Sylvie and Dan, have been together for ten years, and learn that they will have another sixty-eight years together. They each have a breakdown thinking about how they will fill all of that time together. 

They come up with a solution: surprise each other every day to keep the magic alive. Which will not be easy since they are parents to twin five year old girls, and have busy careers. They start the surprises off with lingerie and having sex in some unlikely locations. Ultimately with the help of the surprises they discover that there is more to learn bout each other and themselves. 

This novel  starts out to be about keeping the spark alive then it becomes a story about taking a deeper look at the relationships you have between family, work, and finally yourself.

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley and Dial Press.

As a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella I was super excited to read this book. But unlike her other books, I had a bit more difficulty connecting with the characters and the storyline.  However, once she caught me, I couldn't put the book down. Light-hearted and funny I laughed out loud many times.

My first thoughts were, "Damn! They are a boring ass couple!" I honestly expected more out of this based on the synopsis and the author being the Sophie Kinsella, and I do mean the, not the, there's a difference.

Sophie Kinsella has a way of making you feel what the characters are feeling. For instance, all of the awkwardness, BOREDOM, & fear. However, I hate that I was not pulled into this story or really captivated at all during this story. And it was very disappointing seeing that I loved my first Sophie Kinsella book, My Not So Perfect Life, so much.

The parts that I guess were supposed to be shocking, surprising, or funny just felt really corny as compared to how I reacted to other books where I actually laughed out loud 😆😆. Also, the big secret, compared to what I thought was going on, really sucked and didn't do it for me. I was better off living in my fantasy land. 

To sum this all up, I seriously can't reiterate how disappointed I am with this book. I'm sorry Sophie, but this was a turn off for me and I know you could do better and I can't recommend this book to anyone unless you don't mind corny reads.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

For the first half of this book, I seriously thought I would not finish. I took a break at 18% and read another book, then came back to this one and read some more. At about 40% into it I finally saw what everyone else was talking about and finished it. This is a little deeper than I'm used to, I like my romance with hearths and flowers, not the deeper issues Sophie Kinsella has in this one. It should be a must read for every 30 something woman. 

"Surprise Me" starts with a bunch of first person, babbling, narcissistic, contemporary crap. A couple of thirty year old snowflakes find out their genetics will probably allow them to live to be 100. They freak, I mean really freak, at the thought of being married for 68 years to each other. As a 60 something married for 44 years, I just can't fathom the narcissistic attitude of the main characters. This book is soooo not meant for my demographic. It strongly reminded me of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train and that is: I really didn't care what happened to those characters. After the 50% mark, I began to really care what happened to Dan and Sylvie. 

Dan has had to live with the overwhelming hero worship that Sylvie has for her father, who died in an auto accident. His death hit Sylvie really hard and her grief was deep. Sylvie always compared Dan to her father and Dan came up short in a lot of ways. She loved Dan, that wasn't the problem, it was just that her father was golden and Dan ... wasn't. Dan was solid and dependable. 

After getting the news that they would likely live long lives, Sylvie decides that they should surprise each other in order to keep their relationship from getting stale. Some of those "surprises" backfired big time.

Surprise Me

by Sophie Kinsella

I have really enjoyed books by Sophie Kinsella and was looking forward to reading her newest book Surprise Me. At first I felt like I was the one “surprised” in a disappointed kind of way. The characters in Surprise Me are two-dimensional, the premise is bland, and the attempts at humor are not very effective—for the first half of the book. The novel was good enough for me to plug on, however, and I’m glad I did. The pace and interest pick up dramatically in the second half. The characters grow and develop and become people you can actually care about. The original proposition seems silly: how do you live with and love the same person for over sixty years?  I know the world is changing a lot in terms of longevity of marriages, but there are many examples that demonstrate the success of long marriages and the happiness of people in such marriages.

