REVIEW: "My Not So Perfect Life" by Sophie Kinsella (Chick Lit)

MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE by Sophie Kinsella
	Publisher: Bantam Press Genre: Chick Lit, Romance Publication Date: February 7th 2017 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Chick Lit, Creatives in Love (Marketing), Fashion, Introverted Female, Outdoorsy (Glamping, etc.), Small Town
Other Books by Sophie Kinsella
Description from Publisher:
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?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
This was solid chick lit, which Kinsella is a master at. The first half of this was interesting and engaging enough, but it was really long and feels like so much of it didn't really end up going anywhere (her flatmates, for instance, were just bizarre comic relief). I really think that the first 200 pages could have been edited differently and more condensed, with the important backstory highlighted more. Katie going to work on her dad's farm was good... until she started to get her revenge on Demeter. From the beginning, Demeter never actually seemed that bad, so Katie treating her like absolute crap while risking her dad's glamping business was really just incredibly petty and didn't do much in the way of making me like her as a character. Until the second half. Things definitely took a turn for the better in Part Two, as Katie finally gets a bit more character growth and matures considerably. The message of "Don't Believe Everything is as it Appears" was really well threaded throughout and the theme very solidly represented in the second half, so that was something I liked. This wasn't much in the romance department, though what WAS there did have a lot of potential. It just left me wanting MORE. Everything other aspect of this got SO MUCH detail that the lack of detail with Alex, the love interest (who really only pops up a handful of times), was not quite enough for me. Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read that fits in well with the genre.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Sophie Kinsella
Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming ("The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic") to the latest book on being married and having a child ("Shopaholic & Baby"). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes.