You were made for me by Jenna Guillaume

Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781760559137.
(Age: 13+) Sixteen year old Katie wants to be a writer; she is also good at art. Her best friend, Libby, wants to be a scientist or an editor and together they tell a story of how they made the perfect boy. Neither is in the "cool" group at school who call them mean names; pretty girls who have real boyfriends, led by Mikayla Fitzsimmons. For Katie, the perfect guy is Declan Bell Jones, the gorgeous, sporty boy in her geography class but he happens to be Mikayla's boyfriend. When Katie is hit in the head with a soccer ball kicked by Declan she doesn't care about the concussion or her broken glasses, just that he spoke to her and helped her up. Back home the girls play a game called Silly orSerious with Katie's neighbour and good friend, Theo and she admits that the most embarrassing thing is that she has never been kissed. Katie wants her first kiss to be perfect but her friends assert that nobody is perfect. When Libby asks her what the perfect guy would look like she produces a sculpture of him. As they finish the sculpture and coat it with a mixture concocted by Libby, the girls discuss exactly what the perfect boy would be like. What follows explores what it is like to get what you wish for.
This light, teen romantic comedy is predictable in its premise but the author uses it to explore issues of friendship, sexuality, loyalty, bullying, grief, diversity and peer pressure with a light touch and an Australian flavour. As Katie gets swept up in the thrill of owning her own perfect boyfriend she forgets her friends who she relies on for practical support. But real friends fight, make up and accept each other. This is a journey of self-discovery by characters still finding out who they are and what matters most to them. A fun book suitable for younger YA audiences. There is some adult content but nothing explicit. Teaching notes are available.
Themes: Romantic comedy, friendship.
Sue Speck