Next Year I'll Be Perfect (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Sarah Bennet is eating leftover cake from her 29th birthday party when her best friend Livvie delivers the list Sarah wrote at the age of 25 of all of the things she wanted to accomplish by the time she turned the big 30, including sleeping with George Clooney, getting married, buying a house and fitting into a size 6 suede mini skirt. Next Year I'll Be Perfect is the heartwarming story of Sarah's journey towards crossing the items off of her list and in the process learning a lot about what truly makes her happy. There were many reasons that I liked this book:Characters - I tend to enjoy character driven novels and this definitely fit the bill. Sarah Bennet was so utterly likeable - a bit neurotic and humanly insecure, with a love of Little House on the Prairie and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I loved her earnest determination to cross items off of her list no matter what. I just wanted to hug her so many times. I also wanted to shake her at one point when she took some horrible advice and in the process completely embarrassed herself! All of the secondary characters were well fleshed out and distinctive and I enjoyed Sarah's interaction with them.Family - Sarah's relationship with her family was incredibly touching, so much so that I choked up towards the end during a particularly heart tugging scene with her Uncle Jeremy. I also got a kick out of her relationship with her boss, Frank.Romance - I liked that I really wasn't certain who, if anyone, Sarah would end up with and I wasn't even sure who I wanted her to end up with because her options were almost all good. I say almost because one of them was a douchebag...Humor - I chuckled out loud many times. The Ending - This book was nicely wrapped up for those who don't like to be left hanging but at the same time, things came a bit full circle with what seemed like a hint of a possible sequel. In sum, Next Year I'll Be Perfect was a fun chick lit book that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. Nevermind becoming perfect. Laura Kilmartin’s "Next Year I’ll Be Perfect" is perfect in every way, from stem to stern. It’s the story of one talented young professional woman with a sympathetic past who embarks on a journey of self-exploration and self-actualization between her 29th and 30th birthdays after she finds a years' old bucket list. Kilmartin’s own hometown of Portland, Maine makes a scenic and refreshingly different backdrop for this coming of thirty-something tale. Her viewpoint character Sarah Bennett, who’s a little bit blue collar and a little bit white collar, is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters—adopted “siblings,” philandering ex’es, starchy bosses, and true blue friends. Even the small-town diner Sarah co-owns with her late father’s best friend becomes a principal character by the end of the book, a place you wish you had in your hometown. Kilmartin is a masterful writer as well as storyteller. Her novel takes some unexpected turns—just when you think Kilmartin is going to zig, she zags, and she does all this with literary ease and grace, as if she was born to write fiction. I just hope there’s going to be a sequel (are you listening, Ms. Kilmartin?) or maybe a picturesque TV series featuring Portland’s favorite lady lawyer Sarah Bennett.
What do You think about Next Year I'll Be Perfect (2012)?
good book about how sometimes we just need to let life take its course. light but entertaining read.
—timn
Great fun summer read. Fun characters. Strong girlfriend relationship. Interesting bucket list.
—Bella263
