Sometimes More Isn’t Better: Sophie Kinsella’s My Not So Perfect Life

So needless to say, I completely and utterly related to Katie Brenner, the main character in Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, My Not So Perfect Life. Who hasn’t touched up their Instagram photos with filters or posted pictures of the one healthy meal we’ve made for our family in a month, pretending we do it all the time? Katie Brenner is no different. She sees the social posts her friends and even strangers put up and finds herself longing for more. Longing so much that she maybe, ever-so-slightly, okay, very majorly, starts to lie in her posts, creating the life she wishes she has.
But her real life is far less glamorous than what she portrays on Instagram. When her high-stress, underpaid marketing  job in London ends with a harsh firing by her cruel boss, Cat (as she goes by in London) is forced to put her tail between her legs, returning home to help set up the new family business, which hilariously is a glamour camping business. Yes, that’s right—glamping. You can’t help but fall in love with her entertaining father and step-mother as they attempt to figure out the ins and outs of starting a new business.
As if losing her job, dignity and flat weren’t bad enough, who comes along as one of the guests? The very boss who fired her—Demeter Farlowe. The fun comes when Katie hatches a revenge plan on her former boss; a plan, like all plans made in the heat of the moment, fails miserably but does lead to an unexpected friendship and a new understanding that things aren’t always what they seem.

If you are wondering whether Sophie Kinsella gives Katie a love interest to spark with during all this soul-searching, don’t you fret. She does not disappoint. Not only does Katie find herself falling for a man who is actually Demeter’s boss, but keeping true to the theme, Alex also isn’t what he appears and eventually, rumors do exactly what they are supposed to do—cause trouble.
But underneath all the scheming, miscommunication, romance, humor and family antics, is a much deeper story, about a woman who learns that having it all doesn’t mean having happiness. She’s a character whom all of us have been in at some point in our lives. Whether we are looking for the ultimate dream job or searching for the perfect mate, everyone can relate to wanting more. And just like Katie, we have had to learn that more isn’t better. It’s just more.
Though, I will say this: If more means another Sophie Kinsella novel, I’m in. That’s the more I’ll definitely keep hoping for.
My Not So Perfect Life is on B&N bookshelves now!