I enjoyed this book very much. It was an enjoyable read that ended up discussing some important themes like the power of social media, clean eating, and media responsibility.

Lizzie Glass was a successful chef with a Food Network show, but when that ended she faded from view and became a private chef to pay the bills. When that won't pay the bills anymore, she gives up living in NYC and moves home to her mother in Philadelphia. Through her aunt, Lizzie gets a job as a private chef to a very wealthy media mogul and his family.

She goes to the New Jersey shore to cook for the summer, and meets the family. The wife and mother, Kathryn, has jumped from one food fad to another and currently is following the Paleo diet. Her daughter Zoe is a strange girl with her own pantry of food, and Lizzie is told she has a food blog.

As the summer goes on, Zoe shows up and takes pictures of Lizzie's food. Lizzie finds them on the blog, which is much more popular that she was led to believe. The blog say that Zoe helped put her friend Marie's cancer into remission by having her follow a special diet listed on the blog.

Lizzie is shocked. Zoe is 23 years old and not an expert in the field, anymore than she is.
When Zoe's half brother Nate appears on the scene, he and Lizzie have an instant attraction that could spell trouble for Lindsey. In the end, Lizzie must decide on exactly what her future will hold.

I definitely recommend this book. I wish there were recipes for some of the delicious food that was described so well!

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pleasant surprise and a quick read. I was grabbed by the cover, hooked by the characters, and committed to the story.

This book had a character that I loved to hate, Kathryn. Part of me kept reading just to see if karma would come around on her, because I know women like Kathryn. She flaunts her wealth, barely registers other's needs, spoils her child blindly, and blames everyone else around her. Oh, Kathryns of the world, open your eyes and step down from your high horse. Kathryn wasn't even the "bad" guy in this one.

I really enjoyed the multiple stories that are a part of a single story aspect of this book. There is the story of Lizzie and her failed career as a Food Network star, the relationship between Lizzie and her mother, Zoe and her blog, and the strange and dysfunctional Silvester family dynamic. All the pieces fit perfectly together and add layers to the overall story of Lizzie finding herself.

I became invested in the story, particularly Susan, Lizzie's mom. She was the one I wanted to see with a happy ending. She was the one I was flipping pages to find out how she was doing. Her story was a little predictable, but it was set up nicely with all of the accompanying details of Lizzie's story. I think what I liked the most is that Susan's story is told through a series of emails between herself and her sister, Linda. It broke up the pieces of Lizzie's story nicely.

Like I mentioned, the story was a little predictable, but not in the Oh-this-kind-of-story-again sort of way. The details created a great mental image of Lizzie and the Silvester's home that I didn't have to fill in the blanks myself. The relationship between the details and the timing was balanced just right. When I guessed what would happen next, it wasn't 10 chapters down the line that I found out I was right, but a matter of paragraphs or pages because the pace was steady.

My complaints with the book are few, such as the lack of pronoun use. Normally, I would say using too many pronouns is annoying, but there were parts of this one where a pronoun would have been nice. There was an entire paragraph at one point that almost every sentence started with "Lizzie." It took away from the story that I had to read her name so many times in sections.

Also, Lizzie's love life was Oh-this-kind-of-story-again predictable. I saw it coming a mile away and I was hoping I would be wrong, but it was very much the clichéd love story we've all read a million times. It took away from Lizzie's story instead of adding to it and it just felt like filler.

While I was more invested in Susan, Lizzie's self-acceptance and journey finding herself was a definite highlight. Many of us, myself included, put too much weight on our shoulders and have unrealistic expectations. Some people get lucky and make millions of dollars on business ventures before they are 30, but the majority of the population aren't lucky like that. Lizzie's whole life had centered around her cooking show when she was in college. She rode the fame train and thought that because that didn't work out, she failed.

We all make mistakes, however, and who we are and what we do at 20 is not who we become at 30.

With age and experience come maturity and self-acceptance. I just wish Lizzie would have seen this without the help of Nate, but that's just me.

Food fads or food for life?
This story started out a bit rambly, an ex-TV chef working as private chef for an obscenely rich but very dysfunctional ( of course!) family. A bit of fluffy holiday read. But strangely, I found myself drawn into the lives of the characters, the impetuous protagonist, the keep-up-appearances employer and their cookie brat of a daughter. And (the beginning of) a love story and the protagonist's mother being diagnosed with cancer.....spiced up with lashings of FOOOOOD. An interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-ARC of this title, in exchange for my honest review. I'd been stuck in a psychological thriller realm for awhile, and until I'd finished this book, I didn't realize how much I needed a breath of fresh air. Lizzie, the main character was a former TV chef, whose star has fallen. She's trying to get work, and ends up with a family that puts a capital D in dysfunctional. I liked the bit of romance, without trying to hit us over the head with it. I also liked the emails from Lizzie's mom giving a bit of a plot within the plot. This book had me really laughing during the eagle ice sculpture portion....read it and you'll see what I mean.

I’m almost done with Virtually Perfect by Paige Roberts and I love it! I hesitate to use the label “chick lit” and rather say it’s smart women’s commercial fiction. Well written, funny, and engaging, I knew from page one that it was going to be a great novel and it is.

Here’s the synopsis:

Not so long ago, Lizzie Glass had a successful TV show, a cookbook deal, and a social diary crammed with parties and events. But fame doesn’t stay fresh for long. Her show fizzles, her magazine column is canceled, and Lizzie’s only option is a summer job as personal chef to the Silvesters, a wealthy and eccentric family.

Their beach house is a lavish, beautifully decorated palace on the Jersey Shore, and Lizzie gets to work catering to Kathryn and Jim Silvester’s fashionably restrictive diets. But it’s their twenty-something
daughter who presents Lizzie with her biggest challenge—professionally and personally. A self-proclaimed “wellness warrior,” Zoe Silvester has a hugely popular website and app that promotes healthy living and organic, unprocessed foods. Yet Lizzie soon realizes that The Clean Life site has a dirty little secret. In fact, Zoe’s entire online persona is based on a dangerous hoax that runs deep and will damage lives. Exposing Zoe won’t just jeopardize Lizzie’s job and a promising new relationship—it may expose the cracks in her own past.

As I’ve mentioned, I have been reading countless mysteries and thrillers so Virtually Perfect was exactly the book I needed for a break in those genres. I am looking for more books like this one so if you have recommendations, let me know!

Easy read of my home towns., which was a nice surprise. Has been star, Lizzie lands a summer job as a personal chef and cater to the Silverster'. Things are going smoothly or are they? Will their daughter Zoe put Lizzie through the ringer when Zoe's secrets are exposed? High society drama in my local backyards.

Virtually Perfect
Paige Roberts
Available: September 26, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.
What I thought would be a light and fluffy book about a cook turning over a new leaf didn’t end up being as light and fluffy the whole way through. Blind parental love clouds the judgement of people and those who seemed nice (albeit flakey) turn nasty.
What I loved: I liked how the romantic aspect of the story didn’t overtake the entire novel. Sometimes the romance overtakes the intended storyline and it was kept nicely as a subplot.
What I Didn’t Love: I wish there could have been more about Lizzie’s fall from grace – it seemed glossed over and that it happened but it was not as significant as changing a burned out lightbulb. I would have liked it if Lizzie had made a major gaffe on television or at an event instead of just no longer being flavor of the month.
What I learned: If the main character is a chef – there really should be recipes in the book.

Overall Grade: B-

We meet Lizzie whilst she's trying to promote cotziki! Lizzie is a chef, previously fairly well known and on television, however Lizzie's show was cancelled so she tries something new and becomes a private chef for a wealthy family.
We meet the new family and uncover some strange dynamics along the way, Lizzie is occasionally caught in the crossfire but is such a nice character that I was rooting for her the whole way through! I really enjoyed this book and was thoroughly engaged in the ups and downs (and occasional humour) of Lizzie as she tried to make choices and find a way through!

Started at as 3.5 but improved in last third. I liked the main character but would have liked to known a little more about why her past show failed. Well written. Humorous Last third especially engaging

This book was truly wonderful to read. Lizzie was a true inspiration as she came back from a lot of issues to once again become a great cook. However to do that she had to go back through her life and find out what and where she had made her mistakes. She knew what she did best and persevered and continued to do so. I would have liked Zoë to have a bigger position in the book rather then just appearing causing problems and then disappearing again. I think I would have liked to know about what cause Zoë to be the way she is - other than her friend Marie's situation. The book was very enjoyable and was definitely a great read whether you are on the beach or just need something easy to read.

In Virtually Perfect author Paige Roberts introduces us to Lizzie, a former TV chef. Lizzie's star has fallen and she has to scramble to get work. She ends up taking a job for a wealthy family as a personal chef during their summer spent in Avalon on the NJ Shore. This is where the story gets interesting. The family dynamics are strange and it takes a while for Lizzie to understand what is going on with the often absent daughter who steals some of her recipes for a healthy food blog. There are awkward moments when she is put on the spot about her former success and current situation, a little romance,, lies, and family complications. In all Lizzie has to make some decisions about what is important in life. I was hoping for her the whole time.