# My Not So Perfect Life

By Sophie Kinsella

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/my-not-so-perfect-life-50db89df/

Katie Brenner’s Instagram account suggests she’s thriving in London. Her tiny room and office job tell a different story. When her boss Demeter fires her, Katie returns to Somerset to help her father start a glamping business, only to find Demeter and her family arriving as guests.

## What makes it funny?

Katie cuts the fake designer label out of her cheap coat before work, keenly aware of what her colleagues might think. Looking polished gets harder when a crowded train jolts her into a stranger’s sandwich and she accidentally takes a bite.

### The comedy at work

Katie tries to make an enviable story out of a difficult working life, while her narration supplies the humiliating details. After her eighty-minute journey to work, she has to listen sympathetically as Demeter complains about a twenty-five-minute commute.

### Try this if…

Office politics and the effort of keeping up appearances matter most here. The move to a glamping site gives Katie a chance to reassess the boss whose life she envies.

### Good to know

There’s a love story, but Kinsella identifies Katie’s relationship with Demeter as the central one. Expect the two women’s changing view of each other to take priority.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary · Romance
- On the shelf: Workplace comedy
- Kind of humor: Satire · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2017

## A few distinguishing details

- A fired employee hosts her old boss at a glamping site
- An Instagram life that conceals cramped rooms and miserable commutes

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher edition and sample](https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book?isbn=9780812987713)
- Author commentary: [Author introduction and sample](https://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/book/my-not-so-perfect-life)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8129-9826-9)