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A review by katiereadsthings
How to Be Perfect by Holly Wainwright
4.0
How To Be Perfect is the follow up to Holly Wainwright's The Mummy Bloggers. The story picks up after the final of the blogger awards with the return of Elle, who has re-established herself as a lifestyle blogger at a luxurious retreat in Byron Bay with a focus on wellness (or “Elle-ness”). Her return to social media is shrouded in mystery – where has she been? Who is her mysterious new benefactor and the father of her new baby? Also back is Abi, who is trying to deal with an ex-husband who may or may not be starting a cult in her garden shed, a teenage daughter going viral for all the wrong reasons and a fiancée who seems to have had enough. We also meet Frances, a new mother with a colicky newborn and an anxiety-inducing mothers’ group. All Frances wants is a life as perfect as Elle’s, even if it means taking out a bank loan to pay for the ingredients that Elle insists on including in your daily green smoothie.
This book was even more ridiculous than the first, but I enjoyed every page. I loved reading about Elle again - she’s totally over the top and completely awful, but damn she knows how to get what she wants. Wainwright turns her satirical eye this time to the “wellness” industry, with a comment on the lengths that some people will go to to increase their following. Frances’ storyline in particular questions the motivations of public figures in this industry– in promoting a lifestyle that is not attainable to the average person, what responsibility do they have to their followers? I thought the way that Wainwright commented on a real life social issue in a lighthearted way was clever, engaging and insightful. While clearly exaggerated, the characters still feel real, and the events in the book are completely believable. This book will make you laugh, question how addicted to social media you are, and probably make you want to eat a doughnut.
I recommend this one if you’re looking for an enjoyable, entertaining summer read, or if you’ve ever questioned how real those seemingly perfect online accounts actually are!
This book was even more ridiculous than the first, but I enjoyed every page. I loved reading about Elle again - she’s totally over the top and completely awful, but damn she knows how to get what she wants. Wainwright turns her satirical eye this time to the “wellness” industry, with a comment on the lengths that some people will go to to increase their following. Frances’ storyline in particular questions the motivations of public figures in this industry– in promoting a lifestyle that is not attainable to the average person, what responsibility do they have to their followers? I thought the way that Wainwright commented on a real life social issue in a lighthearted way was clever, engaging and insightful. While clearly exaggerated, the characters still feel real, and the events in the book are completely believable. This book will make you laugh, question how addicted to social media you are, and probably make you want to eat a doughnut.
I recommend this one if you’re looking for an enjoyable, entertaining summer read, or if you’ve ever questioned how real those seemingly perfect online accounts actually are!