Seeking Perfect

3.3

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Author(s)

Jeri Bronson

Genre(s)

Young Adult

Age Range

16+

Release Date

March 21, 2018

ISBN

978-1682916674

Jesse learned early not to trust a soul, but what if he was her soulmate? Senior year of high school should be about friendship, boyfriends, and graduation, but for seventeen-year-old Jesse Barnes it's about escaping the shame of life with an alcoholic mother. Jesse's goals are clear: keep a roof over her head, avoid the revolving door of leering men her mother brings home, graduate from high school, and do everything possible to keep her home life secret. Friends, boyfriends: not an option. Who would understand? Then perfect, popular Derek Aames sits with Jesse at lunch. How can she discourage him? How can she keep him from intruding on her life and discovering her secret? And most of all, how can she keep him out of her heart? Will his persistence finally break down her walls, or just break her?

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Tackles Difficult Topics

August 28, 2018

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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I'm a huge fan of issue-driven contemporary fiction so I was excited to start reading Seeking Perfect. Books like this tend to be written in first-person to give readers the most insight into the character's worldview, so I was surprised when this offering was written in third-person instead. Unfortunately, I had difficulty connecting to the removed nature of the third-person narrative and struggled to connect with Jesse's voice. I also wanted more insight into the meaty parts of her relationship with her mom. With that said, I really enjoyed the relationship she had with her boss, Charlotte, and the members of the Aames family. It showed that although Jesse was (rightfully) reluctant by nature, she was still able to let others in once they'd earned her trust.
Which brings me to Derek, the knight in shining armor who swoops in to 'save' Jesse. While I appreciated their sweet romance, I would have loved to have had more insight into Derek's motivation. It seems he could have had any girl, certainly one with less baggage, so what drew him to Jesse? Was it simply the need to 'fix' her? Having this information might have helped me connect more fully with him as a character.

All in all, Seeking Perfect was a quick, enjoyable read with a sweet romance and satisfying ending. Would recommend to readers who enjoy issue-driven YA.

Good Points

Bronson tackles some very dark issues in this debut and her greatest strength for me personally were some of the secondary characters including Charlotte and the members of the Aames family. The levity they brought to the heavy storyline came as a welcome respite.