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Perfect

(Impulse #2)

Ellen Hopkins (Goodreads Author)

4.34 · Rating details · 25,763 ratings · 1,618 reviews

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of l ...more

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Hardcover, 622 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

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Oct 10, 2010 Muse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: can-t-wait-2011, young-adult, favorites

I'm dying. Holy guacamole. That was beautiful.
I can't express it into words, what Ellen Hopkins can do. She's unbelievable. A superhuman? I cannot disagree otherwise. To be honest, I'm usually not the person to cry in books. I didn't even cry in Impulse. (Heartless, yeah.) (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Elle (ellexamines) rated it did not like it

Shelves: 1-star, lgbtq, z-2017reads, contemporary, what-is-this-mess

1.5 stars. This book had some really good stuff going for it, which was ruined by some really horrible treatment of rape victims and lgbt people.

The writing style is good, as long as you like Ellen Hopkin’s writing. I happen to find it easy to devour. Usually, her verse style gives good character insight, but I didn’t totally feel that here. Now, the characters themselves were not as much a strength as I usually find they are.

~ Kendra’s character spent 600 pages in the throes of anorexia, and 1.5 stars. This book had some really good stuff going for it, which was ruined by some really horrible treatment of rape victims and lgbt people.

The writing style is good, as long as you like Ellen Hopkin’s writing. I happen to find it easy to devour. Usually, her verse style gives good character insight, but I didn’t totally feel that here. Now, the characters themselves were not as much a strength as I usually find they are.

~ Kendra’s character spent 600 pages in the throes of anorexia, and did not develop at all. Sure, people do sometimes not conquer anorexia. But her ending was 1) too open, and 2) her character ended up being kind of a pointless inclusion in this book. What impact does she have on this story? Why is her non-arc there at all?

~ Cara’s character is… hmm. I went in really expecting to love her, and I just… didn’t. She’s supposedly trying to live a perfect life, but I didn’t feel that. I didn’t connect to her on any level, despite the fact that her character’s situation should have felt relatable. Her relationship with Dani is also pretty instalove and I never felt for them.

~ Andre’s character was better. The connection between his character and the others is not well built. Three of them make sense: Cara is dating Sean, who used to be dating Kendra, who used to be dating Cara’s brother. Andre’s connection to the group is that he dates Kendra’s sister for a little while. Andre is very disconnected from the other three characters, which was a bit frustrating. Overall though, I could tolerate this because his arc was compelling and he got a great ending.

~ Sean’s character is just a complete mess, and that’s the main reason this book is getting only two stars. After his girlfriend Cara says she wants to sleep with him, partially to convince herself she's not gay, she realizes that she does not want to and says no at the last second. He then rapes her. She, obviously, freaks out and breaks up with him. He then stalks her, going so far as to peek into a window to watch her have sex with her girlfriend and compare it to pornography. (Yes, she cheated on him, which I do not condone, but that does not even come close to justifying these actions). He then takes photos of them having sex and spreads them around the school, outing her and also putting her in an incredibly horrible position. And Sean did not develop at all. At the end of the book, he is still going to Stanford and has suffered no consequences for being such a shitstain on the face of humanity. He wasn’t even outed about his damn steroid usage. And to be quite honest, his narrative has nothing to do with trying to be perfect. He doesn’t belong in this book and frankly, he deserved to fall off a cliff.

This book also utilizes some minor problematic tropes. For example: the rapist was the representation of mental illness, which I really didn't expect from Hopkins. Jenna (Kendra’s sister) dates Andre to make her racist father angry, and he doesn't mind. How does he not mind? How would anyone not mind that?

Lastly, this book had some issues with biphobia — the exact same issues that Impulse had, and now the You I've Never Known As Well. (More on these two books here and here.) Cara does not once bring up the option of being bi, and her girlfriend immediately calls her a "a full-out dyke" despite the fact she’s still questioning, as well as implying being bi would make her lesser. Again, this is never called out. I am so confused as to how Ellen Hopkins wrote such good bi representation in Tricks, and then proceeded to perpetrate biphobia in so many other series.

I'm not planning on picking up any more of her books after this. I enjoyed two of her books, but given that I've now hated two more, I don't think continuing to read her books is a good decision. ...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Mikayla_ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012

I read it. It was so beautiful. More beautiful than Impulse? Maybe. I don't know. What I do know is that I fell in love with characters here more than in Impulse.

Cara, especially since I identify with her so much... (I know what you're thinking, and I don't care if you think it.)

