A story of Katie who lived in the country and has up sticks and moved to a perfect life in London. She works at her dream job and although its tough and not a perfect life, she is in London and its the start of her dream life. That is until she is sacked... Katie goes back to her dads farm and helps him and her step mom start a new business. What follows is an absolute brilliant book full of laugh out loud pages, descriptions of areas and mouthwatering foods. The whole book was pure brilliance in true Sophie Kinsella style. I really loved every page and would recommend everyone goes and gets it. It will brighten the darkest of days and give you some good ideas on helping Karma be a bitch <3

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors and never lets me down. This was a warm, funny & wise read. Couldn't put it down from start to finish. Everyone has read a fairytale story, girl struggling in London trying to make ends meet, but not many authors can make it funny and heartwarming. Would definitely recommend.

It's a re reader, meaning I will be re reading over and over. I loved it and you will to. If you like Sophie Kinsella you will love this one too.

It took me a while to get into this book, but I thought the story picked up as the novel went along.

Cat (really Katie) Brenner has found a job in branding in London, the city of her dreams. Any day now, she’ll be living the life of her dreams, too, but until then she fudges a little bit in her social media posts about how terrific her life in London is. In truth, she doesn’t have enough money, she lives in a crappy apartment with weird roommates, and her demanding boss Demeter makes her job unpleasant. Her goal to have a life that mirrors Demeter’s so-perfect existence is sidetracked, though, when Cat is fired. Unable to find a job, Katie must go back to live on her father’s farm, where she helps him start a new glamping business. Katie’s branding expertise makes the venture an expected success. When Demeter shows up for a family vacation, though, Katie learns that there’s no such thing as a perfect life.

That’s really the moral of the story—that if we think anyone’s life is perfect, we’re just fooling ourselves. Social media also comes in for some criticism as a crutch that people use to pretend their lives are better than they are.

The first part of the book—Katie’s London misadventures—was a little hard for me to relate to, as was her pretend life on social media. I’ve never aspired to a glamorous life, so that level of longing for a posh lifestyle didn’t really resonate with me. Nobody I know uses social media like that, either. (We’re as likely to be using Facebook to complain about our latest misadventures as to show off.)

Once Katie lost her job, the story picked up for me. I enjoyed Katie’s interactions with her family and the details of their glamping business. Katie’s revenge on Demeter when she visits the farm was particularly funny. The romance really picks up steam in the second half of the book, too.

Although it has a message, this isn’t a particularly deep read. It was amusing, however, and is well worth picking up if you’re looking for a chick lit novel to read.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book only cemented that opinion! I've always enjoyed her standalone books the most, so I was so excited for a new one and was eager to dive in!

Kinsella has an uncanny ability to make me fall head over heels in love with her characters, and Katie (yes, KATIE...you'll get it when you read it hehe) was no different! I loved her quarks, her charm, her definitely not so perfect (yet perfectly imperfect) life! I saw myself in her, my friends in her. I could related in some ways to her struggles, and I adored her humor. The love story was full of the typical twists I've come to expect from this author and I was wrapped up in the romance. But most of all, I enjoyed the message of this book, which is so incredibly relevant in today's world. The image people present on screen can be profoundly different than what they're actually experiencing, and it's good to remember that.

I've never read a Kinsella book that didn't bring a smile to my face and absolutely brighten my mood! This one kept me up late at night, turning the pages, because I just HAD to see how everything tied together in the end, and I loved every second of it!

I loved, loved, loved this book. Katie "Cat" Brenner is the perfect example of anyone who grew up in a small town longing to move to the"big city". I laughed several times throughout the book. I was able to relate to Katie as the main character on so many levels it was a little crazy. I was rooting for her from beginning to end. The story takes place between London and Someset so there are just a few slang words that I wasn't familiar with. Katie is working in branding and loves the company she works for but just wants a chance to contribute and really feel like part of the team. Her boss Demeter is a bit of a bully and has issues communicating with others. She also takes her staff for granted. Katie meets an unexpected love interest just as her hopes for her career seemingly go up in smoke. Her ability to try to piece her life back together is what makes this an amazing story.....and of course there is a HEA.

If you are already a fan of Sophie Kinsella (The Shopaholic Series, Remember Me?, Can You Keep A Secret?), you probably know what to expect: a fantastically flawed, yet brilliant, female protagonist with a snarky sense of humor who is tied up with a few other lovely characters as she makes her way through the ups and downs (emphasis on the downs) of life...and Kinsella sneaks in a few thought-provoking lessons as an added bonus.

"London flat life hasn’t been what I’d expected. I thought it would be all riotous laughter and quirky friends and hilarious stories involving pubs and iconic London landmarks and costume parties or traffic cones. But it hasn’t panned out like that."

While My Not So Perfect Life is no exception, all of the most wonderful parts are included, Kinsella addresses a topic known to most of us - the "ideal" persona that is portrayed by some (many?) via social media - by illuminating it from multiple perspectives. And, instead of simply throwing her hands up in the air and giving up, Katie, the aforementioned protagonist, begins to see the value in using this oft-despised tactic to her advantage.

As usual, this was a delightful read; Kinsella never disappoints and I put the finished book down feeling as though I was just a little lighter, a little less troubled, and little more compassionate with myself and others. If you're looking for a little break from the dim and dismal, please be sure to sit with this one for a while (it's a quick read); you'll be glad you did!

I loved this. The story was full of humor and fun. I loved the characters and the character development from the beginning to end. Forgiveness. honest, and growth are big themes in this one. A great read for a funny story and some easy laughs.

Sophie Kinsella wrote another romantic comedy that is what I have come to expect from her books. Katie/Cat Brennan is the young woman from the country who has moved to London for her dream job. She has not had the most wonderful life and is not really living it now. She lives in a tiny flat that she shares with two roommates, she has a horrendous commute to work, is a low level researcher who does not make a lot of money and she feels guilty about leaving her father on the farm. She does not want anyone to know about her life, so her instagram feed is full of other people's photos, events and even food to make her life look wonderful. When her life changes, she has to change with it.

This book was a fun read, yet it was great to see how Katie grew. She learns to be herself, accept her life the way it is and to be thankful for everything. Of course there is a man that she wants who is just a bit out of reach, or is he? I enjoyed Katie's story. Getting to know her father and step-mother and where she grew up was a wonderful part of the story. Her boss Demeter is a hilarious character. She goes from bitchy, inconsiderate boss to someone who is in danger of losing her boss. As she and Katie begin to develop a bond, the comraderie is wonderful, but the antics they go through are guaranteed to make you laugh. Another winner for Kinsella. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

I have really liked Kinsella in the past, but I had truble getting into this book. Maybe its because I'm not 20 any more? I'll still handsell this book to my "new adult" customers.

I really enjoyed this, but I would have liked the romance part to be more fleshed out.

As soon as I saw Sophia Kinsella's new book was available for review, I jumped on it. I am a big fan of Kinsella, who is probably most famous for her Shopaholic series, but who also writes some amazing standalones.

While some classify her as "chick lit," she really is the master of creating hilarious, slapstick-style books which also add in a touch of drama. Just enough, in my opinion.

I'm so happy to say that "My Not So Perfect Life" is yet another winner for Kinsella.

The story centers on Katie Brenner who is trying to make a successful career in London. However her boss is a bit of a nightmare, with her Instagram perfect life, compared to Katies' efforts to make it look like she has everything together. When Katie gets fired she has to move back home and help her father and stepmother with a new vacation venue on the family farm - "glamping." When her old boss shows up as a guest, Katie discovers that everything she sees online may not be exactly as it seems.

It's a fairly simple premise - someone trying to live up to the social-media filtered perfection they think their friends are experiencing- but Kinsella adds in her traditional humor and wacky characters which round out the plot into a great story. I laughed out loud at some points, I cringed at some of Katie's awkwardness at others - you really feel so engrossed in the book.

I did get frustrated with Katie a little bit when she seems so focused on one thing that she really "couldn't see the forest for the trees," but I think that was really part of the overall concept which is that sometimes we get so focused on our online lives that we don't end up living our actual "real world" lives.

I guessed the major "twist" fairly early on, but I didn't really hold that against the book - I did, however wonder why it wasn't revealed sooner, since it was hinted at so strongly. Maybe taking away some of that foreshadowing or somehow revealing things sooner would bump it up to 5 stars.

Overall, I really liked this book. Fans of Kinsella's other works will love it, as will new fans! Highly recommended.

I've read many of Sophie Kinsella's books in the past and have enjoyed them all. This one was no exception. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up late reading it all in one sitting. It's THAT engaging for a book.

The gist of this novel is the idea of how none of us have the 'perfect life'. In a time when social media is rampant and people stage photos to make their life look perfect, it is easy to start believing that everyone else does have a much better life than you.

Katie Brenner is in her 20s and finally living in London like she dreamed. Yet, life isn't all roses like she dreamed. Instead, she's a serious case of envy over her boss, Demeter Farlowe. From the outside, Demeter seems to have it all. A great job where she is brilliant, a gorgeous home, and a family that takes awesome vacations. She's even rumored to be engaged in an affair with a gorgeous man Katie is drawn towards.

The envy is bad enough. But, then, she ends up losing her job. Without fessing up to what is really happening, she quickly accepts an offer from her step-mom to come help get their family's new glamping establishment up and running. Katie's early legwork on it for the marketing already has the yurts booked and helping her dad and stepmom with no more worries about how to afford London life is appealing. She'll just keep looking for permanent employment while pretending that she's on a sabbatical from her important job in London.

Without going into tons of detail, Katie eventually learns that what she thought was so perfect of a life isn't. And, that some of her assumptions about people are wrong.

In the end, she finds out about herself and ends up forging relationships that will really help her grow and move forward. And this realization has her launching a new Instagram page titled My Not So Perfect Life where photos are the reality of life.

Would I recommend reading this title? Absolutely! Unless you completely hate anything that is considered chick lit, because that's where I'd categorize this book.

Let me just start out by saying that I love Sophie Kinsella and have read all of her books and will probably continue to read all of her books in the future. I honestly thought that this book was going to follow the typical Sophie Kinsella formula and thought that I knew all of the different players, but it definitely didn't turn out how I expected it to!

I loved the fact that Katie was a strong and smart woman that went after what she wanted and what she thought was right. Sometimes Sophie's characters aren't the brightest of girls, so reading about Katie was quite refreshing. I also liked that the love story wasn't as central of a subject of the book which sometimes happens in Sophie Kinsella books.

I also loved that Sophie showed how social media can have a negative effect on our lives. Social media gives us the option to put a glamorous filter on ourselves and our lives, which most of the time isn't true.

Overall, I rate this book up there with Can You Keep A Secret and I've Got Your Number which are my two favorite Sophie Kinsella books. Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for a light and easy read!

Sophie Kinsella is the queen of the rom-com. Legitimately. And anyone who calls themselves a fan of rom-coms who hasn’t read Sophie Kinsella is lying, because you can’t be a rom-com fan if you’ve never read a Kinsella, it’s just not how it goes! She just writes the most incredible books and my year is not complete if there’s not a new Kinsella in it (basically every other year is PANTS because Sophie generally writes a book every 18 months or so). My Not So Perfect Life is yet another Kinsella triumph and I stand by the fact that she could write the phone book and it would STILL be the best rendition of the phone book, ever.

My Not So Perfect Life is basically about the way we portray ourselves on line – if you asked Katie’s parents and friends what her London life was like, they’d tell you it was amazing – she had a cool job, an amazing flat, she spent every weekend at flea markets around London, it was the dream. But in actuality she’s a lowly intern, barely makes an impression and spends her days filing nonsense forms for no reason, she lives in a flatshare, and keeps her clothes in a hammock. A hammock. Do I understand why Katie was so hot for London? No. I think it’s too big, too full of people and it takes ages to get anywhere, even if you’re only going next door. But that’s why it was Katie’s dream not mine and I appreciated her taking the plunge! On having a go and – hello! If she hadn’t been in London, working for Cooper Clemmow, we would never have gotten all that intense flirting/whatever it was between her and Alex. That time on the roof, playing with toys had me smiling like a dummy, it was so cute.

