I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the blurb I expected this to be a comedy of errors, a book about a couple looking to spice up their marriage by surprising each other. In a way, this is exactly what this book is about, the surprises that they come up with. But Sylvie and Dan’s story is more complicated than that, written in a way that is both evocative of the author Sophie Kinsella, but also with her other nom de plume, Madeline Wickham.

This is really a story about how Sylvie grows up. It’s told entirely from the perspective of Sylvie, and when we find her it doesn’t take the reader long to realize that she’s a bit naive. Perhaps some of it she owns, she’s been easily moulded by influences around her, Mummy, Mrs Kendrick, and especially her Father. But as the book progresses we see that two characters, Dan and her mother, have also contributed to the situation. They’ve underestimated her.

We watch Sylvie struggle and then eventually break through. She becomes the woman she’s been hinting at being. I wanted to clap and shout hurrah when it happened. It was brilliant to read.

It’s another amazing book by Sophie Kinsella. I’ve read most of her previous works, and they’ve made me laugh out loud and cry variously. This one, it can do both. It’s a beautifully told story, with amazing secondary characters as well as a frustratingly wonderful main character. I can’t recommend it enough, and I will be curious whether other people find it an interesting intersection between the two authors that are Sophie Kinsella.

This book Surprise Me I wasn't sure if it was going to be exciting to read. It had a lot of intrigue but I was worried it wouldn't keep me wanting to keep flipping the page. Boy was I wrong this book had some many twist and turns in a good way. It keeps you guessing until the end. I give props to Dan and Sylvie and journey they take us on. I love how us the readers got to go on an incredible journey. You will definitely want to read this book and recommend you your friends!! I will!!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan so I was excited to read her latest book. Sylvia and Dan are a perfect couple. After a few years of marriage and twin daughters, they are still in love and can finish each other's sentences. When a doctor tells them they are both in such good health they could be together for at least another 60+ years, they start to panic wondering how they could stay in love for that long. This leads them to challenge each other to try to surprise each other to keep their relationship fresh. At first the surprises are hilarious and sweet but then all the funny secrecy turns to suspicion and doubt. There is so much more to this story than one might guess from a quick glance. This was a really surprising novel!

Surprise Me is another delightful Sophie Kinsella novel, this time a married chicklit novel instead of a hot mess single girl story. It’s quite hard to write this review, because if you like the sort of exaggerated characters and chicklit charm of her other novels, she’s done it again. And if not, well, skip it.

When Sylvie and her husband Dan are told they have decades of married life ahead of them, everything in their companionable relationship suddenly starts to feel stale and constricting. Or at least it does to Sylvie, who decides that they should try surprising each other to keep the excitement alive.

Actually, the surprise I want from my husband is that he actually put ALL the dishes in the dishwasher AND adds soap AND turns it on, but I guess some people like presents and whatever. Their surprises are fairly typical with sitcom-y results, but the cheery, gossipy writing style keeps pages turning.

The surprises start making other aspects of her life, like her mom’s endless jewelry-sales and MLM “parties” and Sylvie’s adorably old-fashioned fundraising job for an adorably old-fashioned historical home also require examining. Plus, there are some wild skeletons in the family closets. Everything works out in the end, with new job prospects and a renewed relationship, just as we expected. As always, the chatty style and quirky secondary characters are a delight.

I have loved reading Sophie Kinsella's books in the past. This book is different from her usual stories. I could not relate to the heroine of this story. She was too self absorbed & I could not relate to her character. I ended up skipping the middle sections of this book. I was ready to quit, when I read the other reviews & they said the book was better at the end. I read the ending & it was definitely different than what I was expecting. If you are Sophie Kinsella fan then check the book out.

Sylvie & Dan seem to have the perfect life twin girls great jobs but it's all about to unravel ..... Great characters - amusing story line in the usual great style of Sophie Kinsella,

This was a good book, and I actually enjoyed it more than other Sophie Kinsella books I have read. In the beginning, you meet Sylvie and Dan, a couple who are happily married with twin daughters. It is apparent that Sylvie has led a bit of a charmed life and has been pampered by her father. They are very close, to the point where they start worrying that there will be no more surprises in their marriage. So, they decide to start surprising each other, which leads to some small misunderstandings. In the middle of the book, Sylvie starts to become uncomfortable with some of Dan's behavior, and as that happens I really started to not like Dan. The question becomes, "How well do you REALLY know the people in your life?" It became a little hard for me to read, but I am glad I stuck with it. Because of this section, I am not sure I would qualify it totally as a "fun" read, but it was on the lighter side.

What ultimately happens is that Sylvie learns to truth about some of the things from her past, and starts to see the people in her life in a new light. She grows as a person, and I liked her so much better at the end of the book.

I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s novels, so I was excited to get my hands on her latest novel, Surprise Me. And I definitely was surprised by what was inside!

Surprise Me has a different feel from Sophie’s other novels. Yes, it has a lot of light and funny moments, but then it takes an interesting turn that I wasn’t expecting at all. There’s an element of mystery that goes along with it.

I enjoyed reading about Sylvie, as I felt I could relate to her a lot. Her job even reminds me of my own in some ways. She was a sympathetic character whom I found myself caring about a lot. The only thing I wish she hadn’t done was refer to her parents as “Mummy” and “Daddy.” It sounded so child-like for a 32 year-old.

I don’t want to say too much more as to not give any of the premise away. It’s an easy book to pick up, but difficult to put down, especially once you get into the thick of it. It has Sophie’s trademark charm, with some of her Madeleine Wickham side slipping through. It’s a thoughtful book about how well we know the ones we love most.

Dream movie cast:
Sylvie: Teresa Palmer
Dan: Richard Madden
Robert: Dan Stevens
Tilda: Toni Collette
Mary: Charlotte Le Bon
Sylvie's mom: Judy Davis
Toby: Daniel Portman

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love Sophie Kinsella, but this is not one of my favorites. It has the snarky, sarcastic charm I expect, but the story didn't grab. Parts of the book confused me. It is enjoyable overall. I think I just had different expectations.

“If life is like a box of chocolates, then getting married is like choosing a chocolate and saying, “That’s it, done,” and slamming the lid closed. When you make your vows, what you’re basically saying is: “That’s all I want, ever.”

Sylvie and Dan are a typical couple with a nice home and twin daughters who decide that they need surprises in their lives to help them sustain the long future of being together until death does them apart. They question if marriage should be only one flavor in a box of chocolates FOREVER.

As in all of Sophia Kinsella's novels, I felt as if Sylvie is sitting with me at a dinner party, speaking in her English accent, and we are laughing through out the entire story. As her story progresses I felt I could relate to her experiences and feelings; possibly reacting as she did when she findS out that she cannot always judge people by their actions and as a result giving herself permission to find herself. I believe her situation lead both her and Dan to see the true surprise in themselves and their marriage.

Although there are parts of the book which dragged, because I thought I was reading a typical “couple goes wrong” story, but the ending proved me wrong. There is so much more to the story that I needed to be reminded as in Sylvie to not judge a book by it's cover,


Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Once again Sophie Kinsella brings humor and depth to a life that the reader can indemnify with.
At an annual check, Sylvie and Dan get high marks and get an estimated sixty something years together. This caused the couple to really start to look at their life What will they do with all that time? Can they stay together that long? Sylvie starts Project Surprise Me where the two will have little surprises to keep their marriage fresh. This stirs up happiness, laughter, tears and more than Sylvie could ever imagine.
I love Sylve. She has real human fears and makes human mistakes. But each moment is fresh with humor while still looing at the truth of the world. How are we s couples adapting to longer life spans?
Surprise Me looks at the question with humor and heart. Another fun journey from the writer of the Shopaholic series.

This started slow, but there was a tipping point, after which I absolutely HAD to know what happened, and so I stayed up way too late finishing it. I really enjoyed it, ultimately, and I think it'll be a good recommend for our patrons.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I read many of Sophie Kinsellas books – and stopped a few years ago. When I read “Surprise me” I remembered why.

I was bored to death. When I read the shopaholic series it was a new funny twist – an overexcited young woman, a little bit superficial, there were these small explanations bracketed. But then there was a point when it was not funny anymore. It was unnerving. When I read a series, I expect a character developing. So I stopped.

But now for “Surprise me”.

I started reading and I was annoyed. There was this woman Sylvie – married for 7 years with Dan, with twin girls. And I should believe, that everything she was concerned about is whether she should wear a bow on her shoes or a floral printed dress? And when they were told at a doctors appointment, that – depending on the typical lifespan today – she and her husband have to expect to be married for probably 69 years this fact causes a kind of crisis. And they try to fight this crisis with expensive surprises. Hallo? How would they afford this kind of surprises for decades? And the story centers about shopping (again). And about surprises going wrong.

