Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard: Worth It?

Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard: Worth it?

By Haylee Crapo

Taking a break from sci-fi and fantasy novels for now, I bring you Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard. This realistic fiction that takes place in the UK grapples with dark topics like grooming, pedophilia, and running away, and while it is available at the Media Center, it might not be a fit read for everyone. However, if you do read it, just know you will not be disappointed!

Eden McKinley is a teenage girl just trying to pass her GCSE exams and go to the carnival with her best friend of years, Bonnie. However, all this is put to a grinding halt when Bonnie, the studious and collected one to Eden’s wild and reckless, runs away. However, Bonnie isn’t alone, because she’s with her secret boyfriend, Jack…who just so happens to be her music teacher, Mr. Cohn. She tells nobody about where she is going, except Eden, who promises to never reveal her location to anybody, parents and cops included. This book grapples with what it means to be loyal and just how far someone can go before they get caught.

After reading fantasy after fantasy book, this was a great breather between heavy world building and magic. The characters act like actual teenagers, which is refreshing, and the entire novel is narrated by Eden herself. The book reads like Eden is telling the story to you, which adds a bit of flare that is much needed in the heavy plot. What’s also great, is that Barnard manages to work with such a dark topic and do so that’s both serious and playful at the same time so that you're always entertained and comfortable with what you're reading.

Reading Goodbye, Perfect was like a breath of fresh air and honestly I love it a lot. Barnard perfects the balance between the plot and the many subplots, all of which are intertwined amazingly. This book was never confusing, boring, or just plain bad; it was entirely the opposite! For as weird as it sounds, Goodbye, Perfect felt like a warm blanket was being wrapped around my shoulders, and I finished it within a day or two.

I totally recommend this!! You will fall in love with the characters and just how complex they are and just how human they feel, I promise. 

5/6 stars!