📚ARC REVIEW – GOODBYE, PERFECT by Sara Barnard

Goodbye, Perfect
by Sara Barnard
Publisher – Macmillan Children’s Books
Release Date – 8th February 2018
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository

When I was wild, you were steady . . .
Now you are wild – what am I?
Eden McKinley knows she can’t count on much in this world, but she can depend on Bonnie, her solid, steady, straight-A best friend. So it’s a bit of a surprise when Bonnie runs away with the boyfriend Eden knows nothing about five days before the start of their GCSEs. Especially when the police arrive on her doorstep and Eden finds out that the boyfriend is actually their music teacher, Mr Cohn.

Sworn to secrecy and bound by loyalty, only Eden knows Bonnie’s location, and that’s the way it has to stay. There’s no way she’s betraying her best friend. Not even when she’s faced with police questioning, suspicious parents and her own growing doubts.

As the days pass and things begin to unravel, Eden is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the world, her best friend and herself.

Sara Barnard just gets better and better… 

I was very lucky to receive an early copy of this, although I do think I might have pestered the publishers for a copy of this as I was desperate to read it. As one of my most anticipated reads of 2018, I feel that this book is Sara best and my personal favourite.

What happens when two girls, best friends who are complete and total opposites, are pulled apart and tested by trust, friendship and the question of love and loyalties? On a day when Eden and Bonnie were meant to be going to Canterbury, Eden gets a visit from the police and Bonnie is off on adventure and she doesn’t want Eden to tell. But what happens is that Bonnie has ran off with her music teacher Mr Cohn, personally known to Bonnie as Jack. Eden is for a better word flabbergasted by the prospect for a nearly 16 year old, in love with her music teacher, Bonnie is perfect straight A student why would she run away…and leave Eden behind to pick up the mess.

Perfect, pffft, that’s totally overrated and I loved how Sara explored that especially through Eden’s character, she isn’t perfect and she admits that, but that what makes her stand out. The fact that everyone perceives Eden as flawed, because she’s adopted and maybe she’s academically challenged but she has gardening and if she wasn’t adopted she wouldn’t have something that she enjoys, that she thrives at so much. Bonnie has never made a mistake in her life until now and maybe on some level Eden was jealous of that, but through the week of Eden having to cover, to be accused of Eden’s sudden disappearance, just because she was that type of girl, it was almost as if this friendship was eating up at her and she needed to be free of it. I think that’s why I felt very conflicted with both Eden and Bonnie’s characters; Eden I admired her loyalty to best friend, I truly did, but Bonnie’s actions weren’t worthy of it and that’s what annoyed me at the end of the day.

My favourite characters has to be Connor and Valerie; Connor was just the perfect boyfriend, to anyone else they would think there isn’t anything special about him but you could tell that he’s protective, caring and that he has a heart of gold especially for Eden. That’s the definition of love right there. Valerie, is an example of perfect in the beginning, her relationship with her adoptive sister hasn’t by all means perfect and she has wants to do is try and support, that’s why I loved her because she never gave up. At the end of the day they need each other as sisters and family.

I’ve met Sara twice, as a debut author at a blogger event and then last year when she was the highlight of the book week at my work/school. Each time I’ve read one of her books, there not only so different, but she seems to really grow as a writer. Sara faces the important issues that needs talking about especially that of appropriate relationships and the boundaries. It such a relatable and real book, that Goodbye, Perfect is story about defining love, building healthy relationships and succeeding for yourself. As a Secondary School Librarian at an all girls school I find this a very important and beautiful book to read and I highly recommend it.

Rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Books for sending me a proof copy in exchange for a honest review.