Sorry but I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried though, I'm so sorry for my ADD brain.

You can never go wrong with losing yourself in a Sophie Kinsella novel. I have loved everything she puts out and Begin Again was just so good. Such classic Sophie writing that had me both swooning and cracking up. The story was just so fun, so cute, I just loved this book so much.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was pleasant to read and the characters were well developed and likeable. After reading some heavier books lately this one came at a perfect time. This is the story of Dan and Sophie. They have recently paid a visit to the doctor where he foretold that they would live another 68 years. This caused a bit of a panic in them. They currently have a very stable and successful marriage but the thought of that many more years together was a bit of a shock. They decide to add some intrigue to their marriage by planning surprises for each other to make their marriage less structured and more spontaneous. The surprises are a fun part of the story. Sophie meanwhile starts to suspect Dan has a secret he is keeping from her. The two of them have always been in sync with each other but now Sophie isn’t sure what is happening with Dan as he begins to pull away from her. As Sophie tries to solve this she realizes there is a lot about Dan and their marriage she was unaware of. I really felt engaged with this book and Sophie and Dan’s journey.

I've been a Sophie Kinsella fan since I first read Confessions of a Shopaholic way back in 2000- hard to believe that was 18 years ago! While I adored Becky and her hijinks, and a Becky reread is always a good palate cleanser, I enjoyed this more true-to-life portrait of a couple 10 years into their marriage. Although I'd definitely categorize this as a fluffy read, Surprise Me took a turn and ended up being quite a bit deeper than I expected- and I felt the ending was quite a surprise indeed. Fans of Kinsella will enjoy Sylvie and her zany antics and trademark Sophie Kinsella humor.

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.

Nice mystery. Funny. Great characters.

I had a feeling there was something with her dad, she idolized him too much.

The surprises were pretty amusing.

4 Stars

Sophie Kinsella’s Surprise Me is a funny little British tale of keeping a marriage alive in spite of itself

“Why is life like this? Just as you relax and start enjoying yourself, smiling, having fun … life looms up like a mean teacher in the playground shouting, ‘Playtime is over!’ and everyone trails off to be miserable and bored again.”

In Sophie Kinsella’s 20th novel, routinely married couple Dan and Sylvie are 32, celebrating 10 years of a mostly happy partnership and five-year-old twin daughters when a well-meaning doctor shocks them with the “good” news that they could likely live for another 68 years together. 68 YEARS. TOGETHER. A bit frightened and rather pessimistic, they embark on the ill-fated idea of surprising each other to keep things fresh. In spite of how well they think they know each other (enough to bore), misunderstandings and hurt feelings ensue, natch, and changing it up when “it” isn’t broken so much as sore uncovers the unhealthy default modes each of them have been relying on for too long.

She has things she’s withholding and he has his own secrets: “He’s searched for her in various different ways: Mary Holland. Mary Holland job. Mary Holland husband. One might ask: Why does he need to know about Mary Holland’s (as it happens, nonexistent) husband? But I’m not going to be so undignified as to bring the subject up. But I’m not that needy. I’m not that kind of wife.

Instead, I deliberately googled one of my old boyfriend–I typed in Matt Quinton flash job big car really sexy–and left my laptop out on the kitchen table. As far as I could tell, Dan didn’t even notice. He is so annoying.”

Good times. The book opens mysteriously and that plays out later, keeping the pages turning, and one can easily see this novel successfully played out on the big screen no matter the financial climate (unlike Kinsella’s Shopaholic series).

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

This is Kinsella’s best yet! A witty, fast paced chick lit novel with lots of fun surprises! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to chick lit and women’s fiction fans.

It was okay. The synopsis sounded interesting, but the story didn't seem to match. I kept waiting for the story to get interesting.

I love Sophies' books! However I found this one to not be up my alley. I attempted to read it about 3 separate times and I just cannot get behind it.

At first I thought this was a delightfully fun read about nothing but the story ended up having alot of substance and ofcourse how can you not fall in love with Sophie Kinsella characters! A fun, emotional drama with plenty of hilarious surprises. I thank Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book wasn't for me. I did not care for the characters, and I found the story unbelievable. I hate to leave a negative review, but maybe the story is for someone at a younger stage of their life.

Long a fan of Sophie Kinsella, I was thrilled to grab this NetGalley ARC, and Surprise me doesn't disappoint. As a stand-alone novel, this is departure from her singleton looking for someone books, but she has the same self-deprecating wit and humor and twists that I expect.

The premise was intriguing - though I confess, I couldn't quite understand husband Dan's reaction to the news that he and wife Sylvie were in good health and had many, many years left together - in fact, the doctor predicted another 68 years together. This apparently was not the good thing one would expect as Dan seemed rather shocked at the though (that's a long time with one person, apparently) - especially when you are already finishing each others sentences and your life together is altogether predictable, and you think you know everything about the other.

In the way that surprises rarely work out the way you expect, Sylvie and Dan's plans for each other are mostly awful, awkward and hilarious. The side characters are of strong personalities and add to the hilarity as, of course, misunderstandings happen, leading to a turn in the story that I wasn't expecting.

I did find Sylvie's worship of her dearly-departed daddy a bit much (and I wanted to give her a good shake) but overall, the book was a fun, light read and altogether enjoyable.

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.

I normally enjoy books by Sophie Kinsella but this one was just horrible! The whole concept was ridiculous. Sylvie and Dan start freaking out when they find out they have a clean bill of health and could live for another 68 years. Like omg what are they going to do as a married couple for 68 years so they start coming up with "surprises" for each other so their marriage doesn't become boring and fizzle out quickly. Then the obsession she had with her dad was annoying. Half way into the book when Dan was becoming so secretive was when I was more interested. Turns out he was keeping this secret from Sylvie for so long that it was getting to him. Well after finding out what that was and the reason for it was just totally disappointing!! A few plot holes they never did explain. I had to make myself finish this stupid book!

Laugh out loud. Light read. Sophie Kinsella can never go wrong!

Great story on how to reclaim your romance!

Different than Kinsella's usual and not as enjoyable. While the topic was different, I just thought the story meandered too much and was neither very fun when it meant to be goofy nor did it go as deep as it may have intended when it came to moments it wanted to touch the heart. In light of the #MeToo movement, I suppose it's semi-timely, but this story sort of fell flat. 1.5 stars.

Very entertaining! I really enjoyed the set-up, where Sylvie and Dan get their insurance physicals, only to find out from the loquacious doctor that are they super healthy, and will probably live to 100+. When he tells them that is about 68 more years of marriage, their reactions to the news set the stage for a series of 'surprises' to keep things fresh and to propel the book with upcoming misunderstandings too. I always like these stand alones by Kinsella. Sometimes, though, the storyline could be ripped right from Becky's mind--I could have easily seen this same book written with Becky and Luke. Sylvie builds things up in her mind much the way Becky does.