I’ve long been a fan of Sophie Kinsella and the humor she infuses in her books. This book continues that trend.

While not a traditional love story, in that the characters are already married and love each other, this story explores taking your partner for granted and falling in love with them all over again. Sylvie and Dan are happily married with twin daughters and Sylvie thinks she knows Dan inside and out, but through a series of mishaps, she learns she doesn’t know him half as well as she thought.

There are a few surprising twists in this story, one of which is quite serious and I don’t think was handled as well as it should have been. It could partially be a cultural issue, as the author and story are set in the UK, and I am experiencing it from an American viewpoint, but I would think it would be a very serious issue in both countries.

I suspected that Dan was protecting Sylvie from something, but I was not even close to what the actual truth was and I was really taken aback. I also lost all respect for one of the other characters when the truth came to light.

Watching Sylvie grow and mature at the end of the story was gratifying and I thought the ending was really sweet.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book bored me a great deal. The characters are all sort of caught up in the doldrums and it was a bit of a slog. Even the main characters' efforts to liven things up are really cringey. I know it's supposed to be amusing that the plans are all always messed up, but they come off as spoiled and I didn't enjoy it. The narrator, especially, acts a bit spoiled quite a bit of the time.

This was an interesting read. Parts of it I loved and laughed out loud. Others were rather painful to get through.

A fun read we’ve come to expect from Sophie Kinsella. While not as solid as her early works, she’ll always be an auto buy author for me.

I've read every book that Sophie Kinsella has written and love them all. Every character that she creates is relatable, likable and endearing.

Anything that Ms. Kinsella writes has a place on my bookshelf.

Thank you net galley for the ARC

I liked Surprise Me, but since I'm such a big fan of the author, this isn't one of my favorites from her. Her signature humor was there, but I didn't find it laugh out loud funny like some of her other works. The main character was very reminiscent of other heroines in her previous books, quirky and whimsical and at times frustrating. I thought the serious parts were thought-provoking, but it dragged a little longer than other contemporary romances. The ending was really great and worth the wait. Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Sophie Kinsella is such a great author - I have loved so many of her books. This is no exception! She does such a great job writing characters and scenes, I always feel like I’m there. Great book.

3 1/2

The problem with calling your book “Surprise Me” is that if things aren’t going well, the reader might just keep yelling “Surprise me, dang it, surprise me!” at the words on the page. Well, my yelled demands succeeded and Sophie Kinsella did surprise me.

Surprise Me opens with Dan and Sylvie at the doctor’s who tells them that they will live another 68 years. They find the number mind-boggling. Together with the same person for 68 more years? Only having sex with that person for 68 more years? It throws a wrench between them. They decide that perhaps a way to keep the thrill is to bring surprise into their relationship. It turns out to be a bad idea. As they try to surprise each other, there are bigger surprises awaiting them that will change who they are and their relationship.

Coming in at over 400 pages, Surprise Me takes a long, long time to get anywhere near to surprising the reader. Unfortunately, the “surprises” that are supposed to be funny miss the mark (at least for me), either because it’s been done before elsewhere or the outcome’s unsurprising.

The novel is told through first person narrator Sylvie, who sometimes comes across as whiny, stupid, and completely self-absorbed. That does change, thankfully. But for a good portion of the beginning, the reader is left with a meandering narration that is not entertaining. The only reason why I carried on was because I saw some reviews that said the ending was worth it.

It’s not until the last third of the novel that I felt truly committed and interested. That is unfortunate because that last third is worth the novel, which makes me believe that a really good edit would have fixed this book. Considering that the arranged “surprises” felt incidental and not intrinsic tells me a good deal about what the book is really about.

Ultimately Surprise Me is the age-old story of not really knowing who your partner is, and discovering who they are is the real surprise.

Trimming 100 pages probably would have made this a fantastic novel because that last third really was worth sticking with the book.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marriage isn't necessarily forever. When they go to the doctor and realize that they could be together for over 50 more years, their 10 year relationship seems doomed. They communicate well, and their daughters are thriving.
Surprise Me is Sophie Kinsella's entry into the idea that having the fairy tale might not be for everyone, and that the perfect marriage may not exist.
They start something called project Surprise Me, where they try to keep up the pace of their marriage so no one gets unnecessarily bored, but they end up finding out stunning truths that shake them to their core.

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this book. I tried years ago when I first received it and I tried again a week ago. However, as much as I love Sophie Kinsella and her stand alone books I could not get into it and I found myself frustrated. I did not care about either Dan, Sylvie, their marriage or anything having to do with them and I feel terrible about it.

Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite authors for many, many years and that will not stop even with Surprise Me. Just because it was not the book for me does not mean that others will not love it. I just could not. I read about 50% of the book and had to finally give up. I went back to it because I was thinking that maybe I was just going through a dry patch when I first downloaded it, but no. "Surprise Me" just was not mean to be for me.

I've always found her work to be hit or miss for me. I am not a big fan of the Shopaholic series but have enjoyed her stand alone work. This was one of her that really did it for me.

As a fan of Sophie Kinsella's books, this book did not disappoint. She has just the right amount of humor and character development to keep it interesting! It is about a couple who has been together for ten years and then realizes that they have many, many more years of being married. They launch Project Surprise Me to keep things fresh.

Sadly and surprisingly bad for an author capable of such humor and charm. The premise wore thin from the second chapter and the characters are voids of charisma. Should have DNF’d; kept waiting for the Kinsella magic. ★

Sylvie and Dan find out on a medical visit they could have 68 more years together and they come up with a plan to surprise each other on a regular basis in order to keep the mystery alive in their marriage. During this time Sylvie discovers that Dan has been hiding something from her and she tries to find out what it was. It is humorous to see the different ways they decide to surprise each other even though Dan has kept a huge secret from her.

***This ARC was provided by Netgalley for a honest review***
Sylvie and Dan have been married for 10 years, While filling their application for a physical prior to their health insurance renewal their doctor informed them that they’re going to live another 68 years. That fact alone puts Sylvie into a bit of a panic, 78 years with one man it’s a lot for her brain. They have beautiful twin girls and communicate so well that they often finish each other sentences. However they never expected the death do us part part to mean seven more decades. In an effort to keep things fresh in their marriage they come up with a game that brings little surprises to each other so that their marriage won’t become boring. The instructions are very straight forward they just have to surprise each other. Along the way they find the very crack that could break their marriage forever. Can they recover from this? Will Sylvia learn the truth, has Dan really been protecting her or cheating on her?

This was a light, quick read that I really enjoyed. A typical Kinsella novel in that it was a light, quick-witted read that has a surprising amount of depth shown, especially by the main character.

A light, quick read that I enjoyed! Typical Kinsella in that it was both light, quick-witted, with a surprising amount of depth shown by the main character.

I am always excited to hear a new Sophie Kinsella book is coming out as she never disappoints. Suprise Me was no different. I loved the story and the characters

Oh goodness! Surprise Me is such a fabulous read! I have read every Sophie Kinsella book ever written and enjoyed them all! This had a unique premise as the couple in question was already married, but wow, what a punch it delivered! At first, I wasn't sure where this story was headed, but like always, Kinsella win the day as my favorite romantic comedy author. Loved this one! An easy 5 star read!