Book Review: Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: The Dial Press
Release Date: February 13, 2018
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
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.
When Sophie and her husband Dan’s doctor gives them a clean bill of health at their annual check-ups and tells them they could conceivably live another 68 years, they panic. They are already so in sync that they finish each other’s sentences and anticipate each other’s actions on a regular basis. How will they keep from getting bored with each other over the next 68 long years? They decide they must start surprising each other on a regular basis and they must start immediately. Because this is a Sophie Kinsella novel, none of their surprises for one another goes as planned, with humorous results.
I’ll admit that when I started this book, I was mad at Dan and Sophie. As someone with a multitude of health problems who will definitely not live another 68 years, I found them to be extremely ungrateful. And I thought that the premise that they freaked out about spending the next 68 years being in a relationship with the same person weird. That’s marriage folks, whether you have five or one-hundred years left.
Luckily, the freaking out and surprising each other didn’t last too long. After one of his surprises for Sophie, Dan becomes distant and secretive. Sophie must find out what has happened to turn her perfect husband into a stranger. Not only does Sophie have to deal with that, the non-profit where she works is struggling. How much more can she take?
After getting off to a somewhat silly start, Surprise Me took a fairly serious turn as Sophie tried to figure out what was going on with Dan. That was a mystery to me as well and I could not figure it out. I was just as surprised as Sophie when it was revealed.
There was some comic relief in Sophie’s friend and neighbor Tilda and her son Toby. Still, I don’t think this book is as light as a remember Shopaholic being. Of course, it’s been a long time since I read that – pre-blog!
If you pick up this book expecting a fun chick-lit book, you might be disappointed. However, if you’re in the mood for something just a bit darker and mysterious but not too heavy, this would be a good choice.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
