review: 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 real 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 with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

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

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review:
This was my first book by Kinsella and it was a fun, palate cleansing, kind of read. I was hoping for a bit more of the commentary or satire on the Instagram culture – obsessively spending hours making your life look perfect online, comparing your feed to friends and co-workers accounts - that’s hinted at in the summary. It is the catalyst for the story but isn’t really the driving force or mentioned more than a few times. There is quite a bit about product branding and how consumers are fooled into buying things based on trends and key but vague words like *authentic* and *hand crafted* and I loved the little pokes at Gweneth Paltrow and her Goop culture.
My (Not So) Perfect Life is a little bit Bridget Jones Diary (the London setting/quirky girl trying to fit in) and The Devil Wears Prada (demanding/demeaning female boss).

Katie was such a relatable girl and really interesting in that she’s extremely shy and lacks confidence so she’s mostly passed over at work or made fun of - yet when an opportunity presents itself, she jumps right in and goes for it trying to always look a the positive side of things. You can't help but root for her.

After being fired from her job at a prestigious product branding company in London, Katie returns home with her tail tucked between her legs to her dad and step mom’s farm to help launch their glamping business, and she’s really good at it, but she still yearns to go back to London and live her dream.

Katie’s worlds collide when her former boss, Demeter, shows up for a weekend a the farm and she realizes that Demeter’s impeccable public persona isn't as perfect as it appears and Katie starts to feel sympathetic towards her. When Demeter is in danger of losing her own job, Katie steps in to help the woman who has made her life so miserable.

Can Katie save her boss, get her job back, help her family and get the guy? 

This is chick-lit so expect a comedy of errors, misunderstandings, over the top catastrophes and a touch of romance.

Light, funny, with well developed characters that you can’t help but root for, My (Not So) Perfect Life should cover all your bases for a feel good read with heart.