Normally I would not finish reading the book. Because I don’t want to waste my time.

So – the first half of “Surprise me” received just 2 stars.

I am happy that I continued reading, because the second half of the book was much more interesting, with – no – I will not spoiler – a secret from the past. Despite I cannot understand the way the hero and heroine handle everything, it was interesting to read and it shows some kind of character development.
So the second half was entertaining and I hand out 4 stars

Totaled up I give 3 stars.

Surprise Me is a fun jaunt through the lives of Sylvie and Dan, who have just found out that their marriage, according to statistics, will probably last 68 more years. As they purpose to surprise each other in ways that will keep their marriage fresh, Sylvie discovers a huge surprise, which makes her reevaluate her life and her marriage. This story will appeal to young, working moms who may identify with the struggle to keep love alive when "real life" hits hard. I liked it because the story is compelling and fun. It would be a great vacation or holiday read!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this book very much. The story was interesting and humorous. A seemingly happily married couple come to the realization that they have another 68 years of marital bliss to look forward to. They try to spice up their marriage. Meanwhile, Sylvie, the main character has to face some disturbing information about her family. I enjoyed the plot and the main characters and didn’t want the book to end.

Surprise Me gave me so much anxiety reading it that I started and finished it when I should have been sleeping. I needed a satisfying ending or I was going to question everything about my 12 year marriage. THAT MUCH ANXIETY. Thankfully my marriage is safe and I thoroughly enjoyed the immersive reading experience of Surprise Me.

This book is funny. There was a couple of times that I laughed out loud at my work's break room. The surprises that the husband and wife set up for each other backfires so spectacularly. There is a great twist in the end that I was happy with because it wasn't that the husband was cheating on her. Instead it was something that made a great deal with sense.

Some plot points were predictable. However, the message was clear and important.

I was so excited to receive a copy of this book to read and review. I love Sophie Kinsella’s books and couldn’t wait to read this one.

In this book, Sylvie and Dan have been happily married for 10 years, have twin daughters, and are living a good life. They visit the doctor for their annual physicals and he tells them they will live a long time, they’re both so healthy. When they figure out they will be married for 68 more years, it throws them into a tailspin because it seems like forever and how on earth will they manage?

At first, they try to surprise each other to keep things interesting but ultimately this doesn’t work out and over the course of the story, Sylvie realizes that she just needs to keep being fascinated with Dan as she sees something new about him daily.

I loved Sylvie. She reminds me of the zany Becky Bloomfield of the Shopaholic series. I loved watching her shed her Princess Sylvie, daddy’s little girl persona and become her own woman, too.

This is a really fun book. I loved it and highly recommend it!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have also had the pleasure of reviewing My Not So Perfect Life and couldn't wait to read Surprise Me. Sophie Kinsella, you've done it again! I absolutely adore your writing and your words make me smile. (If you haven't listened to one of Kinsella's books, I highly recommend it, especially if narrated by Jayne Entwistle.)

This witty and at times emotional novel takes a closer look at marriage and how we can still be surprised by those we think we know best. Sylvie and Dan have been together for ten blissful years. They have a lovely home life complete with twin girls, fulfilling careers, and an envy worthy relationship. A trip to the doctor predicts that they will live for another 68 years—this gives new meaning to "until death us do part" when it spans seven more decades together.

To keep the marriage alive, Project Surprise Me is born. The couple will surprise each other to keep things fresh and exciting. But is seems that each "surprise" exposes the flaws in their relationship and drives them apart.

Sylvie seemingly enjoys her work at a museum even though there are some pretty archaic systems in place—the owner, Mrs. Kendrick resists technology and Sylvie chalks this up to as charming. Mrs. Kendrick's nephew, Robert, takes an interest in the operations of the museum and questions their methods and systems. Is he trying to close down the museum and turn it into two-bedroom condos?

Facing changes both personally and professionally, Sylvie experiences a tremendous amount of growth. She adored her late father and has kept up the Princess Sylvie persona he created as a way to honour him, when in actual fact, she is doing herself and her family a disservice because she is not being true to herself.

I fell in love with the supporting cast of characters, this is really where Kinsella excels at writing. The tender exchanges between Sylvie's neighbours John and Owen were some of the most beautiful writing in the book. One of my favourite quotes is when John says "Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating."

Kinsella's latest work is charming, thoughtful, and simply delightful.