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We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan, narrated by Holly Linneman
Audio Published by Listening Library
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
ISBN: 9781984889126
We are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan is a retelling of the Cyrano De Bergerac. For those of you who are not familiar with the classic, this is how goes: Our main protagonist Aphra Brown is bold, outgoing, sociable but believes herself to be quite ugly due to her imperfect nose (our modern-day Cyrano De Bergerac). Her best friend, Bethany, is beautiful but incredibly and painfully shy. Together, they start to try to win over Greg D’Agostino who is the “It” boy of high school being smart, kind, and attractive. Through a series of events that start as a misunderstanding and lead to deception, Greg starts dating Bethany. Throughout, Aphra is coaching her what to say, helping her on dates and texting him in the guise of Bethany; while trying to cover her feelings for him. However, a secret is only a secret for so long.
We are the Perfect Girl weaves a story filled with friendship, romance, and self-discovery. With a protagonist that will make the listener think, reflect, and laugh in the same sentence. The author does an amazing job retelling the classic tale of Cyrano De Beregerac and making it relevant to teens today. Holly Linneman excels at elevating the characters from the page and making them human. Each character was distinct in their voice and emotions. Furthermore, her pronunciation of different languages including Spanish, Russian, and Latin were so precise it was a treat to hear.
Fan of romances of books like The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger or Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, they would enjoy this book. For those non-readers that are fans of “classic retellings” at high school like “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Mean Girls,” “Clueless,” and “She’s the Man” will enjoy this book immensely. In the same vein, fans of high school romcoms such as “To All the Boys I’ve Loved,” “Love, Simon,” and “Everything, Sucks”.
–Brittany Garcia