Step into someone else’s shoes for a day…
And it will change you for a lifetime.
Cat is very good at her job. She runs a PR company with best friend (and secret crush) Jesse, and is never happier than when her high-profile celebrities are glittering in the spotlight.
But after a footballer client hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Cat’s career takes a sudden nosedive. So when her brother Andrew unexpectedly needs her to look after his kids for a few weeks, she can hardly say no. She’s happily single, hasn’t exactly been the ‘World’s Best Auntie’ over the years, and what she knows about looking after children would fit on the back of a postage stamp. But it’s only temporary until she gets her real life back on track – isn’t it?
‘A great holiday read!’ - Jill Steeples, author of Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
‘Annie Lyons has proven to be a skilled and extremely talented writer with this book, it truly is something special. She hits on so many emotions all at once that you honestly don’t know if you are coming or going.’ - The Book Geek Wears Pajamas on Dear Lizzie
‘Not Quite Perfect is such a page turner… I couldn’t put this book down and found myself crying with both laughter and sadness at this touching and thought-provoking story.’ - Bookaholic Confessions
‘…a humorous, lighthearted read’ - Fiona’s Book Reviews on Not Quite Perfect
‘Not Quite Perfect is a great title for this book. The writing is bubbly and vivid and very entertaining. It’s a story about trying to find out what is important in life and also that life can’t be perfect all the time.’ - Sky’s Book Corner
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down. The chapters were engaging and funny, with characters that seem to bounce straight off the page and into your imagination.’ - Book Chick City on Dear Lizzie
‘Not Quite Perfect is a mixture of heartwarming situations and light comedy. I found myself having a giggle and thinking ‘that’s so like my family’, on several occasions and that was nice and refreshing. Also, I will admit that I even cried in a few places because it pulled on my heart strings so much.’ - A Book and a Tea
Not Quite Perfect
A Not Quite Perfect Christmas
Dear Lizzie
Life or Something Like It
Annie Lyons
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015
Copyright © Annie Lyons 2015
Annie Lyons asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9781474036528
Version date: 2018-07-23
ANNIE LYONS
decided, after leaving university, that she ‘rather liked books’ and got a job as a bookseller on Charing Cross Road, London. Two years later she left the retail world and continued rather liking books during an eleven-year career in publishing. Following redundancy in 2009 she realised that she would rather like to write books and having undertaken a creative writing course, lots of reading and a bit of practice she produced Not Quite Perfect. She now realises that she loves writing as much as coffee, not as much as her children and a bit more than gardening. She has since written three more novels and is about to start work on her fifth. She lives in a house in south-east London with her husband and two children. The garden is somewhat overgrown. One day she hopes to own a chocolate-brown Labrador named John and have tea with Mary Berry.
Thank you to my brilliant editors - to Sally Williamson for being the voice of calm and editorial wisdom in my frenetic brain and to Victoria Oundjian for her incredible insight, knowledge and mutual love of sombrero-wearing chihuahuas.
Special thanks to Sara Perkins for her invaluable advice on PR and Social Media – Cat Nightingale owes you a mojito.
Thank you to the rest of the splendid Carina team – you are amazing.
Love and thanks to Lily and Alfie for giving me lots of story ideas and offering to illustrate my books.
Most important thanks go to Rich – reader, friend, husband.
For Lily and Alfie
Contents