Mrs. Perfect

Just finished...

And it was TRUELY a great book. I know that I will read it again! ;)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

WOW!!

This was another amazing story! If you are a woman between 30-50 years old--you can relate to SOME part of this book. The characters and topic were very real. I love Jane's writing style!~It is funny, sad, and romantic all in one!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Go get 'em girls!

I bought this book not really knowing what to expect. I don't normally read anything like it but decided to give it a try. It was a breath of fresh air! At first, I didn't think I'd be able to identify with the characters or their way of living but within a few chapters I was hooked. I came to love the main character. She was a real woman and learned to rely on her internal strengths to support her family when they needed it. This was truely a book about learning how strong you can be even when you think you don't have it in you. I can't wait to read other books by Jane Porter.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mrs. Perfect

Being perfect is hard. I wouldn't know, but according to Taylor Young, Mrs. Perfect, it is hard work

Mrs. Perfect was the first Jane Porter book that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing. She writes intelligent and interesting characters. At first, I was not sure that I could stomach Taylor's shallow ways, but the more I read, the more I could see that Taylor was far from Mrs. Perfect. She was human.

Mrs. Perfect was an enjoying read. Perfect for the beach or the airport. I will certainly be looking for more of Ms. Porter's work.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorite authors

Mrs. Perfect was the first book I had read of Jane Porter's and I loved it! Since reading it, I have read every one of her books and am waiting eagerly for her to put out new books all stemming from Odd Mom Out.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A new Jane Porter fan

I loved this book! Jane Porter is an amazing character driven author who writes books that I love to read.

Fun read -- But Read "Odd Mom Out" first!

Somehow, the you begin to root for who you once thought of as the villian. Fun "mom lit".... still love Marta's character. An enjoyable read about how people can change, or how being your true self is always the best bet. Would love to see a 3rd in this series, that also addresses the children and how they evolve... but bring back more Marta and Luke!

Good light read

This was a good easy read with a great reminder of what is important in life!

For those moms who juggle it all!

This was my second Jane Porter read, I first read Odd Mom Odd a couple of days prior. Mrs. Perfect really delved into Taylor's life and made me realize she is me and many women I know! I think the negative comments are from those women who try and personify Taylor/Mrs. Perfect and get upset when criticized about trying to do too much. This book touched on the realities of many moms, stay at home and working, and showed how we are more alike than not. Even if you are not a mom, this is a good book, focusing on the perils of marriage and true friendship. A good (quick) read for the beach or a long weekend. I can't wait to read some of Jane's other titles.

Great read! so much more depth than I expected!

A great story with a lot of truth about how wives and moms REALLY feel. But still manages to be sweet and funny.

Present imperfect?

I hate to confess to the guilty pleasure of reading books like this, which I assume are intended to make idle slackers like myself feel better. But I fervently hope that over-privileged mothers like Taylor live more meaningful lives than the vapid 'before' scenario presented here.

Pretty Good Book

Ok

Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter is Damn Near Perfect!

4.5 STARS

I didn't think I was going to love Mrs. Perfect by Seattle author Jane Porter as much as I loved her preceding work, Odd Mom Out, but as it turns out, not only did I love it as much, I love it more! When I started reading the book, I had a preconceived notion of who the main character, Taylor Young, was. She was introduced in Mom Odd Out and appeared to be Marta Zinsser's complete opposite, not to mention nemesis.

Taylor Young is a beautiful trophy wife with control issues who lives in a fairy-tale world with her handsome, high-earning, ex-quarterback husband, Nathan - in the dream home she decorated - with their three exquisite little girls, Jemma, Brooke and Tori in Bellevue, Washington. To anyone who looks at her from the outside, Taylor is Mrs. Perfect. However, as we read this book, we watch in amazement at how Jane Porter peels back the layers of Taylor's character to reveal a woman that I didn't loathe, but rather fell in love with, just like I did with Marta Zinsser in Odd Mom Out.

Taylor's perfect life has begun to unravel when her husband takes a job in Omaha after finally admitting to her that for the past year he hasn't been working, and because they've been spending way beyond their means for a very long time, they are now millions of dollars in debt and are going to lose their dream home. Taylor Young not only rises to the challenge of a very difficult situation, but she shows everyone around her what she's truly made of. Even though she's falling apart inside, she manages to make the most delicious lemonade out of the hairy lemons in her life. She matures on a visceral, cerebral, and spiritual level before our eyes and we love her for sharing her difficult journey with us.

"You're bad. I silently repeat the last one as I load the dishwasher, knowing these voices are part of that horrible, hollow feeling inside of me. But I'm not hollow, and I'm not horrible. For all my mistakes, I do love my girls, and I try my best to take care of them. For all my flaws and my vanity and pride, I do love Nathan, and I love him with all my heart. The truth is, I do try. I always try.

Maybe Marta's right about something else. Maybe trying your best, and doing your best, even if it's not perfect, is enough.

Maybe it's unrealistic to think I can be perfect.

Or to put it in Marta-speak, that's why we have religion. God's perfect. We're human."

Jane Porter knows how to write a meaningful, emotional story for women. She knows how to find the chord that connects us all and how to tug on it to get our attention. She reminds us that many other people in this world are in the same boat as we are and she makes us feel as if we have a cheerleading team behind us, letting us know that we're going to be better than fine...that things are going to turn out great!

Her contemporary style is flawless and she speaks my language, fluently. She moved me to tears again with this book and in the three books of hers that I've read, she's managed to climb very close to the top of my favourite authors list. Don't let the candy-coloured book covers fool you. These books are much more substantial than a box of chocolates or a slice of cake. I can't wait to go and buy her latest 5 Spot release, Easy on The Eyes. It's at my local bookstore and I know exactly the shelf it's on.

If you're looking for a wonderful read with marvelous characterization and relevant contemporary themes, look no further than the divine Ms. Jane Porter.

Good for a different perspective and some laughs.

I enjoyed reading the book and finished it because I wanted to know what happened with the characters, but was not 'glued' to the book. I love the books that grab you and you cannot put them down - this was not one of those books for me. It did give me a different perspective on the lifestyle of the rich want-to-be's and what drives them.

A Perfect Book

This book follows Jane Porters 'Odd Mom Out'. Yet another Jane Porter book I could not put down! I absolutely love the characters in this book series and I am anxiously awaiting for the next one to hit the shelves...Yes there is another one coming!!

A reviewer

This is a fabulous book!! I couldn't put it down!! If you love soap opera style drama...this is for you!!

Porter wins again!

Once again, another hit from an incredible author. This book is a follow-up to last year's Odd Mom Out and follows Marta's rival Taylor Young as we see behind the smoke and mirrors of the perfect life. Beautifully written, Taylor captures your heart despite first impressions from Odd Mom Out. A perfect, heartwarming read for the summer, or any time! I can't wait for July of 2009 when this author's next work will be published.

Porter is Perfect

This is the first of Jane Porter's books I've read, but now I'm dying to read everything of hers! At first I didn't warm to Taylor Young, but I was intrigued by her. The way she lives is fascinating and slightly surreal to me, but Porter captures Taylor's world beautifully. And the more I read, the more I realised how much I had in common with Taylor, although my life is on a much smaller scale. When hard times fell on Taylor's family, I couldn't wait to see how she dealt with it - and the growth of the character of Taylor didn't disappoint. By the end of the novel I would have loved to be her friend. A multi-layered novel that covers relationships, friendships, the pressures of motherhood, keeping up appearances, dealing with life-altering change and the pressures of our stuff-centric lifestyle today, this book was a delight. I couldn't put it down, and read it all in one afternoon. A wonderful read for anyone who's striving for a bit of perfection in an imperfect world.

MRS. PERFECT is the PERFECT read!

Leave it to Jane Porter to pull off the impossible. When we first met Taylor Young in ODD MOM OUT, she was one of those women you love to hate. You know the kind, right? Totally put together the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect outfit, the perfect body. Not to mention the perfectly condescending attitude and the perfect snarky comments reserved exclusively for those not quite in her social league. The kind of woman who makes you run and hide the minute you see her approaching. With so few redeeming qualities, how in the world could such a woman be expected to gain our sympathy and trust enough so that we willingly follow her along for 417 pages, cheering her on at the end? Why? Simply because Ms. Porter is a brilliant writer, with the THE PERFECT GIFT when it comes to tapping the emotional jugular vein that resonates with women worldwide. She translates into words what we feel in our hearts what scares us, what excites us, what saddens us. We're drawn into Taylor Young's life, and suddenly we're part of that perfect world as it begins to crumble. And we feel her pain. And we begin to realize the difference between the 'perfect women of the world' and the rest of us. We're wearing make-up, while they're struggling not only with make-up, but keeping up that perfect veneer. Ms. Porter takes us through the painful process as Taylor Young is stripped raw of the layers of veneer that make up her life. It's certainly not pretty, and in these hard economic times, indeed, it's rather painful. But as always with a Jane Porter novel, it's real. Breathtaking, heartwreching, can't-stop-reading-even-though-it's-1 AM-real. My recommendation: Run, don't walk, to the bookstore and buy this book. It's the PERFECT read.

Another Home Run for Jane Porter

Having read Odd Mom Out and totally loving the character of Marta I was a little skeptical about reading a book based on the character of Taylor. I totally loved this book. Taylor is so well developed in this book. Your heart will ache for all she endures. There is so much of Marta and Taylor in everyday women. Even Lucy...who has made what appears to be a huge mistake and pays dearly comes around as being absolutely understandable in the choices she made. Jane Porter grabs you from the first page and keeps you reading. It's a shame we have to wait until July 2009 for her next book.