You Asked for Perfect

Ariel Stone is a high school senior who has worked hard since his freshmen year to get into Harvard. He has a plan. He wants to be the first chair violinist and the class valedictorian, and he believes he has both firmly secured. However, when he fails an AP Calc quiz, everything that he has worked for feels like it’s slipping away. He visits his guidance counselor’s office to discuss how to best handle this, and his guidance counselor suggests a tutor. Ariel decides to ask Amir, a fellow classmate who graded Ariel’s failed quiz for help. However, Ariel realizes that he may have asked the wrong person to tutor him because he may actually be falling for Amir. Laura Silverman’s You Asked for Perfect is a brilliant book that a very specific number of teenagers need to read. I’ve gone through this high stress cycle of constantly doing homework, feeling like I have no time to do anything but that and volunteering for college applications. I’ve felt the exact pressure of what it’s like to finally get that coveted position in band, only for it to not be what I expected. I even ended up as the valedictorian. But at what cost? I wish I had this book earlier because I was doing to myself the same things that Ariel is doing to himself, but I didn’t realize what I was doing until I was no longer in that high pressure place. Other high points: Ariel is Jewish, and this is very much a part of who he is. We see his family celebrate some of the high holidays, and he and his family regularly attend synagogue. His faith is important to him. Ariel is also bisexual, and this is not an issue at all in the story to anyone. His parents actually encourage a relationship with a male before Ariel is firmly committed to wanting to pursue a relationship. There are also strong family relationships, and parental figures are very present in this book. The diversity in this book is also very present and very real. This is a book that’s just too perfect (sorry for the accidental pun) to fully convey how awesome it is so you will need to pick this one up to see for yourself how amazing it is.

"Maybe the next generation of kids will get to stay kids a little longer." ~ From YOU ASKED FOR PERFECT. Brilliant depiction of struggles of educational competition in a teenager's life. This is a perfect read for fans of Becky Albertalli's book SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA. - Ariel Stone is an extremely relatable character. Ariel’s struggles were so relatable and in sync with his age. - The voice is authentic. Ariel and every other character in the book have an age-appropriate voice, a difficult feat to achieve. Congratulations to Silverman. - Amir and his HP trivia are adorable. Swoon-worthy. - The references of Jewish culture and ceremonies are authentic and beautifully written. My Favourite Moments: - The story of Ching Shih, the female pirate, I want to read a YA novel with that story. It is awesome. - When Ariel and his friends play Catan, along with the characters, I was going, “Longest road!” and “Don’t knight me!” - When Ariel watches Amir drink his mother’s matzo ball soup. That whole scene is so very cute. “Please tell me I can have seconds.” Loved it! - The Talmud story: The Fox in the Vineyard. OMG. I clutched the book and wrote a ‘wow,’ on the page. Silverman conveyed the message of the book with such an awe-inspiring simplicity. - The Recipe at the end of the book: D Sounded yummy. My Favourite Lines: - He uses a pen in math class. The confidence irritates me. (With this really small detail, you painted the character with such perfection. Wow.) - Maybe those feelings were a figment of my imagination, or a side effect of learning calculus. - I think it is harder to make someone happy than make them sad.

Even though I was far from being perfect in high school and barely scraped by with Cs, I absolutely felt Ariel's strive for perfection and the anxiety that resulted from it. I couldn't relate to Ariel's problems, but Silverman did such an excellent job conveying his emotion that it didn't matter what he was going through: I was right there with him feeling everything. I loved the fact that his family was devoutly Jewish - this cultural aspect of his character was so fascinating, and added another layer of conflict in Ariel's life. The romance that develops between Ariel and Amir was riveting. Being straight, and reading a lot of straight romance, I didn't think a gay romance would do much for me, but wow - I'm still thinking about that sweet-hot first kiss. Their relationship developed in the exact way I would have imagined for these characters, and it was a beautiful thing. Ariel had some crucial things to learn about himself in this story. The relationship with Amir tied in so well with Ariel's development, so by the time Ariel was faced with one of the toughest decisions he had to make, the reader knows he's ready to make the best choice, and it will be the best choice for him and his life. Such a great, satisfying read. I look forward to Silverman's next book!

I recently finished reading You Asked for Perfect, and I must say that it is my favorite young adult narrative I’ve ever read! Never before have I been so captured by a work of fiction. I could identify with the story in so many ways, and loved the multilayered themes throughout the novel. The mixing of gay, Jewish, high-achieving academic, interfaith, and youth self-identity themes all profoundly touched my heart. I could perfectly visualize the characters and the evolution of the story, and I couldn’t wait to finish it. The ultimate message I take away is that self-love is what is most important, as it brings not only the most happiness of self, but also those to whom one is closest. Striving for excellence - or rather, perfection - is good, but not when it takes away from one’s authenticity and quality of life. I highly recommend this book - in fact, I cannot give it any higher recommendation!

I’m delicate. I’m weak. I’m sensitive. I did relate to Ariel and it hurts. It hurts to see we share the same thoughts sometimes. It hurts to admit that academic pressure and anxiety bite me at certain moments. Also, it feels good to find a book like this one. A good representation (jewish and bisexual boy as a mc). A book in which the romance/the sexuality of the mc is not the topic but the real anxiety we feel. Thank you.

This book was really good and really hit hard on the topics of student stress and over working yourself. The story was warm and inviting.

I got stressed reading even the first 20 pages of this book. Pressure, much? I didn't love high school, but wow, this was intense. I'm afraid to ask if this is really how the US school system works, because I kind of know it probably is... and I'm wORRIED! This book was so good though! I loved the characters, and it had such wonderful friendship and family dynamics, on top of the wonderful romance. Even if there were issues, everyone was ultimately so supportive of one another, and there was never any unnecessary drama. On top of that, academic pressure and stress/burn-out are such important themes that I think should be discussed a lot more in YA! CWs: stress/burn-out/academic pressure. It could also be triggering if you have anxiety.

Apart from a very detailed insight in the protagonist's religious and cultural routines, this book is mostly the protagonist rushing from highschool assignment to assignment, quiz to quiz, rehearsal to rehearsal, volunteering job to volunteering job, synagoge to synagoge, function to function..... If you're looking for a gay romance - that's not more than a side kick in this "story". If you're looking for a book about jewish religion, culture and life combined with repetitive highschool assignments, quizes and tests - this book is one for you.