Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Call Me When You're Dead is a darkly comic novel about payback gone wild, gone sour, maybe even sweet. "If anything bad happens to me, I want you to get him." That's what Eleanor Birch's glamorous friend Sasha Cole requests of her during a New York City dinner one hot August night. Something bad does happen, and Eleanor is forced to become another person altogether in the wilds of Manhattan, acting as her own little Pygmalion in the harsh world of advertising and its remorseless denizens. How she triumphs, and how her prey becomes first her ally and then her lover, makes her journey a tragic romp, a hilarious disaster, and even an all-out farce--but one with very serious consequences.

Review:

I didn't quite know what to expect when I requested Call Me When You're Dead, by A.R. Taylor.  Was this a serious revenge thriller?  A rom-com?  A story about life and death?  This novel had some elements of each.  But also, it was a screwball comedy that I think would make a terrific movie.  This is a comedic, modern-day look at thirty-somethings in Manhattan, friendships, and the world of advertising.  The main character, Eleanor, in her quest to seek revenge on her dead friend's ex-boyfriend, transforms from a quiet, librarian, into a woman at ease in the New York social scene. I found her journey to be a reminder to live life to the fullest now, because one never knows when life will be cut short.  There were also many other wonderful characters, especially the ex-boyfriend, Jon, and his brother Walter, along with a cadre of Jon's colorful advertising colleagues.  While the antics sometimes were over the top, the behind the scenes look at making commercials was hilarious.  This was a fun, engaging book.  I highly recommend it.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Eleanor lives in Buffalo, New York and has a job that she loves as a research librarian.  But her social life is pretty stagnant.  The antics of her high school friend Sasha provides lots of exciting stories whenever they get together for dinner.  But, when Sasha suddenly dies, Eleanor feels obliged to grant Sasha a last request: get even with the man who broke Sasha's heart.  But what is Eleanor supposed to do?  She doesn't even know the guy's last name!  Well, Eleanor does what a librarian does best; she does her research.  Also, luckily, she teams up with another of Sasha's friend, a New York actor who knows everything about New York.  While figuring out what she needs to do, Eleanor undergoes a transformation, inspired by Sasha.  What I loved about this change was it was driven by Eleanor finding out what she really liked.  She didn't change into a fake version of a Manhattanite, but into her authentic self.  

Jon, is a career-driven advertising executive.  Far from trying to hurt Sasha, he is just so busy, and under so much pressure, he can't focus on anything but his job.  And (probably unknown to Sasha) Jon has a very complicated family that includes overbearing parents, and his brother, Walter, who has some challenges of his own.  When Eleanor finally meets him to inform him of Sasha's death, it hardly registers, at first.  But, as the story progresses, Jon begins to see how he let Sasha down.  And he is intrigued by that friend of Sasha's (is it Eleanor?) who he keeps running into. 

Romance:

As all good rom-com's go, there is an unusual meet-cute, hidden intentions, and then heartfelt connection.  Eleanor first meets Jon on one of the worst days of his life.  The commercial he has just created, gets stuck on a loop on CBS, making it one of the most instantly annoying commercials in history!  Jon is so caught up in his now imploding career, he barely hears Eleanor's news about Sasha.  His seeming indifference is infuriating to Eleanor, who doubles down on her commitment to ruin Jon on Sasha's behalf.

But, eventually, Eleanor sees Jon for the stressed out person that he is, who cares deeply for his parents and brother.  And Jon begins to notice how genuine Eleanor is with everyone.  They are actually a perfect match.  But can Eleanor fall in love with the man she has vowed to avenge on behalf of her friend?

Advertising:

I really loved this aspect of the book.  The people at Jon's advertising company are as cutthroat as they come.  One of his colleagues is a brilliant art director, with a heavy addiction to drugs, alcohol, and affairs with his co-workers.  With all the chemicals in his body, it's a wonder he's still alive.  His other co-workers all seem to be scheming to get ahead. And if that mean sabotaging another's work, then so be it.  But who messed with Jon's commercial?  Jon leaves no stone unturned to find out.  And if he has to break into other peoples computers?  Well, they shouldn't have left them turned on.

Things come to a head as Jon and his rival both have to shoot commercials in the desert with wives, girlfriends, a herd of buffalo, and the world's most obnoxious director in tow.  These scenes were really funny and would make for a terrific movie.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: September 6th, 2022

Author:  A.R Taylor

Publisher:  She Writes Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Page Length:  368 Pages

Format: E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  This was a really entertaining read with plenty of great characters and romance.  I highly recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service―that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach―at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she's not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

Review:

At first, Perfect on Paper, by  Sophie Gonzales, seems like a typical YA novel,  There is a meet-cute, a somewhat improbable premise, and a sweet resolution.  But this novel is much better than this description.  The characters are an array of LGBTQ+ and straight people, with the main character, Darcy, being Bi.  I loved that this book brings up topics of Biphobia among the LGBTQ+ community.  Does Darcy need to prove she's Queer enough to be accepted by her LGBTQ+ peers, her parents, and even herself?

What I Liked:

Premise:

Darcy, a scholarship student at an elite private school, has a side-business as an anonymous advice giver.  Teens leave letters (and ten dollars) in locker 89, which Darcy, as soon as the coast is clear, collects and answers each day.  But one day, Darcy is seen by Brougham, another student, who blackmails her into helping him win back his ex-girlfriend.  This was a fun way to introduce the reader to all the many characters at this high school, and show some of the tricky situations these teens face.

Characters:

Darcy is a bisexual girl, which she sometimes finds challenging.  At the beginning of the novel, there are microaggressions described that come to a head later in the book.  I loved how this issue is presented (not something I really thought about before, to be honest).  It made me think about some of the prejudices I have held, and will attempt to erase in the future.

Brougham, is the straight boy who Darcy is helping (albeit via blackmail) to win back his girlfriend.  He is definitely shaped by his parent's terrible marriage.  When his parents argue it's an all out screaming, objects being thrown, fight.  It's embarrassing for Brougham to invite people over due to all the drama.  And this has caused him to be very reserved with other teens.  Darcy hs real empathy for Brougham, as her parents acted similarly before they finally divorced.

LGBTQ Representation:

Besides Darcy, there are several other LGBTQ+ characters.  There is her sister, Ainsley, a transgender girl, and Darcy's lesbian friend, Brooke.  These were more than superficial characters.  I really liked that they were very well fleshed out people, with many good, and not so wonderful, qualities.

Story:

I enjoyed the story so much.  Each chapter begins with one of the letters Darcy answers from locker 89.  And her advice is actually pretty good!  Because Darcy's advice is anonymous (and people often do not say who they are), she is privy to many secrets in and around the school.  She also has given anonymous advice to a student she can identify, namely her best friend Brooke.  But is the advice she gives to help Brooke, or help Darcy?  

Another part of the story which I really loved was about crushes.  Darcy (as is often the case in YA books) has a crush on her best friend.  In most stories, Darcy would declare her love and Brooke would confess she also was secretly in love with her.  But Perfect on Paper is much more realistic.  

What I Was Mixed About:

Story:

While I liked the story very much, there was one aspect of the novel I didn't appreciate.  While one character really has to pay a steep price for their actions, others did not.  I was really glad that there was some accountability in this book, something many books lack.  But one of the most annoying characters in the book really gets away with some serious misconduct without any consequences.  I found this very frustrating.  I was surprised that the other character didn't call them out on it.  But I supposed that this is what happens in life. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  March 9th, 2021

Author:  Sophie Gonzales

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre:  YA Contemporary

Page Length:  304 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A fun YA book with solid representation of LBGTQ+ characters and situations.