The Sunday Times Number One bestseller - Surprise Me

Sophie Kinsella is a reliable author, in a good way. One could say her books are formulaic and always have a happy ending, but sometimes that is just what you want, and while tou can see several plot points a mile away, Kinsella still makes the journey enjoyable, primarily through her believable characters and zany, funny situations.

Another great thing about Kinsella is that she writes about women at all stages of life. Some women are older and alone, others are single and clueless. With Surprise Me, we get to know Sylvie and her husband Dan. We meet them on the tenth anniversary of their meeting, when they're at the doctor for an insurance checkup. When he gives them a clean bill of health and predicts they have another 68 years together, the both of them kind of freak out, and Sylvie decides they should start a campaign of surprising each other just to keep things interesting -- and you know that is going to lead to unexpected things. It turns out both of them have been keeping a number of secrets -- and boy, are they surprised.

As usual the side characters are human and entertaining.

At 400+ pages the book is a little too long, but it is also, as usual, very entertaining. I always look forward to Kinsella's novels and Surprise Me is a worthy addition to her body of work.

Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

When I pick up one of her books, I know Sophie Kinsella will deliver a sharp, funny novel every time. Surprise Me, her latest book, deals with marriage, and the pressures to keep love alive through the long haul. While this was a fun book, I did have some issues with it, starting with the premise.

What I Didn't Like:
The entire premise of this book is that the couple, Silvie and Dan, are told they are going to live to be over one-hundred. This means that their ten year relationship has about sixty-eight more years to go. They panic, and worry about how they are going to survive such a long time together. They act like this is a prison sentence!

As a person who will be soon celebrating thirty-five years with my partner (30 of them married), I immediately thought, "well, if you are that upset about the prospect of a lifetime together, you're with the wrong person".

First of all, it is a privilege to grow old with your partner. For me, the past thirty-five years have gone in the blink of an eye! One of the main reasons that I want to live a long life is so I can have more time with my partner (and my kids, too).

Also, Silvie and Dan seem to think that the person they are married to right now will be exactly the same person down the line. This is ridiculous. I know that I am a different person now than even just ten years ago. And the same goes for my husband. Everyone grows and matures as time goes by. The trick is to not grow apart.

What I Did Like:
Characters:
Silvie and Dan are like many thirty-something couples. Busy with work and family, they rarely have much time to be a couple. Often, they are more like roommates, getting their chores done. I liked that they could see this and it bothered them. They genuinely did want to make their marriage work, even if their methods were silly.

I also enjoyed Silvie's neighbor and best friend, Tilda. She is a solid character who is more than just a sounding board for Silvie's concerns. Tilda is dealing with her own adult son still living at home. She both wants him to become responsible and move on with her life, and also is afraid when he does he will never visit.

Themes:
I think this whole book is about how life changes. As the years move forward, we are not the same people. Relationships change, and not just in marriage. There is a big shift in how Silvie and her mother see each other by the end of the story, as well as how Tilda and her son, Toby interact. And romantic relationships change, and grow as well. Even companies and jobs evolve, as both Dan, and Silvie find out.

The Ending:
I was getting very annoyed with this book until it finally came together at the end. As I ranted about earlier in this review, I thought the premise was weak and I worried that the couple wouldn't realize how lucky they were. But the ending did redeem the book. Insights were had and lessons were learned.

Even with the problematic premise, I did enjoy this book. There are some genuinely funny moments, along with some sexy, married fun!

Sylvie & Dan have been together for ten years. Seven of those they've been married. And they have adorable five-year-old twin daughters. They're as happy as any couple could be. They have a good life. A great house, a good sex life. They finish each other's sentences. Everything is good.

But when you tell the preacher at your wedding that you'll do this married thing until death bla bla... you never really think how long that time can be.

A doctor just told Sylvie & Dan that due to their good genes and family history, they could very well live until they're 100 years old. That's another 68 years of marriage! WHAT?

Both Sylvie and Dan are not dealing well with those news and this mega-long married future ahead of them.
But they need to deal. They need to find ways to bring some new sparks into their marriage. Some surpises.

Easier said than done ... Let the fun times begin!

But what happens once you're over all the fun and surprises and you start suspecting your husband of having secrets ....

What will happen to Sylvie & Dan? Can their marriage survive another 68 years?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Well, that was not a Shopoholic comedy.... BUT - it kinda almost was. At least the middle part. It was sooo amazing. I just loved it! It was funny and ridiculous at times. It was adorable and sad and moving and exciting and dramatic ... I really enjoyed reading it! Sylvie could SO be Shopoholic Rebecca's sister from another mister or her very best friend. A lot of scenes were so Rebecca - I almost fell off the couch laughing! (Literally! My mom almost had to call an ambulance! She said my head was so red it was about to burst from laughing! Watch out for the breakfast in bed and the photo-shoot scenes!!!!)
But of course all through the book, we have this very serious background. Can you, or rather... do you WANT to live with this one person until you're a hundred years old??

How can live ever be fun again or exciting or amazing? And what if you ... while trying to spice up your marriage ... find some things you don't like? Family secrets. Past loves.

I really loved this book. It was so interesting to see with what those two came up with. Really funny and adorable and sad and ... I sometimes felt so bad for them. But I sometimes just wanted to slap them over the head with my kindle!

But I really loved both Sylvie and Dan. Both so very different - so British.
The twins are adorable and the neighbors and the parents and the people at work ... all so very interesting.
I loved Sylvie's work place. The adorable and weird museeum.

Amazing characters in an amazing book! Try it! You won't regret it.

I would really love to see this made into a movie! Or even a Netflix show - with a new fun marriage surprise for every episode and the 'secret' part in the background through the whole season! YES - I so want to see that ASAP!!!

► PERFECT BOOK! Hilarious! Adorable! Serious! British! I LOVED IT!

Sylvie and Dan are both thirty-two, have been together for ten years (married for seven) and have five year old twins. When their doctor tells them they are healthy enough to have another 68 more years together, they are freaked out. To keep things alive and exciting, they decide to plan surprises for each other, which comically don't have the effect they had anticipated.

Sylvie's father had been larger than life and everyone idolized him. He passed away in a car accident two years ago and Sylvie and her mother are still grieving CONSTANTLY. Sylvie can't understand why Dan doesn't grieve for him as well.

Sylvie is working for a small museum that still functions as if it's still the 1980s ... the owner refuses to function with modern conveniences and make them use a fax machine, share a computer and write everything in books. When the owner's nephew turns up, Sylvie is sure he is there to close the museum and sell the land to condo developers.

I've read a lot of Kinsella's books over the years and they are usually a fun escape. This one started out that way but got really serious about halfway in. Instead of getting closer together, something is ripping Sylvie and Dan apart. It's written in first person perspective from Sylvie's point of view. As a head's up, there is swearing.

I wasn't overly crazy about the main characters. I found it weird that Sylvie and Dan had married until "death do us part" but freaked out at the thought of having to spend the next 68 years together. I thought it was a bit much how Sylvie worshiped her father and held Dan to the same standard, which was tough for him considering Sylvie came from money and Dan didn't (and he refused to accept any of her family's). Sylvie's mother (Sylvie called her "Mummy") was very annoying and stuck-up and didn't seem to have any sense of reality (and everyone let her). Dan seemed like a nice guy but put up with her snotty family. Sylvie's boss and nephew were stereotypical in that she was a rich dotty elderly woman and her nephew was the young jerk with no appreciation for the past. I did like the neighbours, Tilda and her son, Toby ... they added some humour to the book.

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is a nice little bit of humorous chick lit that is expected to come from this author. The book also had a rather interesting idea behind the story when a long time married couple goes for their check up and passes with flying colors with the doctor explaining just how long a life they should have together.

Sylvie and Dan are just hitting their ten year anniversary from the time that they first met when they get the news they just may have sixty eight more years of marriage. After a bit of a freak out the couple wonders how they will keep their marriage fresh and exciting for such a long time and decides to begin surprising each other to shake things up.

Of course the surprises and long life diagnosis are only the beginning to Sylvie and Dan’s story and there is much more involved as the book goes on. Sophie Kinsella took this set up and brought humor and fun to love, relationships, family and marriage. There’s plenty of secondary characters that are also well done being a bit on the eccentric side to just add even more laughs to the story.

Now while I didn’t find this one absolutely perfect I did enjoy it overall. To me I think I would have dialed back the angst and suspicions and gone more for the laughs but that’s just my own personal taste. Thankfully the way the story wrapped up showed a lot of character growth and uncovered a bit of a twist to keep the story fresh and exciting to make the angst worth it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

In classic Sophie Kinsella fashion, I was intrigued by the epigraph, hooked at the prologue and laughing out loud by page one. At one point in the first chapters, I was laughing so hard that it drew attention from my family, who popped into my office to see what was so funny.

While the premise is a little silly and far-fetched --- the happily married couple gets the good news that they really are healthy and will live to be able to be married another 68 years --- Kinsella delivers a fun story with bits of wisdom throughout. As a reader, I was easily able to suspend any disbelief and settle in to enjoy. Kinsella is a master at engaging storytelling, entertaining quips, and developing nuanced, interesting characters.

