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This Is Not a Personal Statement
Admission meets American Panda in this propulsive, poignant YA contemporary novel about a teen who, after getting rejected from her dream college, forges her own acceptance and commits to living a lie. Perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi!
At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised--and not-so-quietly bashed--as "Perfect Perlie Perez," Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents') Delmont University.
Then Perla doesn't get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she's heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she's caught.
But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed--and if this dream she's worked for her entire life is something she even wants.
From rising star Tracy Badua comes a gripping, incisive tale of acceptance, self-discovery, and the infinite possibilities that await when we embrace our imperfections.
At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised--and not-so-quietly bashed--as "Perfect Perlie Perez," Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents') Delmont University.
Then Perla doesn't get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she's heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she's caught.
But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed--and if this dream she's worked for her entire life is something she even wants.
From rising star Tracy Badua comes a gripping, incisive tale of acceptance, self-discovery, and the infinite possibilities that await when we embrace our imperfections.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 17, 2023
50 people are currently reading
7738 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Badua
12 books187 followersTracy Badua is an award-winning Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
May 20, 2024
In a third person POV book, if it’s bad, it’s just the writing. But in a first person POV, there are other questions to be had. Do I hate the narrator? Or is the book just poorly written? The answer to both questions here is yes. Yikes. I’ve complained about YA in the past. I have mostly stopped requesting it, but my backlog is insane.
If I hear the words Perfect Perlie one more time, I will riot. Perla Perez skipped a couple of grades. She applied to her dream school and several reaches. She has no safety schools. This goes about as well as you’re assuming.
Instead of taking some time to reflect on this, she lies to everyone around her, sneaks onto campus, and pretends to attend. I cannot even fathom the audacity of this character. Is she young? Yes. Does she need to be this woe is me? Hell no.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books
If I hear the words Perfect Perlie one more time, I will riot. Perla Perez skipped a couple of grades. She applied to her dream school and several reaches. She has no safety schools. This goes about as well as you’re assuming.
Instead of taking some time to reflect on this, she lies to everyone around her, sneaks onto campus, and pretends to attend. I cannot even fathom the audacity of this character. Is she young? Yes. Does she need to be this woe is me? Hell no.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books
March 14, 2023
this might not be a personal statement but it IS a personal attack. jeez.
January 17, 2023
Thank you to Harper360YA, Quill Tree Books and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Oh my god, this book was so anxiety-inducing! Throughout the whole book I was on edge waiting for Perla’s lie to unravel and get caught out. I was so anxious for her all the time. But that was definitely the point of the book, to make you feel the unending stress and anxiety that Perla deals with on a daily basis as a result of the intense pressure she is put under from everyone in her life.
I did find it difficult to believe the plot, I can’t see how that could ever work, but then, UK universities don’t operate the same as US universities so maybe it is plausible over there. However, I did still have to suspend my disbelief a lot with this story.
I liked seeing Perla’s growth throughout the book as she slowly comes to realise that her dreams aren’t her parents’ dreams and vice versa, I thought that this message is really important for young adults or even adults about to embark on the next stage of their lives, to make sure that they are living for themselves and not just for other people’s expectations.
Oh my god, this book was so anxiety-inducing! Throughout the whole book I was on edge waiting for Perla’s lie to unravel and get caught out. I was so anxious for her all the time. But that was definitely the point of the book, to make you feel the unending stress and anxiety that Perla deals with on a daily basis as a result of the intense pressure she is put under from everyone in her life.
I did find it difficult to believe the plot, I can’t see how that could ever work, but then, UK universities don’t operate the same as US universities so maybe it is plausible over there. However, I did still have to suspend my disbelief a lot with this story.
I liked seeing Perla’s growth throughout the book as she slowly comes to realise that her dreams aren’t her parents’ dreams and vice versa, I thought that this message is really important for young adults or even adults about to embark on the next stage of their lives, to make sure that they are living for themselves and not just for other people’s expectations.
July 20, 2022
Should be required reading for every high school student and their caregivers before starting the college application process.
August 17, 2023
Not disappointed but it was a lukewarm reading experience for me.
I would like to highlight that the character development is so well done despite the blink and miss side characters in every chapter even though they play a huge role in shaping the part of the main character.
It is the story of a girl who despite being one of the youngest in her grade struggles to get into her dream institution, gets in another but hopes to get in the next year. She tries really, really, really hard trying to get jobs and trying to be independent.
Well, the story started out good. It’s good until the end. However, the plot isn’t anything new I feel.
Well, it’s a good read if you’re a beginner.
I would like to highlight that the character development is so well done despite the blink and miss side characters in every chapter even though they play a huge role in shaping the part of the main character.
It is the story of a girl who despite being one of the youngest in her grade struggles to get into her dream institution, gets in another but hopes to get in the next year. She tries really, really, really hard trying to get jobs and trying to be independent.
Well, the story started out good. It’s good until the end. However, the plot isn’t anything new I feel.
Well, it’s a good read if you’re a beginner.
