet's life is shaken irrevocably. She starts questioning what she really wants out of life? Her boyfriend? Harvard? Then one night she meets Declan, a musician, and she starts to break out of the comfort zone she has created for herself. Essentially, she starts to live for herself. Melissa Kantor's Better Than Perfect was a well-written book with a strong message; however, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping for.
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
April 7, 2015
Throughout Better Than Perfect, Juliet faced constant struggles within herself and with her family and friends. That said, the thing that set this book apart from other contemporaries was the female empowerment soaking every page. From beginning to end, Juliet questioned her relationship with different people, but realized it was her relationship within herself she ultimately needed to fix. The message Kantor sends all her readers is that you can't turn to someone else to find happiness, you have to discover it within yourself. Overall 4/5 stars; the ending may not satisfy all, but it was perfect for this book!
April 21, 2015
Anyone who has ever been a senior in high school can relate to this story. It's a time of so much pressure: homework and probably a job and extracurriculars and SATs and, of course, getting into college. Junior and senior year is the first time where you can really see that everything you do can have a major impact on your future.
That's definitely the case for Juliet. She's been working her whole life to get into Harvard, and now that the finish line is in sight, she should be relieved---except her entire life is falling apart and she is definitely feeling the strain of all of it.
I love books that make you wonder if what you think you want is what you actually want. Walking away from everything is definitely scary but sometimes there's no choice, right?
This book is fun but there's a surprising depth to it.
That's definitely the case for Juliet. She's been working her whole life to get into Harvard, and now that the finish line is in sight, she should be relieved---except her entire life is falling apart and she is definitely feeling the strain of all of it.
I love books that make you wonder if what you think you want is what you actually want. Walking away from everything is definitely scary but sometimes there's no choice, right?
This book is fun but there's a surprising depth to it.
August 16, 2015
Thank goodness for the last part ^_^
October 15, 2021
TW - cheating, mental health / psychiatric
It’s taken me a while to write my review on this book, it’s something I still think about.
You can tell it was written a while ago as some of the terminology used regarding psychiatric treatment, patients and medicine was very outdated and not very well received anymore (for good measure) but it did open your eyes as to how the main character seen this disease
It also shone a light on how the pressures of family and society can affect the mental health and happiness of young adults, especially as they leave high school and go out into the world.
I do wish the cheating didn’t happen, it doesn’t show a very positive manner into the way relationships are respected.
I did enjoy the book though, I was easily hooked and wanting to know what happened next
It’s taken me a while to write my review on this book, it’s something I still think about.
You can tell it was written a while ago as some of the terminology used regarding psychiatric treatment, patients and medicine was very outdated and not very well received anymore (for good measure) but it did open your eyes as to how the main character seen this disease
It also shone a light on how the pressures of family and society can affect the mental health and happiness of young adults, especially as they leave high school and go out into the world.
I do wish the cheating didn’t happen, it doesn’t show a very positive manner into the way relationships are respected.
I did enjoy the book though, I was easily hooked and wanting to know what happened next
December 30, 2015
On the outside Juliet has everything… the perfect family, the perfect grades, the perfect boyfriend… and a plan for her future.
Or so it seems
.
Juliet’s perfect plans start to crumble when her father moves out of their house and her mom seems to fall into a pit of despair. Everything she thought was important suddenly changes and maybe acing those SAT’s and going to Harvard were never really her goals.
And then she meets Declan on one of the worst nights of her life and she’s no longer sure what she wants.
This is my second Melissa Kantor book. I absolutely loved Maybe One Day… even though it made me sob like a baby. So I knew I was going to snatch up her next book as soon as I could, but I hate to say that this one fell flat for me for a couple of reasons.
Spoilers ahead so be warned – turn away!
Another reason I didn’t love this one were the characters. I never found myself connecting with anyone. I really liked her boyfriend … what we got to know of him, and that I think was my problem. Everyone felt very superficially a part of her life. Even Declan who we’re supposed to believe she has this unbelievable connection with for some reason is never explored fully and in actuality they had very little involvement in the actual story.
What I will say is that Juliet’s character was definitely explored and developed wonderfully. I understood her struggles… the pressure she puts on herself to succeed and be this person that everyone wanted and expected her to be… never getting to fully explore the things that are out there that maybe might interest her more than what she’s currently doing. The extreme focus to be the best at everything and the stress that can cause and then add to that the feeling that your family is falling apart and you have no one to lean on. I get it. I got her … I just maybe didn’t agree with her choices or the fact that she never really owned up to something big.
That said, the story was interesting, the writing was amazing and it’s definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of Melissa Kantor.
Thank you to HarperTeen for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Or so it seems
.
Juliet’s perfect plans start to crumble when her father moves out of their house and her mom seems to fall into a pit of despair. Everything she thought was important suddenly changes and maybe acing those SAT’s and going to Harvard were never really her goals.
And then she meets Declan on one of the worst nights of her life and she’s no longer sure what she wants.
This is my second Melissa Kantor book. I absolutely loved Maybe One Day… even though it made me sob like a baby. So I knew I was going to snatch up her next book as soon as I could, but I hate to say that this one fell flat for me for a couple of reasons.
Spoilers ahead so be warned – turn away!
Another reason I didn’t love this one were the characters. I never found myself connecting with anyone. I really liked her boyfriend … what we got to know of him, and that I think was my problem. Everyone felt very superficially a part of her life. Even Declan who we’re supposed to believe she has this unbelievable connection with for some reason is never explored fully and in actuality they had very little involvement in the actual story.
What I will say is that Juliet’s character was definitely explored and developed wonderfully. I understood her struggles… the pressure she puts on herself to succeed and be this person that everyone wanted and expected her to be… never getting to fully explore the things that are out there that maybe might interest her more than what she’s currently doing. The extreme focus to be the best at everything and the stress that can cause and then add to that the feeling that your family is falling apart and you have no one to lean on. I get it. I got her … I just maybe didn’t agree with her choices or the fact that she never really owned up to something big.
That said, the story was interesting, the writing was amazing and it’s definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of Melissa Kantor.
Thank you to HarperTeen for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
July 10, 2015
This book is a better than perfect read. I love how realistic and relatable it is, it just gets you. It shows so much of real-life situations such as having a broken family, feeling pressured due to schoolwork, feeling like the world is against you and making mistakes when you think you just can’t. I applaud Melissa Kantor for writing a beautiful book not only for teenagers but for people who are experiencing these things in general.
I really recommend this book if you’re having family, school and maybe relationship problems. This book will help you, I swear. It’ll help you realize that sometimes, just taking a deep breath is all you need. See for yourself.
Full review here.
I really recommend this book if you’re having family, school and maybe relationship problems. This book will help you, I swear. It’ll help you realize that sometimes, just taking a deep breath is all you need. See for yourself.
Full review here.
February 10, 2016
Kamu merasa tidak sempurna? Atau kamu merasa bahwa sesuatu/seseorang yang kamu harapkan sempurna ternyata tidaklah sesempurna seperti yang kamu harapkan selama ini? Jika ya, coba baca buku ini. Setelah membaca buku ini, mungkin kamu juga akan tersadarkan sebagaimana buku ini menyadarkan dan mengajarkan saya bahwa : kita tidak perlu harus selalu sempurna untuk satu atau beberapa hal dalam hidup kita ini, karena menjadi sempurna belum tentu akan membuat hidup kita bahagia sebagaimana kita mendapatkan kebahagiaan dan kenyamanan yang selama ini telah kita rasakan.
Belajarlah untuk menghargai dan mensyukuri apa yang kamu miliki.
Udah, gitu aja.
Belajarlah untuk menghargai dan mensyukuri apa yang kamu miliki.
Udah, gitu aja.
