You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman

Senior Ariel Stone is the perfect college applicant: first chair violin, dedicated community volunteer, and expected valedictorian. He works hard - really hard - to make his life look effortless. A failed Calculus quiz is not part of that plan. Not when he’s number one. Not when his peers can smell weakness like a freshman’s body spray.

Figuring a few all-nighters will preserve his class rank, Ariel throws himself into studying. His friends will understand if he skips a few plans, and he can sleep when he graduates. Except Ariel’s grade continues to slide. Reluctantly, he gets a tutor. Amir and Ariel have never gotten along, but Amir excels in Calculus, and Ariel is out of options.

Ariel may not like Calc, but he might like Amir. Except adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push him past his limit.

It's mostly a 3.5.

I have been excited to read this book for a long time because it seemed so adorable and the kind of YA book I would enjoy. And this was definitely what I was hoping for.

The story is completely told through Ariel's POV, so we see everything thats going on in his head and that's not comfortable at all. He is constantly struggling with keeping up his grades and extracurriculars in preparation for his Harvard application and just doesn't have enough time in the day for managing everything. But he also doesn't want to admit his problems to anyone and that just exacerbates all his issues. I will not say I related to Ariel completely but I understood him very well. His character is a lived in experience for many young students these days and we get a very realistic picture of the stress and pressures and expectations that are put on young people and how it affects them physically and mentally.

There is a whole host of characters in the book who are all wonderful and supportive and diverse and I loved them all. The romantic dynamic that develops between Ariel and Amir may come across as sudden, but I kind of enjoyed how realistic it felt as a teenage romance. It has all the elements of sweetness and wonder and joy of young love and I think it was written very well. I'm also very glad that it's just written as two young boys deciding to date and there are no declarations of eternal love. Despite this romance in the book, I think it is definitely more about family. YA books feature a lot of absent/problematic parents, so it was very refreshing to read about completely present and supportive parents and siblings. Ariel's relationship with his mom dad and his sister Rachel is so healthy and amazing. Their dinner time conversations felt authentic, their religion/faith is depicted as an important part of their life but something that's also personal and not something that they use to preach. I obviously can't comment on the Jewish representation but it's ownvoices for the author, so I think it's really authentic for her own experiences. Amir's family is Muslim and Pakistani and it was great to see both these families be very supportive of their kids' sexualities. I also loved the whole friend group - Sook, Malka, Pari, Issac, Rasha - everyone has their own issues and is dealing with them in their own ways but no one really understands what the others are going through because they don't feel comfortable sharing their problems.

This is my first read by the author and I really enjoyed her writing. The book has a very diverse cast which feels very realistic and not tokenism at all. I also liked that it's quite a positive representation and these kids have families and friends who are supportive and don't discriminate at all because of their religion or sexuality or anything else. The author also does a great job of showing us the consequences of our very competitive education system and how it adversely affects the kids. There is obviously no easy solution for this but the book really stresses on the importance of being open about issues and having a support system to be able to cope. Religion is also depicted as something positive that brings peace of mind and maybe provides perspective for young kids when dealing with such life changing issues like college and future - I thought this was very refreshing and so rare in YA.

If you like YA with great diverse family and friend dynamics and an adorable couple, you should definitely check this out. It also has some great representation of the anxiety that young students face in these hyper competitive times, and I think everyone who has been in these shoes before or is going through high school or college right now will find something relatable in this story.

~Follow all my reviews on my blog, The Bent Bookworm!~ You Asked for Perfect absolutely gutted me. Shattered my heart. All the feels.I was not expecting this. In fact, I put off reading this book for a LONG time, because I was so much less excited about it than about Girl Out of Water, Laura Silverman's first book (which is, um, apparently one of those books I meant to write a review for and never got around to...oops). However, since I'm trying to be a good little reviewer – and also, hello, academic stress, I can relate – I picked it up last week.Ariel Stone is the classic, driven, overachiever student. Except he's Jewish and bisexual. Also, he's waaaaaaay stressed out, and despite the 10+ year age difference I can so relate.I used to like studying. That burst of satisfaction when new material clicks. The competitive gratification of finishing a test first, knowing you got everything right.YES! So true! But then there is the pressure we type-A people like to put on ourselves...and the expectations of our family/teachers/friends...and next thing you know, studying is about as fun as plucking your leg hair out with tweezers.If I stay any longer, he'll see what's happening. He'll see I don't understand. I'm not smart enough. I'm an imposter. If I'm going to lose everything I've worked for, at least I don't have to do it in front of an audience.I really just wanted to wrap Ariel up in a big hug. Like, this kid put so much stress on himself, and he cares so much about his family – and, oh, let's not forget Amir, because Amir is cool on his own and he and Ariel together is just adorable. Oh, and his FAMILY! Actually, both of their families...why did I not have relationships like this as a teenager? They are supportive – academically and emotionally. The sibling banter is fun and believable. I liked that the story included Ariel's little sister Rachel, and showed just HOW YOUNG the academic pressure can and does start. It broke my heart, not just Rachel, but Ariel, and Isaac (another young savant that is a secondary character but also struggling).“If it's not important to you, why do you tell everyone I'm applying there? It's all you guys talk about. Like it's the only worthwhile thing about me.” My voice begins to shake. “If I don't get in, that's it. I'll be Ariel, the one who didn't get into Harvard. I'll let everyone down. I'll let you guys down. And I might not get in. I really might not, because I'm not perfect. They asked for perfect, and I'm not.”Ariel really grows so much through this story, even though it takes place over only a few weeks. He realizes a lot of his pressure is internal, and he realizes that sometimes...people are more important than academics. Basically he came to the realization that I wish I had, years and years ago. Realizing that sometimes, a couple of extra points on a test aren't worth missing quality time with family and friends. Oh, and he also got a cute boyfriend out of it, which is always a plus. 😉5/5 stars. Go buy it, go read it, go hug it.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram

This is a book of privilege. A clearly high class teenager is struggling with high school to get accepted into one of the most privileged universities in the world. Yikes! Am I supposed to feel sympathy for him?
Everything is an utter disaster. There romance is weird and I did not feel the two of them as a couple at all. The high school where everyone is so stupidly smart that they take multiple AP classes (yet another stupidity of the American educational system) is just bizarre.
Sook, Ariel's best friend, is even worse. Her privilege manifests in not wanting to go to an Ivy League college because her parents did and she wants to be a musician.

I know... I know...

This is all real. 100% There are privileged brats that are like this but something being true to reality doesn't mean I am going to root for them. This book made me actively hate the protagonist and most of the cast except for Malka. Even Ariel's parents are just stupid.

Nope.
0% sympathy.

Also the CONSTANT references to Harry Potter in an LGBT book is just disgusting. I had to check when this was published and nope this was well in time for it to be clear that Harry Potter being mentioned would be yikes.

The extra star is for relatability. Struggling with school is rough. Most people experience it. Most people aren't secure, applying to guaranteed-wealth colleges, and they aren't absolutely a-holes to everybody around them...