Perfect Is Boring (and It Tastes Like Kale)

Finding Belonging and Purpose Without Changing Who You Are

By: Jess Johnston

Narrated by: Jess Johnston

What if we accepted our struggles and stopped trying to be someone we’re not? In this poignant, hilarious book, the bestselling co-author of I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants) shares her experiments in finding our way back to each other.

Jess Johnston used to feel alone in her mess. Then, in a random burst of courage, she started sharing those insecurities and struggles out loud, and what she found shocked her. Again and again, women replied, “Me too! I thought I was the only one!”

Women are really hard on themselves. We often believe that if we just “did better,” “worked harder,” and “were less messy/flawed/human,” our lives would be infinitely better and we’d receive the belonging we crave, but the exact opposite is true. It isn’t our lack of perfection that isolates us; rather, it’s our authenticity about our imperfections that brings us together.

With honesty, heart, and humor, Johnston takes on the lies she’s believed and the lessons she’s learned (and is still learning), including:

• if I’m rejected, I will die. (We won’t.)

• I’m a junior varsity adult, and the best spot for me is usually the bench. (Nope, we’ve got to get in there and play.)

• my job is to keep people happy and make sure they like me. (Excuse me while I go hide in my closet and have an anxiety attack.)

Jess Johnston reminds us that the answers are in us already, in accepting that we’re a lot—a lot of mess, and a lot of great too.

©2025 Jess Johnston (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Oh, the way I love this book and love Jess Johnston. She brings all her best qualities—vulnerability, depth, and humor—to this book in such a meaningful, impactful way. Reading it is like a breath of fresh air. It really is okay to be human, imperfections and all. Grace is for us all.”—Amy Weatherly, co-author of I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants)

“In a world that tries to be so perfectly perfect, Jess Johnston breaks through the noise, reminding us all that being real is the best way to be. I loved her book—and you will, too!”—Leslie Means, founder of Her View From Home and bestselling author of So God Made a Mother

“Jess Johnston’s thoughtful words have long resonated as exactly the message moms need to hear—and in such a funny and entertaining way that it’s just delightful to hear them. A generation of girls were raised to be ‘perfect,’ and now as mothers, this perfectionism can be stifling. Jess Johnston’s book is an invitation for a new generation of moms to boldly choose a messy, meaningful, pleasurable life in spite of it all. A hilarious, thoughtful, moving read . . . Perfectionism is overrated. Long live the beautiful mess.”—Liz Tenety, co-founder of Motherly