Farm raised Katie Brenner has arrived - she's living her dreams in London, having a paid job at a branding (advertising) agency and she's known as Cat.

All is not as rosy as her social media posts report but that's not going to stop her, especially when she meets an amazing guy at the elevators at work.

Katie's Dad and StepMum have a vision to convert her childhood home into Ansters Farm Country Retreat. With her branding skills and enthusiasm the results are so fast and so amazing that when they call Katie and suggest a sabbatical from the agency to allow Katie to come home and help run the place it's perfect timing!

From the crowded tube (subway) to the fields of sheep, Cat/Katie is determined that no-one will see her 'not my perfect life'. Perfection isn't as wonderful as it is made out to be and Katie learns to stand up and make choices that make her happy.

A lovely novel that flows well and keeps you turning pages when laughter offsets disappointments.

I loved this book. Sophie Kinsella is one of the few authors that I read while I was raising my family and didn't have that much time to read. I have been reading her books since she has been writing. I think this is one of her best yet.

Katie - Cat - Katherine is trying to become someone in branding (advertising) in London. She's from a farm in Somerset, but she wants to be a city girl. She has worked at two other jobs as an intern with no pay. She finally has a paying job as an admin doing boring stuff, yet she's thrilled to be around the excitement of the creativity of advertising. Until, she gets the boot. She tries for a few weeks to get another job, sending out resumes. However, she never hears from anyone.

Meanwhile, her father and stepmother decide they want to set up a glamping resort on their farm. Katie is excited and helps set up a website and brochures. When it comes time to open up the resort, her stepmother calls worried that they can't do it alone. So Katie tells them she will take a "sabbatical" and come help them for a few weeks.

Things get a little out of hand when her ex-boss and her family show up for a week's stay. It only gets more hilarious from there. The things that she did to her ex-boss on the farm. That was absolutely hilarious - and she let her do it to her. That was the best part. I was absolutely laughing out loud.

Of course, there is a love story involved, the details you'll have to buy the book and find out. Plus, what happens to Katie and her boss? Curious? The book is definitely worth your time and money!

Huge thanks to Random House for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

In our current age of social media, especially Instagram, Sophie Kinsella has written a wonderful satire of the hardships endured by young women. Katie, or Cat, travels from her rural home to London to conquer the world of branding and marketing. Cat has changed her name from Katie and changed her hairstyle in a huge effort to create a new life in one of the greatest cities in the world. We get to take that roller coaster ride with her. We experience the hardships, the embarrassments, and the joys of discovering adulthood.

Cat's boss, Demeter, makes this 21st century Cinderella story perfect. We get to see that those perfect lives heard about in the office and viewed on Instagram are probably not the entire story. This is a fun book but only if not taken seriously. It is flawed in that it has the obligatory prince charming but what would a love story be without him? Enjoy this new Kinsella novel. It is my first and I think it would make a great movie. It has all the ingredients of a Bridget Jones story.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Bantam Press (February 7th 2017).

I don't think I've ever laughed out loud while reading a book like I did during this one. It was so clever and funny! I really liked the main character Katie and was rooting for her the whole time. Her inner dialogue was hilarious and realistic. It was also a great reminder that not every book needs suspense or twists to keep you reading. Sometimes a good story is all it takes. I will be checking out other books by this author and would highly recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book!

Thank You to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of Sophie Kinsella's novel, My Not So Perfect Life, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Country girl, Katie Brenner has followed her dreams of moving to London to begin her career at a prestigious branding agency. She loves the excitement of London and the potential opportunity for creativity at her new job, but things are less than perfect. She struggles to make rent for a tiny flat that she shares with difficult roommates, and Katie's boss, Demeter, is a tyrant. Katie tries to reinvent herself as "Cat" and uses social media to create a fictitious life of fabulous events and dining in amazing restaurants. When Katie is downsized at her firm, both her real and imaginary worlds start falling apart. Can Katie manage to keep it together or will she find a new way to reinvent herself?

LIKE - I've read many of Kinsella's novels and I usually find her stories light-hearted and charming, classic chic-lit. My Not So Perfect Life, isn't her best novel, but it was a nice read for a rainy afternoon.

What I thought worked best, is the way Kinsella captured office politics and the "mean girls" attitude that unfortunately doesn't get left behind in adolescence. I've seen the same cliquish behavior in every job I've ever had, and it gives me anxiety, especially as I've previously been a target. I felt anxious reading these parts of My Not So Perfect Life, which although not pleasant, was affecting. If a story is affecting, I know the writer is doing their job!

I liked Katie as a protagonist. It's easy to root for the plucky heroine, who is chasing her dreams. Katie is smart and creative. She may be a bit in-over-her-head, but she's also not a push-over. I liked that Kinsella took the story in a different direction than I was anticipating, making Demeter a fully realized character, rather than just the "evil boss". At one point, I thought the story was heading in the direction of giving Demeter early on-set Alzheimer's, which would have made for a dramatic turn, possibly a stronger story. It would have been a less obvious twist. My Not So Perfect Life has a bold message about not judging someone's life based on their social media accounts. It's relevant.

I liked how the title ties with Katie's social media. It's creative and an extra play on the theme of the story.

I read Kinsella's books long before I married a Brit, but now I can read them and understand geographical references and British terminology. I don't know how I felt previously, but now I feel much more clued in, "I've been to Somerset" and "I know what Limsip is". et...there many examples, but now that I'm married to a Brit and have become somewhat immersed in his culture, I have clarity when reading British authors. I think there was a lot that I previously glossed over.

DISLIKE- You must have a huge suspension of disbelief while reading My Not So Perfect Life, the coincidences are outlandish. I did not like the love story between Katie and Alex. It felt rushed and didn't enhance the story, which is really about staying true to yourself and sticking up for others. The story between Katie and Demeter is the real heart of My Not So Perfect Life, it didn't need a love story. Plus, I just didn't like Alex. He seemed slimy and not right for Katie.

RECOMMEND- Maybe. I like Kinsella and would recommend her books, like the Shopaholic series. She's the perfect vacation-read author with her comedic, fun stories. My Not So Perfect Life, was enjoyable, but not memorable.

It's Kinsella. I'll always read her books, no matter what

As a long time Sophie Kinsella fan, this book was absolutely delight that captures exactly what life is like in our social-media dominated world!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love Sophie Kinsella's books. I can always count on witty, fun and outrageous. Katie Brenner brings it! I laughed, snorted and giggled my way through this story. She is determined to make her dreams come true in London. Naturally it didn't go as planned. Her boss Demeter reminds me of "The Devil Wears Prada". She cracked me up! Very nice escape from life and from some of the deep thrillers I have read recently. Unputdownable!

Review to come on Netgalley, my blog (possibly), and Goodreads.

Some thoughts:

Wow this was so good! This is my first adult novel by this author. Two years ago I read her young adult/middle grade book (Finding Audrey) and loved it! I admit I was a little nervous going into this. I wasn't sure how different it would be compared to Finding Audrey. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this! I loved Katie and basically everything about this book.

Recommend to everyone who reads and is having a tough time with work.

My Not So Perfect Life is the type of witty chick lit one would expect from bestselling author Sophie Kinsella. The deliverance is wholly human and sure to tickle readers all over!

I will admit that this is my first Sophie Kinsella novel, ever, and I almost didn't keep reading it. It took a minute to get in sync with Katie's voice and understand what kind of person Katie is and boy was she annoying! However, as I continued reading I realized that Katie is as human as we all are and prone to pretending that life is perfect through the rose colored filters of social media. Katie is struggling to make it in London. Her commute is abominable and her living arrangement is less than stellar. According to her dream, though, it's all worthwhile. Her boss Demeter has a seemingly picture perfect life, from the top job to the family, and Katie wants to be like her. Her hero worship is part of what makes her so annoying at the beginning of the story, because of course no one is that great in real life! When Demeter insensitively fires her it's the last straw and Katie finally gets a clue.

That's where the story took a turn for the better. I could really see that the story is written in a way that allows the reader to see Katie's flaws and see her attempt to learn from her naivety. She spends time at her childhood home, helping to turn it into a glamping destination, while trying desperately to find a new job. At this point in the novel I actually felt more eager to finish it. Demeter arrives at Anster Farms with her family and throws Katie off balance. The story becomes more comedic and moves a bit faster at this point.

Sophie Kinsella knows how to tell a story that manages to engage laughter and tears. This is the book to read whenever you need a good laugh and a hard hitting reality check!
*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Sophie Kinsella does it again with her light hearted look into modern British life. Two thumbs up and a foot!

Another great read by sophie kinsella.
I did find it hard to connect with katie from the begining and throughout the beginning I felt a lot of sympathy for this character which I found differed from previous heroines in kinsellas book. However as the story progressed I understood this need for empathy and really started to connect with katie.
Kinsella doesn't disappoint with her wit and humour in this book and I found myself laughing out loud in a few places.
I liked the underlying moral of not judging a book by its cover, especially in this day and age where we are surrounded by other peoples lifes displayed across social media.
The fairytale ending was the cherry in top, though without this love interest I feel the story would have been a strong read.
One of my top sophie kinsella books and would reccomended to anyone. Even debating glamping for my summer hols!

