My Not So Perfect Life

MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE

by Sophie Kinsella

 

Nomination: Goodreads Finalist 2017

 

Date Read: July 15, 2022

 

I can’t remember when I’ve picked up a book for a good “trash” read and been impressed at the quality of trash. I found My Not So Perfect life witty, intelligent, honest and entertaining. A winning combo! And, of course, a good reminder that no matter how privileged someone’s life may seem, everyone is struggling with their own demons, their own past, their own pain. That reminder is even more prescient in a world where we put our lives on social media, but only the good stuff.

 

Katie Brenner has always wanted to make it big in London. Hailing from the country, she changes her hair, her accent, even her name (“Cat”) to put forth her perfect big city persona. But it’s all crap – her flat, her commute, her finances, her job. It’s made even more crap when she compares her life to that of her “perfect” boss, Demeter. She has the family, the career, the house, even the lover. But, of course, none of that is what it seems.

 

After losing her job and helping her parents start a glamping business in the country, Katie becomes mixed up with Demeter and her crumbling career. But not before Katie is able to exact her revenge by making up horrible and torturous “bespoke” glamping activities when Demeter coincidentally shows up as a guest. She actually gets to know Demeter which leads to understanding and even the glimmerings of friendship. So when Alex shows up to fire Demeter, Katie has her back and helps to prove that Demeter has been sabotaged all along.

 

And it wouldn’t be a true trash novel without some romance and sex, so throw Alex into the mix and you’ve got a winner. Katie ends up with the career, the man, the happy ending readers are rooting for all along. Kinsella has created a winning combination here with intelligence and pizzazz. Very well played, Kinsella.

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