Book Review: “Surprise Me” by Sophie Kinsella

“Surprise Me” by Sophie Kinsella (2018)

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Page Length: 448 pages (electronic review copy)

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 Surprise Me, 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. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

I’ve been a big fan of Kinsella’s since reading her Shopaholic series and her standalone novels so when I saw she had a new release I knew I had to read it. Like most of her novels, this is contemporary romance that explores relationships. The couple, Dan and Sylvie, are the main characters of the novel. They’ve been together for ten years (married for seven) and they have two children. They have come to a roadblock in their marriage where they realize how significant “till death do us part means”.

Their marriage is at a stand still, lives are routine, and everything about their relationship has become mundane. Sylvie comes up with a “surprise me” project in order to spice up their love lives. The surprises while thoughtful and well-intentioned still don’t always go off with a bang. Its gives the story an entertainment factor plus its realistic. We see how this project affects Dan and Sylvie and how it brings their good and bad points to light in their relationship

The book is comedic and lighthearted for the most part.. As the story moves along we learn more about the couple and why their relationship has drastically shifted. And as Sylvie looks for other in advice for marriage she sees all of the negative couples around her and that begins to weigh on her mind. On the outside they have the appearance of the perfect couple but they have problems like everyone else. I felt if they had been more honest with each other than some of the negative feelings toward each other wouldn’t have gotten to a certain point. But everything is not as it seems and everything is explained in due time.

This was a cute novel. It was not my favorite Kinsellla’s best standalone novel since it was a bit too fluffy for my liking and needed more substance. I did enjoy the realistic characters, the overall story line,and how it explored the theme of marriage.

Final Verdict: