I love Sophie Kinsella. Whenever I need a book to pick me up out of a bad mood, she is one of the authors I turn to. I loved her Shopaholic series, and would read them cover-to-cover as soon as they came out. I haven’t touched one of her novels in a while but I was so glad to see this one in my local library so I just grabbed it right away!
Katie Brenner’s life is far from perfect. She rents a tiny room in an apartment that requires her to take a terrible commute to her lowly admin job. But you would never guess from her Instagram feed, where she posts pictures of a life that looks perfect. Katie is determined to move away from her humble background and make a super-cool life for herself in London. But then, Katie gets sacked by her uber-successful boss Demeter. Katie is heart-broken. With nowhere else to go, she moves back home to Somerset and helps her dad with his new glamping business project. Then Demeter and her family check in for the holiday. At first, Katie is horrified but then she sees her chance to take revenge. But as it turns out, successful Demeter might have problems of her own… Maybe they have more in common than it seems.
As usual, Kinsella delivers on a funny and cute story. I actually think I liked this novel more than the Shopaholic ones! While there were still cheesy moments and funny situations, there was a more serious tone to this story that Shopaholic lacks. Katie is a conscientious character who is realistic about life, making her easy to relate with. The desire to leave home and make something of yourself is something we have all dreamed of – but few have achieved it (at least I haven’t!) and this really makes the reader warm up to the story. I liked all of the characters and the crazy shenanigans that took place. I also learned a lot about the marketing industry and all of the effort that goes into making a brand successful! All in all, a fun story that will definitely lift your mood!
Happy reading ~