Goodbye, Perfect

Winner of The Bookseller's 2019 YA Book PrizeHow far would you go to protect a friend? An incredible novel from the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things and A Quiet Kind of Thunder. Now reissued with a fresh cover look.When I was wild, you were steady. Now you are wild - what am I?Eden McKinley knows she can't count on much in this world, but she can depend on Bonnie, her solid, steady, straight-A best friend. So it's a bit of a surprise when Bonnie runs away with a guy Eden knows nothing about five days before the start of their GCSEs. And it's the last person she would have expected.Sworn to secrecy and bound by loyalty, only Eden knows Bonnie's location, and that's the way it has to stay. There's no way she's betraying her best friend. Not even when she's faced with police questioning, suspicious parents and her own growing doubts. As the days pass and things begin to unravel, Eden is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the world, her best friend and herself.Goodbye, Perfect is a beautiful and emotional contemporary YA novel, with a powerful friendship at its heart, by bestselling author Sara Barnard.Praise for A Quiet Kind of Thunder "Sara Barnard's writing is an absolute triumph: this book is unputdownable and beautiful, unflinching in its exploration of important and complex topics, from sexual exploitation to the foster care system. But it is also a joy to read, a tender portrayal of family and sibling relationships, of flawed and poignant female friendships, and of the nuanced reality of teenage experiences and the journey to discovering who you are and what you stand for." -Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism & 2019 YA Book Prize judge"Nuanced, compelling, honest, and important." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW"A highly booktalkable work with some provocative questions about virtue and girlhood that should speak to a host of young readers." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW"Barnard delves intriguingly into complex and insightful aspects of life that young adults face today: the pressure and desire to be perfect, the resulting anxiety from such pressure. Main character Eden is complex yet endearing as she strives to overcome her own insecurities and a neglectful childhood in order to open up emotionally to those around her. A satisfying, emotional read." - Booklist"This gripping novel examines anxiety, identity, pressure and power with Barnard's characteristic lightness of touch." - The Guardian"Creating authentic teenage voices is no easy thing but in Goodbye, Perfect, Sara Barnard captures the complex dynamics of teenage friendships and identity, shining an astute light on adolescent pressures. Student-teacher relationships can be controversial in fiction, but themes of coercion and grooming are sensitively handled here." - The Observer"In her third book, Barnard offers another lyrical and lovely coming-of-age story about friendship and heartache... Fans of Perks of Being a Wallflower and Looking for Alaska will love this one." -Buzzfeed