Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

(I feel like I should preface this review by saying that there are spoilers ahead. And by spoilers, I mean that there's a 'twist' that one character learns in the course of the novel. I'm not sure how much of a 'twist' it is for the reader; I knew it going into the book, and it's easily findable in the subject headings. It's what the book is about, but it's not revealed for 100 pages (of a 300+ page book). It's been awhile since I've struggled with how to talk about a book like this - Liar might have been my last time where I wanted to talk about a book without really talking about it (and that's why it's in the 'read it withs' below). I think it does say something about how much I believed the characters that I feel this conflicted about a 'secret.' The read it with section, though, features other books with similar plots and characters, so stay away from there if you want to be completely unspoiled.)

(Side note: how do other book bloggers deal with 'twisty' stuff like this? On the one hand, I don't want to ruin the reading experiences of others, but at the same time, sometimes I want to talk about books that I have read.)

Anyway: on to the book!

Logan lives in a small Missouri town. He and his mom share a trailer but never really see each other; he’s still not really over his last girlfriend, and he’s not sure how he feels about starting college in the fall. Then he meets Sage. There’s an immediate attraction between them, because Sage is unlike anyone he’s ever met: loud, self-possessed, confident. Over the course of the first 100 pages they grow closer, but Sage has a secret that will make Logan question everything he’s ever thought about himself.

I enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to know what happens next; I really cared about both Logan and Sage. I haven’t read many teen books about this topic (although I’ve studied it in other ways), but now I want to see what else is out there – and what will be out there in the years to come.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
Luna by Julie Ann Peters
Monsieur D'Eon is a Woman by Gary Kates
The Blonde of the Joke by Bennett Madison
Diary of the Madman Underground by John Barnes
Liar by Justine Larbalestier