Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Ominous, Sinister
From the first page of Perfect, you know you're going to be reading about people with serious issues. Cara asks, "[…] when/did creating a flawless façade/become a more vital goal/than learning to love the person/who/lives inside your skin?" (1.4-5)—and then she tells us the story of her twin brother's suicide attempt. Welcome to the not-so-perfect world of Perfect, Shmoopers.
Kendra says, "The mirror was my best/friend. Until it started telling/me I wasn't really pretty/enough" (2.4), and details her plans to fix her imperfections with plastic surgery. By the time you get to the third chapter and Sean starts talking, it's clear that something bad is going to happen, that things are going to get worse before they get better—if they get better.
All four narrators struggle with anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction, and it comes through in their voices. Perfect is a book you might be tempted to read with your hands over your face, peeking out from behind your fingers, wondering how these characters are going to destroy themselves next.