This Is Not a Personal Statement

Admission meets American Panda in this propulsive, poignant YA contemporary novel about a teen who, after getting rejected from her dream college, forges her own acceptance and commits to living a lie. Perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi! 

At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised-and not-so-quietly bashed-as "Perfect Perlie Perez," Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents') dreams: Delmont University. 

Then Perla doesn't get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she's heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Perla's plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she's caught.  

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed-and if this dream she's worked for her entire life is something she even wants. 

From rising star Tracy Badua comes a gripping, incisive tale of acceptance, self-discovery, and the infinite possibilities that await when we embrace our imperfections. 

"I read this book with my heart in my throat, increasingly breathless as I turned the pages. This Is Not a Personal Statement is both a poignant coming-of-age and a carefully plotted story of a lie that quickly spirals out of control. Tracy Badua is an author to watch." - Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of See You Yesterday and Today Tonight Tomorrow

"At turns humorous, painful, and heartfelt, Perla's story speaks to how we can lose ourselves to parental and communal expectations and how we can find our way back." - Randy Ribay, award-winning author of Patron Saints of Nothing