Perfect

"I have the closest thing to a perfect life. I have loving parents, a nice house, a cute little sister and an obedient dog. I’m smart and have perfect grades, and most people say I’m pretty. I’m kind, friendly and helpful. I’m a Christian and a pastor’s daughter. I take part in every church event that ever existed. I have a perfect life.And I’m falling apart."In this Christian teen novel, Nancy E. Patton tells a story about a pastor’s daughter, trying to find her place in a world full of rules and expectations. "Perfect" teaches a valuable lesson on our imperfection and God’s unfailing love toward us, even when we do mess up. Gina grew up in a pastor’s family and is expected to do right, all the time. We find out that she’s adopted, which makes her desire to be perfect even greater. What if her parents decide that Gina’s more trouble than she’s worth? Other than keeping things together at home, Gina really wants her crush since childhood, Brandon, to finally notice her. Her friend Alisa, who’s been helping her with the get-Brandon project, shows up on his arm one day. When Gina finds out Alisa and Brandon are dating, she loses what little trust she had in her friends. That’s when a mysterious new guy, Joel shows up and decides to help Gina out. Gina, however, does not want his help and gets more and more agitated as he points out her hidden flaws. Gina is suddenly faced with the fact that her life is not as perfect as she thought, and Joel, no matter how irritating, may have a point. Meanwhile, Gina has to deal with school projects, broken promises, and other obligations she didn’t want to sign up for. But how could she say no, when people genuinely need help?Life gets more stressful when Gina’s parents confide in her that they are having problems with the church leadership which puts her father’s job in jeopardy. Brandon starts showing mixed signals toward Gina and Alisa once again shows how ruthless she can be. Their friendship becomes a battlefield, and a lot more people become involved in their conflict than Gina would have imagined. Gina finds herself alone without anyone to lean on, except Joel, who never leaves her, but with whom she will never feel perfect.It takes a serious accident for Gina to realize that her life has not been perfect for a long time, and that pretending everything is okay doesn’t help anyone in the long run. Would admitting her faults actually bring her closer to her parents? Could she stop trying so hard and be herself for once? These questions haunt Gina throughout the whole story, and Joel won’t let her forget them. There are only two choices: to stay the same, and nothing changes, or to take a leap of faith and see what happens.