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March 5th 2019 Sourcebooks Fire
I received this book from Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have so much to say about this wonderful book.
To summarize, this book follows a high school senior named Ariel as he deals with the overall stress of his senior year. Trying to become valedictorian and get into Harvard, while still maintaining his position as first chair violin in his school’s orchestra along with many other social and academic responsibilities ends up creating the most unmanageable workload ever seen by man.
This book is absolutely magnificent, and it resonated with me so strongly as I read it. It’s all about Ariel trying to achieve perfection in every area of his life. He’s taking a full course load of ridiculously difficult classes, he’s supposed to play a solo in his school band, and he’s also joining his friend in her non-school band. He volunteers, he has synagogue and other religious holidays, and of course, there’s supposed to be some time in there to fit in friends and romance.
Just to start with, I really loved how three dimensional Ariel was. All of his relationships and interactions were fleshed out and unique. You got to see his relationship with his parents, sister, and friends. Ariel’s bi, and we get to see the evolution of a romance that was also complex and unhurried. I especially loved how religion was such a huge part of Ariel’s identity, and how his Judaism interplayed with the other facets of his life.
I read this book in the middle of the semester, in the middle of a busy week. I normally don’t do that because school is so stressful, but this book was really captivating. And I’m glad I read it in the middle of a school week. Because in the week I read it 2 things happened.
One, I saw myself in someone. I’m a ridiculous overachiever myself, and it calmed me to see that trying to do everything at once isn’t something that is exclusive to me, which is something I sometimes feel.
Two, it helped me accomplish more that week, but in a non-stressful way. Usually, I try to do everything all at once, with the only acceptable outcome being perfection. But since I saw how that is literally not possible through Ariel’s actions, I tried taking things one goal at a time, trying not to stress too much over the time it was taking, or the weight it had on my grade.
There were many other things I appreciated about this book, the cute romance, the religious aspects, the familial relationships, the friendships, but this book was a masterpiece because it showed the interplay of all those things with school. It showed how anxious Ariel became, and how he worked himself until he bled (literally) to be the best.
Ariel is so afraid to ask for help the entire book. He’s in competition with the other candidate for valedictorian and refuses to think of a friendship with her because of what it might mean for his Harvard application if he let friendship get in the way of his GPA. This book did a wonderful job of showing me that I’m not alone in an area that often feels very isolating. I really want everyone to read it and love it, because this book just spoke to me on an emotional level.
I’m just so, so happy you enjoyed this book so much and that it echoed with you so much, just as well. I felt the same way and founds bits and parts of myself in Ariel, which made this read so relatable and so amazing, too. ❤ This was a wonderful review! ❤ Did you read Girl Out of Water, by this author? I loved this book SO much just as well 🙂
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Thank you so much! 💕And yes! I got approved for Girl Out of Water on NetGalley when that was being released, and I loved it so much I bought myself a physical copy when it came out! That’s why when I saw You Asked for Perfect I IMMEDIATELY requested it on NetGalley. And dare I say I loved You Asked for Perfect even more than Girl Out of Water? It just had that relatable element that makes the reading experience so much more intense and enjoyable!
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AHH YAY this makes me so, so, SO happy! I loved both books so much honestly, I couldn’t pick a favorite, but it’s true that I related to You Asked For Perfect a whole lot as well. AHHH I am so happy to find another Laura Silverman fan ❤
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I also enjoyed this book. I really liked the way Silverman incorporated Ariel’s faith into the story, and I adored his relationship with his family
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I’m glad you did! And I loved it for all the same reasons! This book managed to incorporate all the different aspects of Ariel’s life so well which really made him feel like such a well-rounded character.
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I too am a ridiculous overachiever, running myself ragged to the point of exhaustion (with the stress-induced dyshidrotic eczema all over my feet to show for it), so I bet this is something I would enjoy as well, plus I’m always happy to read books with Jewish characters. Thanks for making me aware of this, great review! 🙂
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Oh, wow! Yes, I definitely think this is the book for you then! I hope it will relax you, as it helped me do! It definitely will be relatable. Glad to have introduced you to this wonderful book!
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I’ve got this one on my TBR and I’m definitely convinced I need to hurry up and read it! I love books that deal really well and wonderfully with diversity aaaaand I am here for the school overachievers because I was like partially one.😂 I wasn’t the best student ever but I stressed SO hard over getting good marks haha. I’m glad this lived up to expectations for you!
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I can’t wait for you to read it! This book needs more love and I feel it is my duty to shove it in the face of anyone who I think might enjoy it and say READ IT! So I hope you love it!
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It’s really cool to hear how you related to this story and that you picked it up at the right time too! It couldn’t have been more perfect. Great review! 😀
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Yup! I was so glad it lived up to my high expectations! And timing is everything for me with books. I’m glad the stars aligned with this one!
Thank you!
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I honestly think a lot of teenagers live these kind of lives nowadays. The pressure to not just do well but to do EVERYTHING amazingly is real!
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EXACTLY! Which is why I found this book to be so important and relatable. You many times read books with main characters who never spend a stitch of time doing schoolwork or worrying about grades, but in reality both of those things are very big parts of most students’ daily lives.
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I’ve been seeing this is the second five-star review I see of this book and I’m officially excited to read it! I’m glad you found the story and the charcters to be relatable. It’s sad to say that this is the kind of life most teenagers, and even some adults in college, are forced to live. This was definitely me when I was in school. Wonderful review!
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Yaaaaaas! Read it! It’s definitely a sad reality that students are facing so much stress, but I’m glad it’s something that’s starting to be addressed in media. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy reading the book!
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I have this on my tbr list and I’m glad to know that you enjoyed this book so much! This one sounds right up my alley with college life and all that. Really looking forward to read this! Great review! ♥
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I hope you love it! Thank you so much!
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