*** (3 stars) Sweet, clean romance, but too predictable and too perfect.
“The Perfect Boyfriend” is the sequel to “The Boyfriend List” and picks up where the first book left off. This can be read as a standalone (which I did); however, reading the first book could be beneficial as it would provide some additional insight into the characters and background information into recent events.
Renee Novelle does a beautiful job with her creation of characters that have distinct personalities. Reagan, the main character, has quite a bit of personal growth throughout the book; however, much of this growth is facilitated by hand-holding and the more dominant personality of her best friend, and roommate, Petra. I enjoyed Petra’s personality, especially her confidence, much more than Reagan’s personality. Reagan had several insecurities, such as issues with self-esteem, self-doubt, and trust. She struggled with moving from a friendship to something more with Ian.
Ian was exceptionally caring, understanding, and humble. All he wanted was to give Reagan everything she could ever need, to love her, and have her love in return. With the title of this book, I expected Ian to be Reagan’s definition of perfect, but to me he was too perfect. In many instances, he was so perfect it was like he was a knight in shining armor that could do no wrong. His perfectness almost added a convenience and predictability to the story line – he would defend Reagan’s honor, even after the fact, and he was able to achieve his goal because he conveniently knew everyone he would have to cross paths with, and nobody would get in his way.
Reagan and Ian did encounter some roadblocks on the way to their happily ever after – the illness of one of Ian’s family, catty, interfering ex-girlfriends, and their relationship suddenly becoming a long-distance relationship. In my mind, these roadblocks and the subsequent conflicts were predictable, including the responses from the characters based on their personalities. Ian (or Mr. Perfect as I started calling him), had an explanation for everything. Reagan’s insecurities jumped to the forefront and she instantly doubted herself, Ian, and their relationship.
The part that really did not work for me was Reagan’s surprise. Readers find out about Reagan’s surprise before she does. This, in my mind, ruined the emotions of joy and surprise that were expressed by Reagan. I did not feel that the chapter that gave the details of the surprise was necessary, and would have enjoyed Reagan’s surprise and the ending more if I would have been surprised at the same time as Reagan was.
Overall, Renee Novelle did a good job with a sweet, clean romance. I would be willing to read another book by this author, and would recommend this book to those looking for a quick, sweet read.
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