Perfect on Paper

The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson, Book 1

By: Maria Murnane

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Waverly Bryson is a successful businesswoman in her late 20s who almost has it all: a dream job in sports PR, two best friends, and a bar where everybody knows her name. What she doesn’t have is a ring on her finger. And after being ditched at the altar, she’s in no hurry to get one. Besides, plenty of other issues keep her busy, including her wayward father, a new rival at work, and an ever-nagging fear that her life is not turning out as she thought it would...or should.

To stay sane, Waverly makes a habit of jotting down “Honey Notes”, self-deprecating bitsof single-girl humor that she hopes to one day develop into a line of greeting cards: "Can’t face the dating scene after a bad breakup? Honey, hit the bar, and hit it hard. Beer goggles are the lonely girl’s Cupid."

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 listeners that everyone has had a bad date (or 12), and that everyone needs a best friend to tell them, “Honey, you are not alone.”

©2010 Maria Murnane (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Hilarious!! Great find!

If you could sum up Perfect on Paper in three words, what would they be?

Funny - laugh out loud funny! CharmingDelightful

What was one of the most memorable moments of Perfect on Paper?

When Andy was at a dinner party and the Cappuccino affect came quickly....

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The voice of Waverly. I think the narrator captured her perfectly. I would have like to hear a little more variation in the voices for the supporting characters, at times I really had to concentrate to figure who was speaking.

If you could take any character from Perfect on Paper out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Jake, because he sounds delicious. But seriously...Waverly, she's so funny, and clumsy, and cute.

Any additional comments?

I purchased this book via the daily deals for $3.95, its probably one of the best purchases I have made yet. I liked the book so much I decided to immediately review it and buy the rest of the series.

love Waverly Bryson. It is impossible not to.

love Waverly Bryson. It is impossible not to. She is adorable.

Maria Murnane’s comic romp, “Perfect on Paper” takes us into the tunnel of love that was Waverly’s last year in her twenties, starting at what seemed like the best day of her life (her wedding day to an imminently eligible bachelor) and then following her through the wreckage that ensued the following year (she got left at the altar). Watching Waverly struggle with dating, office politics and self-discovery, it is impossible not to fall in love with her. She is the ideal girlfriend, confidant, office pal and best friend.

The story races along as Waverly tries to put her life back together while at the same time trying to figure out what it is that she actually wants out of life. Some of the funniest scenes are from Waverly’s dating disasters, which her friends loving recall as ‘Waverly moments’ such as the dinner date where Waverly pulled off her sweater in a busy restaurant, but somehow had forgotten that she was not wearing a camisole underneath. Equally funny are the stories that her friends share of their first dates, like the flatulent Porsche owner guy, or the guy who tried to borrow money for his LSATs via email after the date. Much of the enjoyment of reading this book comes from the intimate back and forth between Waverly and her friends as they commiserate with each other, usually over cocktails. The dialog is pitch-perfect and full of the subtleties that exist in talk between close friends that are unafraid to tell the truth to each other.

Totally Relatable!

This should be a movie or a series on the Hallmark channel. Totally fitting given the theme.

I had a hard time liking the main character

What did you like best about Perfect on Paper? What did you like least?

I think the author wanted the main character to be endearing...but I found I could not like her nor feel sorry for her. I almost quit listening several times. The narrator made it seem like you were listening to Sex in the City reruns

Which scene was your favorite?

Have to admit that some of the Honey cards where quite witty

Even as a guy I enjoyed these books. Fun read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

In fact my girlfriend and I have gifted this series to several of her friends.

What did you like best about this story?

A window into a world I never suspected existed. I had to stop the audio even couple of minutes for my girlfriend to explain things to me I had never heard of but apparently are part of a language every girl knows. But the humanity and getting yourself into trouble and embarrasing circumstances is universal. Sort of a Brigit Jones sort of book. If you liked that you might like this even more.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nice pleasant voice. Helps you dive into the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I would say so, though my girlfriend and I listened to it in the car so over quite a few sittings.

Any additional comments?

Try the book, I think that you will like it and want to listen to all three.

Lovely

This is such a good and lighthearted story.
Waverly Bryson has had her share of bad relationships and ups and downs in her career, but armed with her two best friends and an amazing sense of humor, she's determined to make the most out of life. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more of the misadventures of Waverly Bryson.

I liked this book

I listened to this while I did my daily walk and thought it was a cute story. Not flawless....but cute.

Fun story, great narration

I really enjoyed Julia Whelan's characterization of Waverly Bryson. She reminded me of Cameron Diaz in the movie The Sweetest Thing. The story was light hearted and funny. Perfect for when some girl time laughs were needed!

This one was a struggle

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I struggled to get through this book and it only barely got 3 stars from me. At times it just dragged on and on and I couldn't wait for it to be over. One of the few reasons I kept going was so that I could write a review without having given up halfway through. I was baffled by why the author chose to describe, in such detail, such mundane things. This isn't Jane Austen, I do not need this much of the book devoted to the character going to and from places. The book went from being sort of promising to just okay and then sort of pummeled in the middle before barely winning me back at the end when the Honey Notes subplot took center stage.

What was most disappointing about Maria Murnane’s story?

This book actually reminded me of the first few unbearable weeks in a writing workshop with a novice writer. It needed some major editing. I really wanted to like this book more, if only in a guilty pleasure sort of way and it just did not happen. It was typical and formulaic which I expect from this sort of book but it just didn't have the charm to excuse it. At some point, I couldn't even bother being upset over how stereotypical and shallow all the women were. It wasn't good but it also wasn't so bad that it was enjoyable. Very middle of the road. The book and Waverly try so hard to be funny that at times it was painful. Between the Honey Notes, Waverly's underwhelming misadventures, and the fact that the characters keep trying to force down my throat that I was supposed to laughing I was just exhausted. It was at the point where something that did warrant a chuckle happened, it was almost like a broken clock right twice a day thing.

Also I must say, Waverly Bryson, not an especially likable character. It was especially bad in the overly lengthy middle portion of the book. She's immature, judgmental, self-centered and the source of so many of her own problems. It was only in the brief moments she does things for someone else or when she finally starts being somewhat of an adult that she's bearable again.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I have mixed feelings about the narration. It is one of the better things in the book. Julia Whelen's voice really matched the character I think. And she had such a range of different female voices that I was impressed. But all of her male voices sounded exactly the same, and that same voice wasn't a very good one. So every time a man spoke it was majorly distracting. But really besides the male voice thing, she did well conveying emotions and was great with comedic timing (though I'm using the word comedic with a grain of salt).

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Absolutely not. I'm the first to admit I don't like romcom movies but I do tend to enjoy them in book form. I fear what little charm the book had would not be benefited by the big screen. Though it would force the story to be about a third shorter which it could really use.

Any additional comments?

From reading the other reviews I was really expecting much more from this book. So I'll summarize with this. If you're looking for something here that you haven't seen somewhere else this is probably not the book for you. If you're looking for something you've seen a million times, but done with that extra pop, that makes you appreciate the genre, this is probably still not the book for you. If you want an average, formulaic, predictable book, that isn't particularly deep and doesn't have particularly memorable characters, that will pass the time then spend ten hours with Waverly Bryson.

Good read

I love books that make you laugh out loud. This was definitely one that had people looking at me wondering what is so funny....lol