My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel Paperback – July 11, 2017

Great story with likable characters and a different setting and plot. I loved the ending and all the unexpected twists in the story. Great read on vacation.

Why i picked this bookI'm on a binge reading and I really want something light and easy to read in the depressing day of a global pandemic. Tbh I was sceptical, the premise isn't that appealing but I'm glad I read it. It was the best of my chic lit selection this round. The last few books were such an effort to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this one that I actually read it twice. It's fun and witty. The reason i didn't give 5 stars because for me 5 stars are reserved for classic life-inspiring masterpieces.What I like about1. Fun: I really appreciate the sarcastic tone of the book and the witty banter between Katie and Alex. I had a number of giggles throughout the book.2. Real: the internal dialogue and the casual writing makes it feel like I'm reading Katie's diary or something like that, very real. Even though it's predictable, to some extent it's logical and believable too. The first half of the book may feel whiny and shallow but I put it down to sarcasm, plus it's about young people trying to make their marks in the world so I can totally see from their view.3. The characters: I'm so glad and relieved to read a chic lit where the heroine is not completely helpless and just waiting around for a prince charming to rescue. In contrast Katie is competent. She is ambitious and determined. She makes a name by herself. I also really like her upbeat attitude. That's what makes it real. Reality is nowadays most women (or at least every woman around me) work , struggle to strive for the better and not just wait around for a rich guy to save them. Both Katie and Demeter are very likeable. They are flawed but I love how they readily own it and face it with no ego no fuss no grudge. Alex, the guy, on the other hand is very bland and appears to me as a spoiled brat. But I just cast him as a supporting character and disregard him.What I didn't like1.Too many redundant details even redundant characters that are repeated again and again and their only purpose is to fill the pages. I felt like there are quite a number of events that are not resolved making them like annoying noise in the background.2. The author seems to have limited vocabulary with the same few words appear over and over again.Do I recommend this bookGood for light reading

When I read "Finding Audrey," I was so upset. I didn't know what happened to my funny, wonderful, Sophie Kinsella. When I need to relax, I turn to her books, or any under her pseudonym Melanie Wickham. "Finding Audrey" was not what I expected, so I was nervous about this one. Happily, it was just what I was looking for. Sophie Kinsella's light-hearted humor makes "My Not So Perfect Life" a real page turner. It's incredibly relatable too. How many of us elaborate the truth even a little to make our lives a little less boring and ordinary? Sophie Kinsella makes light of it, and her protagonist, Katie, is so much like many hardworking women. She's so nice and just wants to do the right thing in a dog-eats-dog kind of business world. Katie shows how the nice ones can actually prevail in the end, but Sophie Kinsella doesn't sugarcoat it. That's why this book is so relatable, and with so much humor on each page. This was such a fun book, and the perfect story to escape the stress of my own imperfect life. Thank you for being back, Sophie Kinsella. I can hardly wait for your next novel.

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?” - goodreads synopsisSophie’s #mynotsoperfectlife receives a respectable 3 out of 5 hashtags from me. My not so Perfect Life is very #thedevilwearsprada, goes to London.The first 2 chapters of the book is torture to get through (sorry, honesty and all that). It reads like a high school “what-I-did-this-weekend” essay; the author tries to explain and jam too much information down your throat (especially about Demetre) and Katie is very naïve and annoying to the point where you want to grab her by the shoulders, shake her a little and shout: “No man! Life doesn’t have to be this hard, if you are unhappy, make a change!!!”.And then something great happens – the story starts flowing, you start relating to the characters and appreciate them for who they are and what they contribute to the story. There are a few enjoyable ‘feel-good’ (almost magical) moments that draws you deeper into Katie’s world, followed by disastrous (albeit hilarious) unfortunate events that leaves you with a bit of a ‘wtf??’-feel.The story is very typical, but so enjoyable. There are lessons (and I really emphasize, true life lessons) about family, loyalty, honesty and protecting your heart. ‘Because it’s human nature to hope for impossible things.’ Haven’t we all been in a ‘self-doubt’ place at one time or another? Don’t we all go through moments of “I have so much more to offer, if someone would just notice me…”? Sophie illustrates this so well in her writing and you feel as if you are Katie and not just reading about Katie.My favourite quotes (in no particular order): "I could do anything, go anywhere, be anyone." “Keep up the charmed, life-is-perfect myth.” “Stuff that balances out the bright-and-shiny. Just like there is for all of us. Bright-and-shiny on the one side; the crappy truth on the other.” “No one’s life has to be perfect.“Other #sophiekinsella books include:Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic #1)Can You Keep a SecretThe Undomestic GodessRemember Me?I've Got Your Number**SPOILER ALERT** do not continue if you do not want to read a spoilerI do want to add that Katie’s story has a happy ending of course (in more ways than one). Even though I felt the story in the middle was very enjoyable and a fun read, the ending was unfortunately very predictable in a ‘chick-flick-the-boy-comes-back-for-the-girl’ kind of way.

delivered quickly. the book is in excellent condition. great summer read. thank you!

I feel silly for loving this as much as I did, but it was so cute, so sweet and such a nice story about being your not-so-perfect self that I enjoyed reading it. It isn't a fine work of literature and some parts are downright unbelievable, but it didn't need to be. A little bit of humor, a little bit of romance (nothing graphic) and a little bit of revenge with a happy ending.

Your very typical chick lit romance novel but you know what you are getting when choosing this. A perfect summer read which leaves you smiling at the end. Would definitely recommend.

SO war das jedenfalls rezensiert. Ich brauchte etwas fürs Krankenhaus zum Lesen und habe das Buch einfach einmal mitbestellt. Ich habe dieses Buch in 2 Tagen ausgelesen, weil ich es einfach niedlich fand! Und natürlich ist es irgendwo ein "Liebesroman", aber amüsant und nicht wirklich dem eigentlichen Genre angepasst.Achso, ich bin ein Mann und fand es trotzdem amüsant und unterhaltsam, da hier auch nicht soviel zu überlegen ist, aber die geschilderte Situationskomik gut 'rüber gebracht' wird!

It was fun. It was a fun book and I got it when I needed something to push me out of my reading slump. It did. This isn't Booker prize material, it's a sweet lovely fun book with its moments.

I read it in 2 days 😁 The main character is funny and easy to relate to, and I liked both parts of the story. The social media reflection is a nice touch, and her way to cope with her boss in the 2nd part is really funny. Demeter is both very annoying and lovable and I felt for Cat while she tried to make it in London.

I bought this as a beach read and then read it in two days...and I'm not leaving for the beach for a few more weeks. Whoops. The problem was, I found Katie-Cat too irresistably charming and couldn't put the book down. I loved watching her find her way in her career, in her life, and in love. This was delightful.