Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

I think this is the type of book you have to go into knowing that you can’t take it too seriously. It’s a funny, semi-unrealistic story that could easily be made into a movie. Sophie Kinsella books are always entertaining, and this one is no different.

Synopsis

Samantha Sweeting is a top lawyer at one of the most prestigious law firms in London. She works constantly, with no days off and no holidays. Her job is literally her whole life. On the day she finds out she achieved her life-long goal of making partner, she discovers a memo on her desk for a task she didn’t complete. The oversight doesn’t end up being a small mistake — it was a mistake that cost her client 50 million pounds. Samantha immediately goes into shock and gets on the next train out of London.

Samantha finds herself at the doorstep of a beautiful home to ask for directions, but is immediately mistaken for the new housekeeper. Too exhausted and confused to explain her situation, she spends the night and decides she’ll clear things up in the morning.

She doesn’t end up clearing anything up, because after finding out she’s been let go by the law firm, she decides instead to take on this identity as head housekeeper and stay far away from her life in London. There is, however, a small problem: she has no cooking or cleaning skills whatsoever.

Samantha has to learn how to pass for a housekeeper, while also keeping her secret about her real identity. There’s also of course a handsome single man to throw some romance into the mix. Samantha’s whole experience makes her question what she actually wants out of life. It also forces her to make some of the biggest decisions she’s ever had to make.

Thoughts

The storyline is fun and entertaining. There are some things that are unrealistic, like Samantha going from not knowing a thing about cooking to making a gourmet meal after one cooking lesson. So if you focus on those details, it’s not as enjoyable. I did feel like the end was dragging out for awhile. Then right when things were finally resolved, it ended really abruptly. It felt like it was missing a little bit at the very end. Overall it’s a fun read, just not my favorite book of hers.

You can check Libby and your local library for a free copy of this book, or you can buy your own copy here.