Accidentally Perfect

Accidentally Perfect #1

by Elizabeth Stevens

Sometimes, you say everything when you say nothing at all.

I feel like I should have the perfect life, that I should never feel down or alone in the world. But, so sue me, I do. I keep it hidden, pretend everything’s okay. Because who would believe Piper Barlow could have issues?

Everyone’s convinced the hottest guy in school’s going to ask me out - that Mason and I would be the perfect couple, that he’s my John Cusack. Except, he hasn’t.

One holidays, I find myself hanging out with the resident underachiever, and he surprises me. With Roman, I don’t have to pretend that little Piper Barlow is perfect; even if we’re both in a foul mood, just sitting in silence together is perfectly enough. Until it becomes more.

But, Roman doesn’t do more. Does he...?

What do you do when you accidentally find perfection with the wrong guy?
You fight for it.

Accidentally Perfect is a Mature YA novel about finding support in the least likely of places, never giving up, and learning that being the real you is always perfect. Please be aware that this story is set in Australia and therefore uses Australian English spelling and syntax. Not recommended for younger readers due to mature content.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Audiobook, High School, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2018

About the author

Writer. Reader. Perpetual student. Nerd.

I started out writing fantasy. But, I like to write anything, honestly. These days, I mainly stick to YA and there's always at least a sprinkling of romance, if not a 'whoops, I dropped the whole packet in'. Almost all my books are set in my home state of South Australia, either in real or fictional places - gotta write what you know - with Netherfield being the only current exception.

Like most writers, I love to read. Although, time for reading at the moment is hard to come by. When I'm not too busy writing, I'm usually reading a number of authors. Some of my favourites are Rick Riordan, Jane Austen, Kate Forsyth, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Kasie West, John Flanagan, Terry Pratchett, Isobelle Carmody, Christina Benjamin, Emily Rodda, and many more.

I'm an avid fan of Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Red Dwarf, IT Crowd, and pretty much anything similar. I've recently discovered Richard Ayoade's Travel Man and it's brilliant. I love watching soccer (go Gunners) and thoroughly look forward to seeing Eurovision every year. Celebrity crushes include Anna Kendrick and Chris Evans, because they are wonderful.

I live in Adelaide with my husband and a menagerie of animals – a cat reliving her (sixth) youth, a cowardly Beagle-Cavalier who thinks he’s smaller than he is, one meeping guinea pig who thinks any plastic bag has his greens in, two chickens who are terrified of free-ranging, and a turtle with a penchant for sticking her head up her filter pipe.

I have a Master of Arts (Writing) from Swinburne University of Technology. I also have a Master of Arts (Editing and Publishing) at University of Southern Queensland and, am now working towards my PhD. I also hope to one day undertake a PhD in Creative Writing - perpetual student, am I.

I also organise the Sleeping Dragon Emerging Fantasy Writers’ Collective writing group. The group self-published their anthology Tales from the Sleeping Dragon in 2012.

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NB: I'm usually happy to discuss review copies of my books. A track record of reviewing is preferable, but not completely necessary.

Reviews

[Jenny Jo Weir · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this one because of the cover. I know, not the best way to chose a book...but the whole boombox thing got me! Anyways, there was a lot about this one that I did not enjoy, but there were also a few things I appreciated. Mostly, the whole thing was something I'd prefer my teenagers not read nor follow so I'm going to have to say no to the boombox from here on out. I'd pass on this one if I were you.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and easy read.

Accidentally Perfect reminded me of so many YA movies.. or maybe characters?? In it, you will meet Piper Barlow - who is basically perfect. Well, in everyone's eyes and that's the thought that counts, right? However, that's just not who she is really is. Deep down she's sad and depressed but has this angelic and perfect reputation to uphold. It's a lot of stress on one person's shoulders.

Then there's Roman, who breaks her out of her shell. At first, she was more worried about what people would think about her but she just needed to get over that. She definitely needed to learn how not to give a flying fuck about other people. So when she meets Roman, I liked her a lot better. Heck, I loved Roman because there was something about him.

Their friendship was everything to me. I was constantly sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for it to become something more. I loved every second of watching these two grow together. It was beautiful and I would hands down dive into another book by this author.

Overall, loved this book and I want more.

[Yoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few night-kindle-purchases I didn´t regret a 100%, it was a fun, easy and cute read completely filled with clichés as expected.

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this that I really really enjoyed, but something stopped me from loving it (maybe a few years ago that would have been different). I wanted more backstory when it came to Roman, some things niggled at me but not painfully.

I wasn't keen on the competent of the tale where Mason and Piper got together, it just didn't need to happen.

I liked how the romance wasn't quick, emotions developed and were messy.

A somewhat angsty read, touches on issues of depression but think this could have been done more compellingly. Overall a easy one time read that I enjoyed as I read it.

Acquired via KU.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know, I always seem to love those bad boys, who are secretly soft. Roman was a bunch of contradictions and a lot of complications, because he was trying to live up to other people's opinions of him. Watching his friendship with Piper unfold and evolve was quite lovely, and I was happy to see him show his true self to anyone. I won't lie, the push and pull and "I'm not good enough for you" lamentations drove me a little mad, but it was because it was so obviously how well these two fit together. I was all for following the heart and leaving the nay-sayers behind, but I had to be patient while Piper and Roman realized that. I liked a lot of things in this book. The frank and honest discussions regarding sex and depression are two things that stood out, but if I am being totally honest, Piper's adoration for John Cusack made me smile each and every time.

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[Dayakar Subraveti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

I loved reading the book. I liked every part of it, except the ending! It just felt very dramatic and movie like.. I dint really understand what made Roman suddenly change his mind causing it to end the way it did!!

[Glire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este fue mi último intento en un día donde cada libro que encontraba gratis en Amazon, era peor que el anterior. La portada (evidentemente) no prometía mucho pero la sinopsis hacía referencia a John Cusack, así que cedí. 5 horas después: lo había leído todo de una sentada.

Accidentally Perfect es un libro juvenil que me recuerda a los de antes, esos primeros escritos de Simone Elkeles o The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Esos que eran divertidos y tristes a la vez, donde siempre había un badboy, muchos clichés, y una química entre los protagonistas que te obligaba a pasar la noche leyendo.

¿Lo malo? Repite también muchos de los errores de Esos Romances Juveniles de Antes™:

🔸La lluvia que cae siempre que los protagonistas deciden besarse fuera de un lugar techado because AESTHETIC.

“As his lips crashed down on mine, rain poured down and thunder rumbled above us.”

🔸La prota que no tiene NI IDEA de sexo, pero la primera vez ya todo es bello y orgasmico.

“He kissed me again, then my undies were pushed aside and he was sliding into me. I held onto him for dear life as he rocked my world in the least gentle way possible. I barely registered the pain and discomfort as pleasure took over. I’d never finished that hard or that fast, and it put those two attempts at masturbation to shame.”

🔸La típica (y detestable) escena donde se dejan llevar por la pasión y no piensan en preservativos hasta que es demasiado tarde. Y entonces Ella justifica que toma la pildora desde hace años "por otros motivos", obvio, mientras que Él que es un womanizer, obvio, explica que "está limpio". *vomita*

“Are you on the pill?” I shrugged. “I am. For…other things.” He was standing in front of me and took my hands in his. “I swear that is the first time that’s happened. I’ve been safe every other time. I’m clean.”

Pero, a pesar de estas fallas tan importantes, también tiene a su favor muchas cosas:

🔸Una representación realista de lo que significa sufrir depresión y de la importancia de buscar ayuda. Porque el amor no cura pero la terapia sí.

“Sometimes, the way we can find our happiest selves can also be the most painful to acknowledge.”

🔸Las cantidades de autoaceptación y amor propio en este libro son ENORMES y me encanta.
🔸Las amistades son un sueño y las amo.
🔸Ya mencioné como todos se aceptan tal y como son y descubren que cada persona es mucho más que su apariencia?
🔸El humor y las referencias a los romcom de los 80s y 90s are a gift.

Todo esto me llevó feliz de la mano a un final que lamentablemente se alarga demasiado y termina siendo muy predecible. Pero llámenme melancólica, porque igual amé cada segundo.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mature-content, YA/NA romantic drama

This contemporary novel is a mature-content, young-adult (bordering on new-adult), romantic drama. The story is told exclusively from the first-person point of view of the female protagonist, Piper Barlow. She and the romantic hero, Roman Lombardi, are both 17, almost 18, years old. They live in a small town near Adelaide, in South Australia. They are in Year Twelve (the equivalent of 12th grade or senior year in high school in the USA). Piper has a deep, dark secret that she refuses to reveal to anyone: she suffers from crippling social anxiety. Her entire life is a continual, uphill effort to never inflict her inner pain on anyone or disappoint anyone's social expectations of her. As a result, even though she has loving parents, a loyal best friend and a coterie of lesser friends and friendly acquaintances as a popular girl at her school, she feels excruciatingly lonely.

To everyone besides herself, Piper appears to be a beautiful, sweet-natured, innocently fragile girl. Two of the most attractive boys in her school, fellow seniors, Roman and another boy named Mason Carter, seem to be utterly fascinated with her--or so her best friend Hadley assures her, because both boys constantly stare at Piper. Hadley informs Piper that Roman in particular has been "eyeing" her for years, in between dozens of casual "hookups" with other girls, all of which involve a one-night stand and a casually cruel brushoff afterwards. He never buys any of these unfortunate girls so much as a slice of pizza, because he won't commit even to a single date. Mason is much more conventional than Roman, in that he actually does date, and he has been committed enough to be sequentially monogamous. But he doesn't have extraordinary staying power in that he has had five or six girlfriends over the course of only three or four years. This, however, is acceptable "good boy" behavior because, miraculously in Piper's opinion (and mine!), none of these girls seems to bear the ultra-desirable, gorgeous Mason the slightest resentment after these breakups.

Given that these two boys seem to be Piper's only choices for dating (for unspecified reasons), Hadley pushes virginal Piper, who has barely ever dated and possibly not even been kissed, toward Mason, whom Hadley feels is more Piper's slow-and-cautious speed than Roman. Hadley claims that she herself is the female version of Roman, and she could easily handle what he is offering, hot, casual sex, but Piper definitely could not. Hadley, in fact, has no hesitation examining their male classmates and analyzing their private anatomy and potential as casual, sexual-intercourse hookups in a manner very similar to the crudest remarks made by misogynistic men sizing up women as possible bedmates.

In the normal course of events, Piper would have continued waiting, indefinitely it seems, for pleasant, studious, athletic Mason to finally ask her out, and never had anything to do with raunchy Roman. Until Roman, his divorced mother, and his older sister's five-year-old, illegitimate daughter move in next door to Piper and her parents in a quiet neighborhood outside the city limits with no other nearby houses. Suddenly, Piper is running into Roman every day. He owns his own car, but he rides the bus with Piper instead, walking the half-mile to and from the bus stop in the morning and afternoon, and she views approvingly the tender way he interacts with his little niece. In the process, Piper gradually learns that Roman isn't the heartless cynic he appears to be. He sees beyond Piper's smiling false front to the insecure anxiety beneath, and he doesn't judge her for it. Instead, he goes out of his way to cheer her up, including making her laugh and, wonder of wonders, laughing along with her. Then comes the night that they accidentally meet at Piper's favorite de-stressing place, by the shores of a lake near her home. And their unlikely friendship really begins to take off.

I had just read Keeping Up Appearances by this author prior to reading this novel and was expecting it to also be a PG romantic comedy without sex. It was a bit of a shock, therefore, to find that this book is written very much in keeping with the norms of the New Adult subgenre of romance--heavy on internal angsting and containing multiple sex scenes. However, because these protagonists are still in high school and the author has marketed this book as "mature young adult" fiction, the sex scenes are not remotely as graphic, or as frequent, as in a typical NA romance. But since I had never before now read this degree of sexual description in a YA romance, I was quite taken by surprise when the first sex scene happened. Hopefully, other potential readers will do what I did not do and carefully read the clear warning that the author responsibly provides in her description of the novel: "Not recommended for younger readers due to mature content."

Roman is a dark YA hero of the sort typically found in "edgy" YA fiction. He is a brooding, "rebel without a cause," James Dean hero who views the world with a heavy-lidded, cynical sneer, and mood-alters his angry alienation with cigarettes, drunkenness, sex with groupie-like girls, brawling, and vandalism. He has been frequently arrested for disorderly conduct, both for his own misdemeanor crimes and taken in for questioning about the misdemeanor crimes of his best buddy, Rio, who is as Byronically dark-natured as Roman. To date, though Roman rarely attends class, and constantly flunks tests, he has never been held back a grade in school, and even seems in line to graduate high school. We are given to understand this is because he has always been bailed out of his educational and legal difficulties by his wealthy, emotionally distant father, whom everyone in his town is in awe of. Roman's mother is sweet and loving, but no more willing or able than Roman's father to make sure that Roman receives the anger-management therapy he so obviously, desperately needs. His only relatively harmless angst-relieving activity is skateboarding. (Which seems an oddly, geekishly boyish pursuit for a macho male.) I personally am not a fan of romance protagonists who smoke and drink to excess--whether in YA, NA or adult romance. This book, in fact, is the first one I've read in over 25 years with a smoking hero. However, the author attempts to mitigate readers' being repelled by Roman's smoking, and its inevitable health and hygiene issues, by having Piper not be repelled by it. She comments, midway through the book, "Funny how he smoked so much but never smelled like it."

I also personally enjoy a classic, "us against the world" plot where two disaffected loners find a home in each other, and this story certainly delivers a strong version of that plot.

Ms. Stevens is a very talented writer and particularly excels at presenting a romantic hero who, while displaying an obnoxiously alpha, choleric disposition to the rest of the world, interacts with the heroine like a lovable, beta male who is sensitive, affectionate, a good listener, and basically, very nurturing.

Ms. Stevens also writes a traditional romance-novel structure, which we diehard romance fans adore: the essential romantic conflict of distrust slowly evolving to trust through a personal-growth arc of one or both protagonists, and a happily ever after (HEA) ending which is, of course, in protagonists this young (and likewise for NA romance) more of a "happy for now" ending.

Hadley is a familiar BFF confidante found in the "erotic romance" genre since Harlequin Blaze first started, back in the 90's, offering the now very familiar plot device of a good-girl heroine encouraged by her down-and-dirty BFF to be more adventurous about sex. Given that this is YA, Hadley is a less extreme version of this type of BFF in that she doesn't push Piper to have sex, and she herself seems to be more talk than action regarding engaging in sex herself.

I was glad to see Piper, in particular, work beyond a self-protective over-reliance on the stereotypical female role of people-pleasing doormat who lives to fulfill the every need and demand of the people in her life. As for Roman, his major defining attitude and life motto is the self-fulfilling prophecy, "What you see is what you get with me....I can't be changed." This declaration sounds obnoxiously egotistical, except for the fact that his chief virtue is wrapped up inside it: He has no desire to try and change anyone else because he doesn't believe other people can change and grow either. Piper accepts his world view when they are together, and is liberated by it because it gives her the freedom, for the first time in her life, to act in a way that she otherwise has always considered terrifyingly risky in that she has believed it will inevitably bring judgment and rejection. She tells Roman that they are "two people having an extended pity party" together. This ironically is healing for both of them, because it allows them to externalize their deepest blind spot--that they both are suffering from anxiety due to unconsciously wallowing in self-pity and resentment--un-enmesh from it, and thereby begin to grow beyond it. As the two of them for the first time, with anyone, share their deepest hopes and fears with each other, this acts to deliver the most significant element that the very best romance novels manage to achieve: The romantic conflict between the protagonists is the clash between their socially created, false selves, which cover up and hide their authentic, true selves. Only if they can reveal to each other their true selves--which is the ultimate sacrifice to "earn" true love--can they become worthy of true love.

For fans of angsty, sexy NA romance, this book will be a fun read.

I have experienced this book both in Kindle format and recently as an Audible audiobook. The narration is excellent.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Social Drama Plot: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narration: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Accidentally Perfect by Elizabeth Stevens, Piper Barlow is perfect, or so everyone thinks. In reality, she finds herself feeling sad and all alone, even though she has a loving family and plenty of friends. She just doesn’t feel comfortable expressing herself since she thinks people will judge her. But she finds herself getting close to Roman Lombardi, the notorious bad boy and player of the school. However, it seems that there is more to Roman than meets the eye. Their surprising friendship turns to something more, but this can only end bad with a guy like Roman Lombardi, right?

Do you ever just read book after book, desperately hoping to one day find the perfect book that, on some level, feels like was just written specifically for you? Well, that was me, and I am so ecstatic to say that I finally found mine. It’s so hard to put into words how I feel right now. This was my perfect book. Everything about it was perfect. The characters were so real and relatable. The plot was perfectly paced. It wasn’t rushed, and it didn’t drag on. The relationship between Piper and Roman was just so brilliantly created by Stevens. It felt completely authentic. These two people have flaws and genuine real-life issues. They are not perfect by society’s standards, but they are perfect in their own ways. This might be considered a romance story, but it’s so much more than that.

Accidentally Perfect is about two broken people who find unlikely comfort in each other, making them realize things about themselves, which in turn helps them grow as human beings. It was a very beautiful thing to witness. If you want to experience extreme attachment to wonderful, memorable characters, smile at the surprising and unforgettable scenes and conversations, and cry like a baby because of all the mixture of emotions you will feel, then this is the book for you. I am so grateful that I happened to come upon this book. It is definitely my new favorite, and I will be ordering myself a paperback copy because this is just one of those books that I just HAVE to have a physical copy of. Elizabeth Stevens, thank you so much for writing my perfect book!

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite

*Also, I have to add, if you are like me and you're a fan of 80s' movies, especially John Cusack ones, then trust me when I say, READ THIS BOOK! You will love it.

[Loyalhistorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, this one was great. Solid 4.5 stars. Quick and easy read, fun and swoony but still with a touch of serious issues. It's great because it doesn't follow the normal procedural-like story outlines that many books do. Many things don't turn out the way you might expect. This read was a happy surprise.

The Plot: Little miss perfect Piper is what most people see as the quintessential sweet, good girl with the perfect life. But she doesn't see herself as a popular girl, and she can't help but feel in a funk most of the time, even though she doesn't know why. She knows she's got a great life and there shouldn't be anything to complain about, so she keeps it to herself. The rumor that's been going around is that total-nice-guy, popular good-looker Mason likes her and wants to ask her out, but he hasn't been forthcoming about it and is going as slow as an ambling turtle to ask her. So does he really like her, or is he just being his nice self? A two week holiday leaves Piper alone in town as Mason and her other friends go their own way for the break. Piper, feeling low, funky, and alone, spends most of her holiday time down at the lake, a place that has always helped bring her calm. Little did she know that Roman was going to show up and crash her special spot. Roman Lombardi is the resident "degenerate" bad-boy. He's been arrested eighteen times, drinks, smokes, fights, barely attends school, and is known for his "nail and bail" womanizing. And, oh great...he moved in next door to Piper. She is less than thrilled. So when he shows up at her lake spot, she's surprised to find that she's not repulsed having a conversation with him. And it happens again the next night, and again and again. Turns out, Roman isn't what she thought he was. And is this some sort of friendship they're starting? The question is, how will their friendship be when they go back to school, in the real world, once outside forces have a say about their odd-but-comfortable companionship?

The Good: Oh, the banter! It was good stuff. You couldn't help but smile goofily at the interactions between Roman and Piper. I loved that this book wasn't all sickly sweet. Yes, it definitely had its moments, but it wasn't over the top and it made their interactions seem more realistic. They complimented each other, they insulted each other (though not with vitriol), they were flat-out honest, and all of it brought them closer together.

The whole story was about being yourself; learning to be comfortable in your own skin without worrying what others thought of you; fostering that kind of freedom and inhibition in the person you care about; acknowledging that your concerns and worries are important despite the big-picture magnitude of them; about supporting each other but knowing that you can't be magically "fixed" just by a person who loves you; knowing that no matter what movies may tell you, you can't change a person - they have to change themselves. The last two are important points that can really make or break a book for me. This book doesn't make those two mistakes, but I can't stand when books: 1) have the characters' love be able to fix any sort of depression or mental issues without professional or medical help, and 2) lead gullible readers to believe you can "change him". A person can be a positive influence, can be supportive, can be a confidence booster, but you can't just change someone. That person has to want to change themselves and be the driving force behind their change. Anyway, I was very happy that this book positively addresses both of those issues realistically.

Yes, there's some sex, but not overly graphic. It does positively address some issues about sex that a lot of books don't cover, and that older young adults probably need to be aware of: 1&2) protection and responsibility. Do the characters mess up twice on accident? Yes, but that is also realistic that sometimes that happens. But, it does stress safe sex, and the responsibility of BOTH parties to be vigilant, despite whether one side has a condom or is on the pill. 3) openness with your partner. Being able to talk openly about things with the person you're intimate with. 4) the importance of consent and not doing things while you're impaired that you might regret. So, yes, it talks about sex, and there is sex between the characters, but it's at least a lot more thoughtful and responsible than most romance books I've read. It may not sound sexy coming from my review, but it really does integrate all of it well, and you easily get swept away. And to a conscientious person, all that stuff really is sexy.

Last but not least, and just on a personal note, you can't help but love a book that uses John Cusack as an increment of measurement for love and soul mates. Like from a scale of one to John Cusack, how much is this person made for you? Haha, I couldn't help it. I love John Cusack myself.

The Bad: There really wasn't much I can complain about. I think the main reason I gave it 4.5 stars and not a full 5 was because of the best friend Hadley. She got better as the book went on, I admit. Even so, she was the typical cliche wild-girl, horny, best friend that you see in NA books. It seems like so many books feel like they need that character to pair with the sweet, innocent, virginal female main character. I guess I would have liked to have seen Hadley with a little more original personality. Especially since this book didn't really follow any of the other cliches you might have expected.

[Char ღ Denae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwwwwwwwww!!! I loved this book! Not only did it touch on important issues, like teenage relationships, self-acceptance, and depression, it had a tough-guy hero who went soft (used "fancy nancy words") for the heroine, and a soft heroine who went tough for the hero, and for herself. I loved how this played out. There wasn't really any unnecessary drama and the characters dealt with their problems in an adult and realistic way. I would've liked to find out what led up to Roman doing what he did in the end but, otherwise, very satisfying!!

[Cecily Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

The teenage me totally gets the MCs in this novel. To love someone but not think you are good enough and to push people away because of that feeling is definitely something that is hard push through and get over.
I loved the story and it just left me with that lovey dovey feeling in my chest by the end.
Good read!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all downhill from here

This book started out SOOOOOO good. The characters were adorable. I loved all of the dialogue. I laughed out loud a couple of times. My favorite thing though, was how the characters weren't obsessed with looks and how they didn't romanticize what falling in love is like in an unrealistic way. They were fleshed out well with very real problems. I just wished the author would of delved a little deeper into said problems. The Mason thing seemed a little unnecessary bc nothing really happened with them. A lot of stuff seemed a little unnecessary. I could of done with more Piper and Roman interactions where we could see their growth and how they fell in love with one another. Too much telling, not enough showing. After Mason and Piper got together is where the story started to fall flat. At that point Piper and Roman were just being annoyingly stubborn and I didn't really care about what happened. I wanted to see them struggle together to be a couple. To see their love for one another at their ugliest and most beautiful. I wanted to see the jealousy, the tension. I wanted to see Piper and Roman go out on a date. It should of focused more on that instead of adding all the filler for dramatic effect. I thought for sure I would of loved this book, but it ended up just being meh. After that rushed ending, I thought there would for sure be an epilogue, but nope. It's probably for the best though, bc she can always pick up after high school and just focus on Piper and Roman's relationship and how they make it work. I hope she writes a book about Rio. Hopefully it takes place a year later. Maybe even have Piper and Roman make an appearance.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I can see he loves you in every word he doesn't say."

In equal parts angsty, swoon-worthy, and funny - occasionally even snort-inducing -, this YA novel was a very enjoyable read.
I liked the main characters: Piper, despite being the good girl, is far from perfect, which makes her all the more relatable. Roman is a complicated, flawed, stubborn but likeable hero, and perfect - for Piper. Now, Mason... I really wanted to not like him, and failed miserably.
I also liked that both MCs have lovely families and a group of good friends looking out for them.

