4 stars
Sophie Kinsella has a way... she has once again tapped into the temperature of society and women... their strength and vulnerably Never more has image and snippets of information have had such weight in the impression of who we are.... We have experienced the benefits of Social Media with oppressed people having an outlet to reach those in the world to assist them...But we also experienced another side effect of this access to this personal show of lives... a type of completion and hidden envy...
This is a focus of this smart book and it is done well.

Katie Brenner grew up in the English countryside and has always dreamed of living in the big city. At 26-years-old, she’s finally working her dream job at an ad agency, has a place of her own, and an Instagram account that showcases a life that anyone would envy. Despite her perfect outward appearance, everything is far from perfect. She’s not doing anything terribly creative at her job and is barely making ends meet, she has her own place but she has roommates and her room is tragically small so she keeps all her clothes piled in a hammock, and all those pictures she posts on Instagram is more how she wishes her life was vs. how it really is. When her life is abruptly upended and she finds herself living once again with her dad in the English countryside, she doesn’t think she’ll ever find her way back to London. A new family “glamping” business keeps her busy and her creative side honed, but some unexpected glampers from London have Katie realizing that London isn’t quite done with her.

Katie is an incredible character for many reasons but first and foremost: she’s so realistic. Don’t get me wrong, 95% of the time I love a good story to escape into so I can leave the real world behind but that straggler 5% loves a character that I can feel in tune with, a character that I can truly understand. This story gave me major Devil Wears Prada vibes but instead of the invisible girl that gets a haircut, loses some weight, and is bestowed a gorgeous wardrobe only to live happily ever after we get Katie. Katie didn’t get a haircut, lose weight, or get a new wardrobe. Nope. Katie loses her job, has to move back home with dad, and is often found in wellies because it’s just sensible in the countryside.

My Not So Perfect Life centers around Katie’s personal development and the realization that much like her own Instagram account, people hide beyond a persona that is not always the person they truly are. This is a laugh out loud adventure that despite its slightly unnecessary page length and unexpected lack of focus on the romance, this delightful story will no doubt charm new and old fans alike.

Oh, happy day! Sophie Kinsella is back and she still has her fingers on the pulse of the twenty-something woman (and the older women who often like reading about them). To anyone who knows me, Kinsella leads off my chick-lit, make-it-all-go-away reading. And lately, that’s about all I can seem to manage. In My (Not So) Perfect Life it is Katie Brenner (or Cat as she likes to be known because it sounds more hip) who’s trying to make it at a London, cutting-edge, marketing firm. Her only aspiration is to be as glamorous and powerful as her boss, who has a legit fabulous life—high powered job, handsome loving husband, and tons of money, parties and friends.

Cat does a reasonable job of faking it with an enviable Instagram life even if the truth is her apartment is the size of a shoebox and she’s lucky to afford ramen for dinner. That is until she’s let go from her job and has to move home to Somerset. At which point desperation sets in enough that she helps her father and his wife turn their quaint (OK, shabby) farm into a glamping experience for pampered Londoners. With her ideas and marketing skills, Ansters Farms becomes a success and life is good, until her former boss shows up.

If the plucky, suburban English girl theme sounds familiar, yes, it is a mainstay of Kinsella’s books. The thing is—it doesn’t get tiresome. My (Not So) Perfect Life is still filled with all the trendy details that make for great fluffy reading, but Kinsella tweaks the theme away from some of the more common chick-lit tropes in a way that feels fresh and timely. In playing to the cultural zeitgeist without being boring or insulting she remains in the starting position of authors I read for pure fun.

Perfect read for gloomy weather - Sophie Kinsella's characters brighten your day. She had me from Katie's frantic commute at the beginning of the book ...

Oh, I loved this book so much. I'm a huge fan of Kinsella (and Wickham - I've read everything she's published as both), but this was one of the first books where I really really related to the main character, as opposed to sitting back and watching her heroines get in and out of ridiculous situations. I get Katie. I understand her. I know where she lives. Because we're all just swimming along, pretending to be our best selves all the time.

Katie's very human. She's struggling along, trying to live the dream, but it's not quite working. Everyone else's life seems to be perfect, but hers is falling apart. And she does it with Kinsella's trademark wit and charm. I found myself laughing so hard on an airplane that other passengers were giving me funny looks. I don't even care. An excellent read.

I was hooked from the first page. I laughed and cried along with Katie's highjinks and heartbreaks. A story for anyone who has tried and failed to reinvent themselves. You might have to go home again, but you will never be the same country girl. An insightful tale of what happens when you dish out revenge and then realize it isn't the sweet dish you thought it was. A story where bullies get their just desserts, and underdogs get their happily ever afters. My Not So Perfect Life is truly perfect.

This was such a fun book! I was in the mood for something lighthearted and this fit the bill perfectly. I cringed for Katie and was rooting for her the whole time, and Demeter was a great character. I really enjoyed the glamping storyline and of course the love story! This would be a great beach read but it definitely kept me warm on a cold January weekend! Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

Farm raised Katie Brenner has arrived - she's living her dreams in London, having a paid job at a branding (advertising) agency and she's known as Cat.

All is not as rosy as her social media posts report but that's not going to stop her, especially when she meets an amazing guy at the elevators at work.

Katie's Dad and StepMum have a vision to convert her childhood home into Ansters Farm Country Retreat. With her branding skills and enthusiasm the results are so fast and so amazing that when they call Katie and suggest a sabbatical from the agency to allow Katie to come home and help run the place it's perfect timing!

From the crowded tube (subway) to the fields of sheep, Cat/Katie is determined that no-one will see her 'not my perfect life'. Perfection isn't as wonderful as it is made out to be and Katie learns to stand up and make choices that make her happy.

A lovely novel that flows well and keeps you turning pages when laughter offsets disappointments.

I loved this book. Sophie Kinsella is one of the few authors that I read while I was raising my family and didn't have that much time to read. I have been reading her books since she has been writing. I think this is one of her best yet.

Katie - Cat - Katherine is trying to become someone in branding (advertising) in London. She's from a farm in Somerset, but she wants to be a city girl. She has worked at two other jobs as an intern with no pay. She finally has a paying job as an admin doing boring stuff, yet she's thrilled to be around the excitement of the creativity of advertising. Until, she gets the boot. She tries for a few weeks to get another job, sending out resumes. However, she never hears from anyone.

Meanwhile, her father and stepmother decide they want to set up a glamping resort on their farm. Katie is excited and helps set up a website and brochures. When it comes time to open up the resort, her stepmother calls worried that they can't do it alone. So Katie tells them she will take a "sabbatical" and come help them for a few weeks.

Things get a little out of hand when her ex-boss and her family show up for a week's stay. It only gets more hilarious from there. The things that she did to her ex-boss on the farm. That was absolutely hilarious - and she let her do it to her. That was the best part. I was absolutely laughing out loud.

Of course, there is a love story involved, the details you'll have to buy the book and find out. Plus, what happens to Katie and her boss? Curious? The book is definitely worth your time and money!

Huge thanks to Random House for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

In our current age of social media, especially Instagram, Sophie Kinsella has written a wonderful satire of the hardships endured by young women. Katie, or Cat, travels from her rural home to London to conquer the world of branding and marketing. Cat has changed her name from Katie and changed her hairstyle in a huge effort to create a new life in one of the greatest cities in the world. We get to take that roller coaster ride with her. We experience the hardships, the embarrassments, and the joys of discovering adulthood.

Cat's boss, Demeter, makes this 21st century Cinderella story perfect. We get to see that those perfect lives heard about in the office and viewed on Instagram are probably not the entire story. This is a fun book but only if not taken seriously. It is flawed in that it has the obligatory prince charming but what would a love story be without him? Enjoy this new Kinsella novel. It is my first and I think it would make a great movie. It has all the ingredients of a Bridget Jones story.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Bantam Press (February 7th 2017).

I don't think I've ever laughed out loud while reading a book like I did during this one. It was so clever and funny! I really liked the main character Katie and was rooting for her the whole time. Her inner dialogue was hilarious and realistic. It was also a great reminder that not every book needs suspense or twists to keep you reading. Sometimes a good story is all it takes. I will be checking out other books by this author and would highly recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book!

Thank You to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of Sophie Kinsella's novel, My Not So Perfect Life, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Country girl, Katie Brenner has followed her dreams of moving to London to begin her career at a prestigious branding agency. She loves the excitement of London and the potential opportunity for creativity at her new job, but things are less than perfect. She struggles to make rent for a tiny flat that she shares with difficult roommates, and Katie's boss, Demeter, is a tyrant. Katie tries to reinvent herself as "Cat" and uses social media to create a fictitious life of fabulous events and dining in amazing restaurants. When Katie is downsized at her firm, both her real and imaginary worlds start falling apart. Can Katie manage to keep it together or will she find a new way to reinvent herself?

LIKE - I've read many of Kinsella's novels and I usually find her stories light-hearted and charming, classic chic-lit. My Not So Perfect Life, isn't her best novel, but it was a nice read for a rainy afternoon.

What I thought worked best, is the way Kinsella captured office politics and the "mean girls" attitude that unfortunately doesn't get left behind in adolescence. I've seen the same cliquish behavior in every job I've ever had, and it gives me anxiety, especially as I've previously been a target. I felt anxious reading these parts of My Not So Perfect Life, which although not pleasant, was affecting. If a story is affecting, I know the writer is doing their job!

I liked Katie as a protagonist. It's easy to root for the plucky heroine, who is chasing her dreams. Katie is smart and creative. She may be a bit in-over-her-head, but she's also not a push-over. I liked that Kinsella took the story in a different direction than I was anticipating, making Demeter a fully realized character, rather than just the "evil boss". At one point, I thought the story was heading in the direction of giving Demeter early on-set Alzheimer's, which would have made for a dramatic turn, possibly a stronger story. It would have been a less obvious twist. My Not So Perfect Life has a bold message about not judging someone's life based on their social media accounts. It's relevant.

I liked how the title ties with Katie's social media. It's creative and an extra play on the theme of the story.

I read Kinsella's books long before I married a Brit, but now I can read them and understand geographical references and British terminology. I don't know how I felt previously, but now I feel much more clued in, "I've been to Somerset" and "I know what Limsip is". et...there many examples, but now that I'm married to a Brit and have become somewhat immersed in his culture, I have clarity when reading British authors. I think there was a lot that I previously glossed over.

DISLIKE- You must have a huge suspension of disbelief while reading My Not So Perfect Life, the coincidences are outlandish. I did not like the love story between Katie and Alex. It felt rushed and didn't enhance the story, which is really about staying true to yourself and sticking up for others. The story between Katie and Demeter is the real heart of My Not So Perfect Life, it didn't need a love story. Plus, I just didn't like Alex. He seemed slimy and not right for Katie.

RECOMMEND- Maybe. I like Kinsella and would recommend her books, like the Shopaholic series. She's the perfect vacation-read author with her comedic, fun stories. My Not So Perfect Life, was enjoyable, but not memorable.

It's Kinsella. I'll always read her books, no matter what

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love Sophie Kinsella's books. I can always count on witty, fun and outrageous. Katie Brenner brings it! I laughed, snorted and giggled my way through this story. She is determined to make her dreams come true in London. Naturally it didn't go as planned. Her boss Demeter reminds me of "The Devil Wears Prada". She cracked me up! Very nice escape from life and from some of the deep thrillers I have read recently. Unputdownable!

Review to come on Netgalley, my blog (possibly), and Goodreads.

Some thoughts:

Wow this was so good! This is my first adult novel by this author. Two years ago I read her young adult/middle grade book (Finding Audrey) and loved it! I admit I was a little nervous going into this. I wasn't sure how different it would be compared to Finding Audrey. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this! I loved Katie and basically everything about this book.

Recommend to everyone who reads and is having a tough time with work.

My Not So Perfect Life is the type of witty chick lit one would expect from bestselling author Sophie Kinsella. The deliverance is wholly human and sure to tickle readers all over!

I will admit that this is my first Sophie Kinsella novel, ever, and I almost didn't keep reading it. It took a minute to get in sync with Katie's voice and understand what kind of person Katie is and boy was she annoying! However, as I continued reading I realized that Katie is as human as we all are and prone to pretending that life is perfect through the rose colored filters of social media. Katie is struggling to make it in London. Her commute is abominable and her living arrangement is less than stellar. According to her dream, though, it's all worthwhile. Her boss Demeter has a seemingly picture perfect life, from the top job to the family, and Katie wants to be like her. Her hero worship is part of what makes her so annoying at the beginning of the story, because of course no one is that great in real life! When Demeter insensitively fires her it's the last straw and Katie finally gets a clue.

That's where the story took a turn for the better. I could really see that the story is written in a way that allows the reader to see Katie's flaws and see her attempt to learn from her naivety. She spends time at her childhood home, helping to turn it into a glamping destination, while trying desperately to find a new job. At this point in the novel I actually felt more eager to finish it. Demeter arrives at Anster Farms with her family and throws Katie off balance. The story becomes more comedic and moves a bit faster at this point.

Sophie Kinsella knows how to tell a story that manages to engage laughter and tears. This is the book to read whenever you need a good laugh and a hard hitting reality check!
*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Sophie Kinsella does it again with her light hearted look into modern British life. Two thumbs up and a foot!

Another great read by sophie kinsella.
I did find it hard to connect with katie from the begining and throughout the beginning I felt a lot of sympathy for this character which I found differed from previous heroines in kinsellas book. However as the story progressed I understood this need for empathy and really started to connect with katie.
Kinsella doesn't disappoint with her wit and humour in this book and I found myself laughing out loud in a few places.
I liked the underlying moral of not judging a book by its cover, especially in this day and age where we are surrounded by other peoples lifes displayed across social media.
The fairytale ending was the cherry in top, though without this love interest I feel the story would have been a strong read.
One of my top sophie kinsella books and would reccomended to anyone. Even debating glamping for my summer hols!

I've probably only read one book previously by Sophie Kinsella and I liked it but in general chick-lit isn't really my favorite genre. All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, quick read, and I think a lot of people can relate to the main character, Katie's, struggles with trying to make it and feeling pressured to put the best face possible on things.

Katie is a wonderful character and I really liked seeing how she grew throughout the book. I think my favorite scene was where she gets her revenge on Demeter during a "bespoke" activity. I laughed so hard and then went back and read it again!

I would recommend this book for people who want a fun read, or anyone who has felt the pressure to have their life be Instagram perfect.

I'm a big fan of Sophie Kinsella, so I always look forward to her new books. I enjoyed reading about the struggle to fit in only to find out that it pays to be true to yourself.