There are many surprises for the reader and the main character Sylvie as she discovers that she does not really know the people close to her as well as she thought she did. In encountering difficulties, she discovers a strength she never knew she had. There are a lot of negative feelings associated with this book and a lot less fun fluff than initially appears to be the case or is usually associated with Kinsella’s books such as the Shopaholic series. Although I came away with mixed feelings, I also took away some serious musings about the ability of testing in life to help build character.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Dial Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Publication:  February 13, 2018 — Random House (Dial Press)

Memorable Lines:

Living with five-year-old twins is like living in a Communist state. I don’t quite count out the Shreddies into the bowls every morning to make sure things are equal, but… Actually, I did once count out the Shreddies into the bowls. It was quicker.

“Oh, marriage.” She makes a snorting sound. “Did you not read the disclaimers? ‘May cause headache, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, or general feelings of wanting to stab something.’ ”

“If we don’t stick up for the ones we love, then what are we good for?”

A disappointing read given how much i have enjoyed Kinsella’s books in the past.  Lacked humor and insight with a predictable storyline.

I have loved Sophie Kinsella since I read Confessions of a Shopaholic (which I did way back when it was a standalone). She is one of the longest literary relationships of my life. Her books are always must-buys, and this is my favorite in a while.

I absolutely love Sylvie, even though she has a tendency to jump to the worst possible conclusion. (It is highly possible that I overidentify with Sylvie.) She's funny and good at her job and she adores her family. And yet, there are secrets. Because of course there are. Who knows absolutely everything about another person? 

Except obviously sometimes secrets are horrible, even if there's a very, very good reason for them.

Anyway. This is incredibly fun but also a solid read. It's probably a perfect antidote for whatever's going on in your life right now.

After reading the blurb, I was excited to read this book. I was looking forward to a story about a married couple, unfortunately, I could not connect with the characters or get into the story. I have enjoyed other stories by Sophie Kinsella and would pick up her work again, unfortunately, this one I just could not finish.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Every Sophie Kinsella book is a must read for me. This one reminds me how much I love her kind of writing. Absolutely amazing. I needed to read this in this right moment. :)

After reading my first Sophie Kinsella book, My Not So Perfect Life, last year I was giddy with joy when the publisher emailed me an invitation to read her newest book Surprise Me. Soon after beginning this book I realized it wasn’t the same caliber of a story as My Not So Perfect Life. In fact, this book was quite a letdown for me.

The book has a pretty good premise of a married couple who wonder how to keep their marriage from becoming boring. The wife decides they should surprise each other to keep things lively. Well, as you can imagine things go wrong (horribly wrong at times, but these are the funniest parts) and soon their marriage is far from stale but quite tumultuous. As surprises go wrong Sophie unravels and wonders if her marriage will survive. In addition to the marriage issues, Sophie is also borderline obsessed with her deceased father and it is clear that this is driving a wedge between her and her husband.

Now, my issue with the book is that the author took a good premise and turned it into page after page of repetition. At the beginning, it seemed like the story was going nowhere fast and I swear I was going to scream if I had to read one more time that their marriage was going to last another sixty-eight years. It was like this was on every single page and I was tired of reading it over and over. Also, there was too much unnecessary details thrown in and bogged down the story. I lost count of the times that I wished the story would get moving. I wasn’t really sure where the story was going and then once the surprises started the book picked up little steam. This was the book the tried but just fell flat.

The book isn’t all bad though. There are a few scenes that made me chuckle and provided a reason to keep on reading. All in all, this book could have been 100 pages shorter and been just as good. If you are new to this author I would skip this book and pick up My Not So Perfect Life. It was a much better read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

Sylvie and Dan are happy. They've been together for ten years and have an easy relationship. They still feel plenty of attraction, they have two wonderful daughters and they both have jobs they love. Everything is perfect, until they have a health check and hear they could easily be married for sixty-eight more years. This comes as a terrible shock. How will they prevent the boredom from creeping in when they are destined to be together for such a long time?

