Perfect Girl

by Mary Hogan

Ruthie Bayer is stuck. Her mom is totally overprotective, her dad is nonexistent, and her best friends can't help her now when she needs them most: Out of the blue, Ruthie has fallen in love with the boy next door, Perry. Perry has suddenly grown up and made her heart go thwang , and Ruthie has no idea what to do about it. Then a new girl shows up at school, and Ruthie realizes she has to do something , and fast. Jenna is perfect, from her perfectly straight hair to her perfectly manicured toes. Perry's noticed her, too, and worse, Jenna has noticed him right back. Ruthie knows she has to call her aunt, New York's "Goddess of Love." If Aunt Marty, romance columnist and woman of the world, can't turn Ruthie into a perfect girl, no one can . . . but she might also turn Ruthie's entire world upside down.

Genres: Young Adult, Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Teen

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2007

About the author

Though an Okie by birth, I grew up in Southern California in the era of baby oil tans. Except mine. My youth was filled with sunburns and other red-faced events. Now, I live in the blessed shade of skyscrapers. New York City. Where I was meant to be all along.

At the risk of sounding bigheaded, I love GOOD books. I like to read writers who inspire me to read their sentences over and over just for the joy of it. You know that feeling? Like, wow, how did she think of that phrasing?

That said, I joined Goodreads because I'd become a genre snob. There are good Sci-fi novels, right? Historical? To my delight, I've found that to be true. As in life, when you open up, the world opens with you. Or so said Oprah. Before she abandoned us. :)

On a personal note, I am married to the man of my dreams. We share our home with the lovely Lucy, a Catahoula rescue dog who, frankly, isn't that into us. In another life, she was Greta Garbo. When I smother her with kisses she literally rolls her doggy eyes.

Professionally, I'm the author of ten novels. Seven Young Adult novels (HarperCollins), one bestselling mainstream book (TWO SISTERS) an historical novel called THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO (William Morrow) and the upcoming love story, LEFT (Morrow). Goodreads helped me open up to WRITING in new genres, too. Thank you!!

Both LEFT and TWO SISTERS are personal novels for me. TWO SISTERS was inspired by my own sister, Diane, who passed away in 2010. The fictional story emerged as I struggled to understand why my sister died the way she did. It's a story about secrets and how they can disintegrate a family.

LEFT is a love story with a twist. It tells the tale of a woman who develops a fantasy life to cope with her husband's descent into dementia. Alzheimer's and other dementias run in my family. This novel is for the current--and future--caretakers who inspire me every day.

For another VERY personal story, I wrote an article about my mom's last days for Woman's Day magazine. If you've gone through your mom's passing, or soon will, you may relate. (If you feel like reading it, I posted the link on my website maryhogan.com)

I swear it's all true.

Reviews

[Sakara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Perfect girl" wasn't a bad book. It was better than I thought it was going to be. Sometimes it could be boring though. It usually was boring when they were talking about the family or what they do. The beginning was good, and that's what made me keep reading. It was a new girl that came to Ruthie's school. She was perfect and Ruthie was jealous. Mainly because Perry the guy Ruthie likes is noticing the new girl. He is her next door neighbor and does not know what to do about that situation. She tired to figure it out herself, but that did not work. Then she did not think about her aunt until later. Ruthie's aunt is a Love Goddess. She did help her. The end is a happy ending though. At least for Ruthie and Perry. Perry ended up with Ruthie instead of the new girl. I doubt the new girl mined though. There was how many other guys that were over her.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was good but not one of the best books I have ever read. I like how this book had a deeper meaning other then a teen love story. This was a story about family and about having confidence in yourself even though you can make a lot of mistakes.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it was just OK. I was hoping for something a little more interesting, I guess. Sadly, it didn’t really keep me intrigued and I had to force myself to finish it.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first thing I want to say about this book is not so good: Perfect Girl is forgettable. As I am typing up this review, I am having a hard time remembering the book. I picked it expecting a quick, cute read but it turned out to be rather bland. And though I can’t seem to pinpoint why I didn’t really like Perfect Girl, I know that I hard time getting into the story from the start.

Ruthie has just fallen in love with her best friend and neighbor Perry. This seems like a cliched storyline, but the author had the opportunity to make it unique, yet failed to do so. Perry is actually a unique sort of guy that I would’ve liked, but I never got why Ruthie even liked him. There wasn’t anything particularly special about her feelings for him or their relationship as far as I could tell, and there was no defining moment when she “fell” in love with him. They were just sort of hanging out and she suddenly decided she was in love. It was rather awkward.

While the characters were okay, their personalities were sorta meh and their actions totally predictable. From Ruthie’s conversations with her friends, to her arguments with her mother, and even her reactions to Perry being near, everything sort of fell flat. The only time I was really engaged in the story was when her aunt, “The Goddess of Love,” is introduced into the story. We get a quick glimpse at this stranger several years prior, before she is dragged into the present day story unexpectedly, and then also falls into a cliched role.

