As Close to Perfect by Maria Jane

Genre: Multicultural & Interracial Romance | New Adult & College Romance 

Published: May 24, 2022

Series: Perfect

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Audiobook: No

Received From: Kindle Unlimited

Blurb

She’s definitely attracted to his type and he seems as close to perfect as a guy could get. Only problem, she’d sworn off dating hot, muscled, athletic types for good.

Wronged by a string of jocks, Bree creates a hard rule: no dating athletes. Further, she enacts a list of other guidelines to protect a fragile heart. As per the rules, coffee meetups don’t count as dates, lunch doesn’t count as a date, there will be no physical displays of affection until after a real date, and no sex until he commits to an exclusive relationship.

Enter Nate. Tall and muscular with deep blue eyes and dark hair, he’s the perfect clone for the guys that hurt her before. If it walks like a duck, it’s a duck, right?

Enter Steven. She could not have ordered a more perfect person. Okay, so he is muscular, but not too tall. Be he’s also focused on his career. Definitely the mature man she’s been looking for.

When Bree allows herself to give in to her feelings, sparks fly. They’re happier than could be imagined. But being a couple is about more than just the two of them. Family, religion, location, and money all factor in.

Can they meet in the middle?

Review

This is the first book I read in Maria Jane's Perfect series, and I was impressed. Bree has sworn off white jocks and ends up with a white jock as a tennis partner. He's attracted to her, but he doesn't check off any boxes on her internal checklist for the perfect guy. 

Bree is relatable; I remember having the same checklist when I was her age, which probably closed me off to several opportunities to date decent men. The beginning of the book pulled me in right away because there wasn't a long, drawn-out introduction to Bree herself. The flow of the book was nice, a perfect blend of frenetic activity and downtime. The dialogue, both internal and external, is appropriate for someone in her early twenties. Some readers might find Bree's checklist and fast-paced inner dialogue challenging, but I thought it was perfect.

I appreciated the clean romance and Bree's view on sex, and found her "wait until I get to know the guy" perspective appealed to me. I also enjoyed the fact that the sex scenes weren't explicit, perfect for the new adult genre.

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