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Mrs. Perfect

Jane Porter
5 Spot (2008)
ISBN 9780446699242
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (6/08)

“Mrs. Perfect” centers on the life of super mom Taylor Young.  She appears to have it all- she is married to her handsome, successful husband Nathan, has three beautiful girls, and lives in a gorgeous and pricey mansion.  Definitely an alpha-female, she is very competitive when it comes to volunteer opportunities at her daughters’ school.  So, determined to procure all of the spots that she deems worthy, she even e-mails the teachers before the start of the year explaining to them why she is qualified to be a room mother.  To further try to solidify her front-runner position she also purchases welcome gifts for the teachers. 

Normally everything works out in her favor and she is assigned the duties that she wishes, but this year is different.  When she sees the room assignments she realizes that another parent has been chosen over her to be one of her daughter’s class room mothers.  If you didn’t find the character of Taylor to be slightly annoying up until this point of the book you definitely will now!  She has a sense of entitlement to her that just eats at you.  I think everyone knows a “Taylor” in real life, a person who thinks that they are better or more deserving than everyone else.

However, you don’t have to dislike her for much longer, as soon into the novel her world as she knows it is about to change drastically and she is going to be hit with a dose of reality.  While out dining with a friend her credit card is declined when she goes to pay the bill.  She then finds out that her husband has been keeping numerous secrets from her and that she will no longer to be able to maintain her current standard of living.  This fact terrifies her and we watch as she struggles to keep her head above water while trying to act like everything is the same around her friends.

This is the first of Jane Porter’s novels that I have read and I really enjoyed.  “Mrs. Perfect” is a fast read and would be the perfect novel to enjoy at the beach.  The four hundred and seventeen pages fly by so quickly that I read the book in one day.  Porter’s novel is full of memorable characters, and they stick with you long after the last page is turned.  I look forward to going back and reading her previously published work.  I am also eagerly anticipating her next novel, which is scheduled for a July 2009 release!

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