Posted on Book Chelle.Liz Fechara's Craving Perfect is a sweet contemporary romance that brings a common concern, and delivers the message with a twist. Almost everyone wants their life to be perfect. If not normal in society's standards, normal for themselves. I know I strive for some sort of perfection when it comes to my lifestyle, my appearance, and even my personality. Whether or not I achieve that perfection, well that's another thing to be said.Grace Mills is an overweight, single woman who works hard at her appearance. She owns a cafe with her sister, and dedicates a part of her off-time at the gym. She wants to be like the girls who she deems perfect in every way. She slaves away on a treadmill, pining away for a gym hunk named Max.While at first, I thought this was the plot, I was wrong. You see, I thought this was going to be the normal tale of how one woman works hard to achieve her goal, and in the end good will prevail. *cue appropriate music* I was wrong. You see, there's a twist. Remember the movie Big? Ya, the one where Tom Hanks' young character woke up to an alternate reality of his life and things were different. With Craving Perfect, you get a similar plot!One day, Grace faints and wakes up in her alternate reality. Her alternate self just happens to be named Callie, and Callie has it all. She has the looks, the career, the life, AND the hunky guy named Max. While her alternate self is not the same, the setting and the characters are the same. Life in this alternate reality doesn't have a trace of Grace.Another key character is Carlos. He is the boy next door, except he's more of a man...a tall, dark, and dreamy man if you will. But Grace doesn't pay any attention to him at first, and as a reader, I was screaming, "Grace, you idiot!" But isn't that how it goes sometimes?Fichera wrote this love story in a fun and creative way. The side stories were entertaining, making their way to weave through the main plot. The relationship between Grace and her sister, Grace and Callie, and Grace and the boy had me enjoying every minute. Fichera touches on a sensitive, but common subject, and I feel that she did it well. I truly believe that we are our worst enemies, and Grace was a perfect example of that.Fichera took the parts of an approval-craving state and wrote the burden of perfectionism and disapproval in a way that touches my heart.This is a perfect read to celebrate yourself and possibly share with someone you appreciate. Why? Because while we achieve perfection, Fichera shows us why it's not always greener on the other side of that imaginary fence.
