RAINY DAY EXCERPTS: “MY (NOT SO) PERFECT LIFE”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a library book from a delightful author:  My (Not So) Perfect Life, by Sophie Kinsella,  a witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world.

 

 

 

Intro:  First:  It could be worse.  As commutes go, it could be a lot worse, and I must keep remembering this.  Second:  It’s worth it.  I want to live in London; I want to do this; and commuting is part of the deal.  It’s part of the London experience, like Tate Modern.

(Actually, it’s not much like Tate Modern.  Bad example.)

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Teaser:  To be fair, I did have some good nights out with the girls at my previous job.  But all we really did was drink prosecco and bitch, and after then I had such a scare with my overdraft, I swore off going out for a bit.  And at Cooper Clemmow, no one seems to socialize at all.  Unless you count working late as “socializing.” (p. 64)

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Synopsis:  Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly 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 the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she’s desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

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I’m eager to keep reading.  What do you think?

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