Published 19th August 2021 by Zaffre.
From the cover of the book:
A story of a mother's love and overcoming the past, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Jodi Picoult. Asking, does your past really define your future?When her daughter was born with cystic fibrosis, Kate Micklethwaite vowed that Daisy would never be defined by her health issues. Kate is determined that her perfect little girl will be known for her love of butterflies, croissants and bouncing on trampolines, not for her condition.
Kate does all she can to be the perfect mother - whatever that means - and yet, somehow, has started seeing herself the way others see her: single parent, source of small-town scandal, drop-out, former mistress. Half a family.
When Daisy starts school, Kate meets her new teacher, the kind and charming Mr Spencer Swanson. Now, with more time on her hands Kate can finally start thinking about her own future. With her Open University dissertation deadline looming, Kate needs to decide what she wants next. But as she and Spencer get to know each other, Kate notices that people are whispering behind her back once more . . .
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This is the story of young single mother Kate, who is trying valiantly to keep all those plates spinning. Her life revolves around her daughter Daisy, who has cystic fibrosis, and she barely has time to think about herself and the dreams she used to have - although she sometimes catches herself reflecting on what might have been. One thing Kate is sure about is that Daisy will never be defined by her condition, instead she will do everything in her power to ensure she is known as the perfect little, butterfly-loving girl that she knows her to be.
When Daisy starts primary school, Kate suddenly feels a little at sea. Instead of the freedom to concentrate on her own needs for a change, she is struggling with finishing her Open University degree studies and to decide what comes next - it doesn't help that she finds Daisy's new teacher, Spencer Swanson, mighty attractive and she is unsure what to do with these feelings. Wary that her reputation as a home breaker among the village gossips proceeds her, they don't get off to the best start, but soon a budding romance develops between them - a relationship that only provides more fodder for the tongue-waggers at the school gate. Does Kate's past have to define her future happiness?
Nobody's Perfect is a complicated romance story, full of emotional themes that explore truth, reputation, and how the way others see us affects how we see ourselves - and along the way Stephanie Butland brings in threads touching on motherhood, acceptance, and the perception of disabilities.
I must admit that I did find Kate quite a tricky character, and found myself speculating quite how much this was intentional, or whether it was simply my impression of her. She is emotionally immature, which is not surprising given her history despite the weight of her responsibilities, and the way she is torn between the life she has now and that she once thought could be hers is very well drawn, but there is a streak of self-righteousness in her that I found very annoying. At times, I wanted to shake her for her lack of self-awareness, especially since it takes her a long time to realise that indeed nobody is perfect, including herself.
However, Butland gives some great insight into some very relatable situations in these pages, that really make the story engaging. The way she describes the state of constant fear that comes with living with a child suffering a condition like cystic fibrosis is beautifully done, and the delicious look as the pecking order, cliqueiness and grapevine of the mothers outside the school gates has something that all of us who have had children will find horribly familiar - and there are some little gems for anyone knows how gossip spreads in a staffroom. There are also some lovely characters, especially the glorious Wendy and Jilly!
I suspect this may be one that divides the crowd depending on which stage of your life you find yourself at, and this is probably why I found the more mature characters more sympathetic than those of more tender years. I leave you to decide for yourselves. In any case there is a lot to enjoy and many aspects of the nature of relationships to ponder, which would make this a fine choice for a book group.
Nobody's Perfect is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats from your favourite book retailer.
Thank you to Zaffre for providing me with a Netgalley copy of this book in return for an honest review and to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Stephanie lives in Northumberland, close to the place where she grew up. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and loves being close to the sea. She's thriving after cancer.
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