Finding Perfect

Published in 2018, Finding Perfect is a New Adult romance novella by American author Colleen Hoover. The story serves as a crossover, uniting characters and plotlines from Hoover’s Hopeless series and her standalone novel All Your Perfects. The novella centers on college freshmen Daniel Wesley and Six Jacobs, whose relationship is strained by the unresolved trauma of a secret teenage pregnancy that resulted in a closed adoption. To mend their fractured connection and ease Six’s profound grief, Daniel embarks on a difficult search for their son. The narrative explores themes of The Importance of Communication in Healing from Trauma, Redefining Family Beyond Biological Ties, and The Invisible Pain of Motherhood.

Colleen Hoover is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a leading figure in the New Adult genre, which focuses on characters and their late teens and twenties. She is known for writing emotionally intense stories that often explore the lingering effects of trauma. A former social worker, Hoover first gained a following by self-publishing her novels, building a devoted fanbase that expanded significantly with the rise of the BookTok community on the social media platform TikTok. Finding Perfect provides a heartfelt conclusion for characters first introduced in the novella Finding Cinderella, which is part of the Hopeless series, by connecting their story to the adoptive parents, Quinn and Graham Wells, who are the protagonists of All Your Perfects. This narrative bridge resolves the central conflicts of both works, offering closure to her dedicated readers. It also functions as a standalone novella.

This guide is based on the 2022 Atria Paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of mental health, pregnancy loss, ableism, anti-LGBT discrimination, religious discrimination, emotional trauma, cursing, and sexual content.

Plot Summary

Daniel Wesley, 19, a college freshman home for Thanksgiving break, feels isolated and bored. He tries to persuade his friend, Breckin, to stay and play more video games with him, but Breckin refuses, citing family obligations. Daniel is worried because his relationship with his girlfriend, Six Jacobs has become distant and strained, and he avoids texting her. Fearing an imminent breakup, Daniel is confronted by his older sister, Hannah, about his sullen mood. He confides in her with his younger sister, Chunk, secretly listening, and reveals the source of the tension. During his junior year of high school, he had anonymous sex with a girl in a dark maintenance closet. He later discovered the girl was Six and that the encounter resulted in a pregnancy. Unaware of the father’s identity, Six gave birth to their son while on a foreign exchange trip in Italy and placed him for a closed adoption. The following year, Six and Daniel began dating, and Daniel learned that she was the anonymous girl and that he has a biological son. Shocked, Hannah advises him to communicate openly with Six and ask how he can support her.

Following his sister’s advice, Daniel goes to Six’s house, where they discuss the unresolved grief that has created a rift between them. Six admits that the holidays are difficult because they make her think constantly about their son. For the first time, she opens up to Daniel about the experience, recounting the fear of discovering her pregnancy in Italy, keeping it a secret, and the pain of the adoption. She mentions that an American teacher at her school, Ava Roberts, helped facilitate the closed adoption with a couple she knew. Daniel reassures Six of his unwavering love and support, and this honest, tearful conversation helps them reconnect emotionally.

The next day, feeling compelled to do more for Six, Daniel enlists Hannah and Chunk to help find information about their son. After many unsuccessful calls to adoption agencies and lawyers in Italy, Daniel follows Hannah’s suggestion to be persistent and tracks down Ava Roberts. Initially, Ava is resistant to discussing the matter due to the legal constraints of the closed adoption. However, Daniel makes an emotional plea, describing Six’s profound sadness. Moved by his sincerity, Ava agrees to pass his contact information to the adoptive parents but cautions him not to expect a response.

Later that day, they have a “Friendsgiving” dinner with Six, Breckin, Holder, and Holder’s girlfriend, Sky. Daniel is noticeably anxious while waiting for news. He wonders whether he should tell Six about contacting Ava, but decides not to in case it’s a dead end.

He receives a phone call from an unknown number and steps outside. The caller identifies himself as their child’s adoptive father, Graham. He is cautious, explaining that he has not yet told his wife about Daniel’s outreach and needs to understand their intentions to protect her from potential pain. Daniel explains that his only goal is to alleviate Six’s suffering by confirming their son is happy and well cared for. Touched by Daniel’s devotion to Six, Graham agrees to discuss the situation with his wife but makes no promises. Daniel decides not to tell Six about the call to avoid getting her hopes up. After the call, he is visibly upset and lashes out at his friends during a game of Monopoly, using a homophobic insult against Breckin, who is gay. Holder kicks Daniel out, and Six leaves with him, apologizing.

Later that evening at Six’s house, Daniel receives a long, emotional email from Quinn Wells, the adoptive mother. Overwhelmed, he finally tells Six about his efforts, including the calls to Ava and the conversation with Graham. Together, they read Quinn’s heartfelt email. She introduces herself and her husband, reveals that the teacher, Ava, is her sister, and details her and Graham’s painful struggles with infertility. She expresses gratitude for their son, whom they named Matteo Aaron Wells, describing him as a “miraculous gift.” Quinn explains that she wants Matteo to know his biological parents and invites Daniel and Six to meet him, attaching several photos.

Overcome with joy and relief, Daniel and Six look at the photos of Matteo. They call Quinn and Graham, who now live in Connecticut, and arrange to visit during their Christmas break in three weeks. Elated, they rush back to the Friendsgiving to announce the news to their friends and Sky’s parents, Karen and Jack. Afterward, Daniel and Six go to Daniel’s house to tell his parents they are grandparents. His parents are shocked by the news but quickly become emotional and fully supportive after seeing the pictures of Matteo, comforting Six and agreeing to buy their plane tickets.

Three weeks later, Daniel and Six travel to Connecticut and arrive at Quinn and Graham’s home. They are greeted warmly and finally meet their son, Matteo. The moment is deeply emotional, especially for Six, who holds him and cries tears of happiness. They spend the day bonding with Matteo and getting to know the Wells family. In a private conversation, Graham admits to Daniel that he had planned to refuse contact but was persuaded by the sincerity of Daniel’s love for Six, which mirrored his own devotion to Quinn.

That evening, Six tells Daniel that seeing Matteo so happy and loved with Quinn and Graham has finally brought her peace and made her feel “connected again.” With the burden of the unknown lifted, their relationship is healed and stronger than ever. The novella concludes with Daniel and Six sharing an intimate, “perfect” moment, secure in their love and the resolution they have found for their family.