My not so Perfect Life Review

Synopsis from Random House:
Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for—particularly her boss Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh London townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she tries to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in her not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she firmly believes that one day, she will have that real life if she just works hard enough. But when Demeter suddenly fires Katie, she must put those dreams on hold and moves back home to her family’s farm, where she helps them set up a luxe “glamour camping” business. Worlds collide when Demeter and her family unexpectedly turn up as a guests and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

Ticketed Events: If you live in both areas, do check out Girls’ Night Out with Sophie Kinsella Tuesday, February 7 – Eastchester, NY and Thursday, February 9 – Edina, MN

About: My (not so) Perfect Life is a fiction novel written by Sophie Kinsella. It will be published on 2/7/17 by Random House, 448 pages. The genres are chic lit, fiction, and contemporary. The author is well known for her Confessions of a Shopaholic series. Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading My (not so) Perfect Life on 1/26/17 and finished it on 1/31/17. This book can be quickly described as a series of hilarious unfortunate events. It started out with Katie getting on the tube to make the morning rush to get to work on time. The subway/tube ride just tickles me. I laugh with tears coming out. She talks about her job, her co-workers, and her boss, Demeter. She’s Katie at home, but in London, she’s Cat with a different hairstyle. Living in London is her dream, even though moving away from home breaks her dad’s heart. Her boss seems to have it all but Katie’s on the other end of the stick. She posts pictures on her instagram of her life in London, the life she wanted rather than the life she actually lives.

“Pitch her exactly the right idea, exactly when she needs it.” p148

My (not so) Perfect Life revolves around Katie/Cat trying to make it in London on her own and the people she comes into contact with. I do like following Katie’s train of thoughts. She’s very self motivated, organized, determined, and ambitious. She’s trying to make it on her own in London with an entry level job and high cost of living. She has to budget her spending money otherwise she won’t have enough to live by. She reads restaurant reviews to know which restaurant/dishes is popular since she can’t afford to eat there. She wants to have what her boss Demeter has: the house, the Miu Miu shoes, the invitations to parties, the good paying job, etc. She tries hard to get her boss’ attention so that she can climb up her career ladder to be doing something she loves instead of something else. She can’t justify to spend 40 quids on snacks when it can pay for a week of groceries. Reading this book, I’m sure many readers can relate to Katie.

“No one’s life has to be perfect. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, love. Whoever started the rumor that life has to be perfect is a very wicked person, if you ask me.” p358

This book is organized into two parts. The first part is of Katie/Cat trying to make it in London. The second part is when she goes back home to help her dad and stepmother starting a Glamping business. She’s not in a happy situation because she started this lie to her parents and it grows bigger and deeper. When one day, her boss Demeter and family came for holiday at her parent’s Glamping (glam camping) and put Katie in an even awkward situation. I like this part of the book most because it opens to readers about life. It explains more about how we look at life and our expectations compare to what we receive.

“Beautiful. That word again. I want to take it away in my hands and keep it in a jar forever.” p332

I cry and I laugh when I read this book. I like this book because of the moral in the story. Image is not what it appears to be. I’m glad of the reminder. I like Katie and her full disclosures. All in all, this book is a great read! Sophie Kinsella writes an amazing tale, filled with everyday experiences. Anyone reading this book can relate to it one way or another. Living in USA, I really enjoy reading a book takes place in London because I get to enjoy new vocabularies. Got pissed means got drunk! Overall, I highly recommend this read, if it doesn’t make you laugh out loud, it will make you see people in a different way!

Pro: moral to the story, workplace, self motivation, social media, farm life, London, humor, page turner, fast paced, light hearted, witty, entertaining, relatable main character, the ending wraps up nicely

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Grab yourself a copy here: Book Depository

About the Author:

Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming (“The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic”) to the latest book on being married and having a child (“Shopaholic & Baby”). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes. (Info taken from Goodreads)

In addition to the Shopaholic series, SOPHIE KINSELLA is the author of the standalones I’ve Got Your Number, Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, and Wedding Night. She lives in England with her family, where she is working on her next standalone novel. (Info given from Random House).

Connect with Sophie Kinsella!

Website: sophiekinsella.co.uk | Facebook: SophieKinsellaOfficial | Twitter: @KinsellaSophie | Instagram: sophiekinsellawriter | Book Instagram: mynotsoperfectlife

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Random House for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine