This is a fun, well-paced story populated by genuine and likable characters. I even liked Demeter! I was pretty curious how everything would turn out, especially with Alex. It didn't bother me that the story went from London to Somerset; in fact, I liked the contrast and getting to see these two sides of Cat/Katie as she struggled to make her own way. Fans of Kinsella's prior novels are sure to love this one too!

Review shared on Goodreads. Will also share on other outlets when sales go live. http://wp.me/p3AKEA-24w

Katie Brenner is a West Country gal trying to make her London dreams come true. And failing spectacularly. She's finally got a paying job as a research associate at a branding (Advertising) agency, but she's the lowest one on the books there. Her salary is so low she shares a flat with two other people, more than an hour's commute away from work. She admires her friends' Instagram accounts, and fabricates her own "fab life" with pictures she grabs on the go--because she could never afford that decadent coffee, or that divine dinner spot. Nope. But, she studies hard, making lists of all the places she's check out just as soon as she launches her way up the ladder to success.

Her boss, Demeter, is a criminally scatterbrained woman with far too many fabulous aspects to be truly human. She's always out to dinner, or at an award night, and her family is all shiny and perfect. And, if the office rumor mill can be trusted, Demeter's got a long-standing "arrangement" with Alex, the younger partner in their firm--and the man Katie'd thought had a bit of an interest in herself. Katie, who calls herself "Cat" in her fab life, studies Demeter, aspiring to learn more and impress her one day soon. It's not meant to be, however. Their branding firm is having some issues with clients and Katie's let go soon after she designed the branding on her father's newest get-rich-quick scheme: glamping on their country estate.

Having no other prospects, Katie returns home from London under the premise that she's got a 'sabbatical' to help out her family. Really, she can't admit she had a horrible life in London, because her father's totally against her living there, and she doesn't want to live int he country forever. She's making applications and chatting to headhunters whenever she isn't setting up the glamping yurts, or customizing the "totally organic experience" for each of their hoity-toity guests. It's with immediate dismay that Demeter and fam arrive--because she'll blow Katie's cover to her dad.

Then again, when Demeter doesn't recognize "Cat" in her 'West Country Katie' persona, Katie's able to get some of her own back, torturing Demeter with "one-of-a-kind," "exclusive," "holistic" treatments. That is, until Katie grows a conscience, and learns that Demeter isn't as nearly perfect as her Instagram feed would reflect.

I really dug this one. It's a more mature, and less-slapstick, type of book than I've read from Ms. Kinsella before. The careful plotting and copious breadcrumbs led me right into the conundrum: how do we cope when life isn't like we spin it? Social media facades, cyberbullying, corporate espionage were not what I expected to find in this one, but, wow! Was this a rich tapestry. Katie's a great character, not too young, despite her naivete, at points. She's fully relatable, as the plucky gal clawing her way out of a hard-scrabble life--only to have her dreams dashed. The amazing turns of situation, particularly regarding Demeter and the jobs at their branding firm, was carefully intimated, and led me along in the proper directions. Plus, I got yet another object lesson in the value of empathy, and being a stand-up person even when it's really freaking hard. Facing down her father, with his absolute love for Katie and desperate want to have her stay home forever? Appropriately heart-crushing.

I loved Katie, and how she grew up and owned her life, and her mistakes. There's a bit of cloak-and-dagger business as Katie tries to work herself back into the branding firm--on behalf of Demeter. I liked how there was so much uncertainty regarding Demeter's mental state, and if she really was the horrible/insensitive boss she'd seemed at the beginning, or if this was the product of some illness. Or, worse. Alex's role was definitely interesting, as he's not-quite a hero. He's a regular guy with work problems, too, which was rather enchanting. I love it when the characters are actual humans with everyday problems. The book is a bit long, but the read is easy and the pages turn themselves. I really hoped we'd see a bit of steam on the page, but alas, fade-to-black... *shrugs* Fans of the author won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Bantam Press and NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Poor Katie Brenner is trying to live her best life, but she's broke, can't seem to get ahead in her job, and her boss is a nightmare.

This is a chick-lit, zany hijinks to the max, Sophie Kinsella book, set in London.

Girl is unhappy, girl lies, girl learns lesson, girl ends up with everything she wanted. I know I shouldn't read these type of books, but they're fun! Sometimes. And they're quick! They're entertaining! I can't keep away, but I spend the majority of my time reading it and rolling my eyes a little bit.

I mean, I did know what I was getting myself into, and it read like your typical, crazy, Rom-Com movie, but it wasn't all bad. Some parts were pretty heartwarming and at times you want to shake Katie a bit to get it together, but you also sympathize with her.

If you're looking to pick up a no-fuss, quick read, and you like quirky chick-lit books, then you should definitely pick up My Not So Perfect Life.

For fans of Sophie Kinsella, this book is pure joy. Following Katie Brenner's ups and downs in her career and relationships is "classic" and wonderful women's fiction just as it should be. The British setting and the cast of rural and city characters is greatly enjoyable, and this book is well written. This book brings me back to the great women's fiction of the earlier 2000s (dare I say to the "chick lit" days?), before the genre was over-saturated and over-done. I didn't know I'd been missing this book until I read it!

This is another Sophie Kinsella favorite! Will definitely buy the print version to add to my collection.

This was a mostly solid, quick read about a young woman whose life isn't as perfect as she tries to make it appear on social media. I think it was a great theme to explore and long overdue, especially in the chick lit genre. I loved Katie as a character, though I found her father's business and her relationship with Alex a little too difficult to believe. I also would have liked more depth in exploring the social media versus reality angle, but depth is really a lot to ask of chick lit. Still an enjoyable, easy to recommend book for the chick lit crowd.

I would like to thank Sophie Kinsella, Random House and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review by Stephanie
5 Stars
First I must admit I am a HUGE Sophie Kinsella, so was stoked when I saw her new book on netgalley! Her books are always my go to for a good easy read! 

Katie Brenner wants the "perfect life" which of course includes having it all. She forces her days on what everyone else has and how they seem to have the "perfect life". She is questioning why they are privileged enough to have it all while she is struggling to make ends meet. Then everything came crashing down which makes her question everything.
 I loved this book so very much. The focus was on a great message of why try to keep up with the Jones when you should just focus on being the best you! You will be more happy in your every day when you release the need to be "better" "richer".
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Sophie!

This book is the perfect chick lit read of 2017. It's so real and relatable and by the end of the book I was literally sitting in my chair fist pumping for Katie!! I love relatable main characters and this book definitely delivered. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves chick lit!!

Sophie's books are my treat to myself. A really good group of characters in this story. Katie is like a lot of people her age, posting all kinds of lovely pictures on Instagram and to look at her site you would think she was living the high life in London when her actual life is nothing she would want to share. Inconsiderate flatmates, a scatty boss and barely scraping by in the city.

When she is let go she returns to Somerset and the farm where she grew up. Helping her dad and Ms.Biddy set up their glamping operation with her talent for branding and selling, the business becomes a big hit. Until one day Demeter shows up with her family and Katie learns that just like her Instagram life, everyone else is not exactly who or what they seem.

In this age of instant information and photo shop, lives can look entirely different than reality. A great lesson in not making judgments based on social media.

A really well done book of understanding and doing the right thing!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this one!

My Not So Perfect Life is one of my favorites of Sophie Kinsella. It was a witty, realistic, modern story about Katie or "Cat" Brenner who finally gets her chance to have the perfect life as a Londoner. The reality definitely didn't equal the childhood dream, but she never wants to give it up or explain it to the ones that she cares about because she thinks she would worry or disappoint them.

Cat becomes the masterful creator of her perfect, rebranded life through social media and acting the part. It all goes crashing down when she is fired by her mentor, Demeter, who doesn't even know the impact she has played in Cat's life. Now she has to figure out how to overcome this obstacle before anyone finds out the truth.

One of my favorite parts of the book besides the laugh out loud story was the strong female characters that make their mark in the world. Katie and Demeter find their passion and voice in all aspects of their lives. The journey to their realization made me not want to put the book down and my heart swell in parts too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Kinsella, and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy for an honest review.

Another fantastically funny book by Sophie Kinsella. Her sense of humour is wonderful and I had to leave the room in case I woke up the hubby, I was laughing so much.

In true Sophia Kinsella form, this book builds to a fantastic ending. I love all the characters in this book.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you) and I'll be honest, I was cautious when I started this book. I know that Sophie Kinsella is wildly popular and awhile back I had picked up one of her books and couldn't get through it.

That being said, I truly enjoyed this book! Just enough mystery, just enough romance, and just enough warm and fuzzies. To be frank, it was really hard for me to adjust to the constant stream of inner dialogue (same issue I had with her previous book) but once I adjusted to kind of glancing over those sentences, I got caught up. I loved how much the main character, Katie Brenner, evolved. I rather disliked her in the beginning, and by the end, I was cheering her along and rooting for her. I was pleased with how the rest of the crew developed as well, and the epilogue was a perfect ending to this quaint story.

Katie Brenner has a plan for her life and it most certainly does not include the farm where she grew up. In fact, she has completely transformed herself in order to fit into a London world. New hair, new style and even a new name. (Cat is so much cooler than Katie isn’t it?) And when she overhears some women in the bathroom making fun of her accent, she works hard to make that go away too.

She’s got the mind for marketing. She picks things up quickly and her ideas are really good. She just needs to learn how to break out and make a name for herself like her boss Demeter Farlowe did. Demeter has made her way to the top of the food chain in her company and she’s got the perfect life. She runs an entire division. She works with the top tier of clients. She always looks impeccable. Heck, the house she lives in has even been featured in magazine layouts! Demeter has it all. Except – well, being nice. Around the office she seems really scattered and she takes advantage of other people’s ideas.

