Book Review #50: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Hey Guys x

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors in the world so of course I read her new book.

The book is about Katie. She has an amazing life. She lives in London (her dream) has a great job with an inspiring boss, and does amazing things every day that make for amazing insta pics. Or so her social media profiles would have you believe. Actually, Katie's life isn't what it seems. Her London apartment is actually a tiny mess, her job is repetitive, her boss is infuriating and her insta pics belong to the life of some other Londoner. But she's sticking it out. After all, living in London is her dream. However, when Katie's infuriating boss Demeter gives her the sack, she can't help but feel incredibly angry. How is it fair for Demeter with the perfect life to single-handedly destroy hers?! So when they cross paths again, Katie has one thing on her mind - revenge. But is Demeter's life as perfect as it seems?

That was a long-winded explanation, but I think everything I said was really relevant to the plot.

So, first of all, although this is not my favourite Sophie Kinsella book by a clear mile, it was an enjoyable read.

Katie is a character that I was kind of able to relate to, in the sense that we all want to have an amazing life. However, Katie's happiness does feel at the beginning like it revolves around the validation of others. However, as we read on, we know that this isn't the case. Katie actually wants to make her dad proud of her, and she wants him to understand why being in London means so much to her. I understand that, and I like that she had bigger reasons for wanting her London life to work.

In terms of the whole 'London' thing, it was weird to read about it and have Katie idolise London the way she does. I've lived in London all my life and mostly see the parts that no one really wants to know about when they picture it - so it's really interesting to read about it from this point of view.

I have to say though, this book was full of unlikeable characters. However, by the end of the novel, other than Katie and her parents, the one person that I really liked was Demeter. I can't say why really, because it'll give things away, but she was the only character that I started the book not liking and grew to like. Most of the other characters I just didn't like from beginning to end.

What was good?

The last 30-50 pages of the book were so good! They were really enticing, really suspenseful, and made everything that happened in the first 300 pages suddenly make a whole lot of sense. Things were revealed and other things came to light and the last 3/4 of the book really made me love it.

What was bad?

Keeping that in mind, the first 300 pages, as interesting as they were, were quite uneventful. I mean, the main event of the novel, Katie being fired, didn't happen until well into the novel, which was a bit disappointing because I was waiting for it and thought that the novel would revolve more around her life after that. But it was like an even 50/50 split.

Overall

If you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella, or just want something simple and unproblematic to read, definitely pick this up. But if you're not a Sophie fan, start with her Shopaholic series or 'I've Got Your Number' as those are really great books to introduce you to her.

Thanks for reading!

Have you read Sophie Kinsella? What's your favourite of hers?

Lou xx