Charming....Sophia Kinsella at her best! I have shared this story w/ all of my reading friends...and have highly recommended it to my three local libraries.

You can't go wrong with reading a book by Sophie Kinsella. A perfect mix of flirty fun with a large helping of self-awareness thrown in. Definitely a recommended read!

This Book is awesome. Sophie Kinsella does it again. She gives another easy to read novel that draws you into the character and makes it hard to put the book down. Really good

I want to be Katie Brenner when I grow up. This book has made me want to go glamping and explore the great outdoors. I'm glad that Kate got the chance to see a glimpse Demeter with her family - sometimes we think people are so perfect but the aren't. Valuable lesson that things are not always what the seem. Great book!

Book Review: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House
The Dial Press

Everyone is guilty of it at one time or another. You post something to one of your social media accounts to try to make your life look better than it really is. You use an Instagram filter or Photoshop to make a picture look good. You brag about a delicious meal that you ate when in reality it wasn’t really yours. You post about your picture perfect life despite the fact that the washer flooded the house and your kids have explosive diarrhea.

Little white lies that make your life look better than it really is and for a time make you feel better. Katie Brenner does that in this book. She makes her job and social life look glamorous when she’s actually really lonely and a peon at her job. She models her social media presence after her boss’s life, not knowing that her boss isn’t as perfect as she seems.

How things look are not always how they are in real life. Some people forget that. Katie spends so much time trying to erase her life as a farm girl that she misses out on any real emotion. Things start looking good for her when her boss and a hot guy take an interest in her but that quickly falls apart. Her boss fires her and the romance turns out to be nothing more than a fantasy. She soon returns to her boring farm life and the father that she has been trying to desperately to make proud.

Not a lot more can be revealed without spoiling the book but let me say that parts of the story really had me laughing out loud. I got strange looks from my future spouse. Katie, who was a little bit whiny and annoying in the beginning soon find her footing and makes you root for her.

The ending. Again, without spoilers, the author could have taken the easy and predictable way out and tie everything up with a pretty bow. She didn’t and that was a pleasant surprise for me. It actually made me crack a smile.

This book was a pleasure for me to read.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can find this review and more at: http://shiningstarreviews.blogspot.com/

I love me some Sophie Kinsella stand-alones! They are always such fun and I speed right through them.

I have to admit that I didn't finish this book. It was just a giant who cares.

Four stars: A book that surprised me. Loved the humor and the change of heart.

Katie is living the life. She has a terrific job in London, a flat and flat mates and she shares all of her glamorous life on her Instagram feed. However, the truth of the matter is that everything Katie posts on her feed is a lie. She lives in a cramped apartment with roommates she rarely sees. At her job, she is a research assistant, and her boss is difficult to say the least, and she is barely scraping by. Then disaster strikes, just when Katie thinks she is getting ahead. She loses her job. Katie heads back to her roots in the country, where she ends up helping her dad start up a glamping business. Things are going great, and then, Katie's former boss from hell shows up. Is this Katie's chance to exact revenge?
What I Liked:
*My Not So Perfect Life was a book that surprised me. I loved the change in direction, and I appreciate Katie's growth. This was a funny book with lots of heart. If you want a terrific, fun, chick lit read, give this one a go.
*Katie is a fun main character. At first, she is all about images, doing everything she can to convince herself and everyone else that she is leading the glamorous life in London that she always dreamed about. In truth, she is miserable. When she goes back to the country, she beings to evolve. I loved watching her help her dad and step mom get the glamping business going. Then when it seemed that Katie was going to go down the mean girl path, she realizes her error and changes. It was fantastic when Katie took a minute to really see things from someone else's view point. By the end, Katie is happy, living her dream and a kinder person. I loved watching her grow.
*Speaking of glamping, who knew that glamorous camping could be so fun. I got a kick out of watching Katie help her dad start up the glamping business. It was funny and interesting. I wished that I could go glamping on Katie's family farm.
*I appreciated the strong relationship Katie had with her dad. They had each other's backs through thick and thin. Her dad cracked me up with all of his antics. I also liked the relationship Katie had with her step mom. This is a book that goes to show you that no matter where you roam, your roots will always bring you home.
*Demeter was such an interesting character. I am not going to go into too much detail here as I don't want to spoil things. I will say that I did not like her at first because I felt like she was a caricature of the boss from hell. However, as the book progressed, her layers are peeled back. It was wonderful to see how things changed for Demeter and those around her. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by their cover, or a person by their appearance.
*The take home message for this one was fantastic. It was all about being true to yourself and seeing beyond the so called perfect life. Things on social media are not what they appear to be, the trick is to dig deep and see the truth around you.
*The ending was just right, sweet, satisfying and without a cliffhanger. This was the perfect, feel good, pick my up, chick lit read.
And The Not So Much:
*There is a romance in this one, but it was a flop for me. I felt like the romance was weak. It starts out as an attraction and then that ends abruptly with Katie's departure to the country. Then it picks up again. I felt like something was missing, it just didn't have the depth and chemistry that I wanted. It was okay, but it could have been so much better.
*I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed in how things turned out for Katie. Yes, she got her dream and she was happy, but I wanted her to stay true to her roots.

