28 Jun Feel Good Reads part 2
This is romantic comedy done right!
If you are a fan of rom coms, go straight to Libby and check out Sophie Kinsella’s books. If you don’t usually read romantic comedies, please hear me out. I think I can convince you to give her a shot.
Sophia Kinsella’s Books
Sophie Kinsella is best known for her delightful Shopaholic series. But I want to focus on her equally entertaining stand-alone books. Kinsella has a way of writing frothy rom-com books that never feel shallow or repetitive, but always comfortable. As someone who tends to read dark, tense psychological thrillers and horror novels, I still never hesitate to pick up one of her books. Kinsella masterfully walks the fine line between feel-good happy stories and cheesy cliches. Here are two of her most enjoyable stand-alone books available on Libby.
Surprise Me
Sylvie and Dan are happily married with good, fulfilling jobs and wonderful twin daughters. Their relationship is solid and they understand each other so well that they can finish each other’s sentences. Then, someone off-handedly mentions that they could be together for another 68 years and suddenly they are terrified. Happy marriages are great, but what if they get bored? What if they settle into a routine? When the mystery disappears, will the spark do the same? So, they decide to create Project Surprise Me in an attempt to keep things fresh and fun. But in the midst of all of their surprise gifts, dates, and…ahem…sexy photos, something goes horribly yet hilariously wrong. Then they discover some shocking truths about each other. Then a scandal gets unearthed that makes them wonder if they even ever knew each other at all. The story turns a little more serious and less comical at this point, but it is always engaging and it’s fascinating reading as Dan and Sylvie go from shiny but shallow characters to fully developed people you can root for. What was the scandal that rocked their marriage? Will their marriage survive it? You’ll have to read to find out and you’ll enjoy the ride along the way.
My (Not So) Perfect Life
Katie Brenner has been trying her hardest to make it in the competitive London marketing field. Ever since she was a little girl growing up in a small farming community in Somerset, Katie has dreamed of living in London as a sophisticated career woman. After changing her name to Cat, getting rid of her Midlands accent, and securing a job as a junior advertising associate, Cat finds herself…. Broke and always looking up to everyone else. She especially envies her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is everything Cat wants to be – successful, fashionable, wealthy, and always with her finger on the pulse of the latest trends. While trying to navigate the treacherous office politics, Cat takes refuge in her not-quite-true Instagram posts that make her life look like the magical one she always dreamed of having. Then, just as she feels like she’s making headway in her life, disaster strikes. Demeter fires her! After a couple of weeks of unsuccessful job hunting, Cat sublets her room in her London flat and returns to her family farm where she helps her dad and stepmom get their new “glamping” vacation business up and running. Fearing that they have enough to worry about already, she doesn’t tell her family that she’s been fired, but is merely on sabbatical. With her marketing background and natural creativity, Cat helps make the business not just sustainable, but soaringly profitable. Cat, who has gone back to the name Katie, feels like her life is getting back on track for an eventual return to London. After all, who wouldn’t want to hire someone who turned a 200-year-old farm into the trendiest vacation spot in England? Then disaster strikes – Demeter and her family show up for a holiday. Suddenly, Katie’s worlds begin to collide and her carefully crafted stories could fall apart any second! But Demeter doesn’t even recognize her; and Katie also decides this could be the perfect way to get a little harmless revenge. During her former boss’s vacation, disasters strike, secrets are revealed, and relationships are changed forever. All done with Kinsella’s trademark humor. I floated through this book, enjoying each characters’ quirks.
Both of these books are available in eBook and audiobook format.
Feel-Good Books
We all need a pick-me-up every now and then. This series of Feel-Good reads will help you discover fun authors whose books we hope will leave you just a little bit happier after you finish reading them. This is the first in a series of Reader’s Advisory suggestions. Watch for more of Lauren’s Feel Good Author Suggestions.
Lauren McPike is the Cataloger at PGTPL and also a voracious reader. One of her favorite things to do is recommend books to people. You can find more of her book and author suggestions on PGTPL’s podcast or you can email her through the library’s May We Suggest page to get a customized list of recommendations from her and other staff members featured on the page.
