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    Perfect on Paper
    Perfect on Paper
    Perfect on Paper
    Audiobook10 hours

    Perfect on Paper

    Written by Maria Murnane

    Narrated by Julia Whelan

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “Meet the new Bridget Jones.” —PopSugar Daily

    “A light and funny read. If you’ve ever felt like your life wasn’t going the way you’d planned, then you can’t help but connect with Waverly’s tale.” —Becky Lejeune for Bookbitch.com

    Anything can look perfect on paper. When her fiancé calls off their wedding at the last minute, Waverly Bryson wonders if her life will ever turn out the way she thought it would…or should. Her high-powered job in sports PR? Not so perfect. Her relationship with her dad? Far from it. Her perfect marriage? Enough said. To keep sane, Waverly makes a habit of jotting down “Honey Notes,” her own brand of self-deprecating wisdom and a pipe dream for a line of greeting cards.

    As Waverly stumbles back into the dating scene (no stalkers or jean shorts, please), her personal and professional lives threaten to collide. Perfect on Paper reminds us that everyone has a bad date (or twelve), and that everyone eventually needs a best friend to tell them, “Honey, you are not alone.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    ISBN9781455879083
    Perfect on Paper
    Author

    Maria Murnane

    Maria Murnane left a successful career as a public-relations executive to pursue a more fulfilling life as a novelist and speaker. Her own “story behind the story” is an entertaining tale of the courage, passion, and perseverance required to get the first Waverly novel, Perfect on Paper, published. (Chocolate for Two is the fourth in the series, following It's a Waverly Life and Honey on Your Mind.) Maria graduated with high honors in English and Spanish from the University of California–Berkeley, where she was a Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar. She also holds a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University. She currently lives in New York City.

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    Reviews for Perfect on Paper

    3.5/5

    78 ratings11 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 1/5
      Very predictable and very silly. The writing sometimes got on my nerves because it described every little action by the characters.
    • 4/5
      "It's raining kitty puppies"..... that's all I can say! This book was delightfuly funny and refreshing. Can't wait to read the rest of Waverly's journey!
    • 3/5
      This was a great weekend read. Waverly is the typical chick lit hero - has a pretty great life but doesn't have a man. She is less annoying than most , even as she is moaning about being on the backup list for People's 50 Most Beautiful People (ugh). I did want her to find her happy ending.
    • 3/5
      I would describe this book as like reality, but funnier. It’s like a humorous, slightly snarky friend telling you about her day. And it’s awesome. I really liked the the characters seemed believable, both our heroine Waverly and her best friends, because of both their reactions and the things that happen to them. Waverly deals with everything from guy trouble to a distant father to career decisions, and all in a way I could relate to. Initially, I found Waverly a little bit annoying, because she’s not very self-confident. But she really grows throughout the novel and I like that in a character. This is also where the instant love interest happens, but in this book it was really just an instant crush, which isn’t so unbelievable after all. Overall, a solid opening to the series which got me firmly in like with Waverly.
    • 5/5
      Waverly Bryson is newly single again. Her fiance left her at the altar, almost. Two weeks before their wedding he decided to call it off. "I don't think I love you anymore." Ouch. And he did it while she was trying on her wedding gown. Her "perfect" life came crashing down. After a year of social hibernation Waverly is trying to regain her footing in the dating world. Her supportive friends are trying to help but it never seems to work out right. It's one bad date after another. Her job in sports PR in San Francisco is not the career of her dreams. She has a new idea for her own line of greeting cards but could it work? Her family life is strained as well. The only time she hears from her father is when he needs money. Since he gave up his dream of being a baseball player to raise his only child after her mother died she can't escape the guilt. Or his open hand. To top it off, Aaron her ex, is getting married to a partner at his firm. And it's only been a year!Chick lit fans will especially adore this book as I did. The characters were so interesting, I wanted to hang out with her friends and slap her dates. While Waverly is attempting to reorganize her life and accomplish her dreams she has to overcome her obstacles and fortunately all of this happens in a humorous way. When I laughed out loud I was hooked. And I am ready for the sequel!
    • 4/5
      OK, I have to admit, even for a guy, I really enjoyed Perfect... on Paper, Maria Murnane's novel of the trials and tribulations of Waverly Bryson, who, in her late 20s, is dumped by her fiancee just weeks before their wedding. What follows is a funny, witty portrait of a modern day woman trying to get back on her feet and in the dating game after such a devastating event in her life.What I liked best about Perfect... on Paper is that it didn't try to be more than what it is; a light, fluffy book that is all about being brain candy. You don't have to think too much about it (most of the plot is fairly predictable) and the characters don't try to be too deep. I could actually relate to quite a few of the scenes, as I can remember similar situations with my own friends.It did seem like Murnane couldn't decide exactly what direction she wanted to take the book. It was a little part romantic comedy, a little part family dramedy, a little part office dramedy, but when it all came together, it worked fairly well. The only thing that I would have changed about the book was the length; and I don't even know what I would remove. It just seemed that by 2/3 of the way through, I had a fairly good idea of how things were going to play out and I was just waiting for the ending to come and for Waverly to get her Mr. Right. I'm not saying it was bad, it just seemed a little too played out by the end.Really, Perfect... on Paper is a satisfying read that really doesn't try to be pretentious or overbearing. It is what it is; just a fun, quick read.
    • 4/5
      My first review of 2009 is going to be a book I read in 2008. LOL! I recently finished Perfect....On Paper and boy was it good! It starts with Waverly Bryson's fiancee breaking up with her just weeks before the wedding is about to occur. The book chronicles the aftermath of everything Waverly has to deal with to get over her fiancee and begin to love herself. Perfect On Paper is filled with Waverly's "misadventures" in getting back into the dating game. Add to that a so-so job that Waverly isn't too enthused about and two great best friends and you have a perfect combination for a fun read.I really enjoyed reading about Waverly's life and her adventures back into dating. There were some laugh out louds moments in the book especially when it came to Waverly running into her ex. I was rooting for her from the beginning as I thought the author did a great job of portraying Waverly in a realistic fashion. She wasn't perfect...she did make some mistakes and that was part of the fun of reading this book. As a reader, I just couldn't help but really like her. The ending was good with enough of a twist that it didn't go exactly where I thought it would. All in all, I thought this was a fun read. Readers who enjoy chic lit. and romance or even those who are looking for a "fun, light" read will enjoy this book. Thanks so much to Tracee for sending me this book to review!
    • 5/5