Read
February 8, 2023Perla Perez was a high school standout, the pride of her tremendously over-achieving parents, who was destined to become a world-saving doctor…until she didn’t get into (fictional) Delmont U – or any other U, for that matter. So, she fakes her acceptance, camps out at Delmont in secret, and plans to reapply for the spring. It’s actually based on a true story!
It sheds some light on some very important topics: high-pressure academics, unrealistic expectations, and the experience of minority students in the academic and professional worlds (dark-skinned Filipino-Americans, in this case). Perla tears herself apart living the lie on campus, sidling up to students, getting a job, and sitting in on classes. The poor girl, just sixteen from having skipped grades, thinks all she needs to do is see what a real Delmont student is like, and maybe they’ll accept her. I felt awful for her, trying to live the dream of med school and stardom imposed by generations. There are also class issues here: she learns about students just trying to get to school, just trying to make ends meet. I liked her assimilation into this culture, this move from sheltered, high-powered Monte Verde, to where we mere mortals live. The unraveling of the plan was an exciting, if cringey, part to read.
But this book needs to follow the maxim of creative writing: “SHOW, don’t TELL.” The story is told mainly in Perla’s head and not in dialogue or action. In fact, Perla comes to many realizations pretty much out of the ether, and she “tells” us her philosophy on page after page. Sometimes the dialogue is going well, but it gets interrupted by Perla thinking about it. So, a conversation that in real time would take 30 seconds stretches out for three pages, simply because Perla’s having a reflection.
That led to the other issue: character development. Partly because of that stunted dialogue, none of the other characters seem to grow, change, or even receive a two-dimensional description. I was hoping, for example, that the parents would have some epiphany, or that Perla would really have it out with them, but I was disappointed. They just seemed evil. Also, the ending was going well, but seemed to fizzle and focused mainly on Perla’s sudden fame, or infamy.
So, for me it’s not bad in essay form, but just ok as a work of fiction. That said, it’s good for anyone who wants a glimpse into competitive college admissions or the lives of high-achieving teens.
It sheds some light on some very important topics: high-pressure academics, unrealistic expectations, and the experience of minority students in the academic and professional worlds (dark-skinned Filipino-Americans, in this case). Perla tears herself apart living the lie on campus, sidling up to students, getting a job, and sitting in on classes. The poor girl, just sixteen from having skipped grades, thinks all she needs to do is see what a real Delmont student is like, and maybe they’ll accept her. I felt awful for her, trying to live the dream of med school and stardom imposed by generations. There are also class issues here: she learns about students just trying to get to school, just trying to make ends meet. I liked her assimilation into this culture, this move from sheltered, high-powered Monte Verde, to where we mere mortals live. The unraveling of the plan was an exciting, if cringey, part to read.
But this book needs to follow the maxim of creative writing: “SHOW, don’t TELL.” The story is told mainly in Perla’s head and not in dialogue or action. In fact, Perla comes to many realizations pretty much out of the ether, and she “tells” us her philosophy on page after page. Sometimes the dialogue is going well, but it gets interrupted by Perla thinking about it. So, a conversation that in real time would take 30 seconds stretches out for three pages, simply because Perla’s having a reflection.
That led to the other issue: character development. Partly because of that stunted dialogue, none of the other characters seem to grow, change, or even receive a two-dimensional description. I was hoping, for example, that the parents would have some epiphany, or that Perla would really have it out with them, but I was disappointed. They just seemed evil. Also, the ending was going well, but seemed to fizzle and focused mainly on Perla’s sudden fame, or infamy.
So, for me it’s not bad in essay form, but just ok as a work of fiction. That said, it’s good for anyone who wants a glimpse into competitive college admissions or the lives of high-achieving teens.
January 27, 2023
A thoughtful and sweet read exploring the pressure to be perfect and extreme academic expectations placed upon teens from parents, school, society and themselves. Featuring some fantastic character development and great discussions told through a personable young voice, this was an enjoyable read and one that has the power to do a lot of good for its teen readers.
March 10, 2023
This was really a 2.5, but closer to a 2 than a 3. This book had a good message, but it was very repetitive and didn’t say much besides the point that it set out to make which happens very early on. The phrase perfect Perlie is stuck in my head as if it were branded there, and I wanted to take a shot every time that I saw it. The friends were nice minus the one who lived on the same floor. I honestly don’t remember her name, and dont care to look it up. That friend just seemed like a plot convenience. She hated lying just to make Perla feel worse about lying and it all seems very naïve. I suspended a lot of disbelief at the beginnings, so I was happy the consequences was realistic. I was supposed to look back to find names, but I am too lazy. The main love interest wasn’t in the wrong to not talk to Perla after finding out she was 16, because she was a literal child.
I also STRUGGLED to read this book because it felt like the epitome of average. I am a college student who’s currently applying for grad school, so I understand the pressure. That being said, she could’ve faced her parents and did an internship or some research to fill the fall semester instead of parkouring into dorm windows. The writing was kind of boring, and I didn’t DNF because I got this as an ARC. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad.
I also STRUGGLED to read this book because it felt like the epitome of average. I am a college student who’s currently applying for grad school, so I understand the pressure. That being said, she could’ve faced her parents and did an internship or some research to fill the fall semester instead of parkouring into dorm windows. The writing was kind of boring, and I didn’t DNF because I got this as an ARC. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
A riveting YA drama about an Asian American girl who fakes her way into her dream college and impersonates another student so she won't have to tell her status-obsessed parents she got rejected. Its twisty plot and almost Machiavellian heroine definitely kept me engaged from beginning to end, which is rare for me with YA these days--I whipped through it in two days flat. However, I felt the ending was a little unsatisfying and left some themes unexplored or under-explored. Still, a good read overall.
April 9, 2024
★★½ stars ! . 𖥔 ݁ ˖𖦹⭒°｡⋆
im really disappointed with how mid this was considering it was one of my most anticipated reads 😭 i can only rlly say i liked and could relate to how perla's relationship w her parents was depicted and her obsession w planning, but other than that everything else about this book was just okay? perla wasn't a very fun character to read about, because even if she's naive and narrow minded i still need to be able to like and enjoy reading about her, but by the end i just ended up feeling apathetic towards her and not connected to her at all.. and i felt the same with pretty much every other character as well. they didn't feel like people with the way they talked and acted. their progression and development wasn't very well done, especially the main character's, with her just telling but never showing all these super wise life lessons she suddenly learned at... *checks notes* 16 ?? like girl ik she grew up fast but at a point it was just like ok ur rlly just shoving the lesson at me now lol. i wish more had been done with this besides a surface level scratching. it also took me wayyy longer than necessary to finish this and idek why. i don't hate this book, but i def didn't love it either :/
im really disappointed with how mid this was considering it was one of my most anticipated reads 😭 i can only rlly say i liked and could relate to how perla's relationship w her parents was depicted and her obsession w planning, but other than that everything else about this book was just okay? perla wasn't a very fun character to read about, because even if she's naive and narrow minded i still need to be able to like and enjoy reading about her, but by the end i just ended up feeling apathetic towards her and not connected to her at all.. and i felt the same with pretty much every other character as well. they didn't feel like people with the way they talked and acted. their progression and development wasn't very well done, especially the main character's, with her just telling but never showing all these super wise life lessons she suddenly learned at... *checks notes* 16 ?? like girl ik she grew up fast but at a point it was just like ok ur rlly just shoving the lesson at me now lol. i wish more had been done with this besides a surface level scratching. it also took me wayyy longer than necessary to finish this and idek why. i don't hate this book, but i def didn't love it either :/
February 20, 2023
It was cute, but lots of stuff happened without anything really meaningful taking place. Characters were 2D and although Perla did have some good character development, her mentioning every two sentences that she was leaving Perfect Perlie behind was annoying.
The plot wasn't anything new, but it's good for beginner YA readers. But, I do have to admit, if I read this before getting my acceptances this would have been a 5-star as well as a personal attack. Alas, I read this after, and all is good in the world.
(And yes, Perla. Although your parents sucked, they were right about not being emotionally mature enough for college. YOU'RE SIXTEEN!)
The plot wasn't anything new, but it's good for beginner YA readers. But, I do have to admit, if I read this before getting my acceptances this would have been a 5-star as well as a personal attack. Alas, I read this after, and all is good in the world.
(And yes, Perla. Although your parents sucked, they were right about not being emotionally mature enough for college. YOU'RE SIXTEEN!)
December 12, 2022
I think this was such a cute story. The crazy concept of a student sneaking on campus and pretending to be a student was so much fun. The issue I had was I did not connect with the characters. They each had one thing that became their whole personality and they read as very stereotypical. Despite the lack of compelling characters, this book still deals with the important message about generational expectations and the pressure put on teenage girls (specifically WOC) to be perfect in their performance.
Thank you, NetGalley for the arc!
Thank you, NetGalley for the arc!
July 7, 2023
Na čia jau tikrai visiškas YA🙈 ir dar mano akims, toks šiek tiek nerealistiškas😁 nes šitiek žmonių, ir suaugusių apgaudinėti tiek laiko, kad tu vis dėl to mokaisi tame universitete, neįsivaizduoju, kaip įmanoma😁 na gal paaugliams ir jauniems paaugliams tikrai ši knyga gali pasirodyti smagi(svarbiausia, kad nepagalvotų, kad taip apgaudinėti yra gerai🙈) , bet manęs nesužavėjo, pasijaučiau šiai knygai “per sena”😁
January 7, 2023
4.5
I want you to know that this book has caused me such anxiety as if I was going through this. This is all the proof I need to work on my anxiety BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTER WASN'T EVEN AS ANXIOUS AS I WAS READING THIS. My friend can attest to the anxious text I send to her while reading this.
That being said this book was great. Yeah made me feel ridiculously anxious for the main character but also I understood her. From the beginning, it is made clear that this book is about the pressures any immigrant child feels from their parents/community to succeed and be better than anyone. They constantly teach you how to one-up the other and be the best, yet no one teaches us what to do when we fail. And this book is a great example of that. It shows what happens when everything you ever thought of isn't in grasp.
