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My Rating: 5 stars

The word “perfect” itself is subjunctive. It can mean a variety of different things to different people. Something that is ugly to someone could be beautiful to another. Everyone has a different way of discovering what is “perfect” for themselves. Everyone has some place or someone that they’d rather be. For four high school seniors, Cara, Kendra, Sean and Andre, their goals of “perfection” are just as different as their ways of getting there. For Cara, her strict parents have already driven her twin brother, Conner, off the edge. Literally. Their totally unrealistic expectations have her questioning everything about herself. She takes on a new type of “love” and looks for affection that she has never received. Kendra covets a flawless face and perfect body. She’s in beauty pageants and dreams of one day becoming a model, and she doesn’t care what type of drugs or surgeries it takes to get there. Sean is the star baseball player. He dreams of going to college and getting a scholarship. To do so, he needs to bulk up and get stronger, but he ends up sacrificing more than he can ever get back. Andre has always lived under his ancestors’ achievements. His father expects him to follow in the family’s business, when Andre actually has a completely shocking and different career choice in mind – something his parents definitely would not approve of. As these characters’ stories unravel, they discover what “perfection” really means and everything they would give up to achieve it.
Ever since I read Impulse and discovered there was going to be a companion novel, I absolutely could not wait. Not only did I completely fall in love with the characters, but I once again fell in love with Ellen Hopkins’ writing. I love her writing style. It’s beautiful and captivating. While reading Perfect, I found there were times where it was literally impossible for me to put the book down. The format all of Hopkins’ books are written in is really what makes them so unique and enthralling. Also, I think the how real these characters are, how they genuinely seem like real people telling their story is what makes this book so good. All the emotions explained were so heartfelt and honest. There were parts where I was surprised and shocked, parts that were unbelievable, parts that made me sad and even parts that made me smile. The emotions I felt while reading are also what made Perfect a great reading experience. I love how this is a continuation of what happened in Impulse, we as readers get to see the other side of the story of what was happening while Conner was in Aspen Springs after attempting suicide. Seriously, if you loved Impulse, you need to read this book.