October 12, 2017
Trigger warning for attempted suicide very early in the book. Sorry not sorry for not tagging this as a spoiler bc people should know why they're getting into. But anyway I read this in less than 7 hours after starting it this morning like wow it was pretty good and pretty real.
November 7, 2016
Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor totally hit my sweet spot.Read my full review here Review goes live 11/9/16
November 5, 2015
Cool cover ..
January 25, 2016
Aw! Predictable kind of but I loved it anyway!
May 13, 2018
Better Than Perfect tells the reader the story of Juliet, a teenager dealing with early admission to the college of her dreams, her SATs, a possible suicide attempt of her mum and her boyfriend of 4 years (& the fact that she cheated on him). When I read the description on Goodreads I expected a contemporary story I‘d like for once, because I didn‘t know it would turn into such a chaos. Instead of a contemporary with a pleasant twist and a fluffy love that would have me swoon I got a story that strongly reminded me of a story right out of a tv show like The OC, Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars (yes, I know the 2nd and 3rd shows are based on books). If it wouldn’t have been such a quick read, I honestly wouldn’t have finished it. I got annoyed at how jumpy the story was, how it focused on the SATs instead of the problems present in Juliets family. I left the book with as much knowledge about Juliet as I started out with. I‘m honestly not keen on reading about tests that have been meaningless at the end. I also think it‘s horrible how the book dealt with the cheating. Following the book and how it left this unresolved it basically tells teens that it‘s okay to cheat on your boyfriend and never tell him, because when you have bigger problems or had horrible experiences to make right before you have sex with someone else it‘s tolerable. Right? Right.
In my opinion Juliet is a selfcentered, egoistic person, who only cares about how to have a perfect life no matter what. She doesn‘t consider other people’s situations, feelings and thoughts. Only she and her wellbeing matter. I think there wasn‘t a single page I actually liked her and I‘m glad she & Jason broke up at the end, because he deserves a better girlfriend. I‘m not saying that he wasn‘t flawless, but compared to Juliet he was rather likable. Declan was a blant character that only existed to progress the story. He could have been easily left out, because he had no influence on any decision Juliet made (declared by Juliet herself at the end of the book!). So why did Kantor include him (& the cheating - twice that is!) when he had no influence? Was it to prolong the book? We don‘t know, I guess.
The first quarter I thought of rating this 2 stars as it was okay, but after finishing the book I have to admit to myself that in my opinion and considering my taste it wasn‘t okay.
In my opinion Juliet is a selfcentered, egoistic person, who only cares about how to have a perfect life no matter what. She doesn‘t consider other people’s situations, feelings and thoughts. Only she and her wellbeing matter. I think there wasn‘t a single page I actually liked her and I‘m glad she & Jason broke up at the end, because he deserves a better girlfriend. I‘m not saying that he wasn‘t flawless, but compared to Juliet he was rather likable. Declan was a blant character that only existed to progress the story. He could have been easily left out, because he had no influence on any decision Juliet made (declared by Juliet herself at the end of the book!). So why did Kantor include him (& the cheating - twice that is!) when he had no influence? Was it to prolong the book? We don‘t know, I guess.
The first quarter I thought of rating this 2 stars as it was okay, but after finishing the book I have to admit to myself that in my opinion and considering my taste it wasn‘t okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2019
Ahhhh. So I've finally finished another book for this month.
As I said before in one of my reading update, I just seems to hate Juliet Newman for being so self-centered by only wanting life as perfect as it before which is before the separation of her parents (well, that's how she thought of all this while). She never realized that her family were never happy even before the separation of her parents.
And yea, as things seems to falling apart and she just acted like any other teenage would do, but that doesn't mean that she can go around and fuck some stranger since she have a boyfriend who she have a relationship with for four years. She always being so paranoid in thinking what would her friends be thinking of her about her family imperfect life especially when her friends found out about her mother. She is just so ughhhh, why don't she just be her on self and fuck all those people around.
