I’m going to be honest with you. I’m way behind on my reviews, and the books are all starting to mix together in my mind. I’m not sure if I can remember which characters were in London and which were tennis players and who lived on Nantucket, so please bear with me today as I attempt and sort all of this out!
I’ll start with the book I liked the least…and yet couldn’t put down.
A few weeks ago, Classic reviewed this book and very eloquently (and with gifs!) explained all of the problems with Sophie Kinsella’s books and characters. And we both admitted that we were the only ones to blame for our problems with Kinsella. We know that she writes ridiculous characters who do crazy things with completely unrealistic consequences. But we keep reading. Why?
This book, in particular, was a problem for me. Katie — now going by Cat, because she’s attempting to become a new person with a new life in London — works for a fancy branding company. She is the lowest employee on the ladder, she can barely afford to eat, pay her rent, and keep herself dressed in London, but she DOES. NOT. CARE. Because London.
She lives with awful people in a horrid apartment that is about as far away from her office as possible. Her commute sucks. She has no friends. Her boss is a witch. But LONDON!
She’ll never move home to the country, where her dad owns a farm. No more country life for Cat! Cat’s a city girl.
Blah blah blah, Cat meets a man, who turns out to be top dude at her company. Cat gets fired from her job and blames her witch of a boss. Cat moves home, once again becoming Katie, and helps her dad and step mom launch a successful GLAMPING business.
Yes. With yurts.
Of course, Katie lies to everyone about everything and is horrible and awful. When her boss the witch comes to her GLAMPING site, Katie is pretty much the worst human of all time and should have gone to jail for some of the stunts she pulled.
But, ha ha! It was funny! Or so Sophie Kinsella seems to think.
All of these characters were awful. They did truly abhorrent things to one another. Their attitudes about money and city life vs country life were infuriating.
The only person I liked was Katie’s dad. I imagined him as Jim Broadbent.
Of course, everyone’s problems get wrapped up in a pretty package at the end. Ha! Isn’t that a delight? The bad people get slapped on the wrist and sent away. And the good people all live happily ever after.
Except that the good people weren’t especially good. And didn’t really deserve a happy ending. Like Classic, the only character who interested me at all by the end was Demeter, the witchy boss. But even her ridiculous problems were all solved with a snap of the fingers, because that’s how real life works.
I would have much preferred this book if Demeter had pressed charges against Katie for abuse while glamping. That would have been a far more interesting story.
I really didn’t like this book at all. But couldn’t put it down. And of course, I’ll read whatever Sophie Kinsella writes next. Because I’m clearly an idiot with a problem.
I would seriously have enjoyed it more if Demeter had been the focus. Katie sucked.
I feel you on Sophie Kinsella. Like, I hate her characters. HATE them. But yet, I keep reading her books like they’re going to be better. Except Shopaholic. I read the first one and wanted to scream and I just can’t bring myself to read the others.