This book was a pure delight to read! It had me laughing from the very first paragraph and I kept smiling until the final pages. The story follows Katie, a girl from the countryside who has her dream job in London, though her boss is a bit of a nightmare. The beginning was hilarious and all to relatable as she goes through her hellish commute-- I think most people who have moved to a big city to pursue a job, can relate to her experience that Kinsella so accurately captured. Things don't go well at her job and she moves home to help with her dad's glamping business-- which was every bit as fun as it sounds. Of course there's a love story thrown in there too, but I appreciated it wasn't the central plot of the book. As the title suggests, the book dives into the pressure to appear to have a perfect life on social media.

I would love a sequel to continue on with Katie, Demeter, and Alex!

Totally enjoyable!! Can't wait to read another by this author!!

I enjoyed this book, but it felt very similar to other chick lit books I have read- but that's okay! It was a nice, light read and I do enjoy Sophie Kinsella's writing style and how she makes the characters come to life. I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a light beach read for the summer.

4.5⭐️rounded up to 5 stars.
MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE by Sophie Kinsella was a fun quirky read with a few surprising twists and turns for those of us who need more. In an interview Ms Kinsella, author of the bestselling Shopaholic series, confessed that she likes to use humour in her books.

"I love to write comedy, and even if I'm trying to put a message across, I like to do it through humour and with humour. I don't know if I could give that up. I'm slightly addicted to it. And a plot that makes you turn the pages. I think my readers do like something to chew on and think about."

The following quote comes from the Goodreads February Newsletter.
"In her latest novel, My Not So Perfect Life. Sophie Kinsella examines our present-day obsession with social media and the impulse to project a perfect life through a carefully curated online presence. While Katie Brenner struggles to make ends meet in pursuit of her dream career in London, she covets the life of her glamorous boss and posts perfectly framed photos of cafes, friends and a glossy life that isn't actually hers. When she suddenly loses her job, Katie must return to her country roots and dismantle the facade, discovering a different view of her boss in the process. Based in London, Kinsella spoke with interviewer Regan Stevens about social media, the myth of the perfect life and learning to be a more relaxed parent."

I recommend this 'standalone' novel to anyone looking for a fun quirky read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publicity and The Dial Press for a digital ARC of My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet love story. My favorite elements of Kinsella's other stories are present here--a plucky main character, a seemingly horrible powerful figure, a series of unfortunate events, and eventually a happily ever after with a love story. :) In this story, the main character is fired and forced to find a new path for herself. She returns home and helps her dad and stepmom develop a thriving bed and breakfast. Cute, interesting, and a satisfying ending.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Growing up, Katie Brenner always dreamed of living in London. Now, she has a job in branding, a flat in Catford, and an Instagram account detailing her perfect life…except things aren’t actually all they were cracked up to be. When she loses her job, she has to move back to her dad’s farm in Somerset and helps out with his new glamping business. Who should then show up for vacation there but her old boss?

This book is everything you could hope for from a Sophie Kinsella novel. While the plot is not always plausible, it makes you laugh at times and leaves you feeling good. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something to lift your mood.

My Not So Perfect Life

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’ve been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s work for years. I pick up everything she puts out.


The Characters:

Katie Brenner:


The Story:

I am practically in tears as I type this. Katie has bored me into DNF-ing this book. I’ve never DNF’d a Sophie Kinsella book. I can usually slog through and find the good in even my least favorite book (looking at you Twenties Girl). Considering I found Finding Audrey to be one of the best books I read in 2016 I’m really disappointed that I could not move any further in this book. Seriously I was cleaning to avoid reading it. Oh well, it won’t stop me from picking up the next book published by Ms Kinsella.

The Random Thoughts:

*DNF so no rating

This book will definitely have strong appeal for Sophie Kinsella readers. This author sticks to her tried and true formula, but she never "phones it in." She puts so much into all her books and this is no exception.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved the author's Shopaholic series but hadn't paid much attention to her books in ten years or so. When I saw this novel, I thought I would give it a try. I'm so glad I did. Yes, the story is a little bit fairytale'ish and wraps up with the happily ever after'ness we'd expect, but everything in between is just plain fun to read.

Katie.... or is it Cat? is working hard to convince everyone she is a true Londoner. She's straightened her hair, dropped her Somerset accent, and given herself a new name, but just when things are looking up, Katie gets fired. My Not So Perfect Life is a fun reminder that no matter how perfect everyone else's life appears on social media, it's all about presentation. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this one. It's the perfect book to get lost in!

It's simply not possible not to love Sophie Kinsella's books. Not possible. In a quickly shifting world on instant and superficial communication, Kinsella reminds us that people are usually not as they seem.

This is a must read for any Sophie Kinsella, Emily Griffin, and Jennifer Weiner fan! The dynamics between Katie (or Cat...), Demeter, and Alex are so FUN that you crave more on each and every page. I especially love Sophie's books outside the Shopaholic series and she once again made me laugh out loud and fall in love with the characters. This is another book that you wish wasn't over when you turn the final page.

Sophie Kinsella captured my attention many years ago with the Confessions of a Shopaholic series. She showed that she had real strength in her writing, being able to balance light topics and mix them with seriousness at the right times, making for a fun combination that doesn't weigh too heavily on the reader.

