8 Big Differences Between Netflix’s “The Perfect Find” and Tia Williams’s Romance Novel

In William’s “The Perfect Find,” Jenna’s career restart (after her epic meltdown following her breakup with longtime boyfriend Brian) brings her back to New York City for a new job at a growing fashion publication called Stylezine – Darcy’s proudest achievement following Eric.

In the movie, though, Jenna makes her way back to the Big Apple to beg Darcy for a job at the same publication, now called Darzine. And unlike her tiny custodial closet office in the novel, Union’s Jenna makes use of Darzine’s glamorous, fashion-filled zoo showroom as her new office space.

In Williams’s book, the turning point in Jenna and Eric’s unconventional work relationship comes when they get into a heated argument in a scorching hot cab ride, as they’re both drained following their failed recording for the “Perfect Find” digital series. While the movie stays pretty true to what the two fight about – Eric’s ex Madison who calls during the car ride – it trades their hot summer weather for a rainy day. And instead of Jenna storming out of the car and walking back to Stylezine in the heat, Eric, instead, hops out to walk in the rain.

One of the biggest and most creative changes to “The Perfect Find” is the digital series of the same name that becomes Jenna’s career save and celebrated work baby with Eric. In the book, Jenna’s concept revolves around recruiting stylish celebrities and influencers to come up with an item they’ve always dreamed of owning but could never find. Then, as their “fairy stylemother,” she gets the scoop on their personal style (all recorded by Eric thanks to his USC master’s degree in film) and gives them $50 to have their dream item made, aka their perfect find. The items then get sold as 30 limited-edition pieces on Stylezine, where readers mob the website to get their hands on them. However, the movie puts a whole new twist on the digital franchise – a vintage Hollywood twist.

Instead of the aforementioned, Union’s Jenna comes up with a plan to milk people’s nostalgia for her series (which her entire job depends upon) by having a designer recreate classic garments and accessories from iconic films – like Dorothy Dandridge’s striking red and black ensemble in “Carmen Jones” (worn by Remy Ma in the Netflix movie) – while Eric films the celeb or influencer modeling them. It becomes a massive hit at Darzine and scores Jenna and Eric that infamous magazine article that blows the cover on their hush-hush romance.

As promised, “The Perfect Find” movie is just as steamy as Williams’s book. But compared to Jenna and Eric’s first romp together in the novel, their first time sleeping together in the movie doesn’t happen after their first official date night out. It, instead, happens unexpectedly after Jenna’s infamous dinner party – where Eric’s friend Tim (played by Sterling “Steelo” Brim in the movie) suffers an allergic reaction and Jenna’s blind date Jimmy (comedian Godfrey) nearly comes to blows with Eric.

In the book, Eric’s ex Madison is only mentioned by name when he gets into an argument with Jenna about why he broke up with his “simple” ballerina girlfriend. But in the Netflix film, Jenna actually comes face to face with Madison at her friend Billie’s daughter’s birthday party, as Madison is the little one’s dance teacher. In a jealous fit, Jenna marches over to interrupt Eric and Madison’s conversation, resulting in a fight with her secret boyfriend who storms off.

In the book, however, the cause of Eric and Jenna’s argument is the latter’s insistent attempts at making Eric seem mature enough to hang out in her world for a change. But their age gap makes it even more apparent that they’re on two different pages.

The biggest change to Brian (played by DB Woodside) in the “Perfect Find” movie is, well, he’s Black, compared to the “tall white guy” Jenna fell hopelessly in love with in Williams’s book before meeting Eric. It was a purposeful decision on Perrier’s part, who’s been vocal about the movie having an all-Black cast.

But more notably, Brian doesn’t make too many appearances in the film, unlike the book. In fact, Woodside’s Brian only shows up in one pivotal scene with Jenna to break the news that his mom died and he wants Jenna back. In the book, however, the former couple’s reunion is much more emotional, as Jenna ventures back to the home the two used to live in together. They even go out on a date (while Jenna is still seeing Eric), which gets cut short when Jenna realizes she’s completely over the heartbreak of her ex and wants nothing to do with him.

Who can forget the dramatic way Darcy exposes Jenna and Eric’s love affair in Williams’s book? Planting cameras in the 10th-floor fashion closet the two would often sneak off to for office quickies and playing the security footage in front of the entire Stylezine staff. It was as scandalous as it sounds. Luckily (or not so luckily) for Union’s Jenna and Powers’s Eric, in the movie, Darcy catches them in the act at her penthouse during the work day – no audience around. Similar to the book, Torres’s Darcy fires Jenna for sleeping with Eric, which prompts the forbidden couple to break up.

And finally, the big plot twist in Williams’s story: Jenna’s surprise baby news. The book concludes with an unexpected, yet endearing ending where baby-obsessed Jenna finally has the kid she’s always wanted, unbeknownst to Eric – who she doesn’t inform that they have a child together (a son named after Eric’s father, Otis) until years later when they randomly run into each other at a Brooklyn park. Turns out, Jenna was pregnant when she and Eric left Stylezine behind, but she never told him because she didn’t want to get in the way of him living out his 20s and film aspirations. However, the movie completely flips this ending into something a bit more controversial.

Unlike Eric in the book, who beams with excitement when he learns about his son with Jenna, Eric in the movie has a less than enthusiastic reaction to Jenna’s pregnancy. A few months after splitting, the two meet up at a coffee shop where Union’s Jenna presents Eric with an ultrasound photo of their baby. At first, he expresses that he’s not ready to process the news and storms out on Jenna. However, Eric eventually comes around in the end when he reunites with Jenna at her doctor’s appointment. The two learn they’re having a son, who they decide to name after Eric’s late father, Otis. The film ends with the reunited couple attending Darcy’s big gala with a pregnant Jenna proudly showing off her baby bump.