My Not So Perfect Life

If you are in the mood for something bright and enjoyable to read, this is a great pick. The tone is upbeat and although the plot is somewhat predictable, it is easy to follow and totally engaging. There is also a lesson about the perfect life. Even if the outside looks flawless, no one has it.

This is a story about Katie's struggle to find herself and her not so perfect life. At times she is torn. Is she Cat, the city girl, or Katie, the country girl. Can she follow her dreams without guilt. Can she find love. The family dynamics shine, especially the father daughter relationship and the bond with her stepmother. In the end we are reminded that everyone has good days and not so good days, and it helps to rejoice in where we came from.

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, especially her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie's life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle . . . from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to tense office politics. No wonder she takes refuge in not quite true Instagram posts, especially as she wants to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she finds her feet . . . and a possible new romance . . . the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, she retreats to her family's farm in Somerset to help them launch a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away . . . until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets spill, relationships shift, and as the stakes for Katie's future rise, she must question her assumptions about what makes a meaningful life.

Sophie Kinsella returns with wit, warmth, and sharp insight to spin a modern story about presenting the perfect life when the truth is far messier.

1. Describe Katie Brenner. Are there parts of her life you relate to as someone unsure in a job, worried about social acceptance, or dissatisfied with your path.

2. When Katie moves to London, she tries to erase her not so posh background by changing her name and accent. Is she being a phony, or a pragmatist in a class conscious world.

3. What does the title suggest about a central theme. Whose life is not so perfect in the novel, and where do you see the gap between image and reality.

4. Describe Demeter. What do you think of her. Does she remind you of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Is she stereotyped, or have you known people like her.

5. When Katie leaves Cooper Clemmow, she calls out entitlement. Is that fair. Does what she learns later change your view. How do you think about your own advantages or lack of them.

6. Alex. Discuss.

7. What does Katie learn about Demeter at Anster Farm. How do her husband and children relate to her, and she to them. Why does she cry while nuzzling Carlo the horse.

8. Consider the big sister talk Katie has with Coco. What do Coco and Hal learn about their mother. What does Katie learn about Demeter.

9. Ultimately, what does Katie learn about herself and what matters most in life.

10. Is My Not So Perfect Life funny. Which passages made you laugh or showed Katie's sharp observations.

A few threads stand out for discussion. Katie tries to hide her roots and even changes her name in London. Things are not always what they seem . . . her view of Demeter shifts as she learns more. You might also explore anger, grudges, and the urge to get even, and how those choices either trap or free the characters.