My Not So Perfect Life

The farm is soon a rustic retreat for city visitors, and Katie, back in her old name and her old wellies, runs the activities. When Demeter turns up as a guest with her family, Katie sees an opportunity for revenge, and a series of farmyard ordeals follows. But the longer the stay continues, the more she realizes that Demeter's perfect life may be as carefully staged as her own.

Kinsella is excellent at comic embarrassment and at dialogue that feels like real people talking. What lifts this book above a simple office comedy is its fairness: Demeter is never just a villain, and the story is really about two women who have both been pretending. The love interest, Alex, is likable and appropriately complicated, and the scenes on the farm have a cozy, generous energy.

The plot depends on some convenient coincidences and the climax stretches belief, but that is part of the fun. It is the kind of book that works perfectly on a beach, a train or a gloomy evening when you need cheering up, and Kinsella fans will recognize her trademark mix of mortification and kindness. About 464 pages in the Dial Press paperback.