Review: Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and 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 anothersixty-eight years... and panic sets in.

They quickly decide to create little surprises for each other, to keep their relationship fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me - anything from unexpected gifts to restaurant dates to photo shoots - mishaps arise with disastrous and comical results.

Gradually, the surprises turn to shocking discoveries. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all...

Review: I know I say this every time I start reading a new Sophie Kinsella novel but it is always such a joy and such a comfort to be back in her world and in her writing again. I know when I pick up a Sophie Kinsella book, I am in safe hands. And the feeling of comfort that I felt as soon as i dived into this book was just like that. I loved being back in a world where there is humour and feeling and just great characters and a great story. 

This novel was really not everything I expected it to be though. I thought the premise was great and I loved everything that was going on between Dan and Sylvie, I loved the way they interacted in their marriage and with their friends and neighbours and then about two thirds of the way into the book, the storyline takes a whole different direction and it was me that was very surprised, never mind either of them. Now don't think that this meant that I didn't enjoy the book, the direction the storyline went in was a little darker that the first two thirds, but it was really intriguing and I read that whole last third in one big gulp, but it was really really unexpected!

Sylvie was a great character to lead this novel. She is completely relatable and has insecurities about her personal and professional life just like all of us. She is a mother and a wife but that isn't her only identity and I loved the fact that she asserted this throughout the novel. She provides some real comedy moments throughout the book, but because she is so real we have real sympathy and a real concern for her as well. Dan is one of those characters you love one moment, then hate the next, I think we really get to know him through Sylive's eyes and I really loved the ending that he got in this novel.

Despite the fact that this novel takes a turn in a different direction from the one I was expecting I really did enjoy it. I found myself furiously turning the pages, wanting to know what was going to happen to Sylive next. I laughed out loud in public and cried a little at the ending. It was really everything I look for in a book, but don't be expecting to come away from this one without a few surprises of your own! 

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