Surprise Me
A Novel
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4.0 • 259 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher and Love Your Life comes a witty and emotionally charged novel that delves into the heart of a marriage, and how those we love and think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most
“Sophie Kinsella keeps her finger on the cultural pulse, while leaving me giddy with laughter.”—Jojo Moyes, author of The Giver of Stars and The Last Letter from Your Lover
After ten 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 sixty-eight years . . . and panic sets in.
They decide to bring surprises into their marriage to keep it fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me—from unexpected gifts to restaurant dates to sexy photo shoots—mishaps arise, with disastrous and comical results. Gradually, surprises turn to shocking truths. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other at all.
With a colorful cast of eccentric characters, razor-sharp observations, and her signature wit and charm, Sophie Kinsella presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.
Praise for Surprise Me
“Genuinely funny.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A delightful take on the mixed blessings of marital longevity.”—People
“Unexpected and wholly satisfying.”—USA Today
“In her signature fashion, Sophie Kinsella brings a cast of quirky, funny characters to this new work. [She] keeps the laughs coming. . . . Readers will follow the story with bated breath as the couple struggle to make their marriage right after everything they thought they knew about each other proves wrong.”—Library Journal
“Heartfelt . . . What at first seems like a light novel about familiar woes turns into a deeper story about trust, family, and perception.”—Publishers Weekly
“Winsome and zesty, Kinsella’s latest delivers all the hallmarks her many fans have come to expect.”—Booklist
“Pure fun . . . a hilariously moving look at marriage and the power of mixing things up.”—Kirkus Reviews
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We found ourselves laughing out loud as we devoured Sophie Kinsella's hilarious examination of marriage. Sylvie and Dan have sailed through the first ten years of their union, but as their tin anniversary comes around they start to worry about things growing stale—especially when they take stock of failing relationships around them. Determined to keep their marriage fresh, the couple embark on a campaign to surprise each other weekly, sometimes with hysterical and disastrous results. We loved Sylvie's wry, often hilarious observations on motherhood and marriage, and we found ourselves cheering for this couple to make it through their rocky patch.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kinsella's heartfelt latest, after My Not So Perfect Life, concerns the secrets that are unearthed after daddy's girl Sylvie Winter and her husband, Dan, agree to continually surprise one another in an effort to make the most of their lives. Thirty-two-year-old Sylvie idolizes her dead father Marcus Lowe, a larger-than-life charmer whose charisma hijacked even Dan and Sylvie's wedding video. Despite their simpatico relationship, Sylvie suspects that Dan envies her father and resents her family's wealth. The couple agree to give each other treats, and they tend to go comically wrong (a boudoir shoot, a reunion with the wrong person), until a visit to a garden that Dan helped design appears to awaken his interest in Mary, an old girlfriend Sylvie never knew about. Sylvie notices Dan's sudden spaciness and irritability as well as his surreptitious conversations with others; she also uncovers a secret phone that throws her marriage into question. At the same time, she attempts to deal with trouble at the quirky museum where she works; her boss's nephew Robert Kendrick is threatening to turn the place into condos if they can't monetize their business successfully, and soon. Sylvie matures along with her narrative: what at first seems like a light novel book about familiar woes turns into a deeper story about trust, family, and perception.
Customer Reviews
Long...
I ultimately liked the story line and message — just took a bit too long and too many roads to get there. Enjoyed My Not So Perfect Life much more than this one.
Waste of time
I thought this was going to be a fun, easy and quick read. Please spare your time! Save yourself. I’ve never written a review before but I feel I need to this time because the book is terribly boring. It barely has a plot the first half of the book and once it finally does pick up, it’s not even good. Don’t read!
Super boring
Really do not buy. It was a painful reading .... worst book by kinsella