My not so Perfect Life – Sophie Kinsella

 

My not so Perfect Life

By

Sophie Kinsella

Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.

OK, so the truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.

But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?

Until her not-so-perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams – or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman who has everything – actually have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway?

My review:

This book’s title sums it up brilliantly. Katie Brenner – aka Cat – is living the dream: a flat in London, fabulous job and a great Instagram feed. But, actually her life isn’t so perfect. There is a thin veneer of falsity separating the fact from the fiction here. The life she portrays on Instagram isn’t anywhere near as glamorous as she leads people to believe. She is a junior trying desperately to get noticed at branding agency Cooper Clemmow and her flat is tiny and doesn’t even have room for a wardrobe. It is far from perfect. And when her boss, Demeter sacks her, her life takes a turn for the worse. But being the up-beat, sweet and immensely lovable person that she is, Katie picks herself up and goes to live with her father to help him set up his glamping business. But when Demeter books a holiday there, Katie discovers a few truths that will change her outlook on life …

I really loved Katie. This quote from the book explains a little bit of why I do. In this scene Katie is scrolling through the pictures on her Instagram feed.

“It’s not that I lie. I was in those places, even if I couldn’t afford a hot chocolate. It’s just I don’t dwell on any of the not-so-great stuff in my life, like the commute or the prices or having to keep all my stuff in a hammock. Let alone vanilla-whey-coated eggs and obnoxious lechy flatmates. And the point is, it’s something to aspire to, something to hope for. One day my life will match my Instagram posts. One day!”

As you can see from this paragraph, Katie can’t afford and isn’t even close to getting the life she’d like but she is aspiring to it. She’s hoping and not letting anything get her down. Quite admirable really. If I didn’t love Katie before this paragraph, I certainly did after!

“Ok, full disclosure:” this book is fabulous. A LOL-filled work of fabulousness!

This is a signature read from Sophie Kinsella: bright, heart-warming and so, so funny. If you are having an off-day, sprint to the nearest bookshop, grab a copy from the shelf and run home to curl up and read it (pay too, of course). By the time you have finished, Sophie Kinsella’s lovable characters and oh-so funny writing will turn the day on it’s head and will have you laughing instead of frowning.

Funny. Heart-warming. Uplifting.

If you would like to buy My not so Perfect Life, here is the link

Huge thanks to Becky Short for my review copy!