Sorry for late review - just catching up after a busy 12 months. Loved this book a lot - this author always delivers great books - never disappointed - a great story with great characters and really well written. Will definitely read more by this author and thank you for the read. Much appreciated.

I really wanted to like this book. I tried several times, but couldn't finish it. I love Sophie Kinsella, but this just seemed too far fetched for me.

This is a fun read--one I looked forward to reading each night. Sophie Kinsella is a master of funny details, especially when describing her main character, the quirky Sylvie. The story is about a long-married couple looking to put a little spice into their marriage. Towards the middle this becomes a suspenseful mystery as well, as new and ominous characters from the past appear. Easy to read and so fun.

Sophie Kinsella is known for her books about a single, messy female and her ridiculousness. However, this book is about a married couple who get freaked out when they realize they've got another 68 years together. Basically, they decide to do nice things for each other, which is easy when you have time and money. The couple is unlikable and seem to know very little about each other because their surprises suck.

I usually love Kinsella's light, fun romantic comedies, but this one was not enjoyable to read. The main character was very annoying and did not seem to have any redeeming qualities.

I really wanted to get into this book but it just was not for me. it started off slow and was hard for me to get into. i was able to read about 3/4 of it before putting it down. i will try to get back into it another time.

Sylvie and Dan are caught off guard when they are told they will be living extraordinarily long lives and thus will be married far longer than either imagined. To keep things exciting and fresh in their relationship, they make the decision to go about surprising each other. But when Sylvie discovers a surprising secret that Dan has been keeping, it has her questioning everything she thought she knew about her marriage. This is the premise of Surprise Me, but the actual novel managed to surprise me by not being entirely what I had expected. The book has the three things I usually expect from a Kinsella novel: a fun cast of characters, a plethora of funny incidents and witty statements, and a heartwarming theme beneath the entertaining plot. But I wasn’t a fan of the way the book felt like there were two different stories mashed together (even though it was done in a sensible way), particularly because I did struggle with elements of both halves of the story. Surprise Me had me examining how I’d react in Sylvie & Dan’s situation too, and to be fair, it was a fun read overall. While I prefer Kinsella’s earlier work, I’m glad that I finally read and ultimately liked a newer work by this author.

Sophie always writes the best rom coms and this one didn’t disappoint! I love the story and the way it was written. Such a pleasure to read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I was unable to get into it and will not be rating or reviewing at this time. It's a clear case of "it's not you, it's me" so I will try again at some point. If I fare better then, I'll rate and review then.

I'm not gonna lie - it took me FOREVER to finish this book. Part of that was life stuff and part of that was the fact that the book is just a bit slow until we get about 60% in. I liked the idea of dealing with a married couple and I ultimately I really liked the moral of the story (something about growing as a person and beyond people's expectations of us, seeing and appreciating your partner for who they are, and making the DECISION to love someone everyday). I really wish that Dan and Sylvie had spent more page time together. I also really liked that I sort of didn't see the plot twist coming, so that was definitely a surprise (for) me. So, while this wasn't my favorite Sophie Kinsella - I did ultimately enjoy the experience. 3.5 out of 5 wine glasses.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Sophie Kinsella is always a must read author for me. This one started off a little slow for me but stick with it as it picks up and will mKe you laugh out loud. Once again she doesn’t disappoint.

This book opens with a jolt: a wife finding something hidden by her husband. Something shocking, and guaranteed to set her idyllic marriage off-kilter. We don't get to see what she found, only that it was a game-changer. And then, we pan out. Go back a bit. Gain context, but long do we wonder: what did she find!

Sylvie and Dan have been together ten years, married seven, and have twin daughters aged four. They are in sync in many ways, filling in sentences and gaps in conversations with little trouble. Sylvie thinks Dan is predictable, and perhaps the side he shows her is...but when they hit the doctor for a couples life insurance exam they are both struck by the doctor's decree that they, being active healthy adults, will likely live to be 100, maybe 102, and that means 68 more years of wedded bliss. To each other.

It's a jarring moment, and provokes some deep thinking, at least on Sylvie's part, of how they can transform their comfortable/cozy marriage into one that can stand the test of so many years. Should they spice it up in the bedroom, or out of it? Should they take up common interests--or not? Why is Dan so frustrated with discussions of money, and why does it seem he's hiding some rather important issues from her. In the midst of this Sylvie's job is under intense scrutiny. She works for a historical society that is squarely lumped in the Victorian age, and is in dire straits financially. Is she about to lose her job, and her husband?

I really dug this one. It's more mature story about the hard parts of marriage, the daily trench work of loving one person day-in and day-out without focusing on the petty issues all the time. It's building a love that lasts, no matter the difficulties. That said, there are some funny bits, including a boudoir photo shoot that might scar a young neighbor to his bones. Turns out Dan had some pretty dark secrets that were kept out of love and esteem for Sylvie's family, and which were eroding their core of trust. I liked how all that turned out, in truth. The twist of those secrets opened Sylvie's eyes to the cost of love, and the blind faith we often place in the people close to us. It gave her a new appreciation for Dan, and how much he's struggled to be the husband he, and her parents, expected she would want.

There are fun revelations, too, which include building relationships with new friends, and following old passions--like Dan reclaiming his love of gardening, even if it means reconnecting with his first love--in responsible ways. Sylvie's a fun and suspicious character to follow, sure she's got wool pulled over her eyes, but unable to see what's made her blind is not what she expects to find. In the end, she and Dan are sure that they'd spent another 68 years together if given the chance. Because, longevity expectation aside, we really have no idea how many days we will walk this earth. Best to love hard and fierce while you can.

A little long-winded, but an interesting story. She's written some better, and she's written some worse. Reading about preestablished couples can be difficult, and this one fell a little bit short for me.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

This book started out really slow, and it took me a while to get into the characters and become vested. Once the ”mystery” became apparent, I was better/more involved and wanted to read more. I wish we could give half stars, because if I knew someone who was a ChickLit lover, I would recommend this one to them, because I think it’s someone that likes this type of book would enjoy. I would give it 3 1/2 stars if we could give half stars. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I love Sophie Kinsella books but was disappointed with this title. I thought the characters were very one dimensional and their issues were all over emphasized.

Super cute - love Sophie Kinsella. Any fans of her previous work will enjoy this one too. Her writing cracks me up & her stories leave me with a smile. A bit on the long side for me.

This book did like the title, Surprised me!
Enjoyed this funny story.
Great characters and good realistic themes to keep me entertained as I read.

SURPRISE ME
BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

I always enjoy a light, fluff break from serious domestic family drama or psychological thrillers or last but not least contemporary fiction with realism. The couple in this latest novel "Surprise Me," by Sophie Kinsella are a happily married husband and wife who have been married for ten years, live a comfortable lifestyle with two healthy children. They even finish each other's sentences. When the Doctor announces that they are both healthy and are going to live another 68 years together they put into motion a plan henceforth the title, "Surprise Me." The couple starts buying things for each other. Not only material things can keep a couple happy. How about commitment is one of the reasons people get married. This book was just pure lighthearted fun. I think I liked last year's,"My Not So Perfect Life," a little better though. All in all a great read just when I needed it. I found myself laughing out loud several times.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sophie Kinsella and the publisher for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is one of Sophie Kinsella's better ones I loved it.
Silvie and Dan know each other so well so that when an actuaries' doctor forcasts another 68 years together they have worries about being bored. Sylvie hits on the idea of surprises to keep their marriage fresh, one of which results in an evening visit to a garden which Dan created in his youth it also results in him making contact with a past girlfriend and and then being secretive and defensive. Terrified,Sylvie knows Dan has hang ups about her perfect, deceased father and wishes Dan could grow past them and blames this for their hang ups. Amid her problems she encounters Robert and she's tempted to spend the evening or possibly all night with him. So she analyses what she thinks marriage is, :choosing a chocolate from a box and slamming the lid closed and not even seeing any other flavours.
Sylvie has other comical thoughts like, why should swish offices be allowed floor to ceiling windows when she is terrified of heights?
This is fast, funny and be like totally unpredictable.
I really enjoyed it and also recommended to everyone