Perfect on Paper

Guys: Much easier to hide reading Perfect on Paper than it is to hide watching Sex in the City. Seriously, don't buy the line "it's a chick book." Totally fun story that will keep you cracking up and smiling the entire way through! Perfect on Paper makes you feel as if you were in San Francisco yourself...it's like a vacation reading the book! Women seem to dig the book the way they they enjoyed Bridget Jones' Diary, so get a copy for a friend. Anyone who has suffered the dating world or needs a reminder of good times with good friends will devour this book and thank you for the gift!!

Waverly Bryson is just about to have it all. She is two weeks from her wedding when suddenly her fiancé calls off their wedding. Stunned she wonders why and retreats from friends and only goes to work, and bonds with her bed and couch. Finally, about a year later, while she is at a sport super show managing the PR for a large client her interest is sparked by a man she meets. But, then again she can't seem to get her mouth to say the things she wants to and things don't work out. So now she is back in the dating pool and there will be a lot of funny tales. Additionally, she is toying with a way to let out her stress and frustration with being dumped, almost "at the altar", and comes up with her "Honey Cards" which start as a secret but are hilarious. Enjoy the romp through the Waverly's past and future. Oh my God. Not only do I think Perfect ...on Paper: The (Mis)adventures of Waverly Bryson is fantastic but, I think Ms. Murnane's is one of the funniest writers I have read in a long time (think the early days of the Stephanie Plum novels). If that is not enough then you get to read the little snippets of the "Honey Cards" which are just too funny. I hope this debut novel is not the only one that is in Ms. Murnane's head as I will be first in line for another adventure. After reading this story not only do I have a different perspective of San Francisco but am reminded that sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince. Additionally, Waverly was portrayed as a real woman, not someone that is always perfect. She makes mistakes, clams up and doesn't just bounce back from things quickly. I can not say enough about Perfect ...on Paper: The (Mis)adventures of Waverly Bryson and for that reason I just HAVE to make this a July Recommended Read. When is the next one Ms. Murnane? Tanya reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Waverly Bryson warns her fiancé who interrupts her wedding dress fitting that it's bad luck for him to see her. Little does she know - he's there to dump her. After mourning the loss of the relationship, she picks herself up and with the help of her friends Mackie and Andie, starts to put herself out there again, only to be stuck in dating purgatory. Her quotable doodles in the form of "Honey notes" soon turns into a full time gig and Waverly finds that her life as she has known it is about to change drastically. Maria Murnane's debut novel is a total gem. Every awesome review you read about it is spot-on. She has crisp dialogue, great comic timing, a truly self-deprecating heroine, wonderfully well drawn secondary characters, and accurate descriptions of one of the most beautiful cities that manage to transport the reader to the Union Street haunts she and her friends frequent. Her characters are not perfect - even the seemingly perfect ones display their flaws at one time or another... well except for maybe Today reporter Scotty Ryan. It's a nearly perfect novel (just got tired of the wardrobe descriptions which will inevitably date the novel) - an amazing feat for a first time novelist.

Two weeks before she is due to walk down the aisle and marry Mr. Perfect, Waverly Bryson gets dumped. After being in a relationship for several years with this man she goes through the normal "I just got dumped and I never want to leave my house mourning period," but with a little help from her friends, she heals, little by little and day by day. Getting on with her life means working, hanging with her two best friends and of course, dating. In the midst of all this she writes quirky little sayings, from her daily misadventures, which she hopes to use in a greeting card line. This is probably one of the best books I have read all year. I laughed so hard, so loud and so many times throughout this book and when I wasn't laughing, I was smiling. Waverly is easy to identify with and the friends she surrounds herself with are as unforgettable and just as loveable as she is herself. Waverly is not without flaws or faults and the reader gets to see her make mistakes, get laughed at, laugh at herself, learn and grow... All the while the author makes sure you don't want to set the book down, ever. The dates she goes out on are hilariously horrifying and unfortunately some are hauntingly familiar. Ladies, I challenge you not to find at least one of your former dates in this book. As intriguing and wonderful a heroine as Waverly is, this book wouldn't be anything without the supporting cast. It's really not just about Waverly, but about her and her relationships with her girlfriends, men friends, work chums and even her father. How each relationship shapes her in some way and how she finds and sees herself among them. At the beginning of each chapter in this well told tale is a sampling of Waverly's greeting card line that she has been writing. I found myself looking forward to that as much as I was looking forward to the actual story; they are witty and funny. This book is everything I love about chick lit and more. I am looking forward to reading more from this author; she has made a new fan! Cherise Everhard, June 2008

fantastic first book for this author; fun romantic comedy that comes alive with fresh dialogue and self effacing humor. give it a read!