Was Perla likable? nope, not at all. She's a 16-year-old girl who thinks she's unbeatable but that's what makes her such a good MC. You aren't supposed to like her. You are supposed to realize that everything she does is questionable, yet you still are curious if she will succeed with this lie or if it doesn't how it will crumble down on her. I think it's clear to see where the anxiety came from. And I think that on its own makes it a great novel. But at the same time as someone who's slowly applying to graduate school, I feel that same pressure. I can see that struggle and thoughts of what if I don't get in? What then? And each time things were going well I just kept waiting for something to get bad.
But this also shows the importance of friendship. If you don't have a friend to rant too, don't have a friend to help you through your stupid plan even if they're aware of how stupid, you need one. Otherwise, you will crash even harder.
I will say, on the one hand, the plot seems impossible to believe but on the other, seeing how some college campuses are it makes sense. It's not that hard to believe either. You know in certain aspects colleges don't check that much, you can easily blend in on a campus filled with thousands of students, but I loved at all the slight hints that showed that she was still struggling because there are so many aspects you would have to figure out. I do think this book is just as important for parents to read as it is for their kids. It shows that such pressure of aiming so high can do to a child. Maybe you won't fake an acceptance letter, but who knows? If anything this will help you realize that you are more than what others believe you to be.
Thank you to HarperCollins for an ARC!
I want you to know that this book has caused me such anxiety as if I was going through this. This is all the proof I need to work on my anxiety BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTER WASN'T EVEN AS ANXIOUS AS I WAS READING THIS. My friend can attest to the anxious text I send to her while reading this.
That being said this book was great. Yeah made me feel ridiculously anxious for the main character but also I understood her. From the beginning, it is made clear that this book is about the pressures any immigrant child feels from their parents/community to succeed and be better than anyone. They constantly teach you how to one-up the other and be the best, yet no one teaches us what to do when we fail. And this book is a great example of that. It shows what happens when everything you ever thought of isn't in grasp.
Was Perla likable? nope, not at all. She's a 16-year-old girl who thinks she's unbeatable but that's what makes her such a good MC. You aren't supposed to like her. You are supposed to realize that everything she does is questionable, yet you still are curious if she will succeed with this lie or if it doesn't how it will crumble down on her. I think it's clear to see where the anxiety came from. And I think that on its own makes it a great novel. But at the same time as someone who's slowly applying to graduate school, I feel that same pressure. I can see that struggle and thoughts of what if I don't get in? What then? And each time things were going well I just kept waiting for something to get bad.
But this also shows the importance of friendship. If you don't have a friend to rant too, don't have a friend to help you through your stupid plan even if they're aware of how stupid, you need one. Otherwise, you will crash even harder.
I will say, on the one hand, the plot seems impossible to believe but on the other, seeing how some college campuses are it makes sense. It's not that hard to believe either. You know in certain aspects colleges don't check that much, you can easily blend in on a campus filled with thousands of students, but I loved at all the slight hints that showed that she was still struggling because there are so many aspects you would have to figure out. I do think this book is just as important for parents to read as it is for their kids. It shows that such pressure of aiming so high can do to a child. Maybe you won't fake an acceptance letter, but who knows? If anything this will help you realize that you are more than what others believe you to be.
Thank you to HarperCollins for an ARC!
January 31, 2023
The premise of this book was really clever and interesting- girl fakes her acceptance letter and tries to pretend to her family, friends, and professors that she is a student at a college she doesn’t go to. I definitely read along with fascination and anxiety as Perla attempted to survive. From the get go, I was like “there is no way she can pull this off” but it was surprising and interesting to watch her overcome her obstacles along the way.
I think what made this book interesting and unique was how young Perlie acts, after all, she’s only 16, not really college age.. At first, I was a bit put off by it. She is immature and unlikable. But the more I read, the more I realized that this is intentional by the author. Frequently throughout the book, the older characters call Perla out for being incredibly immature and not knowing how to grow up. I think this makes the book acceptable for younger YA crowds, as well as older ones. It also makes you think about WHY a 16 year old is being pushed to go to college. The conversation on parents and expectations are really astute. Obviously, I’m not from an Asian family, but the author is and the way she incorporated Perla’s family history into her parents drive for her to be successful seemed done with a lot of intentionality and likely drawing from Badua’s own experience.
I think this book would make a perfect indie movie (or a season of Never Have I Ever, I really could see Davi getting into the same situation). It’s really different than most YA books, not really a romance, fantasy, or mystery- but just a girl being super chaotic.
I think what made this book interesting and unique was how young Perlie acts, after all, she’s only 16, not really college age.. At first, I was a bit put off by it. She is immature and unlikable. But the more I read, the more I realized that this is intentional by the author. Frequently throughout the book, the older characters call Perla out for being incredibly immature and not knowing how to grow up. I think this makes the book acceptable for younger YA crowds, as well as older ones. It also makes you think about WHY a 16 year old is being pushed to go to college. The conversation on parents and expectations are really astute. Obviously, I’m not from an Asian family, but the author is and the way she incorporated Perla’s family history into her parents drive for her to be successful seemed done with a lot of intentionality and likely drawing from Badua’s own experience.
I think this book would make a perfect indie movie (or a season of Never Have I Ever, I really could see Davi getting into the same situation). It’s really different than most YA books, not really a romance, fantasy, or mystery- but just a girl being super chaotic.
January 23, 2023
This could have been a fun adventure story and a reminder to look inward and know yourself and your relationship to others. Unfortunately, the author lost any sense of subtlety and nuance, choosing instead to beat us over the head with reminders that these are parental-driven dreams. I want more for YA readers--particularly respect for a young adult's perceptive abilities. This book just nags.
May 11, 2023
Oh, Perla. Oh, my sweet girl.
I'll confess, this was a challenging read for me. I had to pick it up and put it down a few times before I really got going with it. It gave me so much vicarious awkwardness and embarrassment and discomfort, but in kind of a good way. Fortunately, my parents were nowhere near as bad as Perla's parents, but that didn't mean I couldn't relate to the pressure she felt (both self-imposed and imposed by third parties) or the panic she experienced when things started falling apart. It was hard for me to read because I felt for her so strongly. So many times, I both wanted to shake her and give her a big hug and tell her it didn't have to be that way, because apparently no one else was telling her that!
There were certain little things I could nitpick at (as a minor, I don't think Perla would have been facing jail for what she did), but this was a book that really resonated with me, even if it made me uncomfortable to read. And I'm glad for the hopeful ending.
I'll confess, this was a challenging read for me. I had to pick it up and put it down a few times before I really got going with it. It gave me so much vicarious awkwardness and embarrassment and discomfort, but in kind of a good way. Fortunately, my parents were nowhere near as bad as Perla's parents, but that didn't mean I couldn't relate to the pressure she felt (both self-imposed and imposed by third parties) or the panic she experienced when things started falling apart. It was hard for me to read because I felt for her so strongly. So many times, I both wanted to shake her and give her a big hug and tell her it didn't have to be that way, because apparently no one else was telling her that!
There were certain little things I could nitpick at (as a minor, I don't think Perla would have been facing jail for what she did), but this was a book that really resonated with me, even if it made me uncomfortable to read. And I'm glad for the hopeful ending.
April 21, 2025
| 5/5 Stars | ★★★★★
Trigger Warnings for This is Not a Personal Statement:
This is Not a Personal Statement is a fiction book by Tracy Badua focusing on Perla Perez. Perla will be attending Delmont University this fall, no matter what that denial letter says. Perla creates a multipoint plan to con everyone around her into thinking she's a student at Delmont, because she'll definitely get in when she reapplies for spring semester, just you wait...
Okay, listen: this is SO not my type of book on the surface. I don't love YA books. That being said, as I've said before, I work in the field of Admissions at a college with a low admittance rate, so this one was fun for me. You definitely have to suspend some disbelief for this one, but if you just enjoy the ride it's a pretty cute one! Perla is trying so hard not to disappoint anyone, but learns just how easy it is to disappoint yourself when doing that.
This is cute, unrealistic, and just a fun read. The self-discovery is so honest that you can forgive the living in a different girl's dorm room for a while because no one noticed. I loved it.
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Trigger Warnings for This is Not a Personal Statement:
This is Not a Personal Statement is a fiction book by Tracy Badua focusing on Perla Perez. Perla will be attending Delmont University this fall, no matter what that denial letter says. Perla creates a multipoint plan to con everyone around her into thinking she's a student at Delmont, because she'll definitely get in when she reapplies for spring semester, just you wait...
Okay, listen: this is SO not my type of book on the surface. I don't love YA books. That being said, as I've said before, I work in the field of Admissions at a college with a low admittance rate, so this one was fun for me. You definitely have to suspend some disbelief for this one, but if you just enjoy the ride it's a pretty cute one! Perla is trying so hard not to disappoint anyone, but learns just how easy it is to disappoint yourself when doing that.
This is cute, unrealistic, and just a fun read. The self-discovery is so honest that you can forgive the living in a different girl's dorm room for a while because no one noticed. I loved it.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
May 29, 2023
por dios qué libro PORONGA 🙏🏻
December 7, 2023
this is a hard one to rate because i loved the experience of reading it yet it annoyed me so much at the same time. perla is truly irking from beginning to end. which is why i loved reading this, because once we got to the set-up of the story, i was like, “oh she’s DEF gonna get caught and i can’t wait to see it happen.” and then i read the whole thing in basically 48 hours. i do believe in the power of acting like you’re supposed to be somewhere and people will just let it happen so i don’t think it’s totally implausible that she could get away with this for so long if it was just going to classes, but her staying in the dorms for more than a week is ridiculous, and to avoid spoilers i’ll just say how she (eventually) gets into the dorm is RIDICULOUS. ridiculous. doing all that, she should have been caught right away. so the whole problem of where she is staying messes with the believability for me.
spoilers for the ending ahead:
as i said, i couldn’t wait for her to get caught. and then she got caught and somehow it still flopped for me. like after she’s spent 3 months doing nothing but committing crimes, THAT’S when her parents (well, her dad) give her a hug and apologize??? i guess if your child does something that insane it might make you take a hard look at yourself. but i would have been more satisfied if that had been stretched out a little and not been so…finished, if that makes sense. like i wanted a sense that he/they were STARTING to self reflect, but it seems like her dad got all the way there in a few hours and i don’t buy that.
but in the end, i read this so fast, i would have to say it did its job as a story, and i would recommend it for its entertainment value.
spoilers for the ending ahead:
as i said, i couldn’t wait for her to get caught. and then she got caught and somehow it still flopped for me. like after she’s spent 3 months doing nothing but committing crimes, THAT’S when her parents (well, her dad) give her a hug and apologize??? i guess if your child does something that insane it might make you take a hard look at yourself. but i would have been more satisfied if that had been stretched out a little and not been so…finished, if that makes sense. like i wanted a sense that he/they were STARTING to self reflect, but it seems like her dad got all the way there in a few hours and i don’t buy that.
but in the end, i read this so fast, i would have to say it did its job as a story, and i would recommend it for its entertainment value.
September 29, 2022
Perla is a Filipino American with a clear dream. Well, at least it's clear to her family, study hard, get into Delmont, go to med school, work alongside her month as a dermatologist. After skipping a few grades, she's ready to start her college career at the age of 16. There's just one thing, Delmont doesn't want her.
With no safety schools or other options, Perla makes a very rash decision - lying about her acceptance. Lying again. And again. And again. Forging paperwork, squatting in dorm rooms, living off of granola bars, accumulating debt and auditing classes. Her whole life is a lie. She's even lying to herself, believing that all this is really worth it, believing that Delmont is really what she wants.
This book is not a thriller. THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT is realistic fiction. Like most things in life, Perla's lies snowball in a slow, incremental way. And like real life, it cumulates not with some big revelation, but the slow acknowledgement of what we've known all along.
The story here isn't the actions Perla takes to pretend to be a Delmont student. The real story is the relationships she makes and breaks along the way, the self she finds, the freedom of being away from home, and the limitations of living a secret. THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT belongs in the hands of teen and new adult reads who want (or need) a catalyst for reflecting on the expectations put on them by society, their culture, family, and themselves.
With no safety schools or other options, Perla makes a very rash decision - lying about her acceptance. Lying again. And again. And again. Forging paperwork, squatting in dorm rooms, living off of granola bars, accumulating debt and auditing classes. Her whole life is a lie. She's even lying to herself, believing that all this is really worth it, believing that Delmont is really what she wants.
This book is not a thriller. THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT is realistic fiction. Like most things in life, Perla's lies snowball in a slow, incremental way. And like real life, it cumulates not with some big revelation, but the slow acknowledgement of what we've known all along.
The story here isn't the actions Perla takes to pretend to be a Delmont student. The real story is the relationships she makes and breaks along the way, the self she finds, the freedom of being away from home, and the limitations of living a secret. THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT belongs in the hands of teen and new adult reads who want (or need) a catalyst for reflecting on the expectations put on them by society, their culture, family, and themselves.
March 13, 2023
Thank you to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise of someone faking an acceptance to a college to the point of impersonating being a student there is such a fun, unhinged idea. And I really thought it could share an important message about the pressures the college application process can put on teenagers. However, the execution of it is so poor, I couldn't enjoy it.
This book is chock full of cliches and stereotypes without any nuance to it. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and forgettable, and Perlie's relationships with them are just as surface-level. She doesn't grow any believable meaningful connections. Perlie's growth is just as unbelievable, thrown in at any given point because it needs to happen and not because it organically flows within the story.
My biggest qualm, however, is how Perlie's parents' abusive behavior is never addressed as such, especially things just thrown in there for whatever reason. For the entirety of the book, I was wondering if how Perlie's mother controlling her diet so she would be the "perfect size" would ever be addressed again and unsurprisingly it wasn't.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, especially any young kid struggling with the pressures of college applications. 1.5 stars.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise of someone faking an acceptance to a college to the point of impersonating being a student there is such a fun, unhinged idea. And I really thought it could share an important message about the pressures the college application process can put on teenagers. However, the execution of it is so poor, I couldn't enjoy it.
This book is chock full of cliches and stereotypes without any nuance to it. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and forgettable, and Perlie's relationships with them are just as surface-level. She doesn't grow any believable meaningful connections. Perlie's growth is just as unbelievable, thrown in at any given point because it needs to happen and not because it organically flows within the story.
My biggest qualm, however, is how Perlie's parents' abusive behavior is never addressed as such, especially things just thrown in there for whatever reason. For the entirety of the book, I was wondering if how Perlie's mother controlling her diet so she would be the "perfect size" would ever be addressed again and unsurprisingly it wasn't.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, especially any young kid struggling with the pressures of college applications. 1.5 stars.
December 1, 2022
Thank you to NetGally for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The bonkers premise was what initially intrigued me about This Is Not a Personal Statement, but that promising premise was ultimately let down by truly awkward and ill-written prose as well as characters that lacked depth.
Perla's stress and anxiety about getting into her preferred school was relatable, as were the pressures of her parents. However, that stress and anxiety were really the only character traits we saw in Perla--beyond the many, many, truly cringe-y video game references she constantly made.
A similar pattern is seen in the side characters: her frenemy from home, the hot guy in her bio class, the dormmate she befriends, and the guy who works at the coffee shop are all thinly drawn and bland.
This Is Not a Personal Statement was disappointing, but one thing I wasn't disappointed by was the ending. It would have been easy for Tracy Badua to give Perla the easy way out, but she does not go that way and I was pleasantly surprised. The overall experience, however, was not pleasant. 2.5/5.
The bonkers premise was what initially intrigued me about This Is Not a Personal Statement, but that promising premise was ultimately let down by truly awkward and ill-written prose as well as characters that lacked depth.
Perla's stress and anxiety about getting into her preferred school was relatable, as were the pressures of her parents. However, that stress and anxiety were really the only character traits we saw in Perla--beyond the many, many, truly cringe-y video game references she constantly made.
A similar pattern is seen in the side characters: her frenemy from home, the hot guy in her bio class, the dormmate she befriends, and the guy who works at the coffee shop are all thinly drawn and bland.
This Is Not a Personal Statement was disappointing, but one thing I wasn't disappointed by was the ending. It would have been easy for Tracy Badua to give Perla the easy way out, but she does not go that way and I was pleasantly surprised. The overall experience, however, was not pleasant. 2.5/5.
December 10, 2023
There was definitely a decent message here it just wasn’t done well. The premise of the book is kind of stupid and unrealistic and the execution isn’t any better. Perla’s meant to be “smart” but every single thing she does is really fucking stupid. The book tries to pass it off as oh she’s only 16 and she’s under so much stress, but I’m 15 and I don’t know what the fuck she thinks she’s doing. She’s deeply in debt because she has to buy her own food and clothes, yet she spends like 300$ on a school merch competition with her friend and then spends 150$ to buy a bikini to go surfing with the 19 year old guy she has a crush on. Of course the guy dumps her when he learns she’s 16 and we’re supposed to feel bad about this?
November 13, 2022
this is the best book ever written yes i am being the complete opposite of objective right now no i will not elaborate.
March 16, 2024
The topic of mental health can be delicate, but I find it fascinating to explore different cultures and their perspectives. During my recent exploration, I came across a situation where a child was burdened with unrealistic expectations due to generational guilt. Sadly, this is a common reality for many immigrant children. Perla's mother failed to understand her daughter's perspective because she was unable to accept her own emotions.
March 1, 2025
Perla is overwhelmed by what people expect of her. She’s the youngest person in her graduating class, and her parents have always treated academics as the most important thing in her life. When she does not get accepted into any of the colleges she applies to, she decides to put her highly organized, spreadsheet-focused skills to good use – she’ll tell her parents she did get accepted, and move onto the campus of her dreams anyway!
There are elements of the story that feel like an everyday heist. Perla has to make friends while bearing an ulterior motive and the burden of secrecy. She has to talk her way into campus buildings, and find someplace to sleep. While some hurdles and personal revelations are easy to anticipate, the ending is difficult to predict. Perla shares the author’s FilAm background, and some character elements are clearly drawn from lived experience. Recommended for high school and public libraries.
There are elements of the story that feel like an everyday heist. Perla has to make friends while bearing an ulterior motive and the burden of secrecy. She has to talk her way into campus buildings, and find someplace to sleep. While some hurdles and personal revelations are easy to anticipate, the ending is difficult to predict. Perla shares the author’s FilAm background, and some character elements are clearly drawn from lived experience. Recommended for high school and public libraries.
February 18, 2023
This isn’t a bad book, but honestly, I can’t get into it. I’ve been trying for the last month & need to accept this book isn’t for me
July 18, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
May 4, 2023
I'm upset writing this review but I feel like I need to explain why I disliked it because I still honestly think that it's a book with a good message that someone can possibly enjoy if they're willing to overlook everything that disappointed me. :(
Some might know that I was really excited for this book when I first heard of it. It had a really promising concept and felt like a contemporary I would enjoy, because I personally don't read that much of the genre and find myself enjoying it more when the books have higher-than-usual stakes and an intense plot, much like this. But instead of anticipating what happens next in this book, I pretty much would dread each chapter, and not in a good way.
The plot is anxiety-inducing, but it felt out of place; I think it's because it's a contemporary novel, and I expected the ending because of those real-world restrictions. I knew something bad would happen for our protagonist Perla, but the 'when' of it affected my experience. This made me think the book was dragging on with the inevitable, especially since the writing style was mostly redundant.
Speaking of, I didn't enjoy being in Perla's head for most of the book. Her motivations are very real and relatable, which I liked, but she constantly reminds you of it in more or less the exact same words. Every time she brings up her inner conflict, I don't learn anything new about her that I didn't already know from the start of the book — her need to be perfect and the academic pressure she feels from herself, her competitive high school environment, and her family, as well as her enjoyment of video games. She always complains that people undermine her abilities because she's younger than everyone else, and while that's a very real thing to experience, the way she acted throughout the book did strike me as young and immature, which only proves their point. I think this last point was intentional by the author, because a few characters do call her out on it, but I didn't see a lot of growth afterwards.
