While this wasn't my all time favorite Kinsella novel (those honors go to Remember Me? and Can You Keep a Secret?), it was still a great afternoon's entertainment. Her humor is beautifully understated and the writing is solid, as ever. She never beats a joke into the ground. It's clear early on that her husband, Dan, and her mother are hiding something from her about her father, but the details aren't revealed until near the end. I guessed wrong about what it was. See if you can do better!

If you're a Kinsella fan, this is certainly worth adding to your collection.

*ARC via netgalley*

I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella for many years and was pleasantly surprised by this book. The concept sounded a little silly but the plot of the book was surprisingly interesting. I can say I did not see the ending coming at all! I definitely recommend this regardless of if you have read any of her other books or if this is your first.

i did not request this book as I am not a fan of Ms Kinsella's. writing.

Sophie Kinsella has done it again! Brilliantly funny and unexpectedly poignant, SURPRISE ME was everything I expected it to be, and more. Sylvie is a sympathetic and complicated character, and I was rooting for her until the end of the story -- which was definitely a big surprise.

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella grew on me the farther into the book I read. At first, I didn't like Sylvie very much. She seemed shallow, and her insistence that she knew everything about her husband Dan seemed at odds with how awful they both were with finding surprises the other one would enjoy. I also didn't see finding out that you had 68 more years of marriage to be a shocking, life-altering event.

However, I enjoyed the book more as I read. There is character growth, and I liked seeing how Sylvie matured and recognized her earlier flaws. I also liked that when looking at the past mistakes, blame was shared between multiple people. The book was fun to read, and there were several parts that made me laugh out loud (like refusing to look at the snake, or taking the boudoir photos). Overall, it was a light read, perfect for an airplane ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of the book!

I love Sophie's Shopaholic series so I was really excited to get a copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately it felt a little slow at times, however I stayed with it and I was entertained. I thought the storyline was different from what I have read before and the characters were well developed. I would definitely love to read more from this author.

Another fun romp with Sophie Kinsella, as all of her books are! This time, after 10 years of marriage, Dan and Sylvie realize they could be together for another 68 YEARS! Panic sets in and they decide that they need to add some surprises into their marriage and this is where the fun...and disaster begins! Ms Kinsella's easy to read style takes us through some interesting antics as they try to surprise each other....but do they really know each other as well as they think they do?

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is a fun and relaxing read. In this book Sylvie and Dan have been married for 10 years and are the parents of young twin girls. In an attempt to keep their marriage fresh they decide to start springing random surprises on each other. Of course, not all of the surprises go as expected, much like marriage itself. This book has loads of humor in it and makes for a fast read. Enjoy!

I am a big fan of Sophie Kinsella, from Shopaholic to Finding Audrey - I am giving this novel mixed reviews, unfortunately. It was almost like two novels mashed together, first half and second. The first half of the novel dragged on and on and did not seem to link together any of the plotlines. I didn't give up though, and I am glad I didn't! The second half of the novel flew by, and I could not put it down!! Kinsella shares a great message, a refreshing take on relationships and marriage that leaves me smiling after I finished the novel. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #SurpriseMe before it's publication.

If you're familiar with Kinsella book at all, you know exactly what you're getting into. Complicated family/marriage dynamics, what it means to be an adult, "adulting" as we millennials call it. So in that sense, this book wasn't a surprise, but that was fine with me.

We follow the typical suburban family, in the middle of fizzures and racks that are happening in Sylvie and Dan's marriage. They have two twin daughter, and well-to-do life with well paying jobs. But something's off, in their dynamic and it's not what you would expect. I got engrossed in this, the way you do when you're watching a tv show. In fact, this could be describes as a classic "chic-lit" (I hate that term, but you know what I mean). If this is the vibe you like, you would most definitely enjoy this.

My only "minor" issues is that the characters of Sylvie and her dear mommy were so irritating. Sometimes I just wanted to scream in rage and throw the book across the room. It' different from the other Kinsella books, in the sense that it felt more absurd and serious, and whilst there was some laugh-out-loud moments, it was more decidedly mature out of the books that I've read from her, which is a step up in my humble opinion.

But if I imagine myself in a couple months of time, this novel is simply very forgettable.It was like fluffy cotton candy, perfect if you're in that right mood at the time, however it comes in and out of your ear.. One bizzare thing, a weird type of motivation to why they were trying to surprise eachother, is that a doctor said that they have good health and are going to live over 100 years that they'd be married for 70+ years. This was the driving force throughout the book, and I just found it odd that it was blown out of proportion and made such a big deal.

Usually I love Sophie Kinsella, but this book was just BORING. I read about half and realized nothing happened, and honestly at that point I didn't care what she found in her husbands drawer because it couldn't have lived up to hype.

I always look forward to any book written by Sophie Kinsella and her latest did not disappoint! Surprise Me is a commentary on how complex humans really are, even if you think you really know someone. I laughed out loud at some parts of the story.

Could not finish this book. While other books written by the same author held my attention this one pretty much bored me to the point I had to stop reading. Sorry, I’ve like the rest of the books but not this one.

DNF @ 25%

The only thing that came as a surprise was this DNF.

Honestly, I only read as much as I did because of my love of Kinsella. You know those stories that start off fairly mediocre and you just keep thinking (in this case, HOPING) that it’ll get better? It started off mildly intriguing: life is perfect for this couple, they have two beautiful children, good jobs, a happy life, and they even complete one another’s sentences. *groan* The two go to the doctor to get physicals at which point the doctor informs them they are perfectly healthy and they should plan on living long, long lives. Then he says: “You should have sixty-eight more wonderful years of marriage!” And then everything goes wrong. Because of course, they didn’t even consider the fact that they’d live that long, never thought about long-term being that long when it came to being married.

“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 labeled joy, next to turmeric.

Even though everything is perfectly fine and they have happy lives, now they have to deal with the concept that they’re going to have to be with one another for SO LONG. Come on. Hello, till death do us part? This is why everyone fucking gets divorced these days. Nobody stops to consider what it actually means, what you’re committing to, argh. I just found the whole concept stupid. And I’m sure they get over it and get back to being perfectly happy with their kids and white picket fence but I didn’t really care if they worked it out or not. Plus? There was this weird obsession with her dead father and lines like this:

‘Here in the privacy of my own mind, where no one else can hear, I can say it: To the outside world, Dan isn’t in the same league as my father. He doesn’t have the gloss, the money, the stature, the charitable achievements.’
Not just comparing your father to your husband, who in your mind is lacking in comparison, but comparing your dead father to your husband… nope. I’m done.

I'm a fan of Sophie Kinsella but had a little trouble getting into this book. I kept at it and am so happy that I did. This book is about the evolution of a person and their relationship. My opinion of the book evolved right along with the story and I ended up enjoying the characters and the overall theme of the book.

I don't typically read "chick lit" but I starting this on vacation was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It makes you think how your perceptions of people should change, although they don't always do.

Surprise Me kept me giggling from cover to cover. The situations that Sylvie managed to get herself into were both hilarious and a touch sad. In many ways, Surprise Me is a coming of age book. Sylvie definitely grows up!

Unfortunately this wasn't my favorite book by Sophie Kinsella. I loved My Not So Perfect Life and this book also had mature topics with Kinsella's humor. The premise of this book is a great idea, but I didn't like the overall theme (without giving spoilers). As a married woman I could relate to parts of this book, but I am not sure the author reached a wide audience like her other books have. (Shopaholic series). I am glad that I read this book, but it isn't a top recommendation for me. I will read future Sophie Kinsella books since all authors having growing pains! Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I liked this book. It was interesting. The things they tried to do for each other were super sweet. I liked how they knew each other so well. The reasoning behind the conflict I found a little flimsy, but I still enjoyed the books.

This is my first Sophie Kinsella book, so I did not know what to expect. It took a couple of chapters for me to get into the book, but then it grabbed me and carried me along. Sylvie and Dan have a happy marriage, with two girls and everything is going well for them until someone casually mentions that they could potentially have another 68 years together. Sylvie begins to.panic and wonder if this is what she really wants - to wake up every day with this same person for what seems like an eternity - Dan, who knows her so well that he can finish her sentences and knows everything that she is thinking. They decide to add some spice to their lives with surprises for each other. Then things take a turn and the surprises start raising questions and suspicion.
This book has it all, one minute you are laughing out loud and the next you are thinking, oh my, that could be me! This is a good read and will carry you along and keep you entertained and guessing to the end.