I've probably only read one book previously by Sophie Kinsella and I liked it but in general chick-lit isn't really my favorite genre. All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, quick read, and I think a lot of people can relate to the main character, Katie's, struggles with trying to make it and feeling pressured to put the best face possible on things.

Katie is a wonderful character and I really liked seeing how she grew throughout the book. I think my favorite scene was where she gets her revenge on Demeter during a "bespoke" activity. I laughed so hard and then went back and read it again!

I would recommend this book for people who want a fun read, or anyone who has felt the pressure to have their life be Instagram perfect.

I'm a big fan of Sophie Kinsella, so I always look forward to her new books. I enjoyed reading about the struggle to fit in only to find out that it pays to be true to yourself.

Perfect book for a cold rainy day. (I think it would be equally perfect for a hot sunny day. Or an airy spring day . . . you get the idea.)

You know what you're getting with this kind of cover art: the kind of light-hearted romance with a heavy dollop of wish fulfillment and maybe a hefty side-order of product placement for whatever is currently trendy, often called chick lit.

This book starts out no different, as Katie, who--a new assistant researcher in a company that does branding--rebrands herself as Cat, straightening her hair, wearing glasses, and trying to pretend to a much more glam lifestyle than the grim truth: a horrible commute on the tube each day, and living in a flat she shares with a woman who doesn't "do friends" and a computer nerd guy who's a bit of a letch. ("how about a pity shag?")

But at least she's living the dream, right? She made it to London!

It doesn't help that Demeter, Cat/Katie's boss, is older, perfect, dynamic, wealthy, powerful, dominating, hipper than hip--and a total nightmare to work for. Or that the irresistible, funny guy named Alex who Katie meets and thinks she sparked with turns out to be not who she thought at all.

And that's before trouble hits, in the worst possible way.

Katie goes home to help her dad and his girlfriend in their latest business venture, which is glamping. Unlike all her dad's other ideas, this one looks like it might be a success--but that's because Katie is there, first inventing the brand, and then taking over with her so-far-unused management skills to help the older folks make the reality fit closer to the hype.

They're just getting things rolling when a new guest family shows up . . . and Katie considers revenge.

The character development in this one is much more complex than I've seen in a lot of similar books, the dialogue funnier, the pacing tight, the emotions truly a roller coaster. Kinsella's sharp commentary on high-powered jobs, family dynamics, relationships, and faking the hip front hit squarely on target. There was a chapter or so when I wasn't quite sure about the ending, though the implicit promise of those covers is HEA.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Sophie Kinsella writes great characters and great dialogue. makes you want to read anything she writes!

This story turns out to be one of those that takes you through two peoples lives and though their lives seem to be polar opposites, each for their own reasons quietly being very jealous for what the other has, and by the end of the book they find out they have much more in common then they thought and they will hang on to their own lives thank you very much. The story woven by Sophie Kinsella is one of her better ones I really liked it. I'm not going to go into the story line the description will do that for you, the story has surprises, the characters are well developed, and the book moves along quickly after a couple of chapters then you can just lie around and read the rest of the book in a day getting nothing else done. Anyone else do that? I was given the e-book by NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review!

Description as found on Good Reads: 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?

I received a copy of "My Not So Perfect Life" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, The Dial Press, and Sophie Kinsella for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my first book by Sophie Kinsella - I actually laughed out loud in many places!!! This is a FABULOUS book for a great time and when you want to escape. It was enjoyable and most of all, it was FUN! The premise was great and love how it ties in with the title - brilliant! I definitely want to read more of her books and will be anxiously waiting for her next novel. Definitely see many more of her books in my future on vacation or by the pool/beach with a yummy cocktail in hand.

I definitely would recommend this book to my friends as an escapist and easy novel. No, it was NOT the great British novel, but I was not looking for that - it was exactly what I needed.

The tone of this book brought me back to some of the earlier Sophie Kinsella books. I loved everything about this book. Katie was an amazing character that I connected with from the first page. I loved the story from beginning to end- the cast of characters, the settings, the ups and downs.

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?

I've never read a Sophie Kinsella novel before, as "chick lit" is not my typical go-to, but I will say that I did enjoy My Not So Perfect Life! I found the main character, Katie, very relatable and her motivations throughout the book were all very real, true, and believable. I loved that every character in the book was fleshed out to give readers insight into their motivations and why they may or may not act a certain way. Even though you know from the beginning that everything will be wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end with a "happily ever after" it's still enjoyable along the way. I'd love to see this made into a movie one day!