The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist

Bisexual 16-year-old Ivy Winslow adores Hot, Magical, and Deadly, a TV show about superpowered teen models. Feeling lonely and isolated with her parents out of town for a week, Ivy indulges in an angst-driven fanfic writing session, which somehow results in her favorite character, Weston, manifesting in Ivy’s bedroom. Now she must deal with the imaginary guy of her dreams—one shaped by her own writing—hanging around and acting out the plots of her fanfic. She recruits her aromantic and asexual best friend Henry and her former bestie turned mortal enemy, lesbian Mack, to help her send Weston back to his fictional realm. Meanwhile, Ivy and Mack must navigate the ups and downs of their complicated history and potential future, especially with Ivy caught between Weston’s unrelenting affections and her lingering crush on Mack. Gonzales (Never Ever Getting Back Together) adeptly treads a tricky yet insightful balance of real life and fiction to explore the sometimes messy nature of emotions, relationships, and wish fulfillment. A secondary focus on the flaws of common fanfic tropes injects additional cleverness into this good-humored rom-com. Ivy, Henry, and Weston read as white; Mack is Black. Ages 13–up. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (Mar.)