I think this book forced me to see all the ways in which I have always done what I was told and what was expected of me. It was really liberating to write about a character who refused to be a good girl. At the same time, I think my personal history helped me see that there were some things Juliet would never do, no matter how outrageous or daring she wanted to be. So she feels like a realistic version of a good girl who’s experimenting with being bad.

What do you hope readers will take away from BETTER THAN PERFECT?

I hope readers will feel that Juliet gives voice to some of their frustrations with what’s expected of teenagers today. Juliet takes a ton of classes and she’s doing a lot of extracurricular activities and she’s very tense about getting into college, and at some point she realizes she has no idea why she’s doing all of these things. I imagine there are a lot of teenagers out there who are feeling the same way Juliet does—that as soon as they get into the college of their dreams, they can relax and have fun. But they’re so overworked and overwhelmed, they’re not quite sure what relaxing and having fun would even look like.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

I always give writers the same advice: Write a book you would want to read. I think a lot of writers (both veteran and new) feel that there’s a kind of book they’re supposed to write. A literary book or a funny book or a serious book…whatever it is, it’s not quite the right fit for their talents or their voice. Once you jettison the “should” from your writing, you’re free to write what you want to write. And chances are, your book will be better for it.