Friday 17 August 2018

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophia Kinsella


My Not So Perfect Life
Sophie Kinsella
Rating: 4.5 stars

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?

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I've only just got into Sophie Kinsella's novels in the last few months and I have no idea what took me so long! I love this author's style of writing, it's so easy to read and you just fly through the pages. There's humour throughout which keeps it interesting and I find myself actually laughing out loud at some of the parts in this book which I very rarely do! I found the panini bit on the train at the beginning absolutely hilarious! And the conversations with flatmate Alan had me in stitches every time!

The cover is pretty and simplistic, it doesn't give much away and I was drawn in by this and also the blurb. Half of this novel is set in London and the other half set in Somerset which kept me intrigued as to what was going to happen next. I would say that Sophie Kinsella's novels take about 20ish pages to get into it, because I feel that she kind of goes off on a tangent quite often and takes a bit of time to get to the actual story. However, having said that, it is still funny and easy to read so you get into the story in no time.

The story itself is about main character Katie - or if you're on the London part, Cat - and how she is trying to start a life for herself in London. All her life she has dreamt of living and working in London, but now she is, it's not all it's cracked up to be! Katie Instagram shows her eating delicious foods in Notting Hill, visiting Portobello Road market, drinking delicious hot chocolates, but in real life she eats disgusting soups and doesn't have enough space in her poky room for even a wardrobe, so has to make do with a grubby hammock above her bed to put all her stuff in. Katie likes to think she has a great job but in reality she's typing up hand written surveys and dying her boss' roots.

However, all of that comes to an abrupt end when her boss Demeter (which just kept reminding me of the Dementors from Harry Potter!) fires her. Katie then moves back home to Somerset to help her dad with his new glamping business. Katie's in her element, until Demeter arrives with her family for a holiday and she decides perhaps it's time to get some payback... I actually felt a bit sorry for Demeter closer to the end and my opinion of her completely changed nearer to the end of the book and I started to like her.

This is excellently written and keeps you hanging on to the story until the very end. In fact, I didn't want it to end! I was enjoying it so much I was sad when it was over. I definitely want to read more by Sophie Kinsella now, after loving the two other novels of hers that I've read. 

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic review :)
    I love Sophie Kinsella for well written books that make me laugh.
    Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

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