My So Called Perfect Life is a fun, light chick lit read that had heart. I enjoyed the characters, the story and the growth, especially when it came to Katie's boss, Demeter. The romance is the one weak link in the story, but that is easy to overlook because there is so much to like. If you want a simple, easy read, this is one to try. I had a lot of fun with this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Is everything your friends show you on social media true? Are they happier than you? More satisfied with their lives? Or are they showing the world what they wish their lives were really like? Katie Brenner believes her best friend, and her fellow workers, all live the life she wants and she tries hard to turn her own life into a picture-perfect version on Instagram. But truth be told, she’s barely scraping by, has no love life, and her flat mates are terrible. When her life is turned upside-down, and she has to return home, she begins to see that the real her isn’t so bad after all.

I really enjoyed Katie’s story in Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, My Not So Perfect Life. I’ve read most of Ms. Kinsella’s novels (my favorite actually being Twenties Girl) and I enjoy her sense of humor and wit, as well as the heart she puts into each character. Katie’s father, a man who struggles to do well at anything he tries, is a charming character, and Demeter, who you believe to be the witch of the story, proves she has many layers as well, some which are very likable. It’s a charming, sweet story with lots of twists and turns that will keep you reading well into the night.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

In true Kinsella fashion My Not So Perfect Life is a delightful read. Katie Brenner (aka ‘Cat’) is a rural born gal (from Somerset – Anster Farms to be exact) trying to make it big in London. Katie has landed a job with Cooper Clemmow, a branding and strategy agency. She is in fact trying to re-brand herself as ‘Cat’ – a sophisticated version of herself with a new London name.

I loved Katie’s description of her commute (including the panini incident, which brought out a hearty chuckle):

“Commuting in London is basically warfare. It’s a constant campaign of claiming territory; inching forward; never relaxing for a moment. Because if you do, someone will step past you. Or step on you.”

And

“We’re so tightly wedged that she’s holding her panini about three inches away from my face……. Aargh! I shriek as the train jolts and I’m thrown violently forward. The girl has been thrown too, and her hand shoots up toward my face and before I know it, my open mouth has landed on the end of her panini.”

And

“Living in London is something that people all over the world would love to do, and now I’m here. And that’s why I don’t care if my commute is the journey from hell and I don’t care if my bedroom is about three-foot square. I’m here.”

Okay…enough about the commute 😊. I found in the beginning that Cat was not very multi dimensional but really just superficial. However, my opinion changed for the better when her circumstances changed. Working with the most perfect boss and the boss from he**, Demeter, has been a great learning experience for Cat. Demeter knows her stuff and Cat is sopping up the knowledge as fast as possible, but really, why can’t Demeter remember her name? Especially when she sacks Cat?

So what’s a girl to do when the proverbial shi* hits the fan? Goes home to re-group. Back in Somerset, Katie does not tell her family anything. Her father is a hoot. Always trying new money making schemes…that do not work. His latest idea is to set up a camp ground on the farmland. With the expert help of Katie for branding the idea, their ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping) business becomes a big hit. Finally, it looks like one of dad’s money making ideas might work? That is to be seen.

The part that really was entertaining was when Demeter books a week at the farm for glamping with her family. Then Katie must come face to face with the woman who fired her without letting her dad and step mother know. All I can say is…. hilarious with a side of mud (you will understand once you read the book). Revenge was never so sweet, until Katie makes the effort to actually get to know Demeter a bit better and vice versa.

The romantic love story was very well played, a bit understated so as to not take away from Katie’s “life” struggles. A bit of a surprise was the subterfuge that occurred in the office. I like how it just snuck up on me – catching me off guard.

All in all, a fun, charming read. A bit of romance, self discovery, office politics and some general silliness. As usual, Sophie Kinsella does not disappoint with an entertaining story.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This is definitely a book to reread multiple times. I could write a full review that could go one and on but I don't think I have words to explain how I feel about this book anyway, so I'll keep this short and sweet.
Funny and aspiring, with wit and perfect characters and plot. Loved it!

Thank you Ms Kinsella for a very enjoyable read. After some heavier topics it was nice to settle into this book and just be carried along. Having been a fan, it was nice to see a new release and it did not disappoint. It was light, easy to read and the story kept moving. Like many Sophie Kinsella books it was predictable, but isn't that what we like about her books?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

If you're in the mood for a light hearted feel good book, Sophie Kinsella is a great author to turn to. I love a book, that can make me laugh out loud, and hers always do.

I love Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham novels, but don’t read a ton of them. I try to space out my chick lit. 🙂 As chick lit goes this one was fairly predictable (nobody girl works at PR company (it’s always PR!), gets discovered by the hot boss, things go haywire, they are happy in the end etc.) BUT there was a fun twist to this one that you don’t normally see in other novels of this genre.

I truly had so much fun reading this book. As a 20 something, I related to Katie's struggles and empathized with her as she tried to juggle everything. My only gripe with this book was the ending, as it related to Katie's job. Otherwise I loved getting to meet all of the characters and learn more about them as this journey went on. Plus, this novel included some of the revenge that we all secretly wish we could get on our bad bosses.

This was a fun and entertaining book. I have read a few heavy or dark books recently and this was just light enough for me right now.

For the most part, I enjoyed the characters. I was a little annoyed at how vengefull one of the characters was, since it seemed a bit out of character for her, but those parts were needed to make the book progress the way it did. I have to admit a couple of time I cringed and thought that she had to know it wasn't going to work out well for her. I'm not sure if those parts were meant to be humorous (they involved dirty stuff like mud and cow dung, so maybe some potty humor??), but I did not find them humorous at all. Other parts of the book had a more subtle humor, which I enjoyed.

The book was able to keep my attention, even though it didn't have many twists that you didn't see coming. I still looked forward to reading more and enjoyed the rhythm of the story. I liked how the relationships developed and the settings were well developed. It was an enjoyable world to escape into.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it for a light read.

Sophie Kinsella is such a great author and her Shopaholic series is my favorite. This book follows in that series’ greatness. Katie Brenner, or Cat as she calls herself, is a farm girl who dreamed of living in the big city. When she finally makes it to the big city, life is not as glamorous as she thought it would be. She loses her exciting job in London and finds herself right back at the farm. This story is funny and the character of Katie is very endearing. I wish I could give it six stars.

Another great book from Sophie Kinsella! This was a quick read. The main character was very relatable and you couldn't help but root for her.

I love Sophie Kinsella books, her humor, her characters, her plot lines. Unfortunately, My Not So Perfect Life didn't work for me. I really enjoyed the beginning, but after I bit, I wasn't able to connect with the story or the characters.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy for me to read and review!*

Sophie Kinsella is my brain candy. I know I can always sink into one of these chick lit books and just enjoy the book for what it is.

While this book was not as funny as some or as poignant as others, it still has the charm and wit that keeps me reading everything that Kinsella writes. It was a fun, easy read, and I was pleased with how it turned out.

I hope Sophie Kinsella continues to put out standalone novels. I have grown to love these more than the Shopaholic series!