I hate how much Jason is so control of her by keeping on telling her that she should have not drop off Latin and that she should get into Harvard and all and one day when Juliet telling that she couldn't stay in Latin and would defer herself from Harvard, he just asked her to go and they just broke up just like that. Well, Jason is an ass I must say. It's like he just think of himself and his happiness and never think of Juliet and her happiness. He just thought that everything that Juliet has done would make her feel happy even though deep down Juliet hated everything that she do.
Declan? Well actually I must admit how I have been imagining Declan would be. How handsome he would be and how Juliet's life would be if she just break her relationship with Jason to be with Declan. Would she be even happier by doing everything that she wanted to do. I must say, when the book ends, I feel like I wanted to read more of Declan and Juliet. Well, tell me, is there another book that talks about how Juliet's life after whether she go up the stage and sing with the Clovers or not. I'm just curious though and it makes me wanting to know more that it killing me.
So yeah, another book that makes me not enjoying it much at first but making me wanted to read more of it at the end because ending always seems more interesting. And this would make me rated it as 3.5/5 stars.
Happy Reading!
As I said before in one of my reading update, I just seems to hate Juliet Newman for being so self-centered by only wanting life as perfect as it before which is before the separation of her parents (well, that's how she thought of all this while). She never realized that her family were never happy even before the separation of her parents.
And yea, as things seems to falling apart and she just acted like any other teenage would do, but that doesn't mean that she can go around and fuck some stranger since she have a boyfriend who she have a relationship with for four years. She always being so paranoid in thinking what would her friends be thinking of her about her family imperfect life especially when her friends found out about her mother. She is just so ughhhh, why don't she just be her on self and fuck all those people around.
I hate how much Jason is so control of her by keeping on telling her that she should have not drop off Latin and that she should get into Harvard and all and one day when Juliet telling that she couldn't stay in Latin and would defer herself from Harvard, he just asked her to go and they just broke up just like that. Well, Jason is an ass I must say. It's like he just think of himself and his happiness and never think of Juliet and her happiness. He just thought that everything that Juliet has done would make her feel happy even though deep down Juliet hated everything that she do.
Declan? Well actually I must admit how I have been imagining Declan would be. How handsome he would be and how Juliet's life would be if she just break her relationship with Jason to be with Declan. Would she be even happier by doing everything that she wanted to do. I must say, when the book ends, I feel like I wanted to read more of Declan and Juliet. Well, tell me, is there another book that talks about how Juliet's life after whether she go up the stage and sing with the Clovers or not. I'm just curious though and it makes me wanting to know more that it killing me.
So yeah, another book that makes me not enjoying it much at first but making me wanted to read more of it at the end because ending always seems more interesting. And this would make me rated it as 3.5/5 stars.
Happy Reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2018
This book is just so pointless and cliche. Not even the kind of cliche that makes you want to excuse it. It's just annoying. Sorry I can't bring myself to feel bad for the poor overprivledged girl whose problems are only semi-serious and used as an excuse to disregard how she treats other people.
April 16, 2015
I must be one of the few readers out there who is not bothered by cheating in books. I'm not okay with this in real life of course, in fact, that's one of my deal breakers. And even though I don't mind it in books, I hate seeing it in tv shows or movies. It's weird. But, I like for the cheating to be different other than the usual person-falls-for-new-person-and-cheats-and-ends-up-with-new-person type of story. I want something different, kind of what Colleen Hoover did with Maybe Someday. I don't want to think, 'this is totally wrong', or 'this is okay. I want to be torn, I want to see the gray area. I love flawed characters, and to me, there is no greater fuck up than cheating on somebody. I'm all about character growth and some cheating stories can inspire some great character growth.
