This book surprised me a great deal. It begins a certain way, and ends in a completely different place than what I expected. I can't say much more because of spoilers, but I will say this: If you begin this book and can't seem to get past the beginning, keep going. Persevere. The ending is completely and totally worth the slower beginning.

My true rating would be 4.5 stars. It misses the 5 star because it took me a long time to get into the book and the story and connect with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this excellent novel.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my absolute favorite authors and when I heard this book was coming out I couldn't wait to read this beauty! This was such a fun storyline and I couldn't get enough of her writing, characters and the storyline!

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is the story of a married couple that decides to try surprising each other. This book is quite unlike other books that I have read from Ms Kinsella. I guess you could say that it surprised me! All the same, this book is quite serious and difficult to read at times. It definitely has fun parts. But it also has serious parts and good lessons about how to make marriage work. I thought it was a good read, even though it was not what I expected. I think that this book was a little too heavy for me to consider it a good beach read, but I would definitely recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

Super cute romp through the ups and downs of married life--and an unusual remedy for the boredom! Loved the way Kinsella wove in humor with her parenting profile and created hilarious adventures for her characters to grow through. Very fun read!

It starts a little slow--the premise seems too narrow to carry a novel--but it hits a stride and finishes strong.

Huge fan of Sophie Kinsella. This book was a light and full of fluff, but doable. It wasn't my favorite, but that's okay. There were moments of humor, but also some thought provoking sections as well. I do prefer the laugh out loud, fun times were had by all Sophie Kinsella stories of the past. This was outing was just different and not what I'm used to from her.

"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—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella.

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."

You can always count on Sophie Kinsella for some chick lit goodness!

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors! Whenever I pick up one of her books, I know I'm in for a good time and this was no different. Surprise Me had a slightly more mature vibe than SK's other standalone novels that I've loved--a married couple instead of a single young girl, and a love story about reigniting that spark instead of finding it for the first time. But the typical shenanigans ensued. I'm always impressed by the ending of her novels, how all the little strings come together to form a picture I didn't quite see coming.

A funny, enjoyable, entertaining read with a touch of heart!

My Review:

What I Liked:


Writing.


Characters. I've had a record of liking all of the characters that Kinsella creates (expect for the Shopaholic series, a series that I could not finish). And here is was not any different. I liked the main character, Sylvie and it was amazing to watch as her character transforms throughout the novel. The side characters were well crafted as well but I would have liked to see more of them or at least more of Dan. I felt like we focused mainly on Sylvie and not on other characters.


Humor. I tend to like Kinsella's style of humor. It is interesting how she always manages to put her characters in embarrassing situations that tend to be humorous. I did not laugh out loud but found myself grinning at parts.


What I Disliked:


Plot Structure. I enjoyed the majority of the novel expect for how the plot unraveled. I was also not a huge fan of the start of the novel. It got better as it went on but I don't think the 'Surprise Me' or the 68 years together aspect were needed, they seemed a bit cheesy.


I recommend checking out this quick and interesting read from Kinsella. Yet another well written contemporary from a great author.


My Rating:


4 Stars Out of 5 Stars

I just finished Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella.
“Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating. And so…not an achievement, my dear. Rather, a privilege.”
Witty, emotional, and extremely entertaining, I loved the message at the heart of this story: marriage is work, marriage is commitment, and marriage is putting your spouse before yourself. I laughed, I got emotional, and I smiled…a lot. This is the perfect Spring/Summer read, and as I’ve found, Kinsella never disappoints. Thank you @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this ARC.

What if you were told you had 68 years to live? Would it be enough time for you to do all the things you had planned? How would this knowledge impact your relationships?

When Sylvie and Dan receive this news they put into motion 'Project Surprise Me', in an attempt to keep their marriage exciting and fresh in the long years head. What ensues is a series of comic mishaps and misunderstandings but when a long buried secret is uncovered it threatens not only to derail Sylvie and Dan's plan but puts their entire relationship in jeopardy.

Another entertainingly fun and lighthearted read by a master of the genre.

Surprise Me by is like two different stories - the first a lighthearted one about spouses “rediscovering” each other and the other tackling the more serious questions of parents, children, spouses, relationships, and even mental health. The two didn't quite flow together for me. I am a little disappointed because I wanted the lighter, amusing story about two people rediscovering what brings them together in the first place.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/05/surprise-me.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

Surprise Me—Sophie Kinsella’s newest offering—does not disappoint. Kinsella specializes in the humor that pervades her writing and in quirky entertaining characters. This novel does contain those characters and her endearing way of writing, but also deals with a slightly darker plot twist. One of the main characters discovers a shocking fact about a family member. As the novel opens, Sylvie and Dan are planning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first meeting, which eventually culminated in marriage and 5-year-old twins. But first, the 32-year-olds need to attend an appointment for physicals. At the end of the appointment, the doctor tells them that they are in such good health there is a good chance that they will live to the age of 100 which means they might have another 68 years together. This news is slightly scary to them, so they decide to start surprising each other so their marriage doesn’t become boring. These surprises turn up some family skeletons and some family faithfulness. I always look forward to reading Kinsella who is a talented writer. I also have to honestly say, however, that this was not my favorite of her novels. Sylvie seemed very naive if loveable—credulously so. Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel and for allowing me to review it.

Kinsella's story of a couple who try to spice up their marriage by surprising one another is by turns laugh out loud hilarious and emotionally moving. A great read.

I thought this was a charming, humorous look at what can happen when a couple feels their relationship has gotten too predictable. There were moments of seriousness, as there should be in every marriage and good book, and the characters were all well written and well developed. This book kept me interested throughout, and even for a book that was a little bit of a light read, there were plenty of moments of tension.

I already loved this author's work. This book was no different. It was a great read and had plenty of twists along the way.
One can not assume that they know any other person completely. One's memory of events tends to be one sided and not always the true picture.

Very light hearted take on marriage. and letting your imagination get away from you. I enjoyed the book but didn't love all the silliness

I've always been a big fan of Sophie Kinsella so I was super jazzed when I was given an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I enjoyed this book and following along on Sylvie's adventure. Towards the beginning, I got a little annoyed with her surprises (she's hopeless) and the whole "affair" thing. I found myself more captivated by the family secrets and the work drama. Again, overall an enjoyable read!

Sophie Kinsella doesn't disappoint in this one! It's a light and funny read, perfect for your beach vacation or curled up in your chair on a rainy day. The characters attempts to surprise each other are funny and sweet for the most part. My only issue with this one (and it's a small one) is that the couple in the story react badly after learning they are healthy and they will live a long time. They start to question their relationship and their day to day life together and apart. It's just a bit farfetched to me. Overall thought, it's a funny story and I love how it ends up!

I found this story of a couple contemplating many, many years of marriage ahead and wondering how to make it work and keep it fresh and happy to be very enjoyable. The characters are all likeable and believable and I found the dialogue and relationship dynamics very realistic. It was both funny and heartwarming.