Review: Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

First line: “I still can’t believe this is happening.”

From the back cover: Waverly Bryson is a successful businesswoman in her late 20s who almost has it all: a dream job in sports PR, two best friends, and a bar where everybody knows her name. What she doesn’t have is a ring on her finger. And after being ditched at the altar, she’s in no hurry to get one. Besides, plenty of other issues keep her busy, including her wayward father, a new rial at work, and an ever-nagging fear that her life is not turning out as she thought it would…or should. To stay sane, Waverly makes a habit of jotting down “Honey Notes,” self-deprecating bits of single-girl humor that she hopes to one day develop into a line of greeting cards.

Can’t face the dating scene after a bad breakup?

Honey, hit the bar, and hit it hard. Beer goggles are the lonely girl’s Cupid.

As Waverly stumbles back into the dating scene (no stalkers or jean shorts, please), her personal and professional lives threaten to collide. Perfect on Paper reminds readers that everyone has had a bad date (or twelve), and that everyone needs a best friend to tell them, “Honey, you are not alone.”

My thoughts: This was a fun, enjoyable, quick read that had me laughing out loud more times than not. 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. 

At the beginning of each chapter are samplings 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. These “Honey Notes” help to keep the writing light and humorous as we wade through Waverly’s ups and downs in daily life, watching as she looks for the perfect job, family and happily ever after.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, It’s a Waverly Life. I hope we get more samples of the “Honey Notes” as well as see Waverly find her happily ever after.

(I borrowed this book from the library.)