Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

Synopsis:
After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades.

In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprises, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all.

With a colorful, eccentric cast of characters, razor-sharp observations, and her signature wit and charm, Sophie Kinsella crafts a humorous, yet thoughtful portrait of a marriage and shines a light on the danger of not looking past the many layers of the ones you love to discover how infinitely fascinating--and surprising--they truly are.

Publishing C.O.: The Dial Press

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2018

Rating: ★★(2.8)

Review:

I received this book from Netgalley and The Dial Press in exchange for my honest review & 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.

My Not So Perfect Life By: Sophie Kinsella

Description:

Part love story, part workplace dramedy, part witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world, this is New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella’s most timely and sharply observed novel yet.

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. The final, demeaning straw comes when Demeter makes Katie dye her roots in the office. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she’s desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

Sophie Kinsella is celebrated for her vibrant, relatable characters and her great storytelling gifts. Now she returns with all of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her bestsellers to spin this fresh, modern story about presenting the perfect life when the reality is far from the image.

Publishing Co.: Random House Publishing - The Dial Press
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2017
Date Started: Jan. 14, 2017

Date Completed: Jan. 22, 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

     I requested and received this advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Seeing that this was my first ever Sophie Kinsella read I absolutely adored this, and I don't usually read from the Contemporary genre but I've just heard so many good things about this author I had to see for myself what all the hype was about and I was not at all disappointed!

     Character wise, Katie to me was struggling with some identity issues by trying to mold herself into the "perfect" person but at the same time trying to run away from and hide who she truly was. While I was reading from her the phrase "The grass isn't always greener on the other side" came to mind. Demeter, Katie's boss, strikes me as this person whose life could seem so perfect on the outside, might not be so perfect on the inside. I can definitely see why everyone hated Demeter but also how they could be misunderstanding her, too. Sure she is definitely bitchy but that can also be confused with her being a perfectionist and competitive over her job title.

Overall, the office drama as well as her personal life drama was going haywire and I loved it so much to the point where I actually caught myself laughing out loud at moments. I loved the internal monologue I was presented with, It felt so real as if I was really reading Katie's mind first hand but also it was really entertaining. I also loved how every character was introduced to me, it wasn't too brief but it didn't drag on too long either. I was so relieved and thankful for how Katie's love-life-relationships were handled as well as her family relationships. I was overjoyed that there was not an instant love connection nor an old flame rekindling session.

The only thing that I found just a bit annoying was how much the word "loo" was used but that's just not MY normal dialect so it's not something that at all drastically changed my opinion of the book.

I was very happy and satisfied with the ending and all in all, this book left me off with a smile on my face. I think this would be a really good recommended read for anyone looking for something quick and entertaining but also for anyone looking to enter into the Contemporary world.