I loved seeing Katie back at home in Somerset, though, after it all goes disastrously wrong because, without wanting to sound too much like Katie’s dad, I kinda felt she fit in there? But it’s none of my business so I’ll keep my mouth shut. It was proper comedy gold though, when Demeter rocked up, I’ve never been in stitches so often in my life. Who knew glamping could prove so freaking hilarious? The whole book was pitch perfect, as if I expected any less. Seeing Katie come to terms with who she really was was the most special part. Because it felt like we went on a journey with her, and I was just so impressed and amazed with her resilience. That’s a girl after my own heart, I tell you. I could learn a lot from Katie Brenner.

My Not So Perfect Life was amazing, of course it was. The day I don’t adore a Sophie Kinsella book is the day I hang up my reading hat. She ALWAYS makes me laugh, she always makes me smile and swoon and cry and just feel all of the emotions you can feel while reading. I adored the book so much and every time I came back to it, I was excited, I didn’t get that feeling of dread I get when it takes me a while to read a book because I can never, ever have enough of Sophie Kinsella. I just want her to come and tell me stories for the rest of my life. That, my friends, is the dream.

Sophie is one of the reasons I’m such a huge reader. She’s one of the first authors I started reading many years ago. I’m a big fan of chick lit and it got me into reading. I have inhaled every one of her books. They are so witty, so fun, and so cute. I will read anything she writes. So when I saw she had a book on NetGalley I requested it and was so happy when I was approved.

This one is a little different from Sophie’s other books- the story itself is a little different. But it has everything I love about her books- romance, great characters, it’s fun, it’s set in England. Katie is fab!! She doesn’t have the perfect life but it’s her life and it makes for a great story. The whole aspect of using social media to make your life seem better than it is is so

I do feel the book was a little long but overall, I really enjoyed it. Sophie can do no wrong!

My not so perfect life is funny, warm and wise.

Cat lives in London with her straightened hair and miserable existence, Katie is Somerset is outwardly very different a similar difference exists with most people, but Katie doesn't realise that.

She believes the hype surrounding Demeter, her boss, and this leads to the firs tof many misunderstandings,e

Possibly Katie's lowest ebb is seeing her home made sandwich cast into a rubbish bin, when she knows she cannot afford to replace it. Equally sad is her belief that she needs to pretend her life is wonderful and snaps photos of others' drinks on tables so she can claim them as her own on Instagram.

This is a really enjoyable tale of how one girl amongst many grows up - in often hilarious ways. From cupcakes to colouring -in every fad is encompassed and given a hilarious spin

The grass is not always greener and everyone else’s life is not always so perfect… as Katie Brenner discovers in this latest book by Sophie Kinsella.

Katie works for a branding agency and her boss, Demeter, has the perfect life.. or so it seems. The charming husband and beautiful children, the magnificent home and the glamorous wardrobe all make Demeter’s life appear idyllic to Katie and her co-workers. Katie’s shared flat, long commute and farm/country upbringing pale in comparison. The more she tries to cover up her country ways by changing her accent and changing her name to Cat (which seems more cosmopolitan and “London-like” than Katie), the more frustrated she becomes with her not so perfect life. .

Her unhappiness with her life is even more evident when she moves back to the country to help her dad and step-mom run a bed and breakfast / retreat center. Her boss’s “perfect life”: and Katie’s “not so perfect life collide” in an unexpected way and she realizes things are not always what they seem to be. Her plans for revenge over a lost job go awry and she learns a lesson in honesty ( to herself and to others) and to seeking the best in others in spite of appearances.

As I read the book, I could almost picture it as a Hallmark movie as it had a bit of a fairy tale quality to it. The characters are a bit quirky at times, which made them all the more enjoyable (and not so perfect!). I found it to be an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend it.