My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel

When I read "Finding Audrey," I was so upset. I didn't know what happened to my funny, wonderful, Sophie Kinsella. When I need to relax, I turn to her books, or any under her pseudonym Melanie Wickham. "Finding Audrey" was not what I expected, so I was nervous about this one. Happily, it was just what I was looking for. Sophie Kinsella's light-hearted humor makes "My Not So Perfect Life" a real page turner. It's incredibly relatable too. How many of us elaborate the truth even a little to make our lives a little less boring and ordinary? Sophie Kinsella makes light of it, and her protagonist, Katie, is so much like many hardworking women. She's so nice and just wants to do the right thing in a dog-eats-dog kind of business world. Katie shows how the nice ones can actually prevail in the end, but Sophie Kinsella doesn't sugarcoat it. That's why this book is so relatable, and with so much humor on each page. This was such a fun book, and the perfect story to escape the stress of my own imperfect life. Thank you for being back, Sophie Kinsella. I can hardly wait for your next novel.

Why i picked this book I'm on a binge reading and I really want something light and easy to read in the depressing day of a global pandemic. Tbh I was sceptical, the premise isn't that appealing but I'm glad I read it. It was the best of my chic lit selection this round. The last few books were such an effort to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this one that I actually read it twice. It's fun and witty. The reason i didn't give 5 stars because for me 5 stars are reserved for classic life-inspiring masterpieces. What I like about 1. Fun: I really appreciate the sarcastic tone of the book and the witty banter between Katie and Alex. I had a number of giggles throughout the book. 2. Real: the internal dialogue and the casual writing makes it feel like I'm reading Katie's diary or something like that, very real. Even though it's predictable, to some extent it's logical and believable too. The first half of the book may feel whiny and shallow but I put it down to sarcasm, plus it's about young people trying to make their marks in the world so I can totally see from their view. 3. The characters: I'm so glad and relieved to read a chic lit where the heroine is not completely helpless and just waiting around for a prince charming to rescue. In contrast Katie is competent. She is ambitious and determined. She makes a name by herself. I also really like her upbeat attitude. That's what makes it real. Reality is nowadays most women (or at least every woman around me) work , struggle to strive for the better and not just wait around for a rich guy to save them. Both Katie and Demeter are very likeable. They are flawed but I love how they readily own it and face it with no ego no fuss no grudge. Alex, the guy, on the other hand is very bland and appears to me as a spoiled brat. But I just cast him as a supporting character and disregard him. What I didn't like 1.Too many redundant details even redundant characters that are repeated again and again and their only purpose is to fill the pages. I felt like there are quite a number of events that are not resolved making them like annoying noise in the background. 2. The author seems to have limited vocabulary with the same few words appear over and over again. Do I recommend this book Good for light reading

This is the 3rd book I’ve read by Sophie. I’ve also read I’ve Got Your Number and Can You Keep A Secret. I really enjoyed those as well and gave them 5 stars, but I wish I could give this book more than 5 Stars. Katie (the protagonist formally known as Cat) is similar to Sophie’s other work in that she is lovable and relatable; but she, to me, is much more complex than the other characters I’ve read from Sophie. You get a complete sense about Katie’s motivations for what she’s doing. You learn about who she is, who she wants to be..and you get a front row seat as those two concepts blend into one another. More than being a girl who falls in love, she also learns to love herself. She learns how to fit in this world. She learns how to evolve in her familial relationships while staying true to the underlying bond. And the dynamic between she and Alex is truly enjoyable. Well done, Sophie Kinsella. For me, all the bases were covered and I felt really whole about the story when it was done (as sad as I was that it was over). I normally don’t re-read books, but I think I will with this one.

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?” - goodreads synopsis Sophie’s #mynotsoperfectlife receives a respectable 3 out of 5 hashtags from me. My not so Perfect Life is very #thedevilwearsprada, goes to London. The first 2 chapters of the book is torture to get through (sorry, honesty and all that). It reads like a high school “what-I-did-this-weekend” essay; the author tries to explain and jam too much information down your throat (especially about Demetre) and Katie is very naïve and annoying to the point where you want to grab her by the shoulders, shake her a little and shout: “No man! Life doesn’t have to be this hard, if you are unhappy, make a change!!!”. And then something great happens – the story starts flowing, you start relating to the characters and appreciate them for who they are and what they contribute to the story. There are a few enjoyable ‘feel-good’ (almost magical) moments that draws you deeper into Katie’s world, followed by disastrous (albeit hilarious) unfortunate events that leaves you with a bit of a ‘wtf??’-feel. The story is very typical, but so enjoyable. There are lessons (and I really emphasize, true life lessons) about family, loyalty, honesty and protecting your heart. ‘Because it’s human nature to hope for impossible things.’ Haven’t we all been in a ‘self-doubt’ place at one time or another? Don’t we all go through moments of “I have so much more to offer, if someone would just notice me…”? Sophie illustrates this so well in her writing and you feel as if you are Katie and not just reading about Katie. My favourite quotes (in no particular order): "I could do anything, go anywhere, be anyone." “Keep up the charmed, life-is-perfect myth.” “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.” “No one’s life has to be perfect.“ Other #sophiekinsella books include: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic #1) Can You Keep a Secret The Undomestic Godess Remember Me? I've Got Your Number **SPOILER ALERT** do not continue if you do not want to read a spoiler I do want to add that Katie’s story has a happy ending of course (in more ways than one). Even though I felt the story in the middle was very enjoyable and a fun read, the ending was unfortunately very predictable in a ‘chick-flick-the-boy-comes-back-for-the-girl’ kind of way.

I do like me a good chick lit, and this went beyond that. It's not your typical, light-hearted Sophie Kinsella, but actually delves into some serious topics. Unemployment, social media, peer pressure, leading a double life, fear of letting your family down and more. It still had that "feel-good" factor with the sweet love story. In fact, it made my heart skip a beat or two and I hadn't experienced that feeling in a long time! Yes, it still counts as a fluffy chick lit, predictable and cheesy with the usual variety of characters; the stubborn, independent protagonist, the hot and complicated love-interest, the cool and arrogant villain and a bunch of secondary characters who range between funny, quirky and cattish. However, all that aside, it also has a more serious and realistic tone to it than her usual books. I liked the protagonist, Katie, especially, because she had a good head on her shoulders. All her feelings, her struggles, her lies, her thoughts are things I've felt or experienced at one time in my life. And I like that. I like that I can somehow relate or connect to the characters, because it definitely keeps your interest piqued. Although I do think the part spent at her family's farm dragged a bit and could have been cut down. There were a few laugh out loud moments that took me by surprise as well. So, really, this is a very good book and a quick read. I wasn't disappointed. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and whet my appetite for more chick lits. Sure, everything ties up very neatly at the end, with your typical happy ending and things working out great for the protagonist, but I mean...shrug. What else can you expect?

I have found my new favorite author, Sophia Kinsella! My Not So Perfect Life is the second of her books i have read. And i am ready to start the next one! She writes great plots with wonderful full characters then adds funny twists to said characters. And i LOVE her books!

Love this author & this book. If you enjoy a fun but also interesting read, you'll enjoy it. 📚🤓 & the audio is great as well

Ok, I do agree with some of the other reviewers that this isn't Sophie Kinsella's best book. I would have liked there to be more written about her daughter and not as much about the surprise party. Still I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like all her books, this one is just as entertaining and impossible to put down. Her writing is so clever and witty, I just couldn't stop. Yes. there are cringeworthy moments in this book, quite a few, in fact, as we see Becky bumble along in her typical fashion. But for every misstep in Sophie Kinsella's writing there are so many more brilliant and laugh-out-loud moments. Some reviewers have commended that Becky should grow up already. Maybe so if this were the real world. Personally, I get enough of the real world as it is. I certainly don't read novels like this for a dose of reality, but for entertainment and comic relief, and in my opinion Sophie Kinsella never fails to deliver on that score. What makes Becky such a compulsively readable character are her human foibles beneath which she has a heart of gold. I think there is a little bit of Becky in a lot of us, which is what makes her so relatable. Of course in real life I would never in a million years lie to my husband no matter what the reason, but haven't we all been tempted to lie to someone at one time or another? Or to hide shopping bags or receipts from a significant other? I think Sophie Kinsella's books are actually quite deep in the sense that they deal with the theme of loving ourselves and others just as we are, with all our flaws and foibles and delusions of grandeur. Luke certainly understands Becky and isn't really in the dark about her personality and at the end of the day always forgives her. Thank you, Sophie Kinsella for the years and years of enjoyment you have provided me with your books. You are definitely my favorite author to read when I need something fun!