From the synopsis, this sounds like a fun romance, but that’s kind of misleading. While the story does focus a bit on Ruthie and Perry’s relationship, it doesn’t play such an important role in the actual story as it might seem to. Perfect Girl was about Ruthie’s strained relationship with her mother, and how her aunt ends up getting involved. When a tragic event takes place towards the end of the book, the three are sort of forced to get along, which in turn makes the entire “love story” take the backseat. Perry and Ruthie interact only a handful of times in the book and that was disappointing (because that’s what I expected.)

Overall Perfect Girl had the potential to be a sweet story about a girl growing up and learning how important family is, but instead was attempted to be told as a love story, which threw me off. If the author would have focused her energy into making this a coming of age book, instead of throwing in the awkward friendship-turns-romance part, this could have turned out better. Instead, everything felt forced and the characters were cliche. All in all, I was pretty disappointed.

★½

[Kelsi Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a good fluent read. this is a really good book its as good as the twilight series. I really think it was very great and only one word reminded me of the twilight series and it was the word Vampires. my favorite part is at the end of the book and I have two favorite and so i will tell you them both.

'WHO CARES WHAT TIME IT IS? PERRY JUST CALLED ME A
perfect girl. I can't wipe the smile off my face. I tried. But I can't.
We race around the museum until the last possible moment.
"We have to go," I say, groaning.
"Five more minutes?"
"We can't."
"We must!"
I take a deep breath, look at my watch, and say, "I'm sorry, Perry but we have to leave NOW. If we don't, we'll never make it home."
Our perfect day is coming to an end.
Back out in the warm, humid D.C. air, we sprint down the museum steps, Perry is whooping and hollering across the lawn. Me, I'm bounding like a gazelle, feeling graceful and light. Just as we reach the escalator leading down to the metro, Perry stops and says, "No way."
"No way what?"
"No way can we spend our last few minutes in this awesome city underground!"
My smile fades. "We have to be at the Greyhound terminal in less than fifteen minutes. How else can we get there?"
"We fly!"
Grabbing my hand, Perry pulls me toward the Capitol Building and the bus station beyond it. His big shirt flaps in the air, his wide pants billow. THANK GOD I WORE SNEEKERS , I think, as I race beside him.
"Wa-waHOO!" he yelps again. I've never seen him more alive. I've never been so alive myself. We run and run. My chest is on fire. My body feels like a rope burn. Still, I don't want to change a single moment. The whole way, Perry never lets go of my hand.
Clearly, I need to exercise more because, with five blocks and five minutes left to go, I completely run out of gas.
"One minute," I gasp. "I. Can't. Run. Any. More."
Sweaty, red faced, and wheezing, I involuntarily crumble to the steps of the Capitol Building. Perry folds to the ground beside me. The Capitol looms over us like a giant mushroom cloud. Unable to move, we sit there, panting staring up.
It's a strange

[Layal Zaidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruthie Bayer's life in Odessa is as plain as can be. There's nothing really going on, and she's had the same friends for most of her life. The problem is, Perry looks way better to her now and she wants to be more than "just friends."

Everything appears to be smooth sailing for her freshman year until the new girl, Jenna Wilson, comes to town. Perry seems very interested in her. Who wouldn't? She's the perfect girl: perfect hair, nails, clothes --- even the way she walks. But Ruthie is not having it and pulls out all the stops by calling her Aunt Marty, an advice columnist on men in New York City.

That would be fine, except for the fact that her mother and aunt don't get along. Where Marty is cool, her mother is anal. Where Marty understands, her mother doesn't even try. Things become quite sticky when Marty shows up and transforms their house into a completely different place. Although Ruthie loves the fact that Marty is in town, her mom has become even more withdrawn and just plain old mean. Ruthie believes she's just jealous of Marty, who is gorgeous, rich, has a beautiful penthouse in New York and an adoring husband.

As Marty helps Ruthie put her plan into place to catch the boy of her dreams and become the perfect girl for him, there are a lot of past issues within their family that come to the surface. Although Ruthie and her friends adore Marty, it becomes obvious that even "perfect" people have their flaws, hurts and disappointments in life. Ruthie's plan does succeed, but she soon realizes that what she thought she felt really wasn't true love.

