My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel

Product Information

Working in the behavioral health field, I see how people present themselves while in the waiting room and then I see the real deal once in my office. The difference can be as extreme as night and day. Lesson? Everything ain't always as it seems. Kinsella is my go-to for fun, feel-good reads that demand very little of me. After all these years, since the very first shopaholic book, I know exactly what I'm going to get from her and I'm totally good with that. Unfortunately, though, a huge chunk of My Not So Perfect Life bored the pants off me. There’s something about Sophie Kinsella’s books that not only draw me in, but also make me laugh and smile. Her characters are usually flawed but likable, and the main character in this book, Katie Brenner, follows suit.

Then, when things couldn't get any worse, she is fired. Without an income and no prospect for a new job, she's forced to return to her family's farm in Somerset.Then things take a turn for the worse when Katie is fired and must return to her family in the English countryside and settle into her new job - helping out with their glamping business. Until Demeter shows up with her family for a holiday and Katie is forced to confront the fact that she might have misjudged her all along. The second thing I liked, was Demeter. I wish she were real. She was an amazing supportive character. What makes My Not So Perfect Life different from Kinsella's other books is that the plot is not solely focused on romance—it’s more about a girl struggling to find her identity in world that is obsessed with the images people portray online. There’s a little bit of mystery, some romance, and revenge on a seemingly horrible boss. This is an enjoyable read, and I highly recommend for a bit of fun! And never fear --the story does have a touch of romance. Personally, I could've done without the added element of a love interest. I think the inclusion only serves to weaken the novel, and Katie's story would've been much more powerful without the unnecessary distraction. My not so Perfect Life has been one of my most surprisingly good reads this year and also one of the most hilarious books I’ve read ever (The Panini and “Vedari” incidents had me wiping tears of laughter. I swear.) and if a book could make me laugh this much, I believe it deserves five stars. I'm logical that way.

After all of the heaviness of my last read, American Dirt, I needed a little light in my life. I needed fun. I needed fluff. I needed to feel good. Sophie Kinsella keeps her finger on the cultural pulse, while leaving me giddy with laughter.”—Jojo Moyes, author of The Giver of Stars and The Last Letter from Your LoverIn 2014 she published a Young Adult novel Finding Audrey about a teenage girl with social anxiety and her madcap family, and in January 2018, Sophie published her first illustrated book for young readers about the charming adventures of a mother-daughter fairy duo, Mummy Fairy and Me (also published as Fairy Mom and Me).

It wasn't so awful that I want to give it one star; it was just wholly unremarkable. I can feel myself already forgetting Katie Brenner and, no joke, I have honestly already forgotten the guy's name. It was too long, not fun enough, and the outcomes not satisfying enough. Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

Select a format:

Katie "Cat," thinks Demeter has the best life. Her commute is short, she has the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfect kids, perfect travels and dining and then there is her relationship with Alex Astalis. Alex, the guy Katie has developed a crush on. This is a satire in the rom com literary genre with a touch of Hollywood fluff in the ending. However, it comes with a little more substance, meat to the bones, and I loved that. I'm somewhat subjective and biased too in my rating. My daughter took a sabbatical from her 18-hour days in the advertising world to tour the world. She is the Katie Brenner in our own story.

Your feet are sore and your hair resembles a bird nest when you finally get in the train. It is so crowded, though, that you end up accidentally eating the breakfast of the incredulous woman next to you. Even if you disregard for a second my disconnect from Katie and her overlong and dull story, even if you forget the uninteresting love interest, much is built up around the whole "finding out Demeter is not actually all she first seems" angle, but this was unsatisfying to me, too. Her rudeness is explained away through misunderstandings, and while some revelations about her draw sympathy, am I really supposed to feel sorry for her because - oh my gosh - she has a few home troubles and a mortgage? I actually cringed when she complained about the beautiful stone steps outside her house and how hard it is to get a pram up them. Boo freaking hoo. Then, just as she's finding her feet--not to mention a possible new romance--the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family's farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away--until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie's future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life. It has heart. It has joy. The life lessons that Katie encounters are ones that we have all had to learn and are, possibly, still learning. I believe most readers will find something relatable in Katie's journey, regardless of where they are on their own life path. PDF / EPUB File Name: My_Not_So_Perfect_Life_-_Sophie_Kinsella.pdf, My_Not_So_Perfect_Life_-_Sophie_Kinsella.epubKatie also has a crush on her other boss, Alex. She thinks something is going on with him and Demeter though. She has this hate relationship with Demeter because she acts like she's better than anyone else. She has the perfect life, the husband, the kids, the job, the house, the everything. But, as we all know things aren't always what they seem. Sophie was born in London. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She now lives in London, UK, with her husband and family.