Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter

Mrs. Perfect Reviews

• 
  Christine Bode

  4.5 Stars
  
  I didn’t think I was going to love Mrs. Perfect by Seattle author Jane Porter as much as I loved her preceding work, Odd Mom Out, but as it turns out, not only did I love it as much, I love it more! When I started reading the book, I had a preconceived notion of who the main character, Taylor Young, was. She was introduced in Mom Odd Out and appeared to be Marta Zinsser’s complete opposite, not to mention nemesis.
  
  Taylor Young is a beautiful trophy wife with control issues who lives in a fairy-tale world with her handsome, high-earning, ex-quarterback husband, Nathan – in the dream home she decorated – with their three exquisite little girls, Jemma, Brooke and Tori in Bellevue, Washington. To anyone who looks at her from the outside, Taylor is Mrs. Perfect. However, as we read this book, we watch in amazement at how Jane Porter peels back the layers of Taylor’s character to reveal a woman that I didn’t loathe, but rather fell in love with, just like I did with Marta Zinsser in Odd Mom Out.
  
  Taylor’s perfect life has begun to unravel when her husband takes a job in Omaha after finally admitting to her that for the past year he hasn’t been working, and because they’ve been spending way beyond their means for a very long time, they are now millions of dollars in debt and are going to lose their dream home. Taylor Young not only rises to the challenge of a very difficult situation, but she shows everyone around her what she’s truly made of. Even though she’s falling apart inside, she manages to make the most delicious lemonade out of the hairy lemons in her life. She matures on a visceral, cerebral, and spiritual level before our eyes and we love her for sharing her difficult journey with us.
  
  “You’re bad. I silently repeat the last one as I load the dishwasher, knowing these voices are part of that horrible, hollow feeling inside of me. But I’m not hollow, and I’m not horrible. For all my mistakes, I do love my girls, and I try my best to take care of them. For all my flaws and my vanity and pride, I do love Nathan, and I love him with all my heart. The truth is, I do try. I always try.
  
  Maybe Marta’s right about something else. Maybe trying your best, and doing your best, even if it’s not perfect, is enough.
  
  Maybe it’s unrealistic to think I can be perfect.
  
  Or to put it in Marta-speak, that’s why we have religion. God’s perfect. We’re human.”
  
  Jane Porter knows how to write a meaningful, emotional story for women. She knows how to find the chord that connects us all and how to tug on it to get our attention. She reminds us that many other people in this world are in the same boat as we are and she makes us feel as if we have a cheerleading team behind us, letting us know that we’re going to be better than fine…that things are going to turn out great!
  
  Her contemporary style is flawless and she speaks my language, fluently. She moved me to tears again with this book and in the three books of hers that I’ve read, she’s managed to climb very close to the top of my favourite authors list. Don’t let the candy-coloured book covers fool you. These books are much more substantial than a box of chocolates or a slice of cake. I can’t wait to go and buy her latest 5 Spot release, Easy on The Eyes. It’s at my local bookstore and I know exactly the shelf it’s on.
  
  If you’re looking for a wonderful read with marvelous characterization and relevant contemporary themes, look no further than the divine Ms. Jane Porter.
• 
  Ameena

  I loved this book. I didn't think I would...especially since the main character (Taylor) was super shallow and annoying in the first couple of chapters. But then suddenly Taylor's perfect life was totally blown apart and I could completely relate and sympathize with her plight.
  
  I think this book should be required reading for every girl...not because we should or should not work or stay at home with kids, and not because I'm a feminist or an anti-feminist, but because we should never get to a point where our lives are in someone else's hands. We should never stop taking responsibility. And we should always, always have a fallback plan.
  
  I loved this book so much that I bought several copies to give as gifts. I highly recommend it and will be searching out the author's other books.
• 
  Susan

  (Bang!) Ow. (Bang!) Ow. (Bang!) Ow.
  
  Seriously, this book brings to mind the phrase "like watching a train wreck."
  
  It's a story about a judgemental rich bitch who only does everything for the good of the children (including being horribly offended when someone else is picked for head room mother) who -- surprise! -- is actually insecure from a childhood of trauma and rejection. Everything in her life looks oh-so-perfect and then -- surprise! -- her husband is actually out of work and they're a couple million dollars in debt. But -- surprise! -- she learns deep lessons about what really matters in life and -- surprise again! -- they live happily ever after.
  
  I spent the first third of the book alternating between thinking that nobody could actually be like this woman and being horrified that somewhere there's actually a community of women like this. Would readers like this book because they think that such snobbish groups are glamorous and they want to be part of one, or because they want to see such obnoxious people brought low? I can't figure it out.
  
  I spent most of the rest of the book wondering several things. First, how can a smart woman can be so utterly clueless about money (she rang up a $17,000 credit card bill one typical month and had literally no idea that such things as automatic deductions from checking accounts could exist)? And how does a woman with an administrative assistant job pay $1800/month rent and feed three kids? And while I see that most of her friends drop her (the way she dropped someone else with socially embarrassing problems), the story starts out being entirely about those relationships and then they virtually disappear. There are a few scenes, but hardly in keeping with the early story.
  
  Yes, this book is chick lit, and so is geared to be a light read (though it tries to offer meaty bits about self-esteem, financial independence, children's experience of divorce, adults' relationships with their parents, societal expectations, the value of volunteering, women returning to the work force, the job market, "one mistake" adultery, single parenthood, and more). But the beginning is too annoying, the middle too unbelievable, and the ending too perfect.
• 
  Cheryl

  Taylor Young had the perfect life. She had a fine-looking husband three beautiful children, and a house that you could only dream about. You could say that Taylor lived the lap of luxury till now. Taylor’s husband shares with her that they are broke. So broke that he informs Taylor that she should start looking for a…gasp…J_O_B! What is Taylor going to do? She has not worked in a long time. The only thing Taylor is good at is spending money and lots of it.
  
  Taylor can’t believe they are in this situation. All Taylor knows is that she can’t let any of her friends find out. Taylor ends up find an unlikely friend in her arch nemesis, Marta Zinsser. Soon Taylor is putting away all the designer clothes and getting her hands dirty in the real world.
  
  You would think from the summary that Taylor would be a rich, spoiled diva, which at the beginning Taylor was that was but soon after she turned out to be pretty tolerable. For this I am thankful. If Taylor has stayed a diva the whole way through the story, it would have been hard for me to read. I probably wouldn’t have given this book a chance; except that I read Ms. Porter’s Flirting with Forty and enjoyed it. Plus I am not a big fan of the chick lit books, but hey every once in a while; everyone needs something that lightens the mood from psychopathic serial killers. Mrs. Perfect did just that for me, so for this reason, I say Mrs. Perfect was just that…perfect!
  
• 
  Julia

  I enjoyed Porter's look at the life of type A, perfect Taylor Young. She's not only on, but heads every PTA committee, is always head room mother, throws perfect parties and has a beautiful house in which to entertain. However, a life such as that is usually somewhat of an illusion. Taylor shops to excess, and is shocked when the strange Marta Zinsser (from Porter's Odd Mom Out)is made head room mother in one of her daughter's classes. Soon, she learns her handsome husband Nathan has been reluctant to tell her (and her expensive habits) that he's been unemployed for months, they're in debt up to their eyeballs and he's heading to Omaha for a new job. Taylor refuses to leave Bellevue. Taylor's life begins to crumble, but she's a great character, and really pulls it together. She and Nathan decide to list their beautiful home and it sells quickly, to the bane of Taylor's life, copycat Monica. Taylor finds a part-time job, as a secretary and also a much smaller house to rent, pending any decisions about Omaha. Cleverly, she "tricks" Monica into purchasing almost all of the contents of their former home. The book rushes to a somewhat pat ending, but it was a great summer read.
• 
  Kristi

  Another good Jane Porter book.
  
  I like that Taylor was so different from Marta ("Odd Mom Out"), and yet they had similiarities with each other. That they both put their kids first, and yet strive to find what will balance them. They both have insecurities, though they're different types.
  
  I, as always, enjoy Porter's ability to express a women's ability to laugh in the face of pure crisis. And to properly show it's not from laughter, but from pure self preservation that we find the ability to laugh instead of cry.
  
  I love how her characters, though they may start as shallow and weak, are able to discover that inner strength I believe all women have.
  
  Last Porter is able to show us "women's issues" without coming across as preachy or soapbox-ish. How women should stop tearing each other apart over choices (stay-at-home versus work-outside-the-home). How, regardless of the paths we choose, we should respect each other's differences and support one another.
  
  I am anxiously looking forward to when I'll be able to get my hands to the libarary to pick up the next Jane Porter book.
• 
  Colleen

  I won a set of Jane Porter books from a fellow book blogger and was excited to check out a new author. This book is very timely in terms of subject matter, but I found it a little too unrealistic that Taylor was so very clueless about her own family's financial situation. The book was fairly well-written, and I did like the parts where Taylor is forging a new life for her daughters by demonstrating how to make the best of a bad situation. Unfortunately, I thought the end was entirely too convenient and that left a bad taste in my mouth. All in all, a decent read that suffered from a rushed ending.
• 
  Donna, WalksInSpirit

  Like all Jane Porter books, loved it!
• 
  Donna Seger kilroy

  A different kind of Jane Porter story
  
  At first, I wasn't really wanting to read this book. It didn't seem to get the warm fuzzy feelings of the other books she has written. But I didn't give up. I kept reading and reading and couldn't put the book down. I could see myself in this story. See how broken Taylor was, and how she had the courage to work to get her life back. What she wanted and what she got. I just wish I had Taylor's courage to do the things in life, to fight for what she wanted. Maybe someday.. But for now, I am happy to live through the wonderful stories Jane Porter has written.
• 
  Lynn Pribus

  I had a lot of trouble "identifying" with Our Heroine who was sending nearly $200 a month on her hair (I've always cut and colored my own until going COVID grey) plus multiple mani-pedis and other self-indulgent expenses such as "retail therapy" until her credit card debt was $50K+ (which is simply incomprehensible to me!)
  
  Nevertheless I persisted to the end after her husband lost his job (and didn't tell her for months only mildly suggested she stop spending so much). I mean, they were both unreal to me. The wrting was pretty good and I'd picked up the book from the gym swap-table and it wasn't heavy -- either to read or to hold.
  
  Pretty much a beach read and here it is November...
• 
  Hillary

  Classic example of the "chick lit" genre. So predictable. Such irritating bad girl characters. Such thinly veiled sexism inherent in the entire thing. And yet... and yet.... like a rich exotic dessert full of ingredients that had to be flown in from distant lands at great cost to the environment and which is really very bad for me all things considered -- its consumption gave me great pleasure :)
• 
  Rosie

  I didn’t love this book at first because I didn’t love the main character. She got so worked up over material things and other people’s opinions that it bothered me. That said, I appreciated the ending and the growth her character went through both personally and professionally throughout the book. It became more enjoyable to read about midway through.
• 
  Nicole Flynn

  I really rather enjoyed reading this book. It turned out to be quite refreshing and an easy read. I grew to feel closer to the main character and liked how her relationships changed and grew in the book.
• 
  Kristen

  At first the main character was quite annoying. She overspent her husband's money and cared too much about what other people thought about her (the latter is something I struggle with, too). But as the character learned and grew through her financial hardship I found her much more likeable.
• 
  Donnajo

  Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter. A page turner of a book. When the unexpected happens.
  A story of family and friendships. I would totally recommend reading this book which you can as a standalone but you might want to read the first book in the series Odd Mom Out before this one.
• 
  Jann

  I thought this book/story was okay. Her other books were much better. Hated the ending too.
• 
  Diana Santoso

  Quite good and eye-opening. Enjoyed it a lot.
• 
  Kim

  I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be super chic-lit, but it really touched on a lot of the thoughts and emotions of a modern day mother trying achieve perfection.
• 
  Mary Baker

  I liked this novel and enjoyed seeing the way Taylor persevered and maintained her family's stability in spite of devastating circumstances. The writing is very good.
• 
  Cindy Wyatt

  Predictable but enjoyable. I always like books where the heroine has to get organized and fix her life.