      Maria Murnane’s was very generous and kind in sending me a copy of her new book, Perfect on Paper. Thank you so much Maria, for such a fun read!Everything is perfect! He’s handsome, rich, smart and comes from a very impressive family. What more could a girl want? For one thing, for the wedding to actually happen, not for him to back out just 2 weeks before the fairy-tale day. I was drawn in immediately with the contrasts between Waverly and her fiance. This was a good way to set up the scenario and it definitely worked. With a broken engagement behind her and a broken heart to be mended, Waverly Bryson tries to retreat from the land of the dating until her two best friends McKenna and Andie try to get her out of her funk. This effort involves blind dates, yuk! Some are just plain horrible while some are barely tolerable. Some of these scenarios will have you laughing out loud. Murnane shows her incredible sense of humor through out the entire book. At one gathering, Waverly looks over the crowd and says, “just like straight off the rack at Nerds R Us.” There is plenty more where that came from. I liked the way Murnane builds up Waverly’s character. She has a conflict in her feelings with her father and the emotion in this shows clearly. The dialogue between Waverly and her two best friends is always witty, while still being caring. I found it very plausible with only one quibble. Do almost thirty year olds say they would like to meet “cute boys”? I would think by that age they would be looking for “hot men”. But this is only a small annoyance because over all the book is very good. Murnane creates a character you want to root for as this book made me smile, laugh and at times groan out loud. Waverly learns to discover her true inner self and comes to the realization that she needs to do what makes her happy, not what others think should make her happy. Out of what seemed like the end of her world in the beginning, came a lot of good for the future. Perfect on Paper is perfect for those who like humor and chick lit with some real substance to it. I give it 4 ½ *****
    • 4/5
      I am thrilled that I got the opportunity of reading Perfect On Paper, written by Maria Murnane. I have been bemoaning the decline in good chick lit for some time now. However, this book is a little gem. It opens up with our main character, Waverly - basically getting dumped a few weeks before her upcoming marriage. As we follow her and her two best friends (as well as a variety of celebrity and non-celebrity friends) through some emotional upheaval in her professional life (I did not get that account) and some hilarious first date (never to see a second date again) stories. What I liked about this book is that although things don't seem to go all that well for Waverly in the guy dept., she always, somehow manages to put a good spin on it. The relationship she has with her friends is nice (if not a little enabling) and I have to admit that, unfortunately, for me the book was a tad unrealistic in some instances. Waverly, is 30 years old, but seems to party like she is 17! She seems to have a hungover at every turn (her boss was right! it was very unprofessional to get falling drunk at the company function) but although Waverly feels bad about it, she finds the solution by....going out for another night of drinking. The other thing that I had a hard time believing is how 'lucky' Waverly seems to be - she always seems to 'accidentally see' the person she wants to see, or 'accidentally' gets to sit next to a celebrity on the plane, I know these are common devices in chick lit - in order to move the plot along - but they felt extremely unrealistic to me. I didn't really care though! This book is cute, funny, refreshingly entertaining and I think it is a great chick lit read - so pick up your copy and enjoy!
    • 4/5
      This is a fun, light read. The storyline is interesting, the characters are well written and and it's got some very funny moments. I liked Waverly's character. You want things to be okay for her.
    • 5/5
      Need a way to kiss a bad day good bye?Honey, snatch up ‘Perfect …on paper The (mis)adventures of Waverly Bryson’ and get ready to kick that stress to the curb!After getting ditched by her fiance, two short weeks before their wedding, Waverly Bryson feels her world tipping, landing her in a crater the size of the Grand Canyon. She is at a loss as to what happened, when, and just where the heck was she when all of this mind changing took place?!As time goes on, Waverly suffers through several mediocre blind dates, “beer goggle” meetings of the opposite sex and a bit of a crisis wondering what happened to her life and if it will ever end up like she thought it would.Being in a high-powered job as a sports PR, was a dream job (or was it). Having a father who was bitter because he had to give up his dream to raise his daughter (or was he). Having to best a new rival at work (or was she), who was trying to steal her clients from her. One thing is definite - Waverly has two wonderful friends, Andie and McKenna, who are by her side through any happiness, pain or hangover. In addition to her friends, Waverly has a heaping file, spilling forth with “Honey notes” that she has written from every experience she has suffered through, since the calling off of her wedding. A whole new era of greeting cards for a whole new era of single women.The character of Waverly is one of sassy humor - occasionally a bit on the “snobbish” side, but one that is so easy to fall in love with. Several times, as I was reading, I was reminded of Becky in the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella and Lizzie from the Queen of Babble series by Meg Cabot. Both Becky and Lizzie have such memorable and kick butt attitudes (in their own ways), along with humor spilling over from every crevice. I found this to be very true of Waverly also. Though life knocks you down - there is always a way to get right back up, whether you want to or not.The author’s voice is delightful and the way that she brings her characters to life, is perfect. With sarcasm and humor doused throughout, ‘Perfect …on paper‘, is sure to bring a smile to a reader’s face and a chuckle ringing in the air. The reader is carried along on Waverly’s adventure as she tries to sit her life straight - perhaps even finding a bit of love and happiness along the way (just maybe…)Maria Murnane’s debut novel is sure to land her in the hearts of many - as she has in mine. With an unending amount of wit, humor and compassion, this is a novel sure to please and one that I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun and relaxing read. I greatly look forward to more by this author!