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Please Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (From NetGalley):
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?
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?
Review:
Katie Brenner is the Bridget Jones of this generation. She is funny, determined, and struggling to reinvent herself in London. Now trying to be Cat (rather than Katie), she has landed her dream job at a company that specializes in branding products.
I loved this book. It perfectly shows the anxiety of starting one's career and the pressure to be successful, for yourself, and for your family. I was rooting for Katie from the start.
What I liked:
London:
Sophie Kinsella captures all that is wonderful, and dreadful, about being young and alone in an expensive city.
I lived in England for a short time as a college student. I look back on it as a magical time. But when I really think back, I being to remember some of the not so glamorous aspects. Everything was ungodly expensive, and the people were so fashionable. I saved up for weeks in order to buy a stylish winter coat in order to fit in. But that was my only big purchase. I was mostly reduced to window shopping. London itself (when we went there on weekends) was so intimidating. I remember being overwhelmed trying to navigate The Tube. And the place where I stayed was so very cold...
Reading about Katie's misadventures brought me back to that awkward time of being an independent adult for the first time.
Glamping:
Glamping is a term for luxury camping, mostly for city dwellers who want to be in nature, but don't really want to rough it. Katie's father and stepfather start a glamping business to suppliment their income as farmers. I loved this part of the book because it showcased not only Katie's abilities as a marketer, but her father's and stepmother's skills as well. Her father is a natural charmer, when he want to be. His tendency to be a cheapskate is tempered by Katie's knowledge that in order to make this business a success, everything must be of the best quality. And her stepmother shines as she is able to showcase her cooking and crafting abilities.I loved these things so much that I made a Pinterest board for this book!
Characters:
Demeter is Katie's demanding boss at the branding firm. She seems to have everything: Beauty, a perfect family, a successful career, and a lover on the side. But is that really who she is? I can just see Rosamund Pike as Demeter.
Katie is the college grad who yearns for the perfect life and if she isn't quite there yet, well... no one needs to know. She obsessively posts perfect shots of London life on Instagram. It's all a farce, but she doesn't seem to get that if she is faking her life online, probably others are too. She simply takes what she sees as other people's perfect lives at face value. I see Emilia Clarke as Katie.
What I Was Mixed About:
The ending was a little too perfect. While I love endings where all the plot points are tied up, this ending was over the top. I would have loved to have Katie make some hard choices about what her priorities were. That would have been more realistic and just as satisfying.
Rating:
Release Date: February 7th, 2017
Genre: General Fiction
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A fun book that will remind you of when you were young and starting out in life.
So glad you loved this book! It sounds like a great read :) Wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles