Goodbye, Perfect

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 the boyfriend Eden knows nothing about five days before the start of their GCSEs. Especially when the police arrive on her doorstep and Eden finds out that the boyfriend is actually their music teacher, Mr Cohn.

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.

Review by Sarah McDuling

Sara Barnard is such a delight. She writes lovely, heartfelt stories full of intense emotion and honesty. I adored A Quiet Kind of Thunder and picked up Goodbye, Perfect fully expecting to have my heartstrings savagely yanked in every direction. And that’s exactly what happened!

Goodbye, Perfect is the story of a young girl called Eden whose best friend, Bonnie, has run away from home with her boyfriend… a boyfriend who also happens to be her music teacher. If the thought of a tortured student/teacher romance has you cringing or rolling your eyes, don’t despair! This is not that kind of book. The student/teacher relationship in Goodbye, Perfect is never romanticised. It is portrayed appropriately as a serious crime and the burden of truth is placed on Eden as the only person who can tell the police how to find Bonnie and bring her home.

It might seem like a no brainer. When your best friend has gone on the run with a teacher and the police are knocking at your door, surely the only thing to do is tell the authorities everything you know? Eden knows where Bonnie is, but she is a loyal friend who has been sworn to secrecy. Best friends don’t tell. Betraying Bonnie is unthinkable and yet… maybe keeping her secret isn’t the best way to be a true friend?

Eden’s inner turmoil and conflict is depicted with real care and sensitivity. This is a story about friendship and loyalty and right and wrong. It’s about learning to trust your instincts and to listen to your conscious. And most of all, it’s another heartrending read from an author with a marked talent for playing havoc with emotions.

Perfect for fans of Emery Lord, Nicola Yoon and Jenn Bennett.

About the Author

Sara Barnard lives in Brighton and does all her best writing on trains. She loves books, book people and book things. She has been writing ever since she was too small to reach the 'on' switch on the family's Amstrad computer. She gets her love of words from her dad, who made sure she always had books to read and introduced her to the wonders of second-hand bookshops at a young age.

Sara is trying to visit every country in Europe, and has managed to reach thirteen with her best friend. She has also lived in Canada and worked in India.