You Asked for Perfect

by Laura Silverman

[Sam@WLABB]

Ariel's life seemed perfect. He was valedictorian of his graduating class, scored a 1600 on his SAT, was first chair violin for his school orchestra, and appeared a shoe-in for admission to Harvard. However, things were not quite what they seemed, and Ariel's perfect veneer began to crack under the pressure of his senior year.

I love that Silverman took on this topic. I worked in a high school for over a decade, and I encountered many students, who like Ariel, were striving to be the best and to achieve perfection. The weight and the stress can take its toll on many, and that was what happened in You Asked For Perfect.

Something that immediately stood out to me was how spectacularly Silverman brought us into Ariel's chaotic world. One of the first notes I jotted down while reading this book, was how exhausted I felt after living one day with him. The pace, the planning, and the amount of things on his to-do list, all of it was overwhelming. Ariel unraveled slowly at first, but once he began to spin out, I was swept away in his whirlwind of emotions.

But Silverman didn't only explore the pressure Ariel was feeling and creating for himself, she also look at Pari, Isaac, Amir, Rachel, Malka, and Sook's stressors. Some of their stress came from similar sources, some were really different, but it was the ways they dealt with the pressure, which I found interesting.

Something I loved about this book was the connection Ariel had to his family. Maybe they didn't notice his downward spiral right away, but I would call his parent very present, and he shared the sweetest bond with his little sister. As busy as Ariel's parents were with their careers, they made time to sit down for Shabbot dinner each week and to attend temple together. They would also take time out to share what happened during the week via their "highlights and bloopers" game.

Can I just say, I loved the incorporation of Ariel's Jewish faith in this story. We spent serval Friday nights with the Stones, as well as the high holidays, and it was nice to see him in his community. I also thought it was wonderful that he found comfort in his faith.

Ariel grew quite a bit over this period of time. When his grip was slipping, Ariel let quite a few important people down. He let his emotions get the best of him, but when he stepped back, he saw and acknowledged the error of his ways. He also did some great things to atone for his mistakes, and it takes a pretty big person to do these things. I was proud of him, and the tough choices he made.

This would not be a typical review of mine, if I did not mention the romance. Let it be known, that I was a fan of this pairing. I actually thought it was fabulous the way the relationship sprouted so organically, and took root so well. Amir was very good for Ariel. I thought he balanced him out well, and pushed him to see things from a different perspective. It was cute, that they had a bit a history too, with their sisters' friendship and the closeness their families shared with one another.

Overall: An authentic look at the pressures teens face in the quest for that college acceptance, which incorporated family, faith, friendship, and romance.

Full review to follow.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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