The pressure to be perfect can feel overwhelming, whether it’s about career, relationships, or appearances. In these stories, characters struggle with impossible standards and discover the liberating power of letting go. Ready to embrace imperfection? These books show how breaking free can lead to true happiness and self-acceptance.

This Could be Us

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

Soledad Barnes had her life perfectly planned—until betrayal shattered everything she built. Now, as she fights to keep her daughters safe and rebuild their lives, she discovers a bold, new version of herself rising from the ashes. But when an irresistible, forbidden man enters the picture, Soledad must decide if she’s brave enough to trust again and embrace the possibility of something new.

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The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe

Bunny Lampert seems to have the perfect suburban life—beauty, privilege, and a swimming pool—but hides the pain of her father’s alcoholism and her struggle to fit in. Her unlikely friendship with Michael, a neighbor grappling with his identity and secret desires, reveals their shared vulnerabilities beneath the facade of perfection. When gossip and violence erupt, their lives are forever altered in this haunting exploration of identity, love, and the human need for connection in a world obsessed with appearances.

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Intermezzo

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Brothers Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common, but in the wake of their father’s death, both find themselves grappling with the pressure to appear perfect. Peter, a successful lawyer, and Ivan, a socially awkward chess player, each navigate turbulent relationships that challenge their identities and expose their vulnerabilities. As they confront grief and love, they begin to break free from the need to have it all together, discovering the possibility of living authentically, flaws and all.

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Happy Place by Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn were the perfect couple—until they secretly broke up five months ago. Now, stuck sharing a room at their friend group’s beloved Maine cottage, they’re faking perfection one last time to avoid breaking their friends’ hearts. But as they play the roles of the driven surgical resident and the easygoing charmer, Harriet and Wyn confront the cracks beneath their flawless facades and grapple with whether perfection is worth sacrificing what’s real.

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I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Perfect Mexican daughters don’t leave home, break the rules, or let their families down—but Julia has never fit the mold her sister Olga so effortlessly embodied. When Olga dies in a tragic accident, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her family while enduring her mother’s relentless comparisons to the sister she can never be. But as Julia uncovers secrets about Olga’s life, she begins to question the perfection everyone idolized and whether living up to an impossible standard is worth losing herself.

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

In the meticulously planned suburb of Shaker Heights, where perfection is a way of life, Elena Richardson prides herself on following the rules. But when enigmatic artist Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl move into town, their unconventional ways disrupt the picture-perfect order, drawing the Richardson children into their orbit. As secrets unravel and a custody battle divides the community, Elena’s obsession with Mia’s past reveals the peril of clinging to perfection—and the unexpected costs of trying to control what cannot be tamed.

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