Readers of my reviews know I prefer to share my thoughts than to summarize plot, so to orient you, here’s a bit of the description from the back of the book: “After 10 years together, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs and beautiful twin girls, and they communicate so seamlessly they finish each other’s sentences. They have a happy marriage and believe they know everything there is to know about each other. Until it’s casually mentioned to them that they could be together for another 68 years…and panic sets in. They decide to bring surprises into their marriage to keep it fresh and fun.”

SURPRISE ME shares truths about love and human nature, predominantly through Sylvie and Daniel’s amiable next-door neighbor, retired Oxford professor John Russell, a fern expert. In one conversation in his greenhouse, Sylvie’s six-year-old daughter asks, “Do people grow toward the light?” and Professor Russell answers, “We have, of course, many different kinds of light…. Sometimes our light might be a faith, or an ideology, or even a person, and we grow toward that.” A beautiful thought, then a page later, we receive this other gem: “If we don’t stick up for the ones we love, then what are we good for?”

As a woman who came of age during the wonderful era of ’90s romantic comedies, I appreciated SURPRISE ME and enjoyed a winter snuggle with this book, entertaining and comical with questions we can puzzle over.

The story asks: What is the nature of marriage and long-term exclusive relationships? Is it possible, or advisable, to have a monogamous multi-decade marriage as a goal? How well do we know the one we love? Can we keep getting to know someone, growing closer, despite believing we already know everything about them?

Sylvie comments that 59 years together is “an achievement,” but again, through Professor Russell’s perspective, she comes to see instead that it’s a privilege.

Fans of Sophie Kinsella will enjoy her classic lighthearted prose, the outrageous antics, the go-get-’em transformation of her female protagonist, and the satisfying ending, with a bit of a twist.

Reviewed by Leah DeCesare

Sylvie and Dan have been together for so long that they can finish each other's sentences. One comment from their doctor at their annual visit that they'll likely have almost 70 more years of marriage throws them into an emotional tailspin. They vowed to be together forever so they decide to cope by surprising each other with random and fun ideas. However, the biggest surprise ends up unveiling a huge secret. Will they still be together forever?

Typical of a Sophie Kinsella book, Surprise Me had my cheeks either aching in pain from laughing so hard or burning from secondhand embarrassment from Sylvie's mishaps. Sophie Kinsella has also crafted a wonderful tale by portraying several of the different types of love through varying characters. Eros (sexual) love with Sylvie and Dan, Philia (friendship) love with her neighbor Tilda, Storge (familial/parental) love with their daughters, Agape (altruistic) love with their elderly neighbors on the other side, and Ludus (playful and/or flirting) with Robert. These many characters blend into a fun plotline that hit me with a MEGA surprise plot twist.

I highly recommend this book for any adult looking for a fun romance that balances the seriousness of the effects of grief and misunderstandings. My favorite characters were the elderly couple that lived next door and had such pure love and both came across as genuinely sweet.

I would not recommend this book for anyone who might be triggered or offended by the following: grief, parental death, sexually suggestive scenarios, and foul language.

Please note: an electronic ARC of this novel was generously provided through the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I normally love any book by Sophie Kinsella the Shopaholic series is one of my favorite of all time. but this book just fell short for me. I could not get into this book and really only enjoyed the last few chapters otherwise it was just a lot of Slyvie feeling sorry for herself.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgallery for my honest opinion.

Sylvie and Dan are happy. They've been together for ten years and have an easy relationship. They still feel plenty of attraction, they have two wonderful daughters and they both have jobs they love. Everything is perfect, until they have a health check and hear they could easily be married for sixty-eight more years. This comes as a terrible shock. How will they prevent the boredom from creeping in when they are destined to be together for such a long time?

Sylvie and Dan think they need something to keep their relationship interesting now that they know they have such a long time together. Surprising each other should do the trick. They will regularly arrange something unexpected for one another, so their relationship will remain fun and interesting. Unfortunately surprises can also backfire and that is exactly what happens. While Sylvie and Dan are trying to make things better for each other they are actually making their situation worse. When secrets of the past are coming to the surface things slowly start to unravel. Will their love be strong enough to get them back on track again or is their sixty-eight years of good health news the beginning of the end for Sylvie and Dan?

Surprise Me is a fantastic entertaining story. Sylvie is a daddy's girl. Her father passed away, but she thinks about him all the time and honors him by being the person her father would have liked her to be. Sylvie had a glamorous upbringing and she has a job in a quirky museum that comes straight out of a fairytale. Dan is more down to earth and could sometimes use more adventure, so their relationship is an ideal balance. Their surprises, however, show them that while they think they know one another there are a lot of things they have never been aware of. I often had to laugh out loud when I read about the things they come up with. Their surprises are incredibly funny, but not always spot on. Beneath the surface something else is going on though and that is getting more and more prominent throughout the story, which made me really curious and eager to keep reading.

Sophie Kinsella has a fantastic heartwarming writing style. Her stories always make me smile and I love their feelgood factor. She has a fabulous sense of humor and she combines that with unexpected twists and turns. The secret that's being revealed is original and surprising, which suits the story very well. Surprise Me is a story about a marriage that has its flaws like every marriage, but there's also so much beauty in the relationship between Sylvie and Dan. I was anxious to find out if they'd make it and read their story in one sitting. Sophie Kinsella has written another terrific story and I highly recommend this sparkling book.

I just adore Sophie Kinsella and have read everything she's ever written since I first discovered quirky, yet adorable Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series in the early 2000s. When I think of romantic comedy and pure pleasure reading, my mind immediately goes to Kinsella and her witty, fun, entertaining characters and stories. And with her newest book, she did not fail me because I LOVED Suprise Me!

Sylvie and Dan have been together for 10 years, and they soon find out during a physical that because they are in excellent shape that they should expect to celebrate another 68 years of marriage together since they'll both live to be over 100! Oh yes, they are definitely surprised at this unexpected news, and it doesn't go over as well as you'd think since they both are trying to figure out what they'll do to keep their marriage alive and exciting for the next seven decades!

Sylvie then comes up with a plan for their marriage to make it exciting. They'll each plan little "surprises" for each other to keep the marriage fresh and shake things up. Oh, the hilarity that ensues as the surprises backfire...just like you knew they would! Seriously, I laughed out loud so many times as I flipped through the pages that my family thought I was going insane!

There is so much more to the story than Dan and Sylvie's surprises for one another since Kinsella actually goes a little deeper with this one and tackles marriage, relationships, family, grief, and discovering who you really are--all with her signature dry wit and quirky charm. I was impressed that this was more than your typical romantic comedy or "fluffy" chick lit read. It definitely had depth, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story went and LOVED the ending.

If you are like me and constantly read a lot of suspense and thrillers, Suprise Me is an excellent, lighthearted palate cleanser! I would also highly recommend this fantastic novel to anyone who loves fun, laugh out loud romantic comedies!

**Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

After having read no less than twenty of the novels penned by Sophie Kinsella (she also writes under the name Madeleine Wickham), I assume that I know what to expect: a female-centric story involving a somewhat quirky, laugh-inducing protagonist and an equally entertaining supporting cast; lots of British colloquialisms; a feel-good message.

"“Oh, marriage.” She makes a snorting sound. “Did you not read the disclaimers? ‘May cause headache, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, or general feelings of wanting to stab something.’”

One of the great things about following an author's work, over several years, is the ability to observe the evolution of their writing and storytelling. In Surprise Me, Kinsella presents Sylvie and Dan, a married couple with twin daughters, who begin to contemplate what "'til death do us part" might entail after a recent physical for an insurance policy reveals their potential to live for another 68 years.

"Why is it that everything in life is just a bit harder than you think it’ll be? Icing cakes, having children, keeping marriages together, saving museums, building websites. All hard. The only thing that’s ever turned out easier than I expected was my Italian final exam. (Oh, and lasering my legs - that was a doddle.)"

This issue brings up all sorts of possibilities and certainly makes for lively discussion: how do we not only maintain, but also strengthen and enliven, long term relationships? Through her delightful characters, Kinsella lends levity to the subject; Sylvie proposes the "Surprise Me" project to Dan, which sounds fun and exciting; true to form, the real surprise comes in the form of the meaning and significance that Kinsella sneaks in when we are least suspecting it.

"‘Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating.’ John seems lost in thought again - then comes to. ‘And so...not an achievement, my dear.’ He gives me a mild, kind smile. ‘Rather, a privilege.’"

In the midst of heavier literary fiction, and plenty of heaviness in the world we inhabit, Kinsella provides respite through humor and a reminder that there is so much beauty and love to be found if we are willing to pause and acknowledge those people and things around us for which we are most grateful to experience every day.

Surprise Me was just an all-around delightful read. This novel was brimming with all of the humor, interesting, charming characters, and clever, witty writing that I expect from a book by Sophie Kinsella, but it was also filled with so much heart. I am always drawn to books about married life, and this one piqued my interest and captivated me right from the very beginning.

When we exchange wedding vows with our significant other, I think that we all believe that the relationship will last forever, but how long is forever? When Dan and Sylvie Winter learn that they are the epitome of good health, they also discover that they could have another sixty-eight years left to live. While this news would sound good to most people, Dan and Sylvie didn’t exactly rush off to crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. They immediately begin to worry, do calculations, lose sleep, and dwell on how stagnant and monotonous their lives will become. But if they can come up with ways to surprise each other, this will keep their marriage vibrant and interesting, right? Well…it certainly made it entertaining for readers.

What made this book work so well was that it was all very relatable. Sylvie and Dan were a normal couple with all of the normal responsibilities, challenges, and family woes – with some added shenanigans to make it interesting, of course. After ten years together, their marriage was solid, but their lives had become predictable and routine. The story is told from Sylvie’s point of view, and I loved being inside her head and witnessing everything unfold from her perspective. Despite all of the mishaps and miscommunication, this couple’s journey was rife with sincerity and love.

I think I spent the majority of my time with a smile on my face, laughing, or reading passages to my husband. I was completely invested in this couple’s marriage. While much of the story was lighthearted, there was also a deeper emotional aspect to it. I’m not sure if there are many authors who can make me teary-eyed one minute and then have me giggling a couple of pages later. Surprise Me had sweetness, sexiness, angst, tension, and even a few shocking revelations. Sophie Kinsella even ended up surprising me!

*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy (received via NetGalley) of this book.

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella puts a lighthearted spin on the longevity of relationships.

Sophie Kinsella never fails to make me laugh. The humor that she infuses in her stories never disappoint and it is something to always look forward to. In Surprise Me, the character of Sylvie may be the quintessential Kinsella heroine, but in most ways she represents a woman who wants to maintain the spark in her marriage and life.

Sylvie, a daddy’s girl, may seem a bit immature at first, but one must keep in mind that these characters are still in their 20s. I found that this book had a bit more depth in its story and there were some serious issues interwoven within it. Honestly, the book only started to get good when the actual surprises started happening. After reeling from a diagnosis of a longer than average life span and marriage, both Sylvie and Dan want to get out of the monotony that it might entail. Their plan to surprise each other was a laugh riot. I mean, come on, surprises are not FUN, and something always goes wrong.

“If love is easy, then you’re not doing it right.” ~Tilda

Sylvie learns the hard way that love equals work and her view of it through her rose colored glasses isn’t always right. The added drama concerning her dad was actually an eye opening experience for her. I loved the way her character grew and she really wasn’t the same character that was introduced in the beginning (and that’s a good thing).

The one thing that I might not have liked about this story was the mentality that it was the end of the world to be married to the same person for a long time. Why the heck did they freak out so much over that fact, I never really understood. Dan with his calculations about how many times they would have sex was kind of funny though. Sylvie’s reaction even more so.

Kinsella’s ability to weave a story and inject the right amount of humor never fails. It’s good to know that she keeps her formula fresh and viable.

Have you ever wondered what happens after the happily ever after? Does the happy couple that we just invested in for 300 pages really make it? I am so happy that Surprise Me the latest rom com from Sophie Kinsella looks at romance on the other side - after real life sets in.

Dan and Sylvie have been together for 10 years, happily married they can finish each other's thoughts and are comfortable in the silence. Raising 2 twin girls they are what every couple strives for. Then during their yearly routine physical reality sets in even more when they are told they could live for another 68 years - this sends both Dan and Sylvie in a downward spiral trying to keep their marriage fresh. This leads them to try to surprise one another with new and different things they haven't tried in the past, of course amid the comedy of errors that happens in this crazy scenario secrets start to emerge leading them to believe that their marriage may not be as idyllic as they once thought and maybe they really don't know each other.

I love Sophie Kinsella's writing style - told completely from Sylvie's POV we get to deep dive into her insecurities and secret thoughts that were witty, sad and in some cases heartbreaking. Ms Kinsella takes her readers on a grand adventure that truly shows what real life and love really looks like - and what could happen to a marriage if the parties aren't really talking and most of all listening. The writing is fast paced and kept me giggling all the way through, but there were also points that had me sad for Sophie and Dan. I was rooting for this couple to realize the mistakes they were making and rooting for them in the end. An ending by the way I was certainly not expecting at all.

All in all if you are looking for a romance that dives into what happens after - then don't look any further then Surprise Me.

When I think of Sophie Kinsella’s books, I smile because she always creates such believable characters and places them in such wacky situations. In her new book, Surprise Me, Kinsella introduces us to Sylvie and Dan, who have a great marriage, beautiful twin girls, and enjoy their careers. But when a physical exam reveals that they are in great shape, so great that they can expect to spend the next sixty-eight years together, they panic. Sure, they’re in love. And they believe the whole “til death do us part” bit. But…what if death doesn’t come for another sixty-eight years?

As Kinsella characters are wont to do, Sylvie gets an idea in her head that really seems brilliant. At first, that is. Sylvie decides that she and Dan can truly enjoy the next sixty-eight years together by mixing things up, by surprising each other to break up the everydayness of the many, many days they have ahead of them. But when exotic animals, strange garden sculptures, and exes come into play, Sylvie finds herself in a mess that she must find her way out of in order to save her marriage and her sanity.

I really enjoyed this book. There was a good mystery involved in it, which is something else I enjoy about Kinsella’s writing. She is good at weaving twists and laughs together to form an entertaining and intriguing read that keeps me turning the pages. I also really enjoyed the focus on relationships in this book. It’s not just the husband/wife relationship that gets attention in this story. But parent/ child is also touched on quite a bit as well as employer/ employee, neighbors, and friendships. All in all, I consider this a classic Kinsella read – humorous and heartfelt!

Read full review at: KaitsBookshelf.com

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the blurb I expected this to be a comedy of errors, a book about a couple looking to spice up their marriage by surprising each other. In a way, this is exactly what this book is about, the surprises that they come up with. But Sylvie and Dan’s story is more complicated than that, written in a way that is both evocative of the author Sophie Kinsella, but also with her other nom de plume, Madeline Wickham.

This is really a story about how Sylvie grows up. It’s told entirely from the perspective of Sylvie, and when we find her it doesn’t take the reader long to realize that she’s a bit naive. Perhaps some of it she owns, she’s been easily moulded by influences around her, Mummy, Mrs Kendrick, and especially her Father. But as the book progresses we see that two characters, Dan and her mother, have also contributed to the situation. They’ve underestimated her.

We watch Sylvie struggle and then eventually break through. She becomes the woman she’s been hinting at being. I wanted to clap and shout hurrah when it happened. It was brilliant to read.

It’s another amazing book by Sophie Kinsella. I’ve read most of her previous works, and they’ve made me laugh out loud and cry variously. This one, it can do both. It’s a beautifully told story, with amazing secondary characters as well as a frustratingly wonderful main character. I can’t recommend it enough, and I will be curious whether other people find it an interesting intersection between the two authors that are Sophie Kinsella.

Sophie Kinsella is my guilty pleasure. I adore everything she's written (although I have yet to get to the Shopaholic series). I bought this book so fast it's not even funny. Usually, I listen to an audio sample and check out some of the reviews but within 10 seconds of it showing up on Audible, I had it on my iPhone downloading. She has amazing narrators for all her books and I highly recommend the audio version. Even if her books are formulaic (who cares), and even if I know all along that all the chaos will turn out okay in the end for Dan and Sylvie, I love her storytelling. Every detail. Every female character. This story was fraught with sentimentality, silly pleasures, fun self-deprecating humor, feel-good characters, and just enough drama to make it complete. Even if it wasn't my most favorite Kinsella book, it's the new one that came out and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sylvie's turnaround gave me such a boost. Towards the end, our heroine gets her act together and "grows up". She takes on her world with such vigor - even if she falls flat on her face in the process! - that she inspires. Silly as it was, I felt inspired by her. She accepted that her fairy tale life wasn't exactly so, that not all that glitters is gold, and that make-believe is not as necessary as the truth. She starts to stand up for herself, and what emerges is a more likable confident kind and caring person, with a much better grip on reality and what matters. It really was well-done and terribly funny.

Great job to the fabulous Sophie Kinsella and can't wait until my next indulgence with her. If it's too long, I may have to go through her old Shopaholic series. ;)!

I have long been a fan of Sophie Kinsella, beginning with the first I read by her “Undomestic Goddess”. Her stories always seem to tie to my own life in some fashion. In this, her latest, novel, I easily relate to the issues which come up and evolve in a married life.

Sylvie is a 32 year old woman who, along with her husband Dan (also 32) has just found out from their doctor that they should plan on another 68 years of married life based on their great genetics. They both respond with a fear of that kind of longevity with a single partner and how to keep from getting bored with each other.

Their attempts to make their lives together more exciting kicks off other events which seem to be even more threatening to the couple and their two daughters than simply a long life together.

As always, Ms. Kinsella’s protagonist is a humorous woman who is trying to make sense of her life. We sees from her standpoint and each of the other characters take on their life from her point of view of them. When her opinion is changed, as a reader, my view of them changes as well.

I always enjoy reading one of Ms. Kinsella’s books. The humor is there but there is also an underlying topic that is being addressed. I highly recommend this book and will be looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

By Melissa Amster

I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s novels, so I was excited to get my hands on her latest novel, Surprise Me. And I definitely was surprised by what was inside!

Surprise Me has a different feel from Sophie’s other novels. Yes, it has a lot of light and funny moments, but then it takes an interesting turn that I wasn’t expecting at all. There’s an element of mystery that goes along with it.

I enjoyed reading about Sylvie, as I felt I could relate to her a lot. Her job even reminds me of my own in some ways. She was a sympathetic character whom I found myself caring about a lot. The only thing I wish she hadn’t done was refer to her parents as “Mummy” and “Daddy.” It sounded so child-like for a 32 year-old.

I don’t want to say too much more as to not give any of the premise away. It’s an easy book to pick up, but difficult to put down, especially once you get into the thick of it. It has Sophie’s trademark charm, with some of her Madeleine Wickham side slipping through. It’s a thoughtful book about how well we know the ones we love most.

Dream movie cast:
Sylvie: Teresa Palmer
Dan: Richard Madden
Robert: Dan Stevens
Tilda: Toni Collette
Mary: Charlotte Le Bon
Sylvie's mom: Judy Davis
Toby: Daniel Portman

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. I'm a huge fan of her work, and I eagerly dive into her new books. This book is a little different, but it is still great. In this book, Sylvie and Dan have been married several years and decide to start surprising each other in an attempt to bring some excitement into their marriage. This starts out well, but then Sylvie uncovers some information that makes her believe she is headed for a divorce.

Sophie Kinsella described the feelings her heroine was experiencing so deeply, I honestly thought she was the one getting a divorce. I was relieved by the credits at the end of the book explaining that she is still happily married. While this book does have some humor, it doesn't have as many laugh out loud parts as some of her other works. This book is an opportunity to experience Sophie Kinsella's skill as an author. For awhile this novel reminded me of when John Grisham writes books that aren't legal thrillers such as A Painted House. While Grisham is great at writing legal thrillers, they are somewhat formulaic. Books such as A Painted House allow readers to experience the beauty of Grisham's writing. Surprise Me had a similar impact for me. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I definitely enjoyed the surprise!

I love Sophie Kinsella and have been reading her for years. Her 2017 release, My Not So Perfect Life was one of my favourites of last year (you can read my review here if you missed it). Because I adored it so much, I had really high expectations for Surprise Me. I don't know if it was my high expectations, my mood (it wasn't great when I was reading it), or the book itself but...I did not like this book.

I think my big problem with the book was I was bored. The story got itself set up and then...boredom. It just seemed like the same sort of things were happening. Sylvie and Dan tried to surprise each other and it went totally wrong. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. There was nothing new being added and it seemed like it was, dare I say it, sloppy storytelling.

I was also really frustrated with Sylvie and Dan. It reminded me of how I'd get annoyed with Becky in the Shopaholic series (and why I stopped reading them awhile back). I love chick lit and contemporary stories so humourous and awkward scenarios are common. Maybe it's just me but it drives me up the wall when the character is just so incredibly clueless and can't see what she's doing is totally bonkers.

That's not to say I disliked Sylvie and Dan. I really did like them. I'd love to have Sylvie as a friend and Dan seemed fantastic. But I just couldn't see why I was reading about them. They were just another couple facing a little bump in the road of marriage.

I did finally get interested at about 80% of the way through the story. Finally things were actually happening and Sylvie was becoming the woman I was sure she could be. Did the interest I had in the last part of the book make up for the boredom during the rest of it? No, not really. I'm happy with the way the story ended, I can say that much.

I'm so bummed I didn't love Sophie Kinsella's new book but my dislike of Surprise Me won't dissuade me from reading her books in the future. Have you read Kinsella's latest? What'd you think? I'd love to hear that other people disagree with me!

Wonderful new book by Sophie Kinsella! I love the Shopaholic series and Sylvie definitely has some of the same humorous characteristics as Becky. This one is however, more serious and also quite a bit longer. I don't feel it was too long though. The characters and plot are very well done and move along at a good pace that kept me interested and wanting to read. I really love Sylvie and how she grows into a new woman. It doesn't feel rushed or unrealistic. I also really enjoyed that it was about an already established relationship/family and experiencing some normal everyday problems along with some not so every day problems to keep it entertaining. Below is a favorite quote from it that I loved!

"Until reality hits me. I can't protect the girls forever, and I shouldn't. Stuff will happen in their lives that they don't like. Shit happens. And they will have to cope. We all have to cope."

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you The Dial Press for a copy of this wonderful book!

"Surprise Me" was not the typical Sophie Kinsella novel. Where I've come to expect a romantic comedy, this book was a departure in terms of style. I often find myself laughing out loud at the characters and situations in Kinsella's books, but this one carried a lot more gravitas. Sylvie and Dan begin the book by celebrating a decade together. When they visit the doctor for their physicals, they find out they are in top-notch shape and likely have 68 more years together. 68 feels like an awfully long time, and terrified of losing the spark to their relationship, they eventually begin Sylvie's idea of Project Surprise Me, where they plan little surprises for each other. Each surprise seems to go awry and their marriage appears to be crumbling. The book catalogs their journey to Sylvie finding herself and exploring her marriage to Dan.

We follow Sylvie's life pretty closely, as she navigates changes at her work and personal life (particularly her relationship with her parents). Her work was particularly interesting, as she works for an older, quirky lady at a museum in fundraising. For example, their website is just a sketch of the museum saying to inquire by writing. The nephew of the owner arrives and casts shadows over all their odd behaviors, trying to drag them into the 21st century. The highest intensity in the book is Sylvie's relationships with her parents (whom she calls Mummy and Daddy still), which is not yet that of an adult child relating to her parents/has remained in the stages of infancy. Her father died previously, but Sylvie still worships him and believes that all Dan's hang-ups are just because her father was so great/powerful/wealthy.

In some ways, Sylvie has a lot of growing up to do and really needs to find herself more than work on her marriage. The book follows these paths slowly, as we slowly get tidbits of everything and then a wave of all the behind-the-scenes explanations towards the end. I wish these revelations had come earlier, so we could see more of the coming-to-terms with everything part of the story rather than the long build-up/misunderstandings. Sylvie and Dan's marriage is pretty rough from the get-go- although they seem like a great couple, you learn quickly that they do not talk about much of importance, and this puts a huge strain on their marriage. Communication is really key, as we observe and they come to learn. I don't want to say too much, but I think this is really the theme of the book and becomes readily apparent from the start (so isn't giving away anything- all their conversations are a bit stilted and superficial).

I absolutely love the quote from a neighbor in the book, "Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating." There are some beautiful sentiments in the book about love and relationships, but it is certainly not a light-hearted or comedic book. This has a lot of gravitas and deals with some serious potential issues (for example, infidelity is touched upon as a topic which may make some readers rather stay away and also questionable consent). I am not sure if I would have picked up this book if I knew about the emotional roller coaster I would be entering, but I did still like it overall. I am not sure if I will read it again (as I usually do with Kinsella's books), mainly because of the overall tone of the book/difficult themes within.

The ending was fantastic, I will say, and is reminiscent of other Kinsella books, so if you can stick it out to the end, you will definitely see her hand there. The characterizations are also classically Kinsella, and I loved the side characters featured in this book also. Overall, I think it was a good read, although not what I was expecting.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Everyone knows that Sophie's books are my guilty pleasure! And this one didn't disappoint.

Sylvie and Dan have been married 10 years now. With adorable girls and jobs they enjoy. After an annual check up they are both given a clean bill of health and told they would probably live a nice long life. Which leads them to question how they are going to keep this thing going for the next 7 decades!

The characters in the book are all hilarious in their own way and some of the "surprises" they come up with are beyond funny! And embarrassing.

When Sylvie suspects Dan of an affair things come out that have been hidden for years. Which leads Sylvie to ask if she ever really knew her family at all or has she been carrying around a little girl's view of her family?

This was great fun with a bit of mystery thrown in, so go ahead and Surprise Me! anytime Ms. Kinsella!

February 13, 2018  Netgalley/DialPress

“Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating.”

This ended up being a surprisingly poignant book, given that some of the earlier Sophie Kinsella stories I've tried are more slapstick silly (which has never worked for me). But similar to MY (NOT SO) PERFECT LIFE, SURPRISE ME had some depth and really nice character development.

Story-wise, this one focuses on a married couple celebrating their 10th anniversary but is told entirely from the wife's POV. The first half is very different from the second half, with the former being more humorous, slightly ridiculous, and predictable. While that was all fine and good and something I can appreciate and enjoy (I like to laugh, really I do!), I will readily admit I preferred the latter half of the story because that is where all of the character growth happened. That's when it felt less chick-lit and more women's fiction, and while the author was able to loosely weave together both halves in the end, I did find it somewhat disjointed and had wished the first half wasn't as silly and held some of the same depth as the latter one.

That said, I listened to this on audio (just like I had with her last one), and I loved Fiona Hardingham's narration again. It fit the style and tone of the protagonist's POV so well, although I wished the voicing for the twin daughters was less piercingly nasal and over-bright.

Note: I received a review copy of this title from the audiobook publisher, Penguin Random House Audio.

Surprise me indeed! This lovely novel starts off as a larkish romp, as Dan and Sylvie decide they need to spice up their marriage when they learn their life expectancy could mean they'll be married 68 years! Sylvie works at a creaky barely above water museum (loved the people and the quirky ways) while Dan owns his own company. They've got twin girl. Sylvie's still mourning the death of her father (she didn't take it well). Things proved along as one might expect for a sprightly British chick-lit novel but then they become more serious. No spoilers but I was truly impressed with what Kinsella has done and how she incorporated a topical issue. This is fully realized novel with terrifically fleshed out characters and a careful plot. There are some wonderful details (see neighbor Tilda and how she describes Mary). No froth here. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Two thumbs up!

Sylvie and Dan have the kind of relationship everyone wants. They are always on the same wavelength, they finish each other's sentences and seem to fit perfectly together. When they go to the doctor together for a physical for their new insurance policy, the doctor remarks on their excellent health and predicts 68 more years together. This throws both of them into panic mode..... 68 years is a long time! So, trying to keep their marriage alive they start trying to surprise each other. And I will stop here because I don't want to give any more away.

This book was delightful. It started out a little slow, with Dan constantly computing how many more bowls of cereal he would be eating & how many more times they would make love, but the book quickly picked up from there and it was a whirlwind to the very end. I could not put it down. I would say this is definitely a must-read!

Rating: 2.5

Sophie Kinsella's books are tricky. Her writing is good, but there are other elements that make them less than ideal, whether it be facets of the plot, the characters, or pacing. In the case of Surprise Me, it was primarily a mixture the characters with a bit of the pacing thrown in.

The premise itself, keeping a marriage interesting over the course of six plus decades, has some interest. While there is the inevitable change in human nature, there's also the thirst for fun and having that fun together is part of spending all that time as a partnership. It took awhile for the surprise idea to actually show up, 24% of the Kindle version as my notes serve. Once they did, that's when the trouble began and I couldn't decide whether the ways they went awry were wholly believable or dementedly twisted to make for a "fun" book. The one that irritated me the most was the pet. Who the heck gets someone a pet as a surprise? That was beyond a bad movie and I feel bad for poor Dora (the pet snake that now resides in the kitchen).

The surprises also didn't actually stick around for that long. Considering the fanfare they got in the synopsis, I was expecting more. Considering the late arrival and early departure of the titular surprises, what does it say about the plot that they're not really the thing we're steered toward caring about? It felt like a switch around because I thought the surprises were meant to be the main thing, then a mean new boss was introduced, but he also faded into the background and the novel became about Sylvie being a stereotypical suspicious wife that made broad assumptions and made grand leaps that were ridiculous.  I couldn't see real people acting like she did, particularly at the finale.

Sylvie and Dan's reaction to the "you've got a good chance at spending the next sixty-eight years together" was blown entirely out of proportion. Maybe it would've been time for some thought, but this is literally what you sign up for when you get married. Being the same age as them, I felt like there were moments when I would've stared at them incredulously and wondered what the bloody hell they were thinking.

They felt like just the sort of couple I might strongly dislike if I met them in real life. Sylvie was largely judgmental and seemed to think it was alright because she didn't make these comments aloud. There were criticisms of everyone from the people around her like her boss and her neighbors to sexist comments about her husband (which she insisted weren't but were). There were more little niggling things that bugged me about both of them, such as their fights about money (somewhat complex because of family inheritances/backgrounds, etc.) and their job decisions. A lot of it comes back to communication.

The way these two were written, it became painfully more obvious that these "problems" they were having? Whatever difficulty came up post-doctor visit, it was all very much first world, heteronormative white people problems that were utterly ridiculous.  I didn't feel much sympathy because they were being supercilious and it was their own fault for not talking to each other. 

There's an issue I had with the way either grieving or mental illness was handled in the course of the book. Following a death in the family two years prior to the start of the novel, Sylvie had a rough time coping. She either had an "episode"/meltdown or was grieving, depending on who you asked. At one point Tilda, Sylvie's neighbor/best friend, says that she thinks Sylvie was just grieving and it wasn't an "episode".

While I agree that Dan and her mum protected her too much, they were around the situation quite a bit more than Tilda. The pre-book death, a car crash, lead to Sylvie's showing up unannounced and staring at the house of the other party involved in the accident, as well as sending a letter the other party's family that they found threatening, which leads me to believe that Dan and Syvlie's mum might have been more on the side of right than Tilda. However, given this excuse to make herself all better, Sylvie swoops at it and ignores all protestations. I'm not sure a proper resolution/answer/conclusion was really talked about here, even after she does start therapy because that course of action is in relation to something else.

In conclusion, Surprise Me  felt like a stretch of the imagination in terms of believability. Whether anyone will really stick with what they learned in the end is debatable because there's a "happy" ending, but it felt forced. One quote from Sylvie stood out to me shortly before the close:

“Dan …” I say more gently. “No one actually knows. We could have seventy-two more years together . Or two. Or two days.”

That entire quote should have flashed in their heads at the beginning.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dan and Sylvie have been together for 10 years, and they have two beautiful daughters. They finish each other's sentences and know exactly what the other one is thinking or is going to do. But when they hear they will probably spend the next 68 years together, they completely freak out. It's a lot of time to spend with the same person doing the same things. So they decide to spice up their lives with a few surprises that not always have good results, from awkward photoshoots to snakes to booking double appointments. Then Sylvie starts to suspect that Dan is hiding something from her.

This is another successful novel from one of my favourite authors. The female characters are funny and engaging and I wish they were my friends. There is never a dull moment, with a few dramatic scenes, a few awkward occasions, and hilarious situations that made me laugh out loud - especially the scene of the sexy photoshoot. Despite the laughs, I found this book a bit more serious than Kinsella's other novels, but it still has her captivating writing, lovable characters and witty dialogue.

Everyone knows that Sophie's books are my guilty pleasure! And this one didn't disappoint.

Sylvie and Dan have been married 10 years now. With adorable girls and jobs they enjoy. After an annual check up they are both given a clean bill of health and told they would probably live a nice long life. Which leads them to question how they are going to keep this thing going for the next 7 decades!

The characters in the book are all hilarious in their own way and some of the "surprises" they come up with are beyond funny! And embarrassing.

When Sylvie suspects Dan of an affair things come out that have been hidden for years. Which leads Sylvie to ask if she ever really knew her family at all or has she been carrying around a little girl's view of her family?

This was great fun with a bit of mystery thrown in, so go ahead and Surprise Me! anytime Ms. Kinsella!

February 13, 2018  Netgalley/DialPress

Sophie Kinsella's new book, SURPRISE ME, did just that - surprised me in a great way. I read her first book (as Sophie Kinsella) way back when it wasn't even a best seller (yet), and enjoyed it for it's "chic lit" personality - heavy on characters, light on plot. I read two more from the Shopaholic series, with much the same reaction. Perfect for summer reading out on the deck. But SURPRISE ME is a definite step above the light Mom-reading of the past. It has a great plot, characters you get to know and can associate with, and definite unexpected plot twists. It feels like Kinsella has matured over the years, and I have no doubt the best is yet to come if SURPRISE ME is a step up on her literary ladder. I don't often recommend books to my friends, but this one is going to be highly recommended. And I am bumping Kinsella up from my "read when if you have some extra time" author list to my "probably don't want to miss this" list.

“Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating.”

This ended up being a surprisingly poignant book, given that some of the earlier Sophie Kinsella stories I've tried are more slapstick silly (which has never worked for me). But similar to MY (NOT SO) PERFECT LIFE, SURPRISE ME had some depth and really nice character development.

Story-wise, this one focuses on a married couple celebrating their 10th anniversary but is told entirely from the wife's POV. The first half is very different from the second half, with the former being more humorous, slightly ridiculous, and predictable. While that was all fine and good and something I can appreciate and enjoy (I like to laugh, really I do!), I will readily admit I preferred the latter half of the story because that is where all of the character growth happened. That's when it felt less chick-lit and more women's fiction, and while the author was able to loosely weave together both halves in the end, I did find it somewhat disjointed and had wished the first half wasn't as silly and held some of the same depth as the latter one.

That said, I listened to this on audio (just like I had with her last one), and I loved Fiona Hardingham's narration again. It fit the style and tone of the protagonist's POV so well, although I wished the voicing for the twin daughters was less piercingly nasal and over-bright.

Note: I received a review copy of this title from the audiobook publisher, Penguin Random House Audio.

Surprise me indeed! This lovely novel starts off as a larkish romp, as Dan and Sylvie decide they need to spice up their marriage when they learn their life expectancy could mean they'll be married 68 years! Sylvie works at a creaky barely above water museum (loved the people and the quirky ways) while Dan owns his own company. They've got twin girl. Sylvie's still mourning the death of her father (she didn't take it well). Things proved along as one might expect for a sprightly British chick-lit novel but then they become more serious. No spoilers but I was truly impressed with what Kinsella has done and how she incorporated a topical issue. This is fully realized novel with terrifically fleshed out characters and a careful plot. There are some wonderful details (see neighbor Tilda and how she describes Mary). No froth here. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Two thumbs up!

Sylvie and Dan have the kind of relationship everyone wants. They are always on the same wavelength, they finish each other's sentences and seem to fit perfectly together. When they go to the doctor together for a physical for their new insurance policy, the doctor remarks on their excellent health and predicts 68 more years together. This throws both of them into panic mode..... 68 years is a long time! So, trying to keep their marriage alive they start trying to surprise each other. And I will stop here because I don't want to give any more away.

This book was delightful. It started out a little slow, with Dan constantly computing how many more bowls of cereal he would be eating & how many more times they would make love, but the book quickly picked up from there and it was a whirlwind to the very end. I could not put it down. I would say this is definitely a must-read!

Rating: 2.5

Sophie Kinsella's books are tricky. Her writing is good, but there are other elements that make them less than ideal, whether it be facets of the plot, the characters, or pacing. In the case of Surprise Me, it was primarily a mixture the characters with a bit of the pacing thrown in.

The premise itself, keeping a marriage interesting over the course of six plus decades, has some interest. While there is the inevitable change in human nature, there's also the thirst for fun and having that fun together is part of spending all that time as a partnership. It took awhile for the surprise idea to actually show up, 24% of the Kindle version as my notes serve. Once they did, that's when the trouble began and I couldn't decide whether the ways they went awry were wholly believable or dementedly twisted to make for a "fun" book. The one that irritated me the most was the pet. Who the heck gets someone a pet as a surprise? That was beyond a bad movie and I feel bad for poor Dora (the pet snake that now resides in the kitchen).

The surprises also didn't actually stick around for that long. Considering the fanfare they got in the synopsis, I was expecting more. Considering the late arrival and early departure of the titular surprises, what does it say about the plot that they're not really the thing we're steered toward caring about? It felt like a switch around because I thought the surprises were meant to be the main thing, then a mean new boss was introduced, but he also faded into the background and the novel became about Sylvie being a stereotypical suspicious wife that made broad assumptions and made grand leaps that were ridiculous.  I couldn't see real people acting like she did, particularly at the finale.

Sylvie and Dan's reaction to the "you've got a good chance at spending the next sixty-eight years together" was blown entirely out of proportion. Maybe it would've been time for some thought, but this is literally what you sign up for when you get married. Being the same age as them, I felt like there were moments when I would've stared at them incredulously and wondered what the bloody hell they were thinking.

They felt like just the sort of couple I might strongly dislike if I met them in real life. Sylvie was largely judgmental and seemed to think it was alright because she didn't make these comments aloud. There were criticisms of everyone from the people around her like her boss and her neighbors to sexist comments about her husband (which she insisted weren't but were). There were more little niggling things that bugged me about both of them, such as their fights about money (somewhat complex because of family inheritances/backgrounds, etc.) and their job decisions. A lot of it comes back to communication.

The way these two were written, it became painfully more obvious that these "problems" they were having? Whatever difficulty came up post-doctor visit, it was all very much first world, heteronormative white people problems that were utterly ridiculous.  I didn't feel much sympathy because they were being supercilious and it was their own fault for not talking to each other. 

There's an issue I had with the way either grieving or mental illness was handled in the course of the book. Following a death in the family two years prior to the start of the novel, Sylvie had a rough time coping. She either had an "episode"/meltdown or was grieving, depending on who you asked. At one point Tilda, Sylvie's neighbor/best friend, says that she thinks Sylvie was just grieving and it wasn't an "episode".

While I agree that Dan and her mum protected her too much, they were around the situation quite a bit more than Tilda. The pre-book death, a car crash, lead to Sylvie's showing up unannounced and staring at the house of the other party involved in the accident, as well as sending a letter the other party's family that they found threatening, which leads me to believe that Dan and Syvlie's mum might have been more on the side of right than Tilda. However, given this excuse to make herself all better, Sylvie swoops at it and ignores all protestations. I'm not sure a proper resolution/answer/conclusion was really talked about here, even after she does start therapy because that course of action is in relation to something else.

In conclusion, Surprise Me  felt like a stretch of the imagination in terms of believability. Whether anyone will really stick with what they learned in the end is debatable because there's a "happy" ending, but it felt forced. One quote from Sylvie stood out to me shortly before the close:

“Dan …” I say more gently. “No one actually knows. We could have seventy-two more years together . Or two. Or two days.”

That entire quote should have flashed in their heads at the beginning.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Surpise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Rating: 4/5 stars
Best For: 18+, adult women.
Clean Read: No, quite a bit of language.
Worth a Check Out: Yes. Readers who like Big Little Lies or other Liane Moriarty books will like this one.
Buy It or Not: No, unless you love Sophie Kinsella. Book Club Discussion: Was Sylvie and Dan's reaction on par or exaggerated? How did your feelings to Dan change throughout the book? What did you think of the different relationships and friendships Sylvie had throughout the book (her best friend, the professor, her parents, boss and coworkers)? Does everyone have an ah-ha moment, like Sylvie had, in their life? Why is communication such a big deal in this story, and in your lives?

It's a fun read where the main character, Sylvie, is a bit ridiculous at times. However, she is relatable with her thoughts and feelings, but her actions are a bit more extreme than the average Jane.

This novel has some great aspects, but my favorite was the fact that it wasn't predictable. There were some aspects of the story I saw coming from a mile away, but there were a few things (like the BIG thing in the story) that surprised me.

For a more detailed review check Alohamora Open a Book.

Sylvie and Dan know everything about each other. Nothing can surprise them. But forever is a long time…they decide surprises are the best way to keep the marriage lively for the many years to come. But “surprises have a bad habit of going wrong”. You might find you do not know a person as well as you thought.

This is a lovely book about marriage. It throws in advice and experience from characters who are married, divorced and in love. The characters are loveably real and funny. The quirky neighbors were great!

It took me a little while to really get into the story and for the surprises to start, but once they did you just want to keep on reading. You wonder what they will come up with and cringing when it all goes horribly wrong. Of course there are many embarrassing moments and miscommunications, but you’ll have a chuckle during the fiascos, because you knew that would happen. It was a little predictable once you knew what was being planned.

In the end Sylvie and Dan figure out that marriage is a commitment to love, protect and value each other. They just took a roundabout way of getting there and had to weather through some difficult storms of unexpected surprises.

Also, love the simplicity of this cover! Beautiful!

Ten years after being married, Sylvie and Dan are still incredibly happy together. They finish each other's sentences, know what the other will order for dinner, and successfully parent their twin daughters.

After a standard checkup at the doctor reveals that they are both in excellent health and are expected to live 68 more years, they start to panic. They've always been happy in their marriage, but 68 more years is a long time to spend together. In an effort to keep their marriage interesting, they come up with project "surprise me", where they'll plan surprises for each other periodically to keep their relationship interesting.

What they don't expect is the mishaps that arise and the secrets that are revealed. Dan is clearly hiding something from Sylvie, and she begins to question the very essence of their marriage. Sylvie is desperate to know: what is Dan hiding, and what does it mean for their future?

I've always enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's books, and Surprise Me was no exception! Her books are light and fluffy, and always have a happy ending, which is sometimes exactly what I need after reading countless thrillers that focus on death and murder.

What I liked about this book were the characters. Sylvie was funny and real - she reacted in ways I'd expect a real person with fears and insecurities to react, and she had some really funny moments during the book. I also really enjoyed watching her grow into herself at work and really take charge of things as she gained confidence.

Here's what I struggled with - the plot. It's hard for me to grasp and understand the panic that Sylvie and Dan experienced when learning that they are in good health and might live another 68 years. After 10 years of being very happily married, it seemed weird that they would automatically panic and think about how when they said "til death do us part" that they didn't imagine it would be that long. If their relationship had been so great so far, I'm not sure why this freaked them out the way it did, so I struggled with the overall plot.

The other thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the secret Dan was keeping. I won't give any spoilers, so I'll keep it vague, but when it was finally revealed, I just couldn't help thinking "that's it?" - I was expecting something more. It also felt unrealistic that the secret would have been kept from Sylvie for so long. It seemed like something that really wouldn't have been that big of a deal to tell her.

All in all, I rated the book 3.5 stars. It was light and fun, and very easy to read, but I had some issues with the overall plot that had me rolling my eyes. If you're looking for a quick beach read with a little bit of drama and tension, this will be a great choice for you!

The Dial Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Surprise Me. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Having been together for ten years, married for seven of them, Sylvie and Dan seamlessly work together to provide a comfortable household for their twin girls. The magic is gone, however, and the couple starts to feel the pressure of being together for the rest of their lives. To spice things up, they come up with Project Surprise Me. When it becomes clear early on that the element of surprise can cause more trouble than they thought, will Sylvie and Dan start to fail as a couple? Will the pair be able to get their lives back on track?

Readers who are looking for quirky and charming dialogue, like the author's main character in the Shopaholic series possesses, will be disappointed. Surprise Me takes a sharper edge and, although the author tries to use situational mishaps to lighten the mood, the story has a pessimistic tone. I did not fall in love with Sylvie and Dan, nor did I feel fully vested in their outcome. Even the surprises to each other did not come across as playful or lighthearted, as the dark cloud hovering over brought the book down. The plot was a bit repetitive and the book dragged in the middle as a result. Readers who are unfamiliar with author Sophie Kinsella should not choose Surprise Me as their first read, as it is not at all representative of the usual charming plot lines and endearing characters. Returning readers should be warned that this book is nowhere near as good as the author's previous offerings.

This novel was unexpected for me because it featured a married couple rather than 2 single people. This caught my attention right away and I was excited to see how Kinsella would put her funny and cute spin on things. Unfortunately, it wasn't as great as I had hoped.

So the story is about how Sylvie and Dan find out that they are going to live to be very old and that they will be enjoying 68 years of marriage. And for some reason, this freaks them out. Maybe this is because I've never been married, but if you love your partner and have been happily married to them, wouldn't this be good news? Why would finding out that you will be married for longer be a bad thing? This really confused me. Now, I get the whole "Surprise Me project" aspect; every relationship needs some excitement now and then. But the "funny" mishaps failed to make me laugh because they just didn't have any context. For example, Dan buying Sylvie a snake would have been funny ... if I had known that they joked about getting a snake all the time. Which I literally did not know about until that point in time. 

The novel also takes a surprising turn into a more serious path. I felt like the segue was a little awkward but the actual concept was quite good. It made me like Sylvie's character a lot more; she stopped being whiny and started showing some grit and resilience. It also helped me develop a liking to Dan, because until that point, I had no opinion of him whatsoever. 

Do I think this was Kinsella's finest book? No. And I wouldn't recommend this to someone who has never read any of her books before, because she has definitely had better novels. But I liked that this novel became a little more serious and was uplifting near the end. I'm giving this a 3/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is a standalone novel. I have read a number of novels by Kinsella, who does write stories with humor and craziness. Early on though, I did have mixed feelings, as I thought some of the things were border line silly. Ok, now for my review.

Sylvie and Dan have been married for 10 years, and have twin girls. They are very happy in their marriage and lives. When they go to the doctor for their annual checkups, the doctor tells them they can both live to 100. Instead of being happy, they think about spending the next 68 years together, and doing the same things. It freaks them both out (rolls eyes). They decide to come up with ways to keep things new and they call it Project Surprise. One after another, they surprise each other with food, tickets, furniture, clothes; trying to outdo each other. Frankly I did not really find this humorous, the craziness was more annoying. But that is me.

When the story centered on Sylvie’s job as a fundraiser, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and their two girls were adorable. The story also focuses on Sylvie’s deceased dad, who was a powerful fundraiser and well respected, though for some reason, Dan and her father did not get along. When Dan brings some old friends to visit, Sylvie meets Dan’s old girl friend, and becomes jealous. At this point, the story does change a lot, and I did enjoy the last half of the book.

What follows is Sylvie’s attempt to help fix her job’s fundraising money drive, which was well done and interesting. Sylvie is also begins to think Dan is having an affair, and this part of the story was at times funny and life changing. Sylvie will learn the truth about her father, and his disrespect for Dan; as well as the lies her family kept from her.

I really enjoyed the last half of the book, which became more about family, trust, perceptions, communications, and hidden truths. Surprise Me had a bit of everything, including Kinsella’s trademark humor, emotional drama, some suspense, family and marriage issues.

Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating. And so... not an achievement, my dear. Rather, a privilege.

Hi, long time Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickam fan here. I've been reading her books for close to a decade now; they are just the right amounts of tender cheese (and that's a good thing so don't knock it) to insert between my gritty crime novels and psychological thrillers. I know many readers hate on the light and fluffy crowd, but I say why can't we read something simply for all the feels? There's no shame in my game and I'll heartily embrace a pleasure read when I feel like it. While I was a bit wary going into this one after last year's My Not So Perfect Life, I should have known from the blurb alone that this was going to be the book for me. Sophie, you came through and for that, we thank you!

One of the first things I noticed was how eerily similar my own marriage is to that of our main characters' *insert Sylvie and Dan*. No, Mr. Humphrey and I don't finish each other's every waking thought, but we are of roughly the same age and we have also been married for 7 years (8 next month!) and have a "dating" anniversary of almost 10 years. How's THAT for creepy? (It's creepy because those are the exact statistics of our couple in the book; obviously you wouldn't know this yet DUH CHELSEA!) Maybe this set up made it possible for me to get lost in the book, but at 450+ pages (which is neither a light nor fluffy count last I checked) I was expecting a struggle. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough, and I found myself giggling and gasping right along with Sylvie. I didn't even care that the story wasn't wholly realistic or plausible; I had to know what would happen dang it!

Also, for a light and fluffy, this had a substantial ending. I wasn't expecting the story to take its unpredictable turn, and this really impressed me. I feel that most women's fiction novels containing this scenario have a handful of options on how to end the book, and this wasn't one of those standard filler conclusions. I guess what I'm trying to say is, this was a fluffy with some substance. This is the type of "guilty pleasure" book that you can read and drop the guilt. Although, why people expect us to feel guilty about any genre we choose to read I'll never understand. I'm surprised at how connected I feel with the characters, as I'm still reminiscing about the story and feel a little blue about having to leave them behind and move on to something else. Recommended with gusto to those looking for a romantic read that's soft, moving, and hilarious.

Sylvie and Dan have married for ten years and are the couple who finish each others sentences and know what the other is thinking before they speak. They are the quintessential couple. After a trip to the doctor they panic and their lives as they know it start to unravel. Dan becomes more and more angry as Sylvie and starts closing himself off to Sylvia. Sylvie thinks more about her deceased dad which angers Dan more. Fights happen more and jealousy starts. Their plan to surprise each other to spice things up brings more surprises than either anticipates. Will the biggest surprise tear Sylvie's world apart or can she and her marriage come back stronger and better than ever?

My rating was almost a 3 star rating but the last quarter of the book saved it. Even though the book is about Sylvie and Dan, Sylvie is the main character and she starts off as a whiney brat that I just wanted to smack. I don't condone smacking someone but she needed it. Heaven forbid things did not go as planned as she was hell on wheels. Her husband had a lot more patience than I would have as even her friend.

I was not too keen on how they looked at "long-term" marriage. They almost viewed it as a death sentence. Are you telling me they seriously did not think about this before saying I do. Did they not think about their age and how long they could possibly live and do the math and think wow, we could be married for 68 years? Personally my goal is to be married as long as my grandparents will be in April of this year which is 70 years (impossible for us unless we live to be in our 120s).

As I mentioned above the last quarter of the book saved it for me. There is a moment that Sylvie has with her neighbor John that changes everything..." Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating. [...] And so...not an achievement, my dear [...] Rather, a privilege." I find this one moment in the book the most romantic moment in the book. I hope it moves you as much as it did me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy to read and review using my own honest thoughts and opinions.

After reading my first Sophie Kinsella book, My Not So Perfect Life, last year I was giddy with joy when the publisher emailed me an invitation to read her newest book Surprise Me. Soon after beginning this book I realized it wasn’t the same caliber of a story as My Not So Perfect Life. In fact, this book was quite a letdown for me.

The book has a pretty good premise of a married couple who wonder how to keep their marriage from becoming boring. The wife decides they should surprise each other to keep things lively. Well, as you can imagine things go wrong (horribly wrong at times, but these are the funniest parts) and soon their marriage is far from stale but quite tumultuous. As surprises go wrong Sophie unravels and wonders if her marriage will survive. In addition to the marriage issues, Sophie is also borderline obsessed with her deceased father and it is clear that this is driving a wedge between her and her husband.

Now, my issue with the book is that the author took a good premise and turned it into page after page of repetition. At the beginning, it seemed like the story was going nowhere fast and I swear I was going to scream if I had to read one more time that their marriage was going to last another sixty-eight years. It was like this was on every single page and I was tired of reading it over and over. Also, there was too much unnecessary details thrown in and bogged down the story. I lost count of the times that I wished the story would get moving. I wasn’t really sure where the story was going and then once the surprises started the book picked up little steam. This was the book the tried but just fell flat.

The book isn’t all bad though. There are a few scenes that made me chuckle and provided a reason to keep on reading. All in all, this book could have been 100 pages shorter and been just as good. If you are new to this author I would skip this book and pick up My Not So Perfect Life. It was a much better read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

Sylive and Dan have a loving marriage, two beautiful girls and it seems that they will have a long future together too... will they be able to survive their mutual surprises? Be prepared to be amazed!

"'How can I be having a midlife crisis?' Dan erupts. 'I'm nowhere near my midlife! Nowhere near! I'm in the bloody foothills!'
'But that's good!' I say emphatically. 'We've got so much time'.
'But what are we going to do with it, Sylvie? How are we going to fill the endless, soulless years of mindless drone work? Where's the joy in our lives?' He looks around the kitchen with a questing gaze, as though it might be in a jar labelled 'joy', next to 'turmeric'."