Returning to her newest work, My Not So Perfect Life, I was happy to see that the quality of her writing was much the same. After having written over ten novels, I wasn't sure what I would be coming back to. Katie Brenner, the main character, is totally different from Becky Bloomwood, the aforementioned Shopaholic. While they are a somewhat similar taste for living in the center of it all (London), they are quite different and that's fine.

Katie's story felt like it might be a bit slow at first. The summary makes much of her losing her job and being forced to return home, so I thought that crucial event was going to take place much sooner than it did. While in the reading it felt a bit slow, upon reflection I think Kinsella took just the right amount of time to bring Katie's London life into focus, introduce to some major and some minor characters, and then move us to the countryside for the later half of the book where a lot of Katie's, and her former boss Demeter's, character development takes place.

As far as the characters go, I think Katie was well rounded and had a good time of things. The one part that I didn't really like was the conclusion of her relationship with Alex Astalis. It seems like in the end that they'll go their separate ways after having a bit of adult fun and that would have made a lot of sense and been perfectly fine. However, in the last one or two percent of the book, he comes rushing back into her life and she accepts it far too easily. I thought that felt really rushed and it rang of falseness. I would've loved to see Katie enjoy their time together, as she said she did, and then move on with her career, as she was doing when Alex bumbled back in.

Then there is there are the interactions that Demeter has with the rest of the book's cast. She is quite the villain of the piece for much of the book, or at least made out to be one. It's revealed at the end that a lot of the mad things going on with her (forgetting dates, emails being sent or deleted, etc.) are actually part of a sabotage plot, but that's neither here nor there. Some of the actions Demeter takes are her own and I'm not sure totally excusing her, letting her apologize and get away totally clear in the end, was all that great. She's a boastful person who doesn't think about what she says half the time and yet this seems to be forgiven once the plot against her is uncovered.

It is also mentioned that she might have prosopagnosia (face blindness) to a certain degree. Katie knows that there's a rumor about this and through her interactions with Demeter it certainly seemed plausible long before Demeter confirmed she had a little face recognition problem. On the one hand, Katie's treatment of this situation is a bit mean, though. She never acknowledges that this might cause Demeter some real trouble with remembering names/faces and lashes out about this both to herself and to Demeter's face once things start going down. One the other hand, as I mentioned with regards to Demeter's boastful actions being excused earlier, her behavior with not learning to work with her disability doesn't mean that she should get away with being disrespectful to her colleagues. Just because you have a disability doesn't mean you get to be disrespectful of the people around you, especially the ones you work with/employ.

Overall, I think that Sophie Kinsella's newest novel is a lot of fun to read and the new setting, taking place on a farm with a family that's a bit nutty (a father that goes from project to project until he settles on glamping), was a humorous one to try out. If this was my first Kinsella novel, I think it would convince me to try more of her novels. As it is at least my seventh or eighth, I like to think I'll keep reading her future books and make short work of older novels I might have missed.

I can't say enough good things about this one! I thought it was brilliant! Kinsella has penned another cute, entertaining story that kept me smiling. I loved the main character, Katie, and the supporting cast was great too. The storyline kept my interest and I enjoyed the romance. A winner for me!

I don’t read as much chick lit as I used to, but Sophie Kinsella books are always like curling up with an old friend. In My Not So Perfect Life, Katie Brenner looks upon the life of everyone else with a lot of envy as she is broke, sharing a flat with some terrible roommates, and struggling at her job. When she is fired, she has to return home, but can’t bear to tell her parents the truth about her failure so she tells them that she is on sabbatical instead.
What unfolds is adorably sweet as Katie helps her family launch a glamping bed and breakfast and secretly hunts for a new job on the side. The only problem is, her former boss shows up as a guest and Katie decides to teach her a lesson or two, but ends up getting a lot of lessons of her own.
In a social media obsessed world, Kinsella showcases how those Instagram photos aren’t always the reality of life and few lives are as perfect as they seem. Written with some really smart characters, it was a fun escape this month and, truly, made me laugh out loud.

I love Sophie Kinsella normally, but this book didn't really do it for me. While the story had it's usual zany heroine and crazy situations, sometimes I felt it was just too much.

I have loved Kinsella since The Shopaholic series! This standalone was a cute read, but not anything extraordinary. Full Review to come.

Did not finish. I was unable to connect with the characters while reading. This book was different from what I normally read and did not finsh.

Surprisingly, this is only the second Sophie Kinsella book I have read and therefore I cannot compare it to any of her other novels. I found "My Not So Perfect Life" to be an easy read with a lot of relatable/likable characters. The dialogue is clever and the characters are quirky and off-beat. This book is a great portrayal of what it feels like to be a 20 something.

Trying (and failing) to reinvent yourself
Attempting to land the perfect job
Trying to get by when you don't have enough experience to land said perfect job
Attempting to make your life look perfect on social media
Although I personally connected to this book on a 20 something level I think adults of a wide age range will also find it relatable. The characters are fleshed out nicely with lots of quirks and flaws. They all have personal struggles that they hide behind a facade. This story is all about having your own issues and attempting to keep your life together while portraying yourself as "perfect." While being a fun book to binge read over a weekend, it is also a reminder that no one's life is perfect. I highly recommend this book!