Although directed at a younger audience than me, I still enjoyed the plot. Not too predictable, and I was interested in the setting, with its discussion of marketing and 'glamping'. A really fun read that held my interest until the last page.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book early.

I was having a difficult week, and so I did what I always do, pull up a list of too-read books. I have always loved Sophie Kinsella books, and so I figured I would feel a bit better.
The more I read, the more I found myself smiling. I kept reading during all my down time, and finished in 24 hours.

The book is well-written, the characters are wonderful, and you want to know what happens almost as soon as you start reading. The only bad thing about this book is that I've already read it!

Do yourself a favor and grab this funny, quirky, and awesome paperback off the shelves as quickly as possible!

Sophie Kinsella's newest protagonist, Katie Brenner, is struggling to 'make it' in London. Her social media posts make it appear she has, but in reality, she lives in a dreary apartment with a rather odd roommate. Katie is incredibly jealous of her boss, Demeter, who seems to 'have it all'--perfect house, job, kids, and husband. After being fired by Demeter, Katie retreats to the family farm, helping set up a glamping (glamour camping) business while not admitting to her family she is unemployed. When perfect Demeter and her family become guests, Katie goes into all out sabotage mode, then learns that perhaps no one's life is what it appears to be. Another funny, engaging, escapist read from this author.

am a fan of all of Sophie Kinsella’s books. I usually don't go for the chick-lit genre of writing but I make an except for Kinsella and I am glad I did. Her books are very well written, have a nice European setting and regardless of how the characters act you cant help but love them just like Kat . I will say that I like her Shopaholic series and I absolutely love her stand alone books as well. As soon as I received the book on my KIndle, I couldn't stop reading it. I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Kinsella brought us yet another very likeable and very flawed protagonist in the My Not so Perfect life. The novel itself is at times a bit more serious than her previous works but overall a nice light read. I do not want to spoil this novel but I will say this story is more than simply the summary on the book’s cover its the story of the main characters personal growth. I think the reason Sophie Kinsella is such a popular author is in large part due to the realistic and relatable characters she creates

Katie ("Cat") Brenner is a country bumpkin trying to find herself in the big City, London. She has a decent job at Cooper Clemmow with the hopes of moving up in the company now that she has the foot in the door.

Her boss, Demeter, has everything that Cat wants: great job, great house, great husband, and great kids. What is actual perfection and what is an illusion?

I have read almost all of Sophie Kinsella's standalone books, with the only exception being Finding Audrey. I get excited for each new release because I know it is going to take me right to my happy place. The same applies for My (Not So) Perfect Life. I forced myself to slow down reading this book because I wanted to savor it. It was romantic, a bit silly at times, and yet there was a lot of character development amongst multiple characters. It gets deep yet some characters are shallow. There are misconceptions that get out of hand yet there is empathy. It is modern yet It comes back to the age-old question: is the grass always greener on the other side?

I highly recommend this book, as well as Sophie Kinsella's other books, for anyone looking for a relatable and humorous light read.

I would not recommend this book for any reader that is offended by foul language, bullying, or sexually suggestive scenarios.

Please note: an electronic copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the mood for a feel good book and this book fit the bill perfectly. A fun breezy read rhat takes you away from all the troubles in the world.

Another fun read by Sophie Kinsella. When Katie Brenner loses her job and has to move back with her family in the country, she turns the family farm into a successful "glamping" location. When her former boss books a trip at the farm Katie learns the truth about her boss' life and her former co-workers. The story takes us through ups and downs of Katie's journey in finding a career and love. Really enjoyed this book.

I have never met a Sophie Kinsella book that I didn’t like. My Not So Perfect Life in no exception. I really enjoyed reading this lighthearted, enjoyable and sometimes funny book. I actually felt a wide range of emotions during the 2 days it took me to read this book. (I do wish it had taken me longer!) Excitement, frustration, anger, joy and even sadness. Katie/Cat wants to fit in so badly in her beloved adopted city of London that she loses sight of who she really is. Once she visits her home in the country, she re-gains her perspective on what it really is she wants in life and learns how to be happy with who she is meant to be. The characters are written so well that I felt I was watching them like a movie in my head. They were all likeable despite their flaws. The settings were descriptive enough to give me a great picture of where the story was taking pace. Yes, I now might consider a “glamping” vacation. Is this book going to give you the meaning of life? No, but it will keep you enjoyably entertained and might even make you smile.

As is her style, author Sophie Kinsella knows the genre she is writing within. Katie aka Cat is a young professional trying to make her way into the London life. Like many young people, she is struggling to find her identity, make her mark and still be able to financially survive. So, when a shocking blow rocks her plans, she must trudge back home to Birmingham and try to figure out her life ... again. She gets a successful start with her dad's latest business venture, putting all the legwork to make it a success. When the person who ruined her London life comes waltzing back in, she must decide if she should take the higher road, or seek revenge. As usual, Kinsella's style is funny but personal, and she really taps into the millennial lifestyle. It is a good beach or vacation read, easy to flow through and light-hearted with all the pieces of chick lit. Kinsella might not have re-invented the writing wheel but she knows her style and does it well.

What I Thought...

• Sophie Kinsella has long since been one of my favorite authors, and while her Shopaholic series dwindled for me some, I can't help but pick up her books when I need something light and fun. My Not So Perfect Life fit that spot for me perfectly.

• MNSPL reminded me a lot of Can You Keep a Secret? in the best possible way. Things just happen to Katie and you can't help but laugh and what she is going through. It was a bit ridiculous at times, but this is precisely the kind of book I needed in my life right now.

• It was so easy to identify with Katie. I completely understand the "fake" Instagram life she had and how you keep telling everyone how AMAZING and FANTASTIC your life is, even if it's not. No one wants to show the bad parts. I've been there myself so I totally get it. And it's so easy to make things look fabulous on the internet even when it's not.

• What I liked best about MNSPL is that it really showcases that you should never judge anyone until you walk in their shoes. You don't know where they've gone or what they've done. Some people just seem to have it all together and are seemingly perfect, but you don't know what happens when you're not around.

• Not a lot is happening at the beginning but around the middle of the book all these things start happening. Demeter (boss from hell) reappears in Katie's life so does Alex (her crush) and there are other things that I don't want to go in to because of spoilers, but I promise, you will enjoy the journey!

Overall if you're looking for something light and fun this book is definitely for you!

Review will post 2/6/17

This story is classic Sophie Kinsella - you have a lovable, yet slightly annoying, protagonist who is trying to figure out where and how she fits in her world. Cat works hard to get noticed by her boss and isn't always successful. She returns to her family farm to put her skills to use and learns a lot about herself and love along the way. A great, quick read!

We have all seen it, the “perfect life” on Instagram or Facebook. Katie/Cat Brenner is going to great lengths to make her life in London look great. Even resorting to taking pictures of stranger’s food, which she can’t afford, to post to her Instagram. Katie is trying so hard to be Cat, her London persona. She even might find romance. A turn of events has Katie back at home with her father and stepmum. Katie uses her PR/Branding skills to help them to set up a Glamping resort, which really takes off.

The predicaments Katie/Cat gets herself into will make you giggle. She is very endearing and you only hope for her to find happiness. The Glampers at the resort are characters. A couple of unexpected guests also arrive at the resort and the fun begins. Katie doesn’t want them to recognize her, which leads to some strange encounters.

All the characters are relatable. There is Demeter, Cat’s previous employer and of course a love interest. Sophie Kinsella has way of telling a story and getting you to really care about the characters, but still laugh at them. I enjoyed the Shopahlic books when they came. I only read a few as Chick Lit is not my preferred genre. I am glad I return to Sophie Kinsella’s work and read My not So Perfect Life. It is light, fun read with very relatable characters…just what I was looking for. This was a 3 star read for me.

I received notice of Sophie Kinsella releasing a new book via a NetGalley email. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the books I’ve read by her. This book was not one of the exceptions.

So the synopsis on the back of the book doesn’t quite give you a clear picture. This book was so much better and more nuanced than the copy would lead you to believe.

Katie, like most of Kinsella’s protagonists, is insanely likeable. She is trying so hard yet so not there (achieving all she hopes)…like so many of us in real life. Okay, maybe that’s just me. I couldn’t help but root for her throughout the book, even as she’s a bit self-sabotaging at times. The cast of supporting characters are great as well. Unique and relatable in some way, each of them.

The story moves along quickly. This was a fun book to read. I pretty much stayed up way too late one night to finish it. However, one thing I found unique about this book compared to the author’s previous reads is that there is a level of depth to it. Yes, it can still be just a fun, fluff read. But Kinsella is saying something more about image and appearance and social media. As a reader, I appreciated it.

Definitely recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars. Would have been 5 but for the language and sexual references.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

If you would like to read more of my reviews, please visit www.mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com

This was not up to par with other Sophie Kinsella novels I've read. The characters weren't totally believable, and the story worked out "too pat" for my liking. Not a book I would recommend.

Cat has always dreamed of living in London and now she is and she's working at what should be her dream job. But thing aren't exactly working out as she planned and somehow she's helping her dad with a new moneymaking scheme on the farm she grew up on. When Demeter, her London boss, shows up things take an unexpected turn. Full of life and humor and learning that life isn't always what it looks like on Instagram. Reading this is like talking to a friend. Highly recommended.

This is the one. Drama, intrigue, humor and love. Sophie Kinsella hit them all. I just loved it. Katie-Cat spirals up and down and back again in this latest adventure and I felt it all. The pressure of her office, the loneliness of her apartment and life, the silliness of instagram and the longing of love.
As she struggles through her challenges she fights her within herself and sees many different outcomes. Finding her way through them is complicated but she perseveres and and her Not So Perfect Life becomes what she really does want.

Kinsella's novels are the perfect treat - warm and witty, with humor and a bit of romance. I enjoyed how Katie grew and changed throughout the novel and how the novel took on the real impact catty, mean girl shenanigans can have.

This is one of my favorite my favorite by Kinsella! The main character is actually the most relatable of them all. Katie Brenner moves to London to strike out as a city girl after living her entire life in the country. Katie doesn't have much money and lives pay check to pay check. She works in branding helping make products more appealing to consumers. She is the junior and she is in awe of her boss who has the perfect life and is also a witch. When Katie is fired, she heads home while trying to figure out what to do about her life. Along the way she learns about perceptions, true friendship and identity.
As always Kinsella is funny and thoughtful at the same time. That is what makes her books great. The characters always suffer from something normal people do but then their lives get insane and out there, making us readers feel better about the scrapes we get into.
I also enjoyed that the love story took less of the time than in other books. While I enjoy a good love story, this one truly focused on Katie and her feelings for herself, her family, and who she was in contrast of who she thought she was. While these components are always in the Kinsella books, they often take a back seat to the overall love story.
An laugh out read, Kinsella truly connects with her readers and leaves us walking away happier about ourselves.

Sophie Kinsella has millions of books in circulation chock full of her signature chick-lit humor. Her easy breezy style and formula continue to work despite how fast the books hit the shelves. This time around, we meet ambitious and single 26-year old Katie, a farm girl who moves to her dream city of London but struggles to make ends meet even though she has landed a good job in a field that she loves. Just when she starts to feel comfortable there, things go awry and Sophie is fired by her nightmare of a boss, Demeter. Katie refuses to let this setback crush her ambition. The timing cannot be better even though Katie can’t see it through her anger. With no money and no prospect of a job, she heads home to her family’s farm, ashamed to tell her father and stepmother she’s been fired, telling them only that she’s on sabbatical. Her stepmother and father ask for Katie’s help in starting a new business, rolling out a ‘glamping’ operation on the farm which is where most of the rest of the story takes place.

And this is where the story takes off for me. Demeter re-enters Katie’s life, arriving at the farm with her snobbish family to glamp after reading a magazine promotion. She is completely unaware that Katie is running the show. Katie recognizes her ex-boss immediately, however, disguises herself and sets off to even the score.

“This is it. At last I’m going to get even. So Demeter wants rural? She wants a “taste of farm life”? She wants “authentic”? Well, she’s bloody well going to get it.” No good can possibly come out of that statement. Hang on for the ride.

The hijinks that follow are ridiculously funny. And of course, there is a bit of romance. What an entertaining read.

"Note: Will also be posting to Amazon, B&N, Powells once published.

I found myself extremely fortunate to receive an early copy of My Not So Perfect Life. Sophie Kinsella will always hold a special place in my reader's heart. Her series and standalones are favorites in my library.

My Not So Perfect Life followed Sophie Kinsella's familiar outline of a young, single country girl trying to find her way in a big city. Through new jobs, cool friends, trendy everything, all while trying to keep up on a tight budget, Katie Brenner is trying to make her way in an unforgiving world. I found that I connected with the characters extremely quickly (definitely one of Sophie Kinsella's amazing abilities). I wanted to be a part of the story and felt like I was. I may have even gotten a little choked up in some of the more endearing scenes.

We all know that people portray the side that they want you to see. But we also know, and need a reminder, that there is another side that makes them pure human and just like you. A side that gets hidden. Not everything is perfect. Even for the person who seems to have it all.

While My Not So Perfect Life was not one of my very favorites, it is definitely a good - feel-good book. You want Katie to find her way. You can imagine the scenes and situations she finds herself in. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you think that someone out there has it better than you.