Elizabeth Topp’s Perfectly Impossible is a fun and frothy read that blends satire, humor, and a dash of introspection. The novel follows the life of Anna, a personal assistant to the high-powered and demanding Bambi von Bizmark, navigating the chaos of Manhattan’s socialite scene while struggling to pursue her true passion as an artist.

Topp shines in her portrayal of the absurdities of wealth and privilege, capturing the frantic pace of Anna’s world with wit and energy. The over-the-top characters and outrageous situations are often hilarious, making the novel an entertaining escape. The writing style is sharp, and Topp has a knack for capturing small details that add depth to the scenes, especially in Anna’s musings about her own ambitions and identity.

However, the novel sometimes leans too heavily into its caricatures, which can make the characters feel one-dimensional. Anna’s internal journey, while relatable, doesn’t get as much attention as it could, and the emotional stakes don’t always hit as hard as one might hope. The pacing can also feel uneven, with the narrative focusing more on outlandish events than deeper character development.

Despite these drawbacks, Perfectly Impossible offers a breezy, lighthearted read for those interested in the satire of high society. It’s an enjoyable novel, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its potential for more significant insight.

Thank you Little A and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Elizabeth Topp did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

The storyline was enjoyable and the author did a great job painting the world in which the story was set in.

I ended up skimming alot of the book. The main character was a winy annoying brat plus i felt not connected to the characters at all, felt like many characters came and went and i were just confused and bored.

This was fun! I really enjoyed Perfectly Impossible! This is the perfect book when you're looking for a little escapism from the real world.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a skimmed/#DNF for me - I just really couldn't connect with the style and with the characters- but thanks for offering it to me!

This book gave me a bit of The devil wears prada vibes. The story told about the life of an assistant trying to shuffle between two lives.

Well. The title was fitting, but not in the manner which it was intended. More like, it was Perfectly Impossible to read this book without skimming. It was Perfectly Impossible to care about anyone or anything happening in this story.

At its heart, this book is just a ripoff of a The Devil Wears Prada. Which actually would have been fine enough had it been sweet, or funny, or engaging. It was none of those things.

I kept waiting for even a little bit of humor, but it just never showed up. I kept waiting for Anna to endear herself to me, but she never did. I kept waiting for something, anything compelling to happen in this story and it just never did.

Which just leaves me feeling like it was a poorly done imitation of a book we’ve all already read and loved.

The first novel of Elizabeth Topp perfectly describes the so called routine of a PA in New-York. It is like being back stage of a people's magazine. There is no agressivity nor cruelty in the depiction of the different characters. It is not a fairy tale though. It is good value since it is quite a long read.
All opinions ae mine, I received a copy from NetGalley.

Fans of Sophie Kinsella will love this book! It's a really fun read about some really superficial people whose hearts are all in the right places.
Anna is a personal assistant to the ultra rich Bambi Von Bizmark and so into this world we go, into the shopping trip to Harry Winston, the lush Park Avenue apartment, the private jets and couture clothes. Such decadent fun!
But, Anna is a struggling artist in her private life, with a relationship that struggles to find balance. As her partner moves up and makes adult, strategic career moves, will he leave Anna behind, or will she find a way to create balance?
As much as I wanted to hate Bambi Von Bizmark, I just couldn't. She's so silly, so superficial, but she's also whip smart and knows how to spin her life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read and thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I never read reviews ahead of time, especially on ARCs, but it seems everyone who has reviewed so far were either in "BEST BOOK EVER" or "meh.". I'm in the meh catagory, It didn't flow, I didn't every really get THE POINT of the storyline. Everyone was entitled and unrealistic, and I kept waiting for it to clean up and be more clear and have a definitely arc, but it never really panned out.

This book was super cute. I loved the main character and her quirky attitude about her job. It reminded me a lot of The Devil Wears Prada. But for me the book wasn't as quick a read as I was hoping. For some reason I kept getting hung up in the middle of the book unable to move forward. As such I only gave it a lower score.

1.5 stars I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. Perhaps this is a book for fans of Real Housewives or Kardashians TV shows?
I think I was supposed to feel sympathy for Anna, the put-upon assistant of the super rich/artist looking for a showing, but I didn't like her at all. She came across as an entitled brat.
In parts of the book it was obvious the author was trying for humor, but it mostly fell flat.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Like many other reviewers, I was drawn in by an impressive synopsis but was met with a lackluster story with forgettable at best characters and a plot that was bordering on boring. I wanted to enjoy this but ultimately didn't finish it.

Was not able to get into this story. Presented as a Chick Lit - it was amusing at times but could not keep my interest.

I requested Perfectly Impossible because of the impressive synopsis. The story started off promising, but it tapered off from the middle to end. A mediocre story at best! The story is a usual one with some exciting elements. Characters were likeable, but the pacing was slow/unexciting.

Thank you Little A, Netgalley for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Little A for a copy of Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp for an honest review.

Well this one sounded like it had it all, an inside look into a rich NY family, the busy life of their personal assistant, and all the fun drama that comes from an inside look into the life of luxery.

Instead we got a matriarch who seems to create drama for no reason, works her staff to the bone with little regard to how much they do, and an attitude that means that they all live in fear of making one mistake and being out of a job with no reference and no prospects. I never developed any sympathy or even a general connection with anyone in this book, but definitely the chapters from Bambi's point of view just made me angry. The least you can do if you hire people to look after every last detail of your life is to have the tiniest bit of thought into the request and how it affects others.

It's light, it's fizzy, it's incredibly badly timed. Anna works as a personal assistant for Kizzy, a wealthy woman but she aspires to be an artist. You might enjoy this more if you are familiar with the Upper East side milieu - it's easier to see where Topp is taking shots. At a time when so many are out of work, however, it rings a little hollow. That's not to say that I didn't read the whole thing - the storytelling is good and brisk. I wish it had been published in 2019. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I look forward to more from Topp, who has serious potential.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Perfectly Impossible is a light, fast-paced contemporary, a perfect escape during these troubling times. However, in its lightness and opulence, there isn’t room for a ton of depth in the midst of it all. I mean, some books can be just fun, but the result of this one left me feeling very conflicted.

While the life of a personal assistant to the rich and famous is not easy, I still struggled to invest much in Anna’s life as an assistant, just as much as I did in the more opulent lives of the other characters.

At times, it does feel like a satire, meant to comment on the lives of the rich and famous, but I feel like that aspect was lost in translation in this respect, as I’ve read other satirical works on class and didn’t find them so intensely bogged down with so much nothing as this one did. Sometimes, I even questioned what the point was, with it coming out in the midst of such economic depression in the real world, and who the author expected would resonate with it.

The writing style is breezy and engaging, so I at least did not feel any urge to DNF at any point, in fact finishing fairly quickly. It’s just a shame that the message wasn’t that well conveyed.

That said, the reviews for this one seem mixed, with some seeming to “get” it more easily. If the concept at all appeals to you, I’d give it a chance, in the hopes of works better for you.

Very airy. So airy it almost wasn't a book. I didn't really care about any of the characters and the world seemed so glossy as to be entirely unreal.

I almost thought it was supposed to be satire or a social critique of some kind but if it was, it fell flat. I don't quite understand what the author was going for here.