I really liked Maybe One Day and although the cheating aspect may have scared most readers away, in a weird way, this is what made me want to read the book. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly what I was looking for. A big reason for that wasn't even the cheating, but the MC. Juliet had the perfect life. Her family was great, even if they were divorced. Her grades were great, she was gonna go to a very good college and she had the perfect boyfriend. But when her mom tries to commit suicide, her whole world changes and everything she thought she knew was perfect, isn't so perfect for her anymore. After being embarrassed to tell her boyfriend her mom tried to kill herself, she escapes to the country club where her friend works and ends up meeting a new group of kids. In that group is Declan, and not even a few hours after meeting him Juliet ends up cheating on her 4 year boyfriend with him.
I could understand (well, maybe not understand, but I get it) that this was a stupid mistake brought on by all the stress of almost losing your mom. But, this wasn't just a simple one time kiss. It was a heavy make out session, and what bothered me was that Juliet never felt guilty. Not even when she does it again later on and almost has sex with Declan this time. Her reasoning: her boyfriend would never forgive her so what's the point because 2 mistakes do not cancel out 4 years or a relationship. Yeah, sorry Juliet but I'm not buying that. After this, Juliet turns into a very unlikable person and she goes through this very cliche transformation/rebellious stage. She cuts her hair in a bob and dies it black, joins a band, and puts off her acceptance to a very prestigious school. Just to sing in a band. And let's not forget the ultimate transformation cliché, she buys black combat boots.
I was not a fan of how all of a sudden, Juliet's boyfriend, who was so sweet at the beginning, is suddenly made out to be this whiny and frustrating person. I felt like this was not pulled off well and done just so Juliet won't feel guilty about cheating. I didn't feel the connection with Declan at all, especially once they cheated again when he had a girlfriend as well. I was at a point where I didn't want Juliet with Declan, but I also didn't think she deserved her boyfriend either. This wasn't the self discovery story that I was looking for. At the end of the book *SPOILERS* Juliet ends up breaking up with her boyfriend without ever telling him she cheated on him, she puts off school to... sing I guess. And I'm not exactly sure if she ends up Declan or not because the ending is very open-ended. It ends with something like 'I want it to be my choice.' I'm disappointed because this had the potential to be a great story. YA rarely addresses cheating (unless it's an annoying and dragged out love triangle) and this could have been so good. Juliet was not a character that I could root for though and I think it's s important to have a likable character, somebody you can relate to and understand if you are going to involve cheating. I really wanted to like this and I gave it a shot, but it just wasn't for me.
Audiobook Comments: I've listened to a few audiobooks narrated by Caitlin Davies and I like her better and better each time. I can see why she is such a popular choice in YA and why she has about 50 audiobooks under her name. Caitlin's narration is probably what kept me from DNF the story, also, I was a tiny bit curious as to how this would turn out. While I didn't really enjoy the story all that much, I enjoyed the narration.
2 out of 5 stars
***
Read full review & more of my favorite quotes at Mostly YA Book Obsessed
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I really liked Maybe One Day and although the cheating aspect may have scared most readers away, in a weird way, this is what made me want to read the book. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly what I was looking for. A big reason for that wasn't even the cheating, but the MC. Juliet had the perfect life. Her family was great, even if they were divorced. Her grades were great, she was gonna go to a very good college and she had the perfect boyfriend. But when her mom tries to commit suicide, her whole world changes and everything she thought she knew was perfect, isn't so perfect for her anymore. After being embarrassed to tell her boyfriend her mom tried to kill herself, she escapes to the country club where her friend works and ends up meeting a new group of kids. In that group is Declan, and not even a few hours after meeting him Juliet ends up cheating on her 4 year boyfriend with him.
