Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson

Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson by Maria Murnane

Waverly Bryson's life appears to be perfect. She has a handsome, rich fiancee', a fancy job at a sports PR firm, and two loving best friends who keep her grounded. She appears to have it all, but everyone knows how fragile appearances can be. When her fiancee' calls off the wedding two weeks before the big day, Waverly sees her world start to collapse. A new co-worker with a sneaky side seems to have it out for her, and Waverly wonders how things can go so wrong so fast. When she meets Jake, a cute, funny sports trainer, she is immediately attracted, but can't seem to allow herself to trust him enough to risk a relationship. As her situation goes from bad to worse, Waverly begins to wonder - will she ever have the life she's always dreamed of?

Perfect on Paper is just plain fun. Waverly Bryson is a heroine who will appeal to so many readers - part Bridget Jones, part Carrie Bradshaw, funny, sarcastic, and believably flawed. Her propensity to land herself in embarrassing situations makes her so relatable - who hasn't found their foot planted firmly in their mouth on a few occasions? She has the kind of friends every girl needs, mixing sympathy with a little bit of tough love, and their relationships are some of the highlights of the novel.

Maria Murnane is a talented writer whose wit shines through the pages of her book. Her dialogue is smart and funny, and helps drive the action of the plot. I appreciated, however, her ability to write more than just funny lines - the section where Waverly's friend Kristina scolds her for her dependence on the opinions of others, and encourages her to find her value in herself illustrates a message that women need to hear, and I was pleased to read it in the pages of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would encourage readers to pick up a copy. I will be hosting an interview with author Maria Murnane next week, and am excited to hear her thoughts on the novel. Thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotion blog tours for allowing me to be a part of this fun tour!