Mary Hogan delivers in this concise story of finding out who you really are, understanding the folks around you and learning to accept things as they come. PERFECT GIRL is a testament of truthfulness and familial love that will leave you smiling at the end. Life is what you make it; after all, nobody's perfect.

i loved the book ssooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

For my second bingo book I read Perfect Girl by Mary Hogan. This book is about a girl named Ruthie Bayer who is an ordinary teenager.. She goes to school with her two best friends but has a crush on Perry, a boy who she grew up with. Unfortunately, she cannot compete with Jenna, the new girl who also likes Perry. Jenna has great hair, new clothes, and a lot more confidence than Ruthie which makes it hard for her to win Perry back. Ruthie then looks to her Aunt Marty for help who writes articles for a well-known magazine and is known as the “Goddess of Love”. When Ruthie had visited Aunt Marty in New York, she automatically knew that she wanted to be glamorous like her aunt. But, ever since the fight between Ruthie’s mom and Aunt Marty, Ruthie wasn’t allowed to communicate with her aunt Marty. Then, after a surprise visit from her aunt, Ruthie’s life goes from boring to adventurous. Ruthie has to solve her internal conflict of her conscience throughout the book.
Overall, I did not like this book. The characters in this book seemed irritating and the plot was boring to follow. Most of all, the ending of this book disappointed me because I expected more exciting events to occur as a result of the prior events. The theme of the book what somewhat unclear because there were many different ideas throughout the book. The language in this book was pretty generic because there was not a whole lot of humor.
I would not recommend this book to anybody because it was boring to read and because it did not keep me engrossed.

Word Count: 279

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Allison M. Rotonda for TeensReadToo.com

Ruthie has almost survived her freshman year of high school and all of the sudden she feels more lost and confused than ever. She's realized that she is desperately in love with her childhood best friend, Perry. To make things worse, a new girl has started school and Ruthie is convinced she is perfect, and convinced that Perry will think so, too. In desperation, she calls her aunt, who just so happens to be a relationship columnist, and begs her for her secrets to attract boys.

As Ruthie gets closer to her aunt and the story unfolds, it becomes clear that some things are not always what they seem and that even people who appear to have it all together often do not. Ruthie learns several important lessons about the value of family and the variety of relationships of all different types. Along the way, Ruthie also gains more self-confidence and maybe even a few helpful secrets to help her attract boys.

Although parts of the dialogue in this book feel a little forced and don't completely reflect teenage interaction, it is well-written and very enjoyable. Readers will likely appreciate the realistic and contemporary events that fill the story, including a humorous shopping trip that ends in gushing about Ipex bras from Victoria's Secret. Hogan is very effective about getting her messages across without seeming preachy or overbearing, which is refreshing. In the end, PERFECT GIRL comes together nicely, and readers will likely be satisfied even if it does not exactly reflect what they initially hoped for.

[Shesten Melder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot Sketch: Ruthie Bayer is a small-town girl. She lives in Odessa, Delaware that just about died as a town when the railroad came through and made their shipping port on the Delaware River obsolete. Ruthie lives behind her best friend, Perry's house, where he lives with his mom. Ruthie also lives with her mom, and their renter, Mr. Arthur. Ruthie doesn't actually have a father - she had a sperm donor, literally. Perry did, but he left when Perry was about 2. Ruthie has decided that after being best friends with Perry for as long as she can remember, that she has a huge crush on him. Problem is, new girl aka Perfect Girl also has her sights set on Perry. Ruthie can't talk to her mom about it because her mom is way to overprotective, so she calls her Aunt Marty. Martine the Love Goddess to be more precise. She writes a column about men in a swank New York magazine. Only problem is, Ruthie's been forbidden to contact Aunty Marty. Read the book to find out more!

Verdict: I Heart It!! I laughed. I cried. I squealed. I almost threw the book. I don't know if it's because I read this in the wee hours of the morning, but I loved this book. I literally couldn't put it down. it's witty. It's clever. It has a happy ending. It's a great, quick read and I recommend you pick it up if you like YA chicklit.

more at iheartmonster.com

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 year old Ruthie thinks that life is good, at least for the moment. She's recently fallen in love with her best friend Perry, although she is unsure exactly how to pursue her feelings towards him. Her desire to act all changes when a new girl, a perfect girl transfers into her class at the end of the year. Perry quickly becomes smitten with the girl, prompting Ruthie to seek the advice of her aunt, aka New York's Goddess of Love Martine.

I hadn't expected much from perfect girl but it turned out to have more depth to it than I first thought. Prefect Girl wasn't just about teenager's first love, though that is important, but also about the secrets between sisters, growing up, and bonding with your family.

For all the talk of the prefect girl, she only made three brief appearances. She want a major character at all, which was nice, because i was expecting her to be unfairly shamed/degraded the entire book.

There were a number of heavy secrets that came out of the books, and some very serious topics like in vitro fertilization, the impact of one's personal life on their careers, and fiances. Ruthie's voice was so young that it was interesting to hear about these adult topics from her perspective.

The ending was a but unconventional, but I liked it a lot and it worked well with the themes of growing up.

All in all, a fun read.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 year old Ruthie develops a crush on her best friend Perry, whom she's known since they were 5. How is she going to get him to notice her as more than a best friend? She calls on her Aunt Marty for help. Only problem is, Ruthie's mom has forbidden her from contacting Aunt Marty; the two sisters haven't spoken for years, and Ruthie hardly knows anything about her aunt except that she's a hip fashion maven in New York City who writes a love advice column! So surely she can help Ruthie gain self-confidence and implement "the Perry Plan." Not everything goes according to Plan... cute lighthearted romance, good for middle schoolers.

[Macy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book "Perfect Girl" there is a freshman girl, Ruthie, she is finding out she likes her best guy friend, Perry. Perry doesn't like Ruthie back at first but then gives her a chance. Later they find out they aren't right for each other and it is in their best interest to be friends again. All while this was happening Ruthie's Aunt Marty comes for an unexpected visit. Marty and Ruthie's mother, Fay don't get along well. Then after a 10 years realize that they need each other when their roomate dies unexpectedly. The family learns new lessons that are very relatable to any teenagers current life.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wie auch schon Pretty Face ist Perfect Girl ein rosa Mädchen Vergnügen. Diesmal stand nicht die Beziehung der Freundinnnen im Vordergrund, sondern die der Mutter und Tante. Was sollen Kinder mit Erwachsenen Problemen anfangen? Wie damit umgehen?
Was mir sehr gut gefallen hat war die freundschaftliche Liebesbeziehung die Ruthie ein wenig erzwungen hat :)
Sie hat es schlußendlich eingesehenn und ihren besten Freund ziehen lassen. Und verliebt sich prompt neu...

[Corene · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways this YA novel read more like women's fiction because of it's emphasis on the relationship between the three females in the family. There was a requisite love interest, but that storyline was given less attention than the two estranged adult sisters and the teenager's frustration with her mother. I really enjoyed the audio edition, the main character's point of view and the descriptions of small town Delaware, New York and D. C. A pleasant book, and that's not a criticism.

[Thais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Da pra ler o livro rápido, pela linguagem simples. Comprei há um tempo e só tive tempo de ler agora nas férias, mas, não gostei muito... É legal as partes em que a tia dela está presente e ensina sobre como se comportar com um garoto, mas a história é bem para quem tem 14, ou 15 anos, após isso, é um pouco clichê.

[Marilou maoruviel]

I didn't give any rating because I AM SO DISAPPOINTED!!!!
I have this as an e-book and I am really shocked when I started reading it.
I'm on my way to chapter 3 when I realized that the contents are really different!
WAAAAH!!! I hate this feeling!


PLEASE TAKE NOTE:
My disappointment doesn't have anything to do with this book.

[Viviana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book Perfect Girl by Mary Hogan in my opinion is a good book. The reason I like this book I think as because it is about romance and how the main character and the other characters help her with her life and the boy that she likes. I would only recommend this book to people that like drama, romance, and friendship books.

[Amber Gardiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love youth fiction but this one was a little juvenile, even for me. But, I bet if I was 12, I would have loved this book and re-read it a million times and put it under my pillow at night to help me dream about the book.

[Lianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this said pretty cool things for girls. And some good advice. Pretty cute book. Didn't like the friends liking each other part. But I liked that they found out they didn't like each other like that. Cute story! I enjoyed the advice given in this.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book around 4/5 years ago, but I didn't like it. In fact, I think this is the book I liked the least in my entire life.

I plan on reading this again, though. I think I was too immature to understand this book, so I want to reread it.

[jeannette ⋆ ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how quickly I went through this novel. It was a cute story about the importance of family, and how we do take advantage of those we love most without realizing it. I was a bit skeptical before reading but I'm glad that I gave the book a try.

[Katie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked this book, it was very good and quick to read. But this "perfect girl" really isn't the main focus of the book, it's more her aunts Marty. But Ritchie is a great character along with her mom, her aunt and Mr.Arthur. Nice read.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfull, fun story. I was just looking for a light laugh, and got drawn into a intricate story that lacey all ages. Special!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better than Serious Kiss, but not much. One-dimensional, unbelievable characters whose hopes and dreams I don't care about.

[Kailee Small · Rating 2 out of 5]

didnt really keep you interested. i think it was a little young for me. I was 14 at the time.

[Beckett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good. Not a good title for the book's focus; I'd even go so far as to say it's darn boring. The reader (listening to it on CD) is pretty awful.

[Katie-Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is okay not the best, but okay.

[Kharizza Pascual · Rating 5 out of 5]

the ending surprised me..(i mean a LOT ! ) it was so sweet ... i thought it won't be a happy ending to RUTHIE but it was awesome ! really nice :))

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soooo bad! Wouldnt even give it one star, really! If i could id give it a quarter of a star!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book to me, was very good. Best book I have read yet. I can really relate to what Ruthie went through with the Perry problem. The book will even help me on my problems whenever I have some.