Sylvie and Dan think they need something to keep their relationship interesting now that they know they have such a long time together. Surprising each other should do the trick. They will regularly arrange something unexpected for one another, so their relationship will remain fun and interesting. Unfortunately surprises can also backfire and that is exactly what happens. While Sylvie and Dan are trying to make things better for each other they are actually making their situation worse. When secrets of the past are coming to the surface things slowly start to unravel. Will their love be strong enough to get them back on track again or is their sixty-eight years of good health news the beginning of the end for Sylvie and Dan?

Surprise Me is a fantastic entertaining story. Sylvie is a daddy's girl. Her father passed away, but she thinks about him all the time and honors him by being the person her father would have liked her to be. Sylvie had a glamorous upbringing and she has a job in a quirky museum that comes straight out of a fairytale. Dan is more down to earth and could sometimes use more adventure, so their relationship is an ideal balance. Their surprises, however, show them that while they think they know one another there are a lot of things they have never been aware of. I often had to laugh out loud when I read about the things they come up with. Their surprises are incredibly funny, but not always spot on. Beneath the surface something else is going on though and that is getting more and more prominent throughout the story, which made me really curious and eager to keep reading.

Sophie Kinsella has a fantastic heartwarming writing style. Her stories always make me smile and I love their feelgood factor. She has a fabulous sense of humor and she combines that with unexpected twists and turns. The secret that's being revealed is original and surprising, which suits the story very well. Surprise Me is a story about a marriage that has its flaws like every marriage, but there's also so much beauty in the relationship between Sylvie and Dan. I was anxious to find out if they'd make it and read their story in one sitting. Sophie Kinsella has written another terrific story and I highly recommend this sparkling book.

Surprise Me is a tale of two parts for me. The first part (about 70%) was slightly annoying as it got cutesy with Sylvie and Dan’s over-the-top misadventures in coming up with surprises for each, the Daddy hero-worship, the cluelessness at work, the vague mother, the quirky best friend, and the lack of meaningful communication. It seemed to me that Ms. Kinsella has used all of these devices in her previous books to much better effect, especially in the Shopaholic series. 

I had a better appreciation for the book when things came to a head, when Sylvie started to take action instead of just being paranoid with her suspicions and insecurities. I like the series of events that followed her confrontation with Mary. I started to relate with Sylvie and cheer for her, for her and Dan. Credit to Sophie Kinsella and her writing skills for being able to do that. 

Overall, an entertaining read.

After having read no less than twenty of the novels penned by Sophie Kinsella (she also writes under the name Madeleine Wickham), I assume that I know what to expect: a female-centric story involving a somewhat quirky, laugh-inducing protagonist and an equally entertaining supporting cast; lots of British colloquialisms; a feel-good message. 

"“Oh, marriage.” She makes a snorting sound. “Did you not read the disclaimers? ‘May cause headache, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, or general feelings of wanting to stab something.’”

One of the great things about following an author's work, over several years, is the ability to observe the evolution of their writing and storytelling. In Surprise Me, Kinsella presents Sylvie and Dan, a married couple with twin daughters, who begin to contemplate what "'til death do us part" might entail after a recent physical for an insurance policy reveals their potential to live for another 68 years.

"Why is it that everything in life is just a bit harder than you think it’ll be? Icing cakes, having children, keeping marriages together, saving museums, building websites. All hard. The only thing that’s ever turned out easier than I expected was my Italian final exam. (Oh, and lasering my legs - that was a doddle.)"

This issue brings up all sorts of possibilities and certainly makes for lively discussion: how do we not only maintain, but also strengthen and enliven, long term relationships? Through her delightful characters, Kinsella lends levity to the subject; Sylvie proposes the "Surprise Me" project to Dan, which sounds fun and exciting; true to form, the real surprise comes in the form of the meaning and significance that Kinsella sneaks in when we are least suspecting it. 

"‘Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating.’ John seems lost in thought again - then comes to. ‘And so...not an achievement, my dear.’ He gives me a mild, kind smile. ‘Rather, a privilege.’"

In the midst of heavier literary fiction, and plenty of heaviness in the world we inhabit, Kinsella provides respite through humor and a reminder that there is so much beauty and love to be found if we are willing to pause and acknowledge those people and things around us for which we are most grateful to experience every day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this this book!😄 Surprisinly, this is the first time I have read Sophie Kinsella’s work and I was well pleased with it! It was fun and had quirky characters that I grew to love. This story goes deeper than that and it faces what is deep behind face value and trust issues one faces. This novel was full of unexpected surprises and was truly heartfelt. I am glad that I picked up this book and finished it within a few sittings!😁📚💙💯

A perfect Valentine's Day read and I'm thrilled I picked it up as Sophie never disappoints.
Till death do us part takes on a whole new meaning when it's followed up with specifics as too how long the doctor thinks that'll be and for Sylvie and Dan they're probably facing a good 68 yrs together.
Do you party like rockstars? Should you retire and live it out gracefully? Should you focus on what's most important with your twins and the perfect life lived so far and expand upon that by inviting friends and family to partake in your current happiness?
Playing detective is never recommended but things go awry when Sylvie become jealous of a past love of Dan's and starts questioning his calls and business dealings especially discussions she finds odd with her mother.
Truly a fun, entertaining, enjoyable read that's sure to capture the hearts of many married and singles alike as all of us can relate to keeping the dream and the spark ignited through little gestures and surprises to simply say "I Love You."
After ten years of wedded bliss it's time to enter Project Suprise Me and Sophie does so with hilarious appeal to readers of all ages. Just what is sexy can be glam or it can be simplistic but what these characters see is a work in and of itself.
A truly feel good read that kept it's own pleasant pace as a quick and easy read.
Daddy's girl as princess is something I'm sure many ladies can attest too and Dan as protector and heroine is a man's fantasy. So yes, combine these too and you have the quintessential elegance of another Sophie masterpiece.
Special thanks to Sophie for providing me this copy as well as Aldiko and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Not my favorite Kinsella book. I liked the shopaholic series a lot better.

Have you ever wondered what happens after the happily ever after?  Does the happy couple that we just invested in for 300 pages really make it?  I am so happy that Surprise Me the latest rom com from Sophie Kinsella looks at romance on the other side - after real life sets in.

Dan and Sylvie have been together for 10 years, happily married they can finish each other's thoughts and are comfortable in the silence.  Raising 2 twin girls they are what every couple strives for.  Then during their yearly routine physical reality sets in even more when they are told they could live for another 68 years - this sends both Dan and Sylvie in a downward spiral trying to keep their marriage fresh.  This leads them to try to surprise one another with new and different things they haven't tried in the past, of course amid the comedy of errors that happens in this crazy scenario secrets start to emerge leading them to believe that their marriage may not be as idyllic as they once thought and maybe they really don't know each other.  

I love Sophie Kinsella's writing style - told completely from Sylvie's POV we get to deep dive into her insecurities and secret thoughts that were witty, sad and in some cases heartbreaking.  Ms Kinsella takes her readers on a grand adventure that truly shows what real life and love really looks like - and what could happen to a marriage if the parties aren't really talking and most of all listening.  The writing is fast paced and kept me giggling all the way through, but there were also points that had me sad for Sophie and Dan.  I was rooting for this couple to realize the mistakes they were making and rooting for them in the end.  An ending by the way I was certainly not expecting at all.  

All in all if you are looking for a romance that dives into what happens after - then don't look any further then Surprise Me.

I have read other books by Sophie Kinsella and this is the first book that I have had trouble getting into. I didn't feel a connection with the characters at all, and was unable to finish the book.

Surprise Me was a well written, witty book that was filled with laughs. There were several parts in the book that I could have done without, but overall it was an entertaining story.

This was not one of my favorite books by Kinsella. By the end I was bored and skimming through. I didn’t feel connected to the characters or the story.