Title: Surprise Me
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Published: February 12th 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Pages: 368
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
RRP: $32.99
Rating: 5 stars
NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Sophie Kinsella’s emotionally charged, witty new standalone novel about love and long-term relationship survival – and how those we think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most . . .
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 another sixty-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…
Mrs R’s review:
Surprise Me is the eighth stand-a-lone by the popular Shopaholic series author, Sophie Kinsella. I have been a long-time fan of Sophie’s chic lit books from the very beginning as her stories are good for a giggle and make the world feel a little brighter. Lately though, her books have missed the mark for me so it was with a little trepidation that I started Surprise Me. Surprise Me is a major, much needed departure, from Sophie’s previous novels about single woman meeting their one true love with many expected bumps along the way. This time her protagonist is a happily married 32 year old woman, Sylvie. Her husband of ten years is Dan and they have completed their family with twin girls in England. Things are going well as a family and as a couple until a routine trip is made to the doctor. Due to good health and genetics, Sylvie and Dan are told they could have a life expectancy (and marriage) of another 68 years. Yes, 68 years. Though both Sylvie and Dan believed in ‘until death do us part’, the truth of the statement hadn’t hit them until this moment in their relationship. As a married woman, I could understand and relate to the shock and disbelief that they are feeling. Interestingly, some reviewers said they thought the storyline was silly as the couple was happy. I then wondered whether being married or single effected the readers opinion…Either way, Sylvie and Dan react like any other married couple could. They panic, deciding that they need to keep their marriage interesting. To do this, they plan surprises for each other, aka Project Surprise Me. As Sylvie’s close friend predicts, the surprises inevitable go wrong, leading to some very funny moments. Unfortunately, these funny moments become bigger then they are and end up threatening a once stable marriage. I very much felt for Sylvie and Dan as they try to find their way back to each other and a happy marriage. This is a wonderful reminder to those in a relationship to not take one another for granted but also that if something isn’t broke, it doesn’t need to be fixed. Maybe just tweaked!
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella was published on February 12th 2018 by Penguin Books Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Surprise Me, Sophie Kinsella visit here.