I loved Cara/Dani. I love any gay pairing to be fair. I'm not sure why. As a huge straight against hate supporter, I guess that comes naturally.

Cara, Cara, Cara. The only one worth talking about. Perfection. I adore he ...more

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May 14, 2011 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, romance, poetry, lgbtq, realistic-fiction, young-adult

In Perfect Ellen Hopkins tells the story of four teens trying to find their flawless selves. Cara's brother has been committed to a psychiatric hospital after a failed suicide attempt, and she is struggling to deal with their parents' overbearing expectations as well as her sexual identity. Sean utilizes steroids in order to succeed, but does not realize that the risks and the consequences may make his efforts futile. Kendra covets the perfect body, yet cannot see beyond the idea that skinny is In Perfect Ellen Hopkins tells the story of four teens trying to find their flawless selves. Cara's brother has been committed to a psychiatric hospital after a failed suicide attempt, and she is struggling to deal with their parents' overbearing expectations as well as her sexual identity. Sean utilizes steroids in order to succeed, but does not realize that the risks and the consequences may make his efforts futile. Kendra covets the perfect body, yet cannot see beyond the idea that skinny is beautiful. Andre aspires to be a dancer, although his family disapproves. These four have to fight not only with the external forces raging against them, but also with their internal demons that may be the end of them.

Staying true to her trademark, Hopkins weaves a tale of teens with issues - in this case, anorexia, homosexuality, steroids, and dance - through her pulchritudinous poetry. Her writing was wonderful and seamless, as always, and Hopkins is one of the few young-adult authors who manages to obtain that perfect balance between not enough detail and too much detail - which, considering the subject matter, is quite an accomplishment.

Like most of her characters, the protagonists of Perfect are flawed but relatable. Cara's strength and resolve made her my favorite, but I saw a little bit of myself in every character - even, to a small extent, Sean. Hopkins included cameos from the characters of Impulse smoothly, and the intertwining of the two tales by the end of the book was genius.

I vacillated between 4.5 and five stars for this one, mainly because I felt that some of the characters' story lines could have been resolved more deftly. However, I then remembered Hopkins' message conveyed through the characters and their journeys: that perfection itself is not a real thing, because it is entirely subjective and everyone has different opinions on what is and what is not perfect. While a couple of the characters in this book were left with far from perfect endings, that's just how life is. Hopkins has done a praiseworthy deed by writing this book, and I hope many teens who are plagued with these problems will reach the conclusion that there is no need to be perfect - and that, in the end, being who you are is perfect enough.

*review cross-posted on my blog, the quiet voice. ...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Sammi rated it it was amazing

I've read enough Ellen Hopkins books to have an idea of her average character. Addicted to something, self-destructive, beautiful, liable to fall in love over the course of the book. And at the beginning of Perfect I thought that was exactly what I got. It followed the structure perfectly; multiple intertwined lives meshing to prove the same point. It's the point that made on the very first page: perfect is an illusion.

I guess I was a bit disappointed.

There was alcoholism and pill-popping and st ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: library-book

www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com

I didn't like this book as much as I did the first one, Impulse, but it's still pretty good.

You have Cara who is Conner from the first books sister. Then there is Sean, Cara's boyfriend, Andre a new character, and Kendra who used to date Conner before he dumped her.

So the story focuses on these four. There are some other characters that are involved in their stories but it's all about them from each of their perspectives.

Cara has trouble with her parents th ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Mariah Roze rated it really liked it

Shelves: diversity-in-all-forms-book-club

I really enjoyed this book! Ellen Hopkins always does such a great job at writing about difficult topics. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars, is that sometimes I would get the characters confused. I had a hard time telling all the girls apart and how everyone was connected to each other.

"Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Cara’s parents’ unre ...more

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Jul 04, 2020 Erica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqiap, 5-star-prediction, books-read-in-2020, 5-star-reads, library-book, wonderlandathon

So sad 😭😭😭

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Feb 03, 2020 aPriL does feral sometimes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: older-teen, favorites, friendships-and-family-life, young-adult, illuminating

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins must be read before 'Perfect' since 'Impulse' sets up to some degree in a sideways fashion what happens in 'Perfect'. In 'Impulse' seventeen-year-old teens are getting psychiatric care because they tried to kill themselves. Three teens in the previous book, the main characters in therapy, talk about their parents and other overwhelming issues which brought them to Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital in Nevada. The novel 'Perfect' follows up on some of the issues in 'Im Impulse by Ellen Hopkins must be read before 'Perfect' since 'Impulse' sets up to some degree in a sideways fashion what happens in 'Perfect'. In 'Impulse' seventeen-year-old teens are getting psychiatric care because they tried to kill themselves. Three teens in the previous book, the main characters in therapy, talk about their parents and other overwhelming issues which brought them to Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital in Nevada. The novel 'Perfect' follows up on some of the issues in 'Impulse' by tracking the middle-class twin sister of one of the hospital's inmates, adding insight to how dysfunctional parents or their unrealistic expectations can crack their kids minds like raw eggs. Entertainingly, of course, even while very enlightening. I KNEW kids like the ones in this book!