I found the pop culture references from the 80s and 90s (e.g. John Cusack movies, Silence of the Lambs) a bit strange, I don't know if teens nowadays wouldn't use other movies / movie heroes? Not that I'm complaining, I am quite partial to 80s/90s rom-coms in particular and movies in general...

Warning: Don't read this book if you don't like typical teenage angst and pig-headedness that is par for the course for the YA genre. (Or swearing. There's quite a lot of that, too.)

The first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Zara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and full of contradictions.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect together since Mason was taking to dang long ugh!

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2020...

•Spoilers? Ehhhh.. probably not that much!!!

So okay! I will say this I could tell that both Piper and Roman liked well more so were falling for one another since they were always together and getting to know each other. Their feelings got worse when they had *** with each other.

Plus, he (Roman) didn’t push Piper away like he did most girls. Even before they started hanging out, he always watched Piper. The same way that Mason did, but the way I saw it Roman had bigger ba//s than Mason ever did. Because Mason got the stick out of his a$$ when he saw that Roman was paying attention to Piper and was checking her out... so he had to claim what he thought was his, which she (Piper) wasn’t since she was Roman’s since the holidays.

Not only that, Roman kept pushing his feelings away and denying how he felt towards Piper since he figures he wasn’t worth anything! I was annoyed by that but understood because if you feel that way and people keep saying that, that is what you’ll always assume about yourself. Especially since he was a known trouble maker anyway. But you look at it. He was different when it came to Piper and Maddy (his niece).

I was glad when Piper finally broke it off with Mason because that relationship wasn’t going anywhere for either of them. Since she was in LOVE with Roman and he was with her. I also was glad when he FINALLY understood his feelings and admitted to her at the end of the book about he wanted an actual relationship with her.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I voluntarily reviewed Accidentally Perfect after receiving a free copy. This is my complete and honest opinion. **
*** This review will not include any spoilers. ***
Piper is your ordinary teenage virgin. She has the perfect life. Loving parents, great school, relatively popular and fantastic if not mouthy friends. With the hottest guy in school chasing her, she feels that she could have found her very own John Cusack. What more could she ask for?
Roman is the town’s underachiever. He is brooding, smokes, drinks and skips school. Even though he fights and breaks the law, he can only get into trouble so much, “thanks to daddy’s money”. Roman is a one and done kind of guy. He doesn’t do relationships and his friends are few and far between. And that is just the way he likes it.
Over the holiday’s Piper finds herself immersed in a situation with her neighbor that she could have never seen coming. And to make matters worse, he makes her feel better. No lies… No apologies… ALWAYS accept the other for who they are, even when that changes on a whim.
What do you do when you know you are not perfect little Piper but no one knows? What do you do when you accidentally find your Mr. Perfect but you don’t even know it? Life is not perfect… You can only be perfect for you and maybe that one other person.
This book is a solid 4.5-stars.
The first few chapters of this book were a bit of a downer… I almost stopped reading it. But I pushed through. And I couldn’t be happier.
Piper and her friends are so cute. I love the variety of the group. Maybe not how high school really is, but how life is. You don’t have all cheerleaders or all geeks in your group. NO… You have a sex-crazed foul mouth girl, a sweet innocent girl, the “I’m in the middle” girl and then the multitude of boys those girls are crushing on.
Roman and his group of hoodlums became some of my favorite people. I truly wish we would have interacted with more of them throughout the book. I have always had a soft spot for the bad boys especially in books. And Elizabeth Stevens did not disappoint.
Unfortunately, Mason, just… UGH! How do I say this nicely? I HATE Mason. He just got on my nerves and I wanted to slap him more times than I can count.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very down to earth love story.....

I love how the characters are NOT decribed as super hot or "the most gorgeous person they have ever seen" like everyone bad boy book. Also, I like how they have real life issues, neither was perfect. The bad boy wasn't just reformed magically she accepted him for him.
I only had two problems with this books and this book and they are minor. One, the author never explained what the main character looked like ( did she have brown or blonde hair), unless I missed this somewhere, I couldn't get a good picture of what the female lead looked like. Also, I wish we could of known what the male leader had planned for his future.
Other than that great book!!

[RB Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far my favorite story by this author.

You might meet all the people you might expect in a YA rom-com. But everybody - first of all the two main characters, Piper and Roman, get their chance to show their hidden depths, I got to know a bunch of characters who weren't reduced to a stereotypical prop just to serve the plot.

What I liked best is that it is Piper's and Roman's own story, a story that is focused on and comes from their deep fears, hopes, angsting and longing. It is a quiet story (means it's more driven by the characters, not by action) about getting to know another person - and yourself. But it is funny and witty, too.

All in all a good read, and I'll probably read it again.

[Odessa Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised the hell out of me...not my usual favorite, but I ABSOLUTELY loved it. It made me laugh and feel for each of the characters. Also, I thought the banter was a lot more realistic than a lot of other YA novels. As a 15 yr old, I usually cringe at what adults think teenagers talk like in books, but this book in some cases was surprisingly accurate. The actual plot of the book-not so realistic, but that's okay...I don't want to read a book that mirrors real life exactly.
I loved the chemistry between Piper and Roman and their acceptance of eachother.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfect! I had high hopes going in and they were exceeded in all ways. I was held prisoner (in all the best ways) by this book from the first sentence to the last. I was on the edge of my seat more than once. I don't know why this book hasn't received more attention yet, because it is absolutely deserving!

