Publisher:
Orion
Publishing Date: 13th May 2021
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!
Number of pages: 336
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction
Synopsis:
It’s time to shake things up a little…
Clare Bailey’s life is perfect. Successful career, loving husband, two kids and a gorgeous townhouse. At least, that’s how it looks like from the outside.
In fact, she’s never felt more invisible. Her boss barely remembers her name, her husband is distracted by his new TV job and her daughter has never found her more embarrassing!
But when she’s given a chance to turn her life upside-down she wonders whether she should risk everything she loves for a life that’s more than just ‘perfect on paper’…?
Clare Bailey seems to have it all – a loving husband, great children, job that she’s passionate about. But no. Her husband has just landed a better job in TV and is obsessed with himself and the way he looks like and what kind of car he drives. The children spend much more time staring at their phones and when actually did they have a proper conversation together? Despite being really good at what she does, Clare’s boss seems to favour the new addition to the firm, much younger male colleague, ignoring Clare and her successes. No wonder she starts to feel ignored and invisible, right? But with one snap decision and wrong bus Clare’s life is about to turn upside down – for better or for worse?
In this light take on some of the most popular TV – shows, we are introduced to Clare. I don’t know what to think about Clare, to be honest, because with so much colourfulness and surprises in her she should have been an explosive, interesting and lively character. But she felt a bit… yes, meh. I simply think that the author didn’t use her whole potential. Yes, it was lovely and brilliant to see how she leaves her comfort zones but still, there was so much blocking her and I felt she just can’t completely let go. Nevertheless, what the author truly well captured is that you could immediately feel Clare’s frustrations, really, my blood boiled sometimes, especially when she interacted with her self – obsessed husband (but who has eventually redeemed himself, hallelujah!). I may be lucky, as I don’t feel like Clare, ignored and not appreciated at work, nevertheless it was easy to fall for her and her daily battles.
The book was lovely written, with a light touch of humour and seriousness when needed. There were moments that the story went truly hilarious and, well, yes, bonkers and even though it has made roll my eyes, it somehow worked out in this book.
So altogether, I did like this novel – there were truly enjoyable moments, however there were also some unrealistic ones and also, and this is what bothered me most, it was a slow story and felt very repetitive, especially after the middle. It was then only about taking part or not taking part, telling Toby or not and what to actually do. There was too much talking and what ifs and I missed action to be honest.
„Perfect on Paper“ was an easy, light read with hidden messages. It was nice, however I don’t think it will stay with me for long. It was filled with joyous and optimistic messages and altogether the whole book felt really uplifting – by all means the outcome. It was about coming out of your comfort zones, about daring yourself, about noticing and listening to each other, about pushing the boundaries, also touching about some more serious issues, exploring them in a subtle and gentle way. It was a warm and heartfelt observation of how easy it is to forget that there is nothing we should take for granted, that we should start to appreciate the small things again.
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