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You Asked for Perfect
by Laura Silverman
Senior Ariel Stone is the perfect college applicant: first chair violin, dedicated community volunteer, and expected valedictorian. He works hard - really hard - to make his life look effortless. A failed Calculus quiz is not part of that plan. Not when he’s number one. Not when his peers can smell weakness like a freshman’s body spray.
Figuring a few all-nighters will preserve his class rank, Ariel throws himself into studying. His friends will understand if he skips a few plans, and he can sleep when he graduates. Except Ariel’s grade continues to slide. Reluctantly, he gets a tutor. Amir and Ariel have never gotten along, but Amir excels in Calculus, and Ariel is out of options.
Ariel may not like Calc, but he might like Amir. Except adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push him past his limit.
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• Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQIA+• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Pub Date: March 5, 2019
• Add the book on Goodreads!
• Purchase: Amazon / B&N / TBD / IndieBound
with Laura Silverman
LM: What inspired you to write You Asked for Perfect?
Laura: I went to an extremely academically competitive high school. We were pressured to take as many AP classes as possible and do well in them. At the time, almost ten years ago now, this high school experience was pretty unusual. We jokingly called the school a university instead of a high school. But I’ve noticed in recent years it’s been more and more common to put this intense academic pressure on high school students all over the country, and that amount of pressure can be extremely harmful to the mental and physical health of the students. I wanted to write a book where high school students feel seen and heard. I wanted to tell them that they are much more important than their grades. I also wanted to send a message to teachers, parents, administrators, etc. Many already know this pressure is an issue, but I hope they will work harder to solve it.
LM: Tell us about the main characters in this story. Who are Ariel and Amir?
Laura: Ariel is a senior in high school on track to become valedictorian. He’s a big brother, loves sour candy, and is bisexual and Jewish. Amir is the love interest who tutors Ariel when he begins to struggle in calculus. Amir is also a senior in high school, a middle brother, loves photography, and is gay and Muslim. Their families are really close because the boys’ younger sisters are best friends and on the same soccer team!
LM: Give us a little behind the scenes story about this book!
Laura: Ariel’s love of sour candy is definitely inspired by my own love of sour candy. I often write while snacking on assorted sour candies (shout-out to Haribo in particular), so it just ended up being natural to share my sweet tooth with Ariel :)
LM: Can you share a favorite line or moment from You Asked for Perfect?
Laura: Don’t skip to the end, but the final scene of the book is definitely one of my favourites and makes my heart happy. My favourite line is earlier on: “Obviously, we can’t date if he doesn’t like matzo ball soup.”
LM: If You Asked for Perfect had a theme song, what would it be?
Laura: Ah, I’m really bad at this! But I thought of The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel often while writing the book. “"I am leaving, I am leaving" But the fighter still remains.”
LM: Tell us what you enjoy doing when you aren't writing!
Laura: Reading, of course! I also really love writing handwritten letters to friends (with lots of cute stickers). I love playing board games like Catan, and recently I’ve gotten a little bit addicted to Pokémon Go!
Laura: I went to an extremely academically competitive high school. We were pressured to take as many AP classes as possible and do well in them. At the time, almost ten years ago now, this high school experience was pretty unusual. We jokingly called the school a university instead of a high school. But I’ve noticed in recent years it’s been more and more common to put this intense academic pressure on high school students all over the country, and that amount of pressure can be extremely harmful to the mental and physical health of the students. I wanted to write a book where high school students feel seen and heard. I wanted to tell them that they are much more important than their grades. I also wanted to send a message to teachers, parents, administrators, etc. Many already know this pressure is an issue, but I hope they will work harder to solve it.
LM: Tell us about the main characters in this story. Who are Ariel and Amir?
Laura: Ariel is a senior in high school on track to become valedictorian. He’s a big brother, loves sour candy, and is bisexual and Jewish. Amir is the love interest who tutors Ariel when he begins to struggle in calculus. Amir is also a senior in high school, a middle brother, loves photography, and is gay and Muslim. Their families are really close because the boys’ younger sisters are best friends and on the same soccer team!
LM: Give us a little behind the scenes story about this book!
Laura: Ariel’s love of sour candy is definitely inspired by my own love of sour candy. I often write while snacking on assorted sour candies (shout-out to Haribo in particular), so it just ended up being natural to share my sweet tooth with Ariel :)
LM: Can you share a favorite line or moment from You Asked for Perfect?
Laura: Don’t skip to the end, but the final scene of the book is definitely one of my favourites and makes my heart happy. My favourite line is earlier on: “Obviously, we can’t date if he doesn’t like matzo ball soup.”
LM: If You Asked for Perfect had a theme song, what would it be?
Laura: Ah, I’m really bad at this! But I thought of The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel often while writing the book. “"I am leaving, I am leaving" But the fighter still remains.”
LM: Tell us what you enjoy doing when you aren't writing!
Laura: Reading, of course! I also really love writing handwritten letters to friends (with lots of cute stickers). I love playing board games like Catan, and recently I’ve gotten a little bit addicted to Pokémon Go!
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My debut novel, GIRL OUT OF WATER, is a summery coming-of-age story about a California surfer girl sent to landlocked Nebraska for the entire summer. It debuted in May 2017. You can order it from most book retailers and of course request it at your local library! My second novel, YOU ASKED FOR PERFECT, is about the effects of intense academic pressure on a teenage Valedictorian-to-be. It comes out March 2019, and you can add it on Goodreads here.
I have degrees in English and Advertising from the University of Georgia, and I have an MFA in Writing for Children from the New School. While I lived in NYC, I interned at Penguin and two different literary agencies. In addition to writing, I also freelance edit manuscripts and query letters. Please check out my services if you’re interested! I particularly love helping with those query letters!
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Huge thanks to Laura for answering my questions today!
Readers, please continue on for giveaway details! ~
Readers, please continue on for giveaway details! ~
Thanks so much for stopping by! ♥ Happy Reading!
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