Cara is dealing with the same emotional issues that brought her twin brother Conner to thoughts of suicide, but she still is pushing through her loneliness and feelings of not being good enough. She is on track to being accepted by Stanford if she continues to earn top grades at school and excel at extracurricular activities which are showing her to be a standout student. But what she really wants is her parents' approval. Her cold withholding mother, especially, is forever telling her to be even better - to be perfect. She isn't sure if she can keep herself together enough in being perfect, especially since she notices herself looking at girls more than boys.

Sean loves Cara, the school's most perfect girl. He feels she also adds to his value as the school's top athlete. However, he is fearful he is not a strong enough athlete to qualify for an elite college despite workouts and team sports. He knows someone who knows someone who sells illegal steroids to bulk up on muscle. If he can make his muscles bigger he will be perfect.

Kendra misses Connor even though he broke off their relationship before he ended up at Aspen Springs. She wants to be a model. Everything she does to herself is to be thinner and thinner. She diets and works out constantly. She has scheduled an appointment to have her nose reshaped. But somehow she can't seem to get thin enough despite her near starvation diet and physical activities. Maybe a pill to stop her remaining appetites? She will be perfect if she can squeeze her 70 inches of her slender body frame into a size two dress.

Andre has a few issues with his parents' expectations, but he has a plan which involves going behind their backs. He is dating Jenna, Kendra's sister, who he likes being with so much. But why is Jenna becoming more and more the wild party girl? Her clothes are simply scraps barely covering her body, and she appears to be drinking more and more. Does she really like him? Or is she using him to enrage her racist father? His own father wants him to go into business, but he wants to be a dancer. Going into business would make him perfect to his dad.

The book is truly realistic in describing a lot of dysfunctions some teens begin to have due to various social and parental pressures. Some of the pressures are there because of multiple issues caused by parents - divorces, not much affection or only conditional love or approval, physical abuse. These particular teens in the books act out in different ways. However, some are able to recover either because they have basically decent parents or they find a support person, like a good friend. Others crash and burn, unable to pull themselves out of their spirals of self-destruction.

I thought the book topical and illustrative. Readers learn about the emotional mechanics of revenge sexting and self-destructive partying, what effect a parental emphasis on kids giving a successful public show of a perfect (per)form(ance) over any real personal substance, modern school and peer pressures, and how social mores and markers of personal superiority by beauty and athleticism can royally f*kc up people. Modern family dysfunctions are amplified by the presence in most teens of naturally occurring angsty insecurities.

The book can be an emotional validation and a navigational roadmap for teens and adults. For me, it was a revealing look at realistic family dramas from the viewpoint of teenagers. I think it is a good series, if not for some sensitive folks. It is all in free verse. ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: poetry

Thanks for tearing out my heart, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it with both feet.
I appreciate that..

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May 11, 2017 Jay G rated it really liked it

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

Cara's parents are controlling which led to her twin brother Conner trying to commit suicide. When she discovers something about herself, she doesn't know how she can be who her parents want her to be. Kendra wants to be a runway model, but how far will she go to achieve that goal? Sean wants to play baseball for Stanford and live a happy life with Cara and will stop at nothing to get w ...more

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Jan 29, 2014 Sesana rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, lgbt, multiple-viewpoints, eating-disorders

Well, this was a big improvement over Impulse for me. I do think that Hopkins's writing has steadily improved over the course of her writing, a little better with each book. The thread that tied all of these stories together is a little thinner than in some of her other books, but certainly closer than in Tilt. The one thing all four of her viewpoint characters have in common is that they're being pressured to be perfect, by their parents, by themselves, or both. We have two guys and two girls, Well, this was a big improvement over Impulse for me. I do think that Hopkins's writing has steadily improved over the course of her writing, a little better with each book. The thread that tied all of these stories together is a little thinner than in some of her other books, but certainly closer than in Tilt. The one thing all four of her viewpoint characters have in common is that they're being pressured to be perfect, by their parents, by themselves, or both. We have two guys and two girls, Cara, Sean, Kendra, and Andre.

