Clare’s life might look ‘perfect on paper’, but she’s ready to shake things up and put herself first for once… A fun and uplifting novel from Gillian Harvey, author of Everything is Fine.
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’…?
My Thoughts
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Perfect on Paper follows the life of Clare Bailey, a woman who – as the title suggests – believes that her life is rather perfect, but that is a far cry from the truth. Despite her having a good job, all of Clare’s efforts and hard work are overlooked as her boss seems to favour the much younger male colleague that she works with. Clare’s family also take her for granted, and they spend more time staring at their phones than they do showing any real interest as to what is going on in her life.
At the end of her tether, Clare decides to do something well out of her comfort zone, when an opportunity is presented to her, she jumps at the chance hoping this will be the first change her life so desperately needs.
Perfect on Paper is a feel good, humours story that really immerses you in the life of Clare and the situations she faces. Gillian Harvey has done an incredible job of bringing Clare to life for the readers, giving her a realistic personality and outlook on life, along with very relatable traits which so many of us can surely relate to. I truly enjoyed watching Clare grow in confidence as the story progressed, and by the end of the book you really start to see her as a friend.
The storyline flows effortlessly and combines humour and heart-warming moments as Clare embarks on a new chapter in her life. With a cast of characters with colourful personalities, and situations that have you laughing out loud, this is without a doubt one of those stories that you can lose yourself in. I read this book in one sitting, and I will certainly be recommending it to others!.
About the Author
Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist and author who has written for the Guardian, The Telegraph, the Independent and the New York Observer as well as lifestyle magazines including, Woman’s Weekly and People’s Friend. Gillian lives in Limousin, France with her husband and five children.
Everything is Fine, published by Orion in May 2020 (UK) and January 2021 (US) was her debut novel. To learn more about Gillian visit her website www.gillianharvey.com or on Twitter: @GillPlusFive
*Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours, Orion Books and Gillian Harvey for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and not influenced in any way.*
Victoria Wilks 