I could understand (well, maybe not understand, but I get it) that this was a stupid mistake brought on by all the stress of almost losing your mom. But, this wasn't just a simple one time kiss. It was a heavy make out session, and what bothered me was that Juliet never felt guilty. Not even when she does it again later on and almost has sex with Declan this time. Her reasoning: her boyfriend would never forgive her so what's the point because 2 mistakes do not cancel out 4 years or a relationship. Yeah, sorry Juliet but I'm not buying that. After this, Juliet turns into a very unlikable person and she goes through this very cliche transformation/rebellious stage. She cuts her hair in a bob and dies it black, joins a band, and puts off her acceptance to a very prestigious school. Just to sing in a band. And let's not forget the ultimate transformation cliché, she buys black combat boots.
I was not a fan of how all of a sudden, Juliet's boyfriend, who was so sweet at the beginning, is suddenly made out to be this whiny and frustrating person. I felt like this was not pulled off well and done just so Juliet won't feel guilty about cheating. I didn't feel the connection with Declan at all, especially once they cheated again when he had a girlfriend as well. I was at a point where I didn't want Juliet with Declan, but I also didn't think she deserved her boyfriend either. This wasn't the self discovery story that I was looking for. At the end of the book *SPOILERS* Juliet ends up breaking up with her boyfriend without ever telling him she cheated on him, she puts off school to... sing I guess. And I'm not exactly sure if she ends up Declan or not because the ending is very open-ended. It ends with something like 'I want it to be my choice.' I'm disappointed because this had the potential to be a great story. YA rarely addresses cheating (unless it's an annoying and dragged out love triangle) and this could have been so good. Juliet was not a character that I could root for though and I think it's s important to have a likable character, somebody you can relate to and understand if you are going to involve cheating. I really wanted to like this and I gave it a shot, but it just wasn't for me.
Audiobook Comments: I've listened to a few audiobooks narrated by Caitlin Davies and I like her better and better each time. I can see why she is such a popular choice in YA and why she has about 50 audiobooks under her name. Caitlin's narration is probably what kept me from DNF the story, also, I was a tiny bit curious as to how this would turn out. While I didn't really enjoy the story all that much, I enjoyed the narration.
2 out of 5 stars
***
Read full review & more of my favorite quotes at Mostly YA Book Obsessed
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May 27, 2024
3.75 good book but i didnt like the ended very much
April 17, 2025
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was in a similar style to John Green where it felt timeless yet relevant, and had intriguing dialogue but deep, thoughtful paragraphs. I related to Juliet so often it was like listening to myself think. I was proud of her and how she handled herself, and it was inspiring to see her character arc. This book is severely underrated and I highly recommend it to all of the overachieving teenagers looking to feel heard.
May 5, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An average contemporary read about self discovery and dealing with family issues.
Opening Sentence: “I’m going to miss you.”
The Review:
Juliet’s life was perfect until her father left home and her mum overdosed on her pain meds, or so she thought. What she didn’t know is that her mother had been unhappy for a very long time but she just hadn’t noticed it. The picture perfect family Juliet believed she had was all a lie and once she realises this, she begins to lose confidence in everything she has left.
But even as I thought that, I couldn’t help wondering if maybe some things, once they’re broken, can never be made whole again.
I could see how difficult it was for Juliet to deal with her mother’s issues, but her reaction to her mum’s overdose was a bit over the top. It was almost like she was living in a bubble that had suddenly burst. I mean, surely there must have been some signs of an unhappy family, why did it come as such a shock to her? The girl was supposed to be going to Harvard, you would think she’d be smart enough to pick up on these things!
The Clovers and their band brought a nice mix to the story and I wished they had a stronger presence because it was almost as if they disappeared after Sean’s fight, which was a huge shame. Sean might have a crude sense of humour with some awful habits but he made me chuckle.
“Jules, sweetheart,” Sean said, stopping the song for what must have been the fiftieth time. “You sound like you’re singing in the church choir.”
“I’m an atheist,” I snapped.
Declan didn’t add much to the story, personally I thought he was there to just look good. His main qualities as far as I could tell were that he was an excellent singer, had a British accent and was hot. Apart from that, there wasn’t any substance to him so I didn’t understand why Juliet liked him so much.
Juliet and Jason’s teenage romance was horrifically cheesy, they were almost adults yet they made a ‘j power’ pinkie promise, seriously who does that???!!! I can understand why they were in a relationship to begin with: their families were similar, they grew up together, were both very ambitious and driven to go to Harvard but the fact of life is that people change. Just because you want something now doesn’t mean you’ll want the same thing 5 years down the line. The problem was that in this relationship, Jason continued to want the same things but Juliet changed.
Although I wasn’t too fond of Juliet, I liked that she did what she wanted and wasn’t afraid of facing the consequences. She knew her interests changed so she stopped chasing it rather than being stuck in an unhappy routine that she can’t come back from. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to choose not to do what she had always dreamed of and accept who she had become, but I liked it and found it inspiring. I think it’s definitely an important message for teenagers today.
In general, it was an okay-ish contemporary read but the characters needed development.
Notable Scene:
Was this what it had been like for my mom? This sense that it was easier to sink down than to swim up? I thought of the Sylvia Plath poem we’d had on our first practice AP exam. Dying / Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. Maybe my mother hadn’t done it exceptionally well. Maybe she’d really wanted to die, only she’d screwed up the dosage.
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Better Than Perfect. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An average contemporary read about self discovery and dealing with family issues.
Opening Sentence: “I’m going to miss you.”
The Review:
Juliet’s life was perfect until her father left home and her mum overdosed on her pain meds, or so she thought. What she didn’t know is that her mother had been unhappy for a very long time but she just hadn’t noticed it. The picture perfect family Juliet believed she had was all a lie and once she realises this, she begins to lose confidence in everything she has left.
But even as I thought that, I couldn’t help wondering if maybe some things, once they’re broken, can never be made whole again.
I could see how difficult it was for Juliet to deal with her mother’s issues, but her reaction to her mum’s overdose was a bit over the top. It was almost like she was living in a bubble that had suddenly burst. I mean, surely there must have been some signs of an unhappy family, why did it come as such a shock to her? The girl was supposed to be going to Harvard, you would think she’d be smart enough to pick up on these things!
The Clovers and their band brought a nice mix to the story and I wished they had a stronger presence because it was almost as if they disappeared after Sean’s fight, which was a huge shame. Sean might have a crude sense of humour with some awful habits but he made me chuckle.
“Jules, sweetheart,” Sean said, stopping the song for what must have been the fiftieth time. “You sound like you’re singing in the church choir.”
“I’m an atheist,” I snapped.
Declan didn’t add much to the story, personally I thought he was there to just look good. His main qualities as far as I could tell were that he was an excellent singer, had a British accent and was hot. Apart from that, there wasn’t any substance to him so I didn’t understand why Juliet liked him so much.
Juliet and Jason’s teenage romance was horrifically cheesy, they were almost adults yet they made a ‘j power’ pinkie promise, seriously who does that???!!! I can understand why they were in a relationship to begin with: their families were similar, they grew up together, were both very ambitious and driven to go to Harvard but the fact of life is that people change. Just because you want something now doesn’t mean you’ll want the same thing 5 years down the line. The problem was that in this relationship, Jason continued to want the same things but Juliet changed.
Although I wasn’t too fond of Juliet, I liked that she did what she wanted and wasn’t afraid of facing the consequences. She knew her interests changed so she stopped chasing it rather than being stuck in an unhappy routine that she can’t come back from. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to choose not to do what she had always dreamed of and accept who she had become, but I liked it and found it inspiring. I think it’s definitely an important message for teenagers today.
In general, it was an okay-ish contemporary read but the characters needed development.
Notable Scene:
Was this what it had been like for my mom? This sense that it was easier to sink down than to swim up? I thought of the Sylvia Plath poem we’d had on our first practice AP exam. Dying / Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. Maybe my mother hadn’t done it exceptionally well. Maybe she’d really wanted to die, only she’d screwed up the dosage.
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Better Than Perfect. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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