I didn't like how she treated the other characters in the book too. I felt really bad for her 'friends', especially Camilla. Perla had so many chances to develop in terms of friendship, but since she chose to see her plan through all the way until she got caught, none of these ended on good terms and it feels wasted for Perla not to address these except for a minor mention at the end. I couldn't suspend my disbelief on how much she lied to her parents too, but also how much they believed her. She literally took money from them and forged documents and all — I simply think her parents would be smarter than that.
I will say though, there isn't a lot of mention of Perla being Filipino, but the role it plays in the conflict was something I liked. The author made a good point towards the end that POC often need to work harder, especially when living in a mostly-white environment, as seen in how Perla's parents have really high standards not only for her, but for themselves too. I wish this was explored more, and I wish Filipino-American culture was explored more in general; I think the book would've been amazing if the nuances of academic pressure were explored in this manner.
I liked the ending too, although it felt a bit rushed. It's realistic, but again, it didn't feel like Perla grew at all. All she did afterward was say she would be a bit more honest with herself, and her dad sort of meets her halfway while her mom is still upset (understandably so), and that's how it ends. There's no showing that she did grow after the story, that maybe she treats her peers better now, or anything like that. But the realistic approach was definitely what I expected, and it's a nice change from having Perla get her way with her plan throughout the book. I don't wanna say I was praying for her downfall, but I kinda was.
This book just felt like it was a waste of time because I quite literally gained nothing from it but stress. If I knew that every point that would be made in all 9 hours of the audiobook was already said in the first chapter, I would've stopped there. But I would still like to try other books by this author! I can tell Tracy Badua has a lot she wants to convey and I did think the themes of this book were important, I just didn't enjoy the execution very much.
//
04/30/23: i'm so sad i wanted to like this but it's probably the biggest disappointment i've had in a while :( i might make a review but i need to clear my thoughts first
Some might know that I was really excited for this book when I first heard of it. It had a really promising concept and felt like a contemporary I would enjoy, because I personally don't read that much of the genre and find myself enjoying it more when the books have higher-than-usual stakes and an intense plot, much like this. But instead of anticipating what happens next in this book, I pretty much would dread each chapter, and not in a good way.
The plot is anxiety-inducing, but it felt out of place; I think it's because it's a contemporary novel, and I expected the ending because of those real-world restrictions. I knew something bad would happen for our protagonist Perla, but the 'when' of it affected my experience. This made me think the book was dragging on with the inevitable, especially since the writing style was mostly redundant.
Speaking of, I didn't enjoy being in Perla's head for most of the book. Her motivations are very real and relatable, which I liked, but she constantly reminds you of it in more or less the exact same words. Every time she brings up her inner conflict, I don't learn anything new about her that I didn't already know from the start of the book — her need to be perfect and the academic pressure she feels from herself, her competitive high school environment, and her family, as well as her enjoyment of video games. She always complains that people undermine her abilities because she's younger than everyone else, and while that's a very real thing to experience, the way she acted throughout the book did strike me as young and immature, which only proves their point. I think this last point was intentional by the author, because a few characters do call her out on it, but I didn't see a lot of growth afterwards.
I didn't like how she treated the other characters in the book too. I felt really bad for her 'friends', especially Camilla. Perla had so many chances to develop in terms of friendship, but since she chose to see her plan through all the way until she got caught, none of these ended on good terms and it feels wasted for Perla not to address these except for a minor mention at the end. I couldn't suspend my disbelief on how much she lied to her parents too, but also how much they believed her. She literally took money from them and forged documents and all — I simply think her parents would be smarter than that.
I will say though, there isn't a lot of mention of Perla being Filipino, but the role it plays in the conflict was something I liked. The author made a good point towards the end that POC often need to work harder, especially when living in a mostly-white environment, as seen in how Perla's parents have really high standards not only for her, but for themselves too. I wish this was explored more, and I wish Filipino-American culture was explored more in general; I think the book would've been amazing if the nuances of academic pressure were explored in this manner.
I liked the ending too, although it felt a bit rushed. It's realistic, but again, it didn't feel like Perla grew at all. All she did afterward was say she would be a bit more honest with herself, and her dad sort of meets her halfway while her mom is still upset (understandably so), and that's how it ends. There's no showing that she did grow after the story, that maybe she treats her peers better now, or anything like that. But the realistic approach was definitely what I expected, and it's a nice change from having Perla get her way with her plan throughout the book. I don't wanna say I was praying for her downfall, but I kinda was.
This book just felt like it was a waste of time because I quite literally gained nothing from it but stress. If I knew that every point that would be made in all 9 hours of the audiobook was already said in the first chapter, I would've stopped there. But I would still like to try other books by this author! I can tell Tracy Badua has a lot she wants to convey and I did think the themes of this book were important, I just didn't enjoy the execution very much.
//
04/30/23: i'm so sad i wanted to like this but it's probably the biggest disappointment i've had in a while :( i might make a review but i need to clear my thoughts first
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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