Katie isn’t having an easy time of it in London. She barely makes enough money to keep her head above water – but she is determined. She’s also determined to fit in with the other girls around the office, but even that isn’t working out as she’d hoped.

Through a series of misadventures (what do you expect from the creator of the Shopaholic series?) Katie ends up being fired and living back home with her step-mother and father on the farm. She doesn’t want to look like a failure, so she doesn’t tell them she lost her job. So she tells her family that she is on a paid leave from work while she helps them turn the farm into a glamping (glamorous camping) paradise. She’s doing a great job at getting the business up and running and her marketing ideas have shot the buzz and publicity for the farm to the top of the charts. While she’s doing this, she juggles resumes, applications and job interviews so she can get back to her ‘real’ life dreams – London!

Just when it seems she has a relative handle on things, who books a week-long retreat at her parent’s camp? Demeter Farlowe and her family. Katie does not want to be recognized, so she disguises herself and decides that she’s going to exact revenge on her boss. During this plan though, she realizes that Demeter’s life is not what it appeared. In fact, everything she thought about Demeter was absolutely wrong. Oh and did I mention romance? There is some fantastic romance in this one too!

I loved this story. To be fair, Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorites. I always enjoy getting into the heads of her characters and experiencing the glitz and glamor, but with that touch of reality that keeps it grounded. Katie is one of those fabulous characters that I would happily continue to follow through even more adventures.

Though sometimes Katie’s misadventures are totally off the wall, there are still enough ‘real’ moments to make me able to see it actually happening. After all, who hasn’t had some moment in their lives that is just insane? We all do and I adore watching how Kinsella’s characters muddle through their messes.

One of the things I loved about this story was the inclusion of social media. I’ve always said that on social media, we’re comparing our behind the scenes to the highlight reels of others. (I work in film. Can you tell?) But it’s really true. People don’t tend to put the messy up there for the world to see. It’s always perfect and looks so good and the rest of us look on thinking we have to live that way.

Kudos to Sophie Kinsella for addressing a big issue in such a fun way!

Note: My review will go live at the link on 2-7-17

One of Sophie Kinsella's best! Its a nice departure from the Shopaholic series in that the protagonist is very grounded and more composed. Its always nice to see books that depict women in positions of power.

I love Sophie Kinsella's books, and you'll love this book as much as I did! I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. The main character, Katie, leaves her Somerset farm and changes herself into a new and improved city version named Cat pursue to lifelong dream of working in advertising. She wants to have the perfect life and her Instagram account documents her faux perfection to her friends, but she finds out it isn't as easy as she thought. She imagines that everyone around her has their version of the perfect life, and her journey to the truth about herself and her friends and family takes her back to the country and then to London again.
This book does a great job of showing the differences between people's social media facades and the realities of their lives. When Katie loses her dream job, she ends up back in the country helping her family launch a new business. With her marketing talent, it's a huge success....and then her old boss and then a love interest come to stay. The story gets really interesting and funny here, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Read this book!

I found this a well written story--it was enjoyable. It is the story of a young woman who is navigating her first job and the dichotomy of her expectations vs. the imperfect truth. She creates a polished version of her life on instagram. The characters rang true and ultimately I found it a well crafted romance and coming of age story.

This book is CLASSIC Sophie Kinsella and I loved every minute of it! Not since she released the Shopaholic series have I gotten so excited about one of her novels (although frankly, they are all great in their own way), but after reading this one, I know why I am so in love with her books. Sophie has weaved a story that will make readers appreciate the lives they live. A story that makes us believe in fate, even if it takes a bit to get to where we are meant to be. And, she has brought to life a group of characters that could easily become our best friends. This story is engaging, sweet, heartwarming, and down to earth. It is everything I wanted (and needed) in a novel, and I am so thankful that I could read an early a copy of it. All you readers out there, this is a fantastic book and I highly recommend reading it. So far, this is my favorite chick lit read of the year, and I am not sure how other novels are going to top it.

So, this story is about Katie (Cath, Cat?.) and her rise and fall in the branding world. You see, Katie has a job that she loves but it seems like none of her ideas are ever taken seriously. She would be fabulous at helping to rebrand items that need a makeover but her ideas are always looked over. And the topping on the cake? She loses her job (even though her boss forgot to tell her) for reasons that are sort of unknown. This forces her back to the country life with her father even if it’s the last place this up and coming Londoner wants to be. I suppose it’s not all that bad though because she has an opportunity of a lifetime when her father and Biddy set out to make their land into a glamping site (which is all the rave btw) and gets to use her skills. But when the very boss that let her go comes to this new venue, things get a little muddy (literally)…

Full of fun antics, laugh out loud moments, and characters that will absolutely touch your heart, My Not So Perfect Life is bound to please all types of readers. This is definitely one of those books to read this year, and I cannot recommend it enough to fellow readers! What a lovely and brilliant story filled with heart!