I wasn't surprised to find myself most riveted by Cara and Kendra. Cara is the one that I have the most hope for. Watching her break out of the shell her parents (especially her mother) have built for her was really nice to see, and I liked her romance with Dani. Kendra's story was sort of like watching a car crash in slow motion. And I think the worst of it was that the crash isn't over at the end of the book. Kendra hasn't entirely faced that she has an eating disorder, and neither has her family. And she hasn't yet realized that her new agent is taking advantage of her. I wish at least some of this had happened in the book, even if the dust hadn't entirely settled. I just hated putting the book down with Kendra still where she was. Cara isn't optimistic about her future, and neither am I, but I still would have liked to have a better idea.

Sean's narration could be tough to read, because we're watching him on a serious downward spiral. Andre, though... Well, I liked him, and I could understand him. But his story was less about him and more about his relationship with Jenna, Kendra's self-destructive sister. And I didn't at all enjoy watching Jenna implode. Still, I can't really complain about their voices, or the believability of their stories. I just didn't really care for following them.

This isn't the best thing that Hopkins has ever put out. But it is an improvement over Impulse, and it's a good sequel to that book. I get the feeling that there could be yet another book in this series, and I don't know how I feel about that. Maybe if Hopkins would stick to fewer viewpoints, it would be easier for her to finish out a story in one book. ...more

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Sep 05, 2010 Melissa See rated it it was amazing

Oh my God. As of right now, there are no words to describe how much I loved this. And I doubt there ever will be. Thank you, Ellen Hopkins. Thank you.

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Mar 25, 2017 Kells Next Read rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, poetry

"Fighting Depression is hard when you have no real reason to fight it." ...more

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May 17, 2015 Alex Black rated it did not like it

Shelves: one-star, young-adult

I couldn't get past the blatant victim blaming and that happened to Jenna's character. I had high hopes for this book because I loved some of Ellen Hopkins's other works, but how Jenna's character was treated made me physically ill. I had to pause for several minutes after Andre visited her in the hospital because it was too much. I couldn't believe how everyone just shrugged it off as she got what was coming to her, especially considering how much of an activist Ellen Hopkins is. Not a book I w ...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Rhyanne rated it really liked it

Rhyanne Lynch
January 23, 2012
Period 2
“Perfect” Review
Sex. Sexuality. Deprivation. Desperation. Abuse. Abandonment. The pursute of complete and udder perfection is a very messy one with many turns and tricks. Hopkins positively describes the true emotions and feelings of confused individuals and explaining perfect as an expectation you hold to yourself, not one someone holds for you. The saying “Went looking for perfection, got lost.” comes to mind when reading Ellen Hopkins enthralling book, “ Rhyanne Lynch
January 23, 2012
Period 2
“Perfect” Review
Sex. Sexuality. Deprivation. Desperation. Abuse. Abandonment. The pursute of complete and udder perfection is a very messy one with many turns and tricks. Hopkins positively describes the true emotions and feelings of confused individuals and explaining perfect as an expectation you hold to yourself, not one someone holds for you. The saying “Went looking for perfection, got lost.” comes to mind when reading Ellen Hopkins enthralling book, “Perfect”. in her book, Hopkins does a great job of explaining the thought process of a confused, unappreciated teenager.

Many people go searching for perfection, and in that frantic search completely loose themselves. This happens to be the case for Kendra, who’s light blond hair and crystal blue eyes have gotten her everywhere she’s wanted to go, so far. Competing in beauty pageants since she was a little girl, she has always been aware of the way she looks; but her mirror no longer suits her expectations. Too fat at 5”10 and 120 pounds, Kendra is constantly dieting (a.k.a not eating).

Cara to all of her friends at school, is the popular “it” girl. With a great body, pretty face, and hot boyfriend, you would think she had everything. But she would argue she has the exact opposite. Never really understanding what love is has frusturated her her entire life- having a boyfriend who “loves you” can only mean so much to a girl who was raised by a mother who never even smiled in her direction; a cold woman with no compassion for anyone, only selfishness. As if these challenges aren’t enough for one girl to handle, Cara is faced with another when meeting an amazing girl and begins to question her sexual preferences.

Sean has got it all- a pretty girlfriend, Cara, who he loves, nice guardians, and since starting steroids, an awesome bod. But without realizing, Sean’s life had actually begun to spiral. Cara was distant and hanging out with a girl more than him, his uncle kept saying he was worried about him, and he began needing more and more steroids to keep up with his expectations.

Andre, an extremely wealthy black guy, has the whole world going for him. Connections to all colleges, creativity, smarts, and experienced. But what he really wants in life is to not be a banker, or a doctor, politician, or a broker, but an artist. Andre must decide whether to follow his dreams and face his parents, or do as he’s been told.

Though none of these teenagers had very similar lives, they all learned important life lessons in what the true definition of perfect is- perfect through their own eyes and no one else’s. ...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Elizabeth rated it it was ok

Shelves: i-own-read, young-adult, poems-or-in-verse

I've read almost all of Ellen Hopkins' books besides Fallout, I think. I absoloutley adore them. She is one of my favorite authors. I love how she writes, it's so artistic and beautiful. She really makes you connect to her characters, and I love how she normally always has more than one main character to follow, and you can always at least relate to one.

I expected this book to be AMAZING, and I even bought it the day it came out. I've been waiting for it to come out, and I'm not gonna lie, I wa ...more

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Dec 30, 2014 spencer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-favorites, my-children

Without a doubt, Perfect is my new favorite book.

Perfect tells the story about four teens: Cara, whose parents demand that she be perfect in everything she does, and her parents' drive for perfection have already landed her brother in Aspen Springs, after he tried to commit suicide. Kendra, who desperately wants to model, and she wants the perfect model body, no matter how many pills and plastic surgeries she needs to get her there. Sean, who is obsessed with having muscles on top of muscles. He ...more

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Nov 12, 2015 Chelsea rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star

So before reading this book I hadn’t read anything by Ellen Hopkins. I probably never would have, because from what I’d heard her books sounded pretty heavy (heavy as in emotionally heavy), and I don’t tend to pick up heavy books for fun because, well, they’re called “heavy books” for a reason.

I joined my schools book club, and someone picked this book for December (whose idea was this?). I figured no harm in at least trying an Ellen Hopkins book. They're pretty popular after all.

Now that I’ve f ...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Abbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, up-all-night-reads, with-questionable-content, reading-from-a-z

I've been waiting to read this book for a year ever since I read Impulse, and now that I've finished all I can say is Oh my gosh! I can't even explain all the emotions I'm going through after reading this book; and since I'm not very good at making reviews, I'll make this short and sweet.

Obviously, it was beautiful. The novel talks about how individuals (particularly teenagers) are so focused on achieving perfect standards that are superficial and unrealistic that they lose their identity in th I've been waiting to read this book for a year ever since I read Impulse, and now that I've finished all I can say is Oh my gosh! I can't even explain all the emotions I'm going through after reading this book; and since I'm not very good at making reviews, I'll make this short and sweet.

Obviously, it was beautiful. The novel talks about how individuals (particularly teenagers) are so focused on achieving perfect standards that are superficial and unrealistic that they lose their identity in the process because the price is too extreme. They're not content with themselves and struggle for improvements that only lead to misery and regret.

Let's start with Cara. I was a little disappointed by the fact that Cara turned about to be a lesbian (although I can't say I hadn't thought of that conclusion from the beginning), I thought she'd eventually become the perfect child Conner hadn't been. But with parents like hers I probably would've developed a problem or two.

Then there's Kendra. She had family problems, Conner broke her heart, and she had low self-esteem. For me it was really painful to read about her distorted perception of her body; among all the characters she was the one who needed help the most. I don't even know if she did get over her anorexia or not because her ending was quite vague. It's just so sad because what she went through is really happening in reality and so many beautiful girls (and boys) are starving themselves to reach an ideal that makes them feel good about being unhealthy. A hundred years ago, plump girls were considered beautiful because their bodies presented health and wellness. But nowadays the media bombards us with ideas that look down on voluptuous bodies and gives praise to rail-thin models. It's just so sad...

Now we go on to Sean. I hated the fact that he couldn't handle the break-up, but I did feel sorry for him knowing that he lost his prime motivation for performing well. But his ending was good because he came to a realization that a person shouldn't put all his heart and energy in just one human being when he doesn't have enough to fuel his self-love. If you want to be loved for who you are, you have to love yourself first. Because no one on this earth (except God) will be able to accept you and understand you but yourself.

And lastly, there's Andre. His problem was his lack of ambition and initiative. He didn't have the courage to stand up for what he loved (dance), and he didn't know how to help his beloved Jenna. I got bored at times when it was his turn to narrate because he didn't have that much of a problem. But in the end he too got his happy ending. It required sacrifice and encourage but it all worked out for him in the end.

Well that's the end, I'm sure I'll be re-reading this novel for many years to come. :)

...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Madison Fitzgerald rated it it was amazing

Whether its getting good grades in school, getting the girl or guy, or if its just meeting expectations, we all strive to be perfect. Ellen Hopkins best selling book “Perfect” tells about four strangers aim to be perfect sets them into a downward spiral.

Ellen Hopkins, a poet, freelance writer, and the award-winning author of twenty nonfiction titles and five NY Times Bestselling novels-in-verse, draws in her readers by her style of writing and presenting powerful themes of lost love, betrayal, Whether its getting good grades in school, getting the girl or guy, or if its just meeting expectations, we all strive to be perfect. Ellen Hopkins best selling book “Perfect” tells about four strangers aim to be perfect sets them into a downward spiral.

Ellen Hopkins, a poet, freelance writer, and the award-winning author of twenty nonfiction titles and five NY Times Bestselling novels-in-verse, draws in her readers by her style of writing and presenting powerful themes of lost love, betrayal, fear of failure, temptation, pride and downfall.

“Perfect” tells the dramatic story of four seniors who have to face everything life has, even the kitchen sink. Cara Sykes is the daughter of the top two graduates at Princeton and the twin sister of Conner Sykes, who not only has a fetish for women twice his age but is suicidal. Now Cara must give in to her downfalls, heartbreak, and the journey to finding herself.
Kendra Matheson is the pretty girl who wants a little more and a little less. She wants more fame, more attention, and more Conner Sykes. She wants less stomach, less thighs, and less nose. Throughout the whole book it is evident that Kendra, in my opinion, is the one with the most insecurities.
Sean Terrence is the star baseball player at school and has muscles bigger than a gorilla on steroids. Which is ironic due to the fact Sean does take steroids, anything to be on top. Sean has to have a plan for everything, and lately his plans have been revolving around his girlfriend, Cara Sykes. Sean must figure out if his life with Cara is worth losing her and his dreams.

Andre Markus is, how his lady friends may say, the bomb. He is the son of two credible plastic surgeons and his future is heading in that same directions. But not on his will, Andre wants to be a dancer. His future is all about rebelling against his parents and doing his own thing. Until he meets Jenna Matheson, Kendras busty sister. Andre has to make the decision of if having an alcoholic lustful girlfriend is better than his own happiness.

This book is an insight to all the aspects of life and how people cope with their aim at being perfect. We all have our little temptations that make us want to be perfect. But ultimately only you can decide what’s perfect. ...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Kelly rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2011

Of the Hopkins books I've read, this one is her weakest. The idea of perfection actually gets lost in a smorgasbord of other issues, especially at the end when the catalyst for all of the characters waking up comes through a character who never got caught up in this very issue (I realize that statement is debatable but since we never see Conner on page, I won't buy it).

The other issue I have with this one is that verse novels are hard. Hopkins is, however, a master. There is no question she can ...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

DECEMBER 2014:

WOW. THAT WAS PERFECT.

THIS. I CAN'T EVEN.

This book takes place during the events of impulse (the 1st book in the duology) and is from Cara's POV (Connor's sister) & 3 of her "friends".

While Impulse concentrated on suicide & the meaning of life etc, Perfect is all about Perfection and what it is to achieve "perfect".
But this book is so powerful! It deals with sexuality, substance abuse e.g. drugs & alcohol, body image, eating disorders, relationships, abuse, rape, parental & sibli ...more

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Dec 29, 2014 David rated it it was amazing

At first, I wasn't liking this one as much as the first one, but then I realized that I relate to this one more than the first one. This writing is so beautiful, it's like nothing I've read before. Ellen Hopkins has that unique style that makes you want to keep reading. I read this in a day, just like the first book of this series. It was great to see how Cara was dealing with life while Conner was in Aspen Springs. All of these characters really discovered theirselves and it was great. The endi ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Natasha rated it really liked it

I listened to this on audiobook, and it was cool to hear 4 separate voices paired up with the characters. Each person had a painful story to tell, and even the supporting characters had pasts that hurt to hear about. The main theme though of striving for perfection, pleasing other people over yourself, not being good enough, etc., really hit home and I feel most people will have an emotional connection to it in some way.