I'm sharing my review because this was a book I could relate to and understand, and I don't find that very often. Please give it a chance, it is absolutely worth your time! ❤

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

70% into this book and I was ready to give it 5 stars. My gosh, I was seriously loving it, however, I'll admit the issues and frustrations while perfectly realistic took a bit longer than I would have liked to resolve. Watching someone repeatedly make the same mistake over and over and over was painful. That being said, I did truly love the character of Roman and watching the evolution of not one but two characters go from just existing, to finding themselves and truly living.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is equal parts angsty, swoon worthy, funny, and the book is in the YA genre. In the book there is swearing in it. The book is a good read for reader that like the typical teenage angst and the pig headedness that is part of the YA genre.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooved that nancy wanker!!

I loved this book. I usually don’t read books not written in America just for the simple fact that I’m not used to the writing style and the spelling. This book made me laugh. It was a nice quick read. About to look at more by this author!

[Cat Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really good read.

This book was hard to put down! I was constantly wondering the main characters would try to talk themselves and each other out of their first love. It's got humor, heartbreak and first love all rolled into one book! It's a good summer read.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE THIS BOOK!

Such a great read. Had me laughing sad and mad. Love the John Cusack reverence in this book. I love me some John Cusack one of my favorite actors of all times.

[Lauren Greenwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I loved this, can I get a Roman please and thankyou!?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a young adult romance story, at times it is nice to read. This book is engaging, great characters, and written well. I liked reading this book.

[Jasmine Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay sooo this book was one that I couldn’t put down. In the middle it kinda dragged me for and the ending kinda went to fast but honestly that didn’t deter from the book being 5 Stars. I hope that their loves store is continued. I want more!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mature-content, YA/NA romantic drama

This contemporary novel is a mature-content, young-adult (bordering on new-adult), romantic drama. The story is told exclusively from the first-person point of view of the female protagonist, Piper Barlow. She and the romantic hero, Roman Lombardi, are both 17, almost 18, years old. They live in a small town near Adelaide, in South Australia. They are in Year Twelve (the equivalent of 12th grade or senior year in high school in the USA). Piper has a deep, dark secret that she refuses to reveal to anyone: she suffers from crippling social anxiety. Her entire life is a continual, uphill effort to never inflict her inner pain on anyone or disappoint anyone's social expectations of her. As a result, even though she has loving parents, a loyal best friend and a coterie of lesser friends and friendly acquaintances as a popular girl at her school, she feels excruciatingly lonely.

To everyone besides herself, Piper appears to be a beautiful, sweet-natured, innocently fragile girl. Two of the most attractive boys in her school, fellow seniors, Roman and another boy named Mason Carter, seem to be utterly fascinated with her--or so her best friend Hadley assures her, because both boys constantly stare at Piper. Hadley informs Piper that Roman in particular has been "eyeing" her for years, in between dozens of casual "hookups" with other girls, all of which involve a one-night stand and a casually cruel brushoff afterwards. He never buys any of these unfortunate girls so much as a slice of pizza, because he won't commit even to a single date. Mason is much more conventional than Roman, in that he actually does date, and he has been committed enough to be sequentially monogamous. But he doesn't have extraordinary staying power in that he has had five or six girlfriends over the course of only three or four years. This, however, is acceptable "good boy" behavior because, miraculously in Piper's opinion (and mine!), none of these girls seems to bear the ultra-desirable, gorgeous Mason the slightest resentment after these breakups.

Given that these two boys seem to be Piper's only choices for dating (for unspecified reasons), Hadley pushes virginal Piper, who has barely ever dated and possibly not even been kissed, toward Mason, whom Hadley feels is more Piper's slow-and-cautious speed than Roman. Hadley claims that she herself is the female version of Roman, and she could easily handle what he is offering, hot, casual sex, but Piper definitely could not. Hadley, in fact, has no hesitation examining their male classmates and analyzing their private anatomy and potential as casual, sexual-intercourse hookups in a manner very similar to the crudest remarks made by misogynistic men sizing up women as possible bedmates.

In the normal course of events, Piper would have continued waiting, indefinitely it seems, for pleasant, studious, athletic Mason to finally ask her out, and never had anything to do with raunchy Roman. Until Roman, his divorced mother, and his older sister's five-year-old, illegitimate daughter move in next door to Piper and her parents in a quiet neighborhood outside the city limits with no other nearby houses. Suddenly, Piper is running into Roman every day. He owns his own car, but he rides the bus with Piper instead, walking the half-mile to and from the bus stop in the morning and afternoon, and she views approvingly the tender way he interacts with his little niece. In the process, Piper gradually learns that Roman isn't the heartless cynic he appears to be. He sees beyond Piper's smiling false front to the insecure anxiety beneath, and he doesn't judge her for it. Instead, he goes out of his way to cheer her up, including making her laugh and, wonder of wonders, laughing along with her. Then comes the night that they accidentally meet at Piper's favorite de-stressing place, by the shores of a lake near her home. And their unlikely friendship really begins to take off.

