I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella. So when I saw the opportunity to review her new book, I jumped at it. I was certain I would love it. I've read all of her books (some 2 or 3 times). This book started slowly for me. Her usual wit was somehow lacking and I had to push myself to continue reading, certain that it would be great like her other books. It picked up after about 50 pages. The premise of the story is that what once seemed like a great marriage, suddenly seems boring after learning that they will live much longer than they had anticipated. Thus the "surprise me" challenge. After some rather questionable attempts at surprising each other, the wife (Jane) discovers that her husband is keeping secrets from her. This is where the book really takes off for me. Jane begins to question every nuance of her husband's behavior and even takes to following him around. Ultimately, the surprises are revealed and they are unexpected and make her question everything. Sadly, for me at least, this book didn't fulfill its potential. The comic relief felt too forced. As I mentioned earlier in this review, I love Ms. Kinsella's books. I especially appreciate those later works that rely more on the dynamics of relationships than on comedic relief. I gave this book 3 stars because I think it's a great premise and the ending is totally unexpected.

Not as entertaining as her Shopaholic series, which I love, but it was a good story overall that makes you think about the challenges that you face over a lifetime. It did have parts that made me laugh and parts that were very serious. I enjoyed it overall.

I have always truly enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham books and was so pleased to be able to read an advanced copy of Surprise Me. This stand alone book is about marriage and trust and reading the story, I felt like I could be friends with the characters especially Dan. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my e-copy in exchange for my review.

There are approximately10 authors who's books I read without question. I don't bother to read the synopsis, I just sink my teeth into it and trust that I will be entertained. When given the opportunity to read Kinsella's newest book, I jumped at the chance. I was enchanted from the start.
Sylvie and Dan have been together for 10. They have lovely twin daughters, a happy marriage and a great life but when they are told that they can expect to live another 68 years panic sets in for both parties. That's nearly 7 more decades together! How will they survive? Will their marriage withstand it? Will they get bored of one another? How will they manage?
They devise a plan to keep things interesting, Operation "Surprise Me". They make a plan to surprise one another and it leads to some funny and entertaining moments. There are twists, sexy bits and good laughs.
Surprise Me is a wee bit different from Kinsella's other novels. The writing is different and there is a level of mystery but she succeeded in creating a great cast of characters and a charming story.

4.5 stars
Surprise me is a funny well-written novel with quirky characters, witty dialogue and a unique plot. I’ve read several of Sophie Kinsella’s books, and she never fails to spin a funny tale. Although her books are a little over-the-top, as well as her latest one, Surprise Me, they never fail to make me laugh. The first half of this book is a bit silly, but the second half is anything but; it’s emotional, character-driven, and utterly absorbing.

Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, a loving marriage, and twin five-year-old girls. However, after their GP mentioned that they could live long enough to be married for another sixty-eight years, Dan and Sylvie began to panic. Neither one of them could fathom being married to the same person for that length of time. So the two of them started to brainstorm for ideas to spice of their marriage and keep it fresh, for their long-expected years together. The two decide that surprising one another with exciting adventures, loving gestures, and romantic outings, was the way to go. The problem was, though, that sometimes, surprises don’t have the expected positive outcome that a person is looking for; something Dan and Sylvie would soon discover.

Sylvie thought she knew her husband thoroughly, but to her surprise, she learned that there was a lot that she didn’t know about Dan. When family secrets were on the verge of being exposed, Sylvie and Dan became stressed to the max. Marriage isn’t always easy, as most couples discover, but then again, nothing worthwhile and precious usually is. Loving someone is looking for the good in that person, and never losing sight of what they mean to you.

Surprise Me is a well-written and thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you, Dial Press and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I loved it!

After last year's fantastic My Not So Perfect Life, I had such high hopes for Surprise Me. It seemed like Kinsella has shrugged off the absolute disaster that the Shopaholic books have become and gotten her groove back. I was so excited to read another fun, fabulous, old-school-chick-lit, fluffy masterpiece and instead, I got, well, surprised.

Surprise Me tells the story of Sylvie and Dan, the happiest couple who never communicate that ever did exist. It all starts out when they go for an insurance checkup and the doctor tells them they can both expect to live another 68 or so years. Worried they'll get bored with each other, they decide to start surprising each other with random gifts and activities to keep things fresh. Along the way they have to work out the wallpapered-over cracks in their marriage and learn to be honest with each other.

I wanted to love this book but just couldn't. Sylvie is so... I don't know. She's just such a waste for most of the book. I found myself wanting to scream at her. If it had been possible to reach into the book, take her by the shoulders and shake her, I would have. And Dan. Dan's not much better. Dude. If you're going to have a secret cell phone and be moody and defensive and never tell your wife anything, you can't get pissed if she accuses you of having an affair.

The entire plot of the book could have been dealt with in less than 10 pages if these two characters had been half as in-sync as Sylvie spends the first few chapters wanting us to believe they are.

Still, the end was nice and there is a lot of character development which is always good when the characters have been so incredibly frustrating for most of the book. I still love Kinsella and (most of) her books.

I love Sophie Kinsella, she is by far one of my favorite authors. This one didn't feel like a Kinsella book to me though. I didn't love the plot or characters as I normally do & could barely finish the book.

Surprise Me didn't keep my interest although the characters are terrific. I think its a stage of life thing that I don't connect with the situation

I love Sophie’s writing and this was one of my favorites! It did start off a little slower than most of her books which wasn’t a plus however as the story progressed it became a much easier and more exciting read. I loved the family chemistry Sylvie and Dan had. It is a wonderful story about the meaning of family. Don’t put down this book if you don’t get into it right away.

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.

3.5 stars
This book reminds me of a Lifetime movie, mindless entertainment perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. As always, Sophie Kinsella delivered with her fun and quirky characters! The book begins when a happily married couple, Sylvie and Dan, visit their Doctor for a routine physical for their life insurance policies. After finding out that they are both extremely healthy and have long life spans, they begin to freak out about the possibility of spending sixty eight more years together. Their solution to avoid falling into a stagnant marriage is to start spontaneously surprising each other with gifts and special dates. Spicing things up sounds like the perfect solution, right?! Well this plan sounded good in theory but they run into a bunch of hiccups along the way and actually begin to complicate their marriage with each surprise. Is their marriage as solid as Sylvie once thought?! As the distractions start to multiple by adding former friends/lovers, a family scandal, work, and kids to the mix, will their marriage survive the aftermath of these surprises? Sylvie reminds me of one of my close friends and I really enjoyed hearing the story from her perspective. I was pulling for her the whole time!
This is a fun, lighthearted read for the “Shopaholic” fan (myself included) who will hopefully devour this on the beach with a pina colada in hand.

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.