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Oct 24, 2017 Rebecca K. 8b rated it it was amazing

This book is defiantly for more mature readers. I really liked this book because I can tell the author isn't afraid to bring up certain topics that most authors are afraid to bring up in there books. Things like suicide, depression, and anxiety. This book defiantly brings up those and many other things people deal with as daily struggles because of our society and that's what I like about it so much. This book doesn't hold back at all and shows you the truths of how this world turns and it defia ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Erem rated it it was amazing

Such an amazing message. A must read for all teens as part of school curriculum.

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Sep 14, 2011 Anna rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fans of other Ellen Hopkins books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First, a word: I am not in any way suggesting that this will be an unbiased review. I have been a huge Ellen Hopkins fan ever since I read Crank in fifth grade, and I have been waiting since Christmas for this to come out. I loved Impulse, and I pored over the sneak preview of this book in the back of Identical too many times to count.
So.
I read it as soon as I brought it out of the bookstore (taking time, of course, to admire what I believe to be her best cover yet). By the time I had read the f First, a word: I am not in any way suggesting that this will be an unbiased review. I have been a huge Ellen Hopkins fan ever since I read Crank in fifth grade, and I have been waiting since Christmas for this to come out. I loved Impulse, and I pored over the sneak preview of this book in the back of Identical too many times to count.
So.
I read it as soon as I brought it out of the bookstore (taking time, of course, to admire what I believe to be her best cover yet). By the time I had read the first chapter (chapter being cycle of all four characters narrating), I knew I would not be disappointed. Initially, I had been most excited about Kendra, but as the story progressed, I started anxiously tearing through just to get to Cara's chapters. I also became more and more interested in Sean's story—admittedly because it was tied in with Cara's so much. Andre, despite being different than I expected, simply didn't interest me. There was a lot of detail about Jenna, not so much about him.
Some of my favorite things about the story were the crossover scenes. I loved peeking back into the world of Impulse. I also—naturally—loved Cara's and Dani's romance. I was so glad to see another lesbian character, I overlooked some of the unrealistic parts. For example, how quickly they became involved. I was a little bothered by this scene: Cara falls into a snowbank, Dani helps her out, Cara feels attraction to Dani, they go on a ski lift together, Cara somehow guesses that Dani is a lesbian, they make out. Seems a bit unrealistic, considering it all happened in the space of a half hour or so.
Another thing that bothered me was how much the story focused on Cara. I didn't mind, because I was so fascinated by her story, but by the whole photo-fiasco, she was the main topic. This may be because I was up so late finishing it, but it seems like Sean's, Kendra's, and Andre's stories sort of petered out. There was a definite lean toward Cara as the main character. Kendra was, at least in the end, a vapid, shallow ninny, and I'm not exactly sure what Andre was. And Sean. Is it just me, or did even the author hate him? There just wasn't enough justification—however biased—from him to make me see his side. Maybe that was just because I liked Cara so much, but I think that was sort of neglected.
Despite its flaws, I loved Perfect too much to give it any less than a full five-star rating. I'm already reading it again.

BREAKDOWN OF PARTS AND HOW WELL-WRITTEN THEY WERE

Beginning: A
Middle: A+
End: B

Cara: A+
Kendra: A-
Sean: C+ (she made it hard to sympathize with him in the end)
Andre: B+

Overall Grade: A- ...more

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Jan 05, 2015 Yanisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

This book was different from the first book in this little series. There were different characters, but the same timeline and small bits of Conner's life. At first I found the new characters to be confusing and I had a hard time allowing them in, for I felt so dearly for the characters in the pervious book. I'm starting to see a theme in Ellen Hopkins's books. Lots of same gender relationships, drugs, alcohol problems, ect. Okay now into the novel... Throughout the whole book I had a difficult t This book was different from the first book in this little series. There were different characters, but the same timeline and small bits of Conner's life. At first I found the new characters to be confusing and I had a hard time allowing them in, for I felt so dearly for the characters in the pervious book. I'm starting to see a theme in Ellen Hopkins's books. Lots of same gender relationships, drugs, alcohol problems, ect. Okay now into the novel... Throughout the whole book I had a difficult time remembering who the characters were. I didn't really feel any personal connections to them -unlike how I felt with Impulse, for that book made me fall in love with every single one of the characters. I think it was because there were more POVs shown through this book, they began to mush up in my head and caused me confusion. I still loved the writing, especially those two way poems that split in the middle and can be read in two configurations(is that understandable? maybe not haha) I enjoyed Cara's character and Kendra was very intense and of course the book is very dark and depressing. I am starting to get addicted to Ellen's writing style and want to read more books like this. However, I felt that the end of the novel didn't really tie off or arc all the character's stories and I would've enjoyed more closure, especially for Jena and Kendra. I really enjoy how with this book, you don't actually see any scenes or actual events. There are a few, but it mostly sounds like what's going on in the character's head. It seems more powerful, more honest, more real. The rape scene with Cara really got to me and I began to feel this horrible hatred for Sean. Sean's character really tore me apart... like I would feel bad about his mental sanity and all the drugs he was taking, but then remember what he did to Cara and feel lost about my opinions on him. All the parents really annoyed me how none of them really showed us love and gave us an ideal figure to cheer for. I wanted to know more about Kendra's modeling career and it hurt me to read about her disorder. I always feel really bad when I think about all the people in this world whom live just like these people. Affected and carrying the weight of the world -racism, sexist, age, drugs and alcohol, and eating disorders. I liked that it ended with Conner's wake and that Tony and Vanessa are sneaked into this book, even for a little. (: if you're looking for a dark, intense, beautiful and impacting book, I would recommend Intense (the first book), and then to continue on to this. I still want to read more of her books and cant wait for this awesome reading year to come!! ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Kristen Wilson rated it really liked it

