Quick Book Review: My Not So Perfect Life

Book: My Not So Perfect Life

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Genre: Contemporary romance, Women’s fiction.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: To everyone on the outside, Katie Brenner seems to have the perfect life. A flat in London, a dream job and an Instagram feed bound to make most people green with envy. However, the reality of the situation is that Katie can barely make her rent (mind you she lives in a tiny apartment with no closet space), she works as a lowly admin with not so much pay and the life she makes people think she has on Instagram is not really hers. When her boss, Demeter, fires her and everything around her comes crushing down suddenly, Katie has to move back to Somerset to her family’s farm. This leads to a series of events that cause her and Demeter to cross paths again and that make Katie wonder, does she have a lot more in common with her boss than she thought? Is it possible most people live under some filter that they want the world to perceive them through?

Sophie Kinsella’s book starts by introducing us to Katie, your average girl trying to make things work in the city. She works at a job that she likes, however, she is a junior research analyst. She is determined that if she works extra hard, she will slowly but surely rise in ranks and maybe one day she can be as good as her super cool boss, Demeter. Despite being hopeful, it appears Demeter does no take her seriously enough to even go through some of the design ideas and suggestions Katie brings forward.

Demeter is a marketing and advertising guru who runs a very successful company. She is portrayed as kind of like a The Devil Wears Prada type of boss. While successful at her job, she has her own shortcomings and this leads to some of her employees being disgruntled. She cannot seem to keep her calendar plans in order and ends up mixing up some major meetings and deals, costing the company. An accumulation of these errors leads to some financial challenges as they are losing clients. As a result, she has to let some people go and unfortunately, Katie is one of the staff to be fired.

Katie is very disappointed and upset at being fired. When her stepmother calls her home to assist them in the running of their new glamping site, Katie is more than happy to head back home. In the months she spends at home helping with the glamping site, Katie finds that she is more peaceful and content than she has been in a very long time. The farm is gaining more popularity thus attracting more guests every week. Everything seems to be flowing well until, by some wicked stroke of fate, Demeter shows up at the farm with her husband and two children on a glamping vacation. Demeter does not recognize Katie as she is very different from the city girl she used to be. Taking this to her advantage, Katie spends her time torturing Demeter with hilarious farm activities as a form of vengeance for her unfair sucking. Nevertheless, amidst all this, Katie starts to realize that outwardly appearances could be deceiving and what’s more, she has a lot more in common with Demeter than she thought. An unlikely partnership is formed between them to bring down enemies of progress!

Let’s be honest, the premise of this book is not exactly quite original or something out of the blue. You can easily pass this book up on the basis of assuming it is just like any other contemporary romance book. Oh didn’t I mention ? There is a love interest for Katie of course 😉. However, I can assure you that Sophie Kinsella writes this book in such a well crafted manner that it becomes a very uniquely told story. It is a relatable book that actually has a touch of proper wisdom in it. Added to that, it is written in a hilarious manner that will give you plenty of laughing outbursts. This feel-good comedy will not disappoint you!

Favorite quotes:

“Whoever started the rumor that life has to be perfect is a very wicked person, if you ask me.”

“Every time you see someone’s bright-and-shiny, remember: They have their own crappy truths too.”

“Stuff that balances out the bright and shiny, just like there is for all of us. Bright and shiny on the one side, the crappy truth on the other. I think I’ve finally figured out how to feel good about life. Every time you see someone’s bright and shiny, remember, they have their own crappy truths too.“

I hope you pick up this book and enjoy it as much as I did!

Cover image courtesy of Mike C. S.