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kdurham2's review
1.0
Well, I read this book for the GoodReads Challenge for a Second Chance - read a book by an author to give them a second chance.
Well - my first run in with Sarah Bird was The Alamo House. I didn't enjoy the language she used in that book for the chick lit plotline it had - so I picked up How Perfect is That to give her a second chance.
After reading How Perfect is That, I will not be giving Bird another chance. Again she used words that didn't fit the story. This book took us back to the same sorority house on UT campus with a completely different story. I enjoyed the story itself, but I had a very different hesitation to the book.
There were some parts of the plotline that I thought could have been left out. One that sticks out in my mind is the excessive drugs and drinking - it was beyond control and it just didn't fit. I felt like it could have been toned down or completely cut out
So I would not pass this book along to my friends or foes.
Well - my first run in with Sarah Bird was The Alamo House. I didn't enjoy the language she used in that book for the chick lit plotline it had - so I picked up How Perfect is That to give her a second chance.
After reading How Perfect is That, I will not be giving Bird another chance. Again she used words that didn't fit the story. This book took us back to the same sorority house on UT campus with a completely different story. I enjoyed the story itself, but I had a very different hesitation to the book.
There were some parts of the plotline that I thought could have been left out. One that sticks out in my mind is the excessive drugs and drinking - it was beyond control and it just didn't fit. I felt like it could have been toned down or completely cut out
So I would not pass this book along to my friends or foes.
tarahmanning's review
4.0
It took a while to get into this book, in fact, I almost quit reading it because the main character made me so angry at her stupidity. But I'm glad I stuck to it, after you get over the eye rolling from her actions & the disgust of her lack of moral, the plot line starts to get interesting.
marie_gg's review
3.0
I almost didn't read this book after reading all the 1- and 2-star reviews in GoodReads...but I went ahead with it because I've enjoyed the rest of Sarah Bird's books.
The protagonist is indeed difficult to relate to, but that was the whole point of the novel. It was a parody of a certain type of Austin socialite. I'm sure knowledge of Texas would enhance the reading of this novel. I've never even been to Texas.
Overall, I enjoyed this story of a social climber who has fallen as low as she can go, who moves back in to her college-era, granola type shared housing situation and reconciles with her last true friend (who she had left behind during her socialite phase). It's a good satire on the materialism and shallowness of the Bush crowd in Austin.
The protagonist is indeed difficult to relate to, but that was the whole point of the novel. It was a parody of a certain type of Austin socialite. I'm sure knowledge of Texas would enhance the reading of this novel. I've never even been to Texas.
Overall, I enjoyed this story of a social climber who has fallen as low as she can go, who moves back in to her college-era, granola type shared housing situation and reconciles with her last true friend (who she had left behind during her socialite phase). It's a good satire on the materialism and shallowness of the Bush crowd in Austin.
karenreagan's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
sweetpeppah's review
2.0
terrible :) i can see how it's funny in parts, and it's nice in the end but the entire plot is based on the worst kind of deception and manipulation. it made me wince the whole way through.
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
Blythe, Blythe, Blythe. How I wanted to step into the story to smack you upside the head... Alas, that cannot be, and you went on your merry way, leaving chaos in your wake.
How Perfect is That is a frothy little concoction of Blythe's misadventures in the world of pretending-to-be-rich (if not famous). She manages to marry into money, but is thrown back out on the curb (the why of it isn't quite explained). Her "friends" are ignoring her--or worse, gossiping about her. Her employees are staging a mutiny because they haven't been paid. Her car has been repossessed. She doesn't have anywhere to live. And somehow (this isn't explained either) the IRS is looking for her. But does Blythe give up & go away? No. Instead, she's trying to hang on to her (pre-divorce) life by the tips of her fingernails. After all, she can't go from wearing Zac Posen, to Wal-Mart couture, can she?
So Blythe does what she does best--fake it. And when she's caught, she runs to the only person she can think of who can still stand her (maybe). Millie was Blythe's college roommate, and she's one of those people who would help you no matter what--her heart's just that big. She takes Blythe in, and Blythe repays her kindness by bringing her personal blend of chaos into Millie's life.
When Blythe's actions threaten the very existence of the boarding house and spells the end of Millie's community endeavors, everyone is up in arms, and Blythe's last refuge may just spit her back out to the curb. She finally grows up enough to recognize that she can help them out of the hole she's dug, even if she has to grovel for the chance to do it.
How Perfect is That is frothy, yes. It is also a journey in recognizing that life doesn't revolve around what you want it to, and the choices that you make ultimately define the person you are.
How Perfect is That is a frothy little concoction of Blythe's misadventures in the world of pretending-to-be-rich (if not famous). She manages to marry into money, but is thrown back out on the curb (the why of it isn't quite explained). Her "friends" are ignoring her--or worse, gossiping about her. Her employees are staging a mutiny because they haven't been paid. Her car has been repossessed. She doesn't have anywhere to live. And somehow (this isn't explained either) the IRS is looking for her. But does Blythe give up & go away? No. Instead, she's trying to hang on to her (pre-divorce) life by the tips of her fingernails. After all, she can't go from wearing Zac Posen, to Wal-Mart couture, can she?
So Blythe does what she does best--fake it. And when she's caught, she runs to the only person she can think of who can still stand her (maybe). Millie was Blythe's college roommate, and she's one of those people who would help you no matter what--her heart's just that big. She takes Blythe in, and Blythe repays her kindness by bringing her personal blend of chaos into Millie's life.
When Blythe's actions threaten the very existence of the boarding house and spells the end of Millie's community endeavors, everyone is up in arms, and Blythe's last refuge may just spit her back out to the curb. She finally grows up enough to recognize that she can help them out of the hole she's dug, even if she has to grovel for the chance to do it.
How Perfect is That is frothy, yes. It is also a journey in recognizing that life doesn't revolve around what you want it to, and the choices that you make ultimately define the person you are.
juliethomasaustin's review
4.0
A fun read, great for vacation, and I couldn't help but love the skewering and gossip of Austin's rich bitches. I love Sarah Bird's writing style, no one else seems able to pack so many snickers onto a page. Highly entertaining!
brianajae's review against another edition
5.0
Couldn't put this one down! Bird creates characters that are at once unlikeable and charming. This is the second book of hers I've read. I appreciate that it was much different, plotwise, from the first but still maintained a special quality that made me want to keep reading.