Sophie Kinsella is an author I can always rely on if I am searching for a funny read, but in this book sometimes the "humour" was a little too forced. I loved the human part, it was touchy and emotive, so a quite contrast book! Maybe that was really the point of the book, because while Sylvie and Dan try to surprise each other, none of the surprises they plan really have a good result... I think they have a bigger problem than having so many years to live. Because that let me say, if you start counting on how many years you will be with your partner, you have a big problem!
While we enjoy some very extravagant surprises (a snake included), we have another subplot that makes the book more real and shows us the real personality of our main characters. Step by step we start seeing how Sylvie and Dan doesn't have the perfect marriage they think and understand that they should change if they really want to spend so many years together.
This had been a quick red, original and sometimes extravagant, but it will be perfect for a sweet read whenever you need one, you know that Sophie Kinsella always entertains even if it's not your favourite book.
Are you planning to surprise your partner, don't try a big surprise, something small will be better! ;)

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

For the first half of this book, I seriously thought I would not finish. I took a break at 18% and read another book, then came back to this one and read some more. At about 40% into it I finally saw what everyone else was talking about and finished it. This is a little deeper than I'm used to, I like my romance with hearths and flowers, not the deeper issues Sophie Kinsella has in this one. It should be a must read for every 30 something woman.

"Surprise Me" starts with a bunch of first person, babbling, narcissistic, contemporary crap. A couple of thirty year old snowflakes find out their genetics will probably allow them to live to be 100. They freak, I mean really freak, at the thought of being married for 68 years to each other. As a 60 something married for 44 years, I just can't fathom the narcissistic attitude of the main characters. This book is soooo not meant for my demographic. It strongly reminded me of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train and that is: I really didn't care what happened to those characters. After the 50% mark, I began to really care what happened to Dan and Sylvie.

Dan has had to live with the overwhelming hero worship that Sylvie has for her father, who died in an auto accident. His death hit Sylvie really hard and her grief was deep. Sylvie always compared Dan to her father and Dan came up short in a lot of ways. She loved Dan, that wasn't the problem, it was just that her father was golden and Dan ... wasn't. Dan was solid and dependable.

After getting the news that they would likely live long lives, Sylvie decides that they should surprise each other in order to keep their relationship from getting stale. Some of those "surprises" backfired big time.

Sophie Kinsella has been a *must read* author for me for many years. While a lot of her fans are followers of the Shopaholic series I must admit ‘Can You Keep a Secret’ and ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ are my personal favorites. Knowing that I was absolutely thrilled to hear the plot line for her newest book ‘Surprise Me’.

Sylvie and Dan have been together 10 years, have two children, seem perfectly matched. They learn that due to their own excellent health and heredity they can expect very, very long lives. This means another 68 years of wedded bliss. While trying to adjust their expectations of what each thought ‘forever’ really meant we see a sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but sometimes uncomfortable balance of humor, anxieties, and depth as Sylvie and Dan discover they may not know each other as much as they thought. I loved seeing the relationship issues from the point of view of a committed/married couple. It made it very relatable to me and a nice change of pace from other women’s romantic fiction.

While all my favorite elements are there this one isn’t a top favorite of mine for this author. There was too much tension until the second half of the book. In this genre that’s a long haul for me when I’m looking for the equivalent of comfort food. I do recommend, but make sure you check out her other excellent titles! Sophie Kinsella is an excellent writer in this genre, and I’ll continue to look eagerly to each book she writes!

I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from Random House/The Dial Press through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.

Surprise Me—Sophie Kinsella’s newest offering—does not disappoint. Kinsella specializes in the humor that pervades her writing and in quirky entertaining characters. This novel does contain those characters and her endearing way of writing, but also deals with a slightly darker plot twist. One of the main characters discovers a shocking fact about a family member. As the novel opens, Sylvie and Dan are planning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first meeting, which eventually culminated in marriage and 5-year-old twins. But first, the 32-year-olds need to attend an appointment for physicals. At the end of the appointment, the doctor tells them that they are in such good health there is a good chance that they will live to the age of 100 which means they might have another 68 years together. This news is slightly scary to them, so they decide to start surprising each other so their marriage doesn’t become boring. These surprises turn up some family skeletons and some family faithfulness. I always look forward to reading Kinsella who is a talented writer. I also have to honestly say, however, that this was not my favorite of her novels. Sylvie seemed very naive if loveable—credulously so. Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel and for allowing me to review it.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher -
After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades.
In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all.

As a fan of the Shopaholic Series, I was delighted to see a new novel from Sophie on the #webgalley website available to review. I did question from the beginning any doctor telling them that they would be married *another* 68 years on top of the twelve that they had been married --- what kind of GP does that? I loved the premise of the book (as a result of above-said appointment) and I did laugh out loud at times but I was baffled at all the different storylines and characters that seemed to not make any sense that they belonged in the book. Rest assured, by the end they did make sense and I did enjoy the novel immensely and will order it to add to my Sophie Kinsella bookshelf.

If you are a fan of the Shopaholic series then I think you will like this book as well.

Sylvia and Dan have been married for ten years; they truly are best friends who completely understand each other and their rambunctious twin daughters. One day they visit a doctor for a wellness visit and from here to about three-quarters of the way through the novel the plot gets downright silly. They are healthy and are told by the doctor that they have another sixty-eight years more of life together. For some odd reason, this scares the heck out of Sylvia and Dan. While their uncanny understanding of each other’s thoughts and feelings brings great peace and joy to their life, the unpredictability of it is unacceptable. So, they come up with a plan of surprises to keep the future fresh and novel, but it doesn’t really work out at all.
Meanwhile the only thin friction between them has to do with Dan’s dislike of Sylvia’s privileged past and his refusal to let her “Daddy” finance their future. However, it will turn out that Daddy wasn’t the perfect husband and parent in Sylvia’s memories and this part of the plot saves this novel from being a disaster. Dan is more than just an understanding husband and lover. He’s someone who’s been trying to save his wife’s perfect image of her father, sheltering her from the stark reality of a very flawed father. The ending is quite a shocker for Sylvia but what is more precious is the fact there are some secrets in Dan that are stunning elements and a definite surprise!
While the second half of this novel “saves the day,” overall, it’s a bit of a strain on credibility. However, Kinsella manages to pull the reader into an interesting and real part of the relationships that work. Nicely done, to a degree!

Dan and Sylvie Winter, both age 32, have been together for 10 years and married for 7 years. They are the parents of 5-year-old twin girls and appear to be quite happy together. But when a doctor conducting their physical predicts a long life and long marriage for them, they’re shocked at the probability of another 68 years of marriage. Both of them have a hard time with the concept of spending so many years together. Therefore, they decide to make some changes in their lives where they keep their relationship fresh by treating one another to little surprises here and there. Some of the surprises end up being a bit strange and over the top. In one instance, the surprise isn’t a real surprise.

Sylvie comes from a wealthy family and her father was killed some years ago in an accident. She and her mother always remember him as a giant of a man and Dan always seems to take a back seat with they are together.

When Sylvie starts to suspect Dan’s friendship with an old flame as meaning he is having an affair, she is shocked and decides to confront both of them and find out what is going on. Could this signal that their marriage might be over?

In some ways, this is a typical ditzy type book by this author. I have enjoyed her Shopaholic books and some others. However, I found this book to be so ditzy that it failed in my book. Usually, she has a lot of humor in her books to offset the ditzy, but this time the combination was missing. However, I know others will enjoy the book and understand that the premise is trust in a marriage.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I have really enjoyed books by Sophie Kinsella and was looking forward to reading her newest book Surprise Me. At first I felt like I was the one “surprised” in a disappointed kind of way. The characters in Surprise Me are two-dimensional, the premise is bland, and the attempts at humor are not very effective—for the first half of the book. The novel was good enough for me to plug on, however, and I’m glad I did. The pace and interest pick up dramatically in the second half. The characters grow and develop and become people you can actually care about. The original proposition seems silly: how do you live with and love the same person for over sixty years? I know the world is changing a lot in terms of longevity of marriages, but there are many examples that demonstrate the success of long marriages and the happiness of people in such marriages.

There are many surprises for the reader and the main character Sylvie as she discovers that she does not really know the people close to her as well as she thought she did. In encountering difficulties, she discovers a strength she never knew she had. There are a lot of negative feelings associated with this book and a lot less fun fluff than initially appears to be the case or is usually associated with Kinsella’s books such as the Shopaholic series. Although I came away with mixed feelings, I also took away some serious musings about the ability of testing in life to help build character.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Dial Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed the books from Sophie Kinsella since I picked up "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I love her quirky characters, laughable scenarios that befall them, and a satisfying happy ending. The premise of "Surprise Me" sounded like another blissful rainy afternoon read, but I wasn't as engaged in this story. It's not that it's a horrible story - it truly isn't - but it wasn't as humorous as what I've come to expect from Kinsella. Humor is still a big theme throughout, but there are more bittersweet moments here. The way the characters try to keep their marriage fresh and alive is something a lot of readers can probably relate to, as can they relate to the cacophony of emotions that hit you when you find out something you really didn't want to know. The progress of the story stumbled a few times and the focus on a particular character was too much of a distraction from the main (and much more engaging) story of Sylvie and Dan. I get why this character's involvement and plot line were important, but I could have done with less time devoted to him. In the end, this is a book I will keep on my shelf and reach for again as while writing a story to entertain us, Kinsella ends up giving her readers some significant truths about marriage and love.