My review is about the book "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins. This book is about how four teenagers go about finding their own type of perfection.
The book takes the reader through the fight between Cara and her parents. They want her to be their idea of the perfect child and student, but the pressure of these same goals made her brother, Conner, suicidal. Kendra wants to be the most beautiful girl alive. She wants the prettiest face and the skinniest body, and nothing, not even her health or her moral My review is about the book "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins. This book is about how four teenagers go about finding their own type of perfection.
The book takes the reader through the fight between Cara and her parents. They want her to be their idea of the perfect child and student, but the pressure of these same goals made her brother, Conner, suicidal. Kendra wants to be the most beautiful girl alive. She wants the prettiest face and the skinniest body, and nothing, not even her health or her moral judgment, will stand in the way of her getting what she wants. However, to Sean, being the best baseball player is what he defines as perfect. He will do anything to make him the best, even if it’s not the right choice. And Andre just wants to dance, against the wishes of his plastic-surgeon mom and real-estate-agent dad, who both want him to follow them in their footsteps.
This book was amazing. I could empathize with the characters in the book. Their struggles were mine as well while I was reading. The author made amazing, realistic characters. Throughout the book I found myself in love with the humanness of the teenagers portrayed. Ellen Hopkins perfectly captured the essence of the human condition that everyone wants to be their own kind of perfect. I loved that what some of the kids did was unmoral, because it fits in with the real world. It’s not just some lame story with a G-rated plot line. It deals with people’s morals and ethics, and that’s what I love.
I think that this is a wonderful thought-provoking book. The book isn’t like a regular book, because it’s written in a poetry format and it’s like the teenagers are writing it themselves; like a diary of sorts. The book entertained me, and made me ask myself questions like ‘what would I do for perfection?’ or ‘what is my idea of perfection?’ I think that this is a high school level book, because of the themes presented in the book. It’s about choices an elementary student would have not even have considered yet, and some themes would go right over a middle school student’s head. "Perfect" is a great book about the humanness in everyone.
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topics	posts	views	last activity
Diversity in All ...: Perfect (February 2020)	4	22	Feb 07, 2020 12:32PM
Ellen Hopkins Fan...: Perfect	2	17	Sep 14, 2015 09:18PM
Characters	5	36	Jul 07, 2015 04:47PM
WORD GAME! starting with.... you have to look and see!	1	14	Jul 07, 2015 04:43PM
Who is your favorite character throught the whole book and why?	1	5	Jul 07, 2015 04:39PM
Rape or Honest Mistake?	30	196	Sep 11, 2014 06:22AM

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About Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins

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Ellen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Triangles, Tilt, and Collateral. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest pages get thousands of hits from teens who claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at ellenhopkin ...more

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Known for gritty novels in verse for young adults, the narrative poet talks about her first book for an adult audience. Triangles explores...

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Quotes from Perfect

“HOW

do you define a word without concrete meaning? To each his own, the saying goes, so

WHY

push to attain an ideal state of being that no two random people will agree is

WHERE

you want to be? Faultless. Finished. Incomparable. People can never be these, and anyway,

WHEN

did creating a flawless facade become a more vital goal than learning to love the person

WHO

lives inside your skin? The outside belongs to others. Only you should decide for you -

WHAT

is perfect.” — 280 likes

“She is madness,
sanity. She is hell, and
paradise.” — 170 likes

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Perfect

(Impulse #2)

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