I had just read Keeping Up Appearances by this author prior to reading this novel and was expecting it to also be a PG romantic comedy without sex. It was a bit of a shock, therefore, to find that this book is written very much in keeping with the norms of the New Adult subgenre of romance--heavy on internal angsting and containing multiple sex scenes. However, because these protagonists are still in high school and the author has marketed this book as "mature young adult" fiction, the sex scenes are not remotely as graphic, or as frequent, as in a typical NA romance. But since I had never before now read this degree of sexual description in a YA romance, I was quite taken by surprise when the first sex scene happened. Hopefully, other potential readers will do what I did not do and carefully read the clear warning that the author responsibly provides in her description of the novel: "Not recommended for younger readers due to mature content."

Roman is a dark YA hero of the sort typically found in "edgy" YA fiction. He is a brooding, "rebel without a cause," James Dean hero who views the world with a heavy-lidded, cynical sneer, and mood-alters his angry alienation with cigarattes, drunkeness, sex with groupie-like girls, brawling, and vandalism. He has been frequently arrested for disorderly conduct, both for his own misdemeanor crimes and taken in for questioning about the misdemeanor crimes of his best buddy, Rio, who is as Byronically dark-natured as Roman. To date, though Roman rarely attends class, and constantly flunks tests, he has never been held back a grade in school, and even seems in line to graduate high school. We are given to understand this is because he has always been bailed out of his educational and legal difficulties by his wealthy, emotionally distant father, whom everyone in his town is in awe of. Roman's mother is sweet and loving, but no more willing or able than Roman's father to make sure that Roman receives the anger-management therapy he so obviously, desperately needs. His only relatively harmless angst-relieving activity is skateboarding. (Which seems an oddly, geekishly boyish pursuit for a macho male.) I personally am not a fan of romance protagonists who smoke and drink to excess--whether in YA, NA or adult romance. This book, in fact, is the first one I've read in over 25 years with a smoking hero. However, the author attempts to mitigate readers' being repelled by Roman's smoking, and its inevitable health and hygiene issues, by having Piper not be repelled by it. She comments, midway through the book, "Funny how he smoked so much but never smelled like it."

I also personally enjoy a classic, "us against the world" plot where two disaffected loners find a home in each other, and this story certainly delivers a strong version of that plot.

Ms. Stevens is a very talented writer and particularly excels at presenting a romantic hero who, while displaying an obnoxiously alpha, choleric disposition to the rest of the world, interacts with the heroine like a lovable, beta male who is sensitive, affectionate, a good listener, and basically, very nurturing.

Ms. Stevens also writes a traditional romance-novel structure, which we diehard romance fans adore: the essential romantic conflict of distrust slowly evolving to trust through a personal-growth arc of one or both protagonists, and a happily ever after (HEA) ending which is, of couse, in protagonists this young (and likewise for NA romance) more of a "happy for now" ending.

Hadley is a familiar BFF confidante found in the "erotic romance" genre since Harlequin Blaze first started, back in the 90's, offering the now very familiar plot device of a good-girl heroine encouraged by her down-and-dirty BFF to be more adventurous about sex. Given that this is YA, Hadley is a less extreme version of this type of BFF in that she doesn't push Piper to have sex, and she herself seems to be more talk than action regarding engaging in sex herself.

I was glad to see Piper, in particular, work beyond a self-protective over-reliance on the stereotypical female role of people-pleasing doormat who lives to fulfill the every need and demand of the people in her life. As for Roman, his major defining attitude and life motto is the self-fulfilling prophecy, "What you see is what you get with me....I can't be changed." This declaration sounds obnoxiously egotistical, except for the fact that his chief virtue is wrapped up inside it: He has no desire to try and change anyone else because he doesn't believe other people can change and grow either. Piper accepts his world view when they are together, and is liberated by it because it gives her the freedom, for the first time in her life, to act in a way that she otherwise has always considered terrifyingly risky in that she has believed it will inevitably bring judgment and rejection. She tells Roman that they are "two people having an extended pity party" together. This ironically is healing for both of them, because it allows them to externalize their deepest blind spot--that they both are suffering from anxiety due to unconsciously wallowing in self-pity and resentment--un-enmesh from it, and thereby begin to grow beyond it. As the two of them for the first time, with anyone, share their deepest hopes and fears with each other, this acts to deliver the most significant element that the very best romance novels manage to achieve: The romantic conflict between the protagonists is the clash between their socially created, false selves, which cover up and hide their authentic, true selves. Only if they can reveal to each other their true selves--which is the ultimate sacrifice to "earn" true love--can they become worthy of true love.

For fans of angsty, sexy NA romance, this book will be a fun read.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Social Drama Plot: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars