Surprise Me

by Sophie Kinsella

"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. 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"--

• ISBN10: 1432848747
• ISBN13: 9781432848743
• Publish Date: 7 February 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 December 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

In her author note at the end of this book, Kinsella wrote:

"While writing this book, I reflected a lot on longevity, loyalty, and partnership."

That statement really summed up the essence of this story for me.

Dan and Sylvie were at that stage in their relationship where they could finish each other's thoughts and predict what each would order at restaurants, but after being told by the doctor that they have 68 more years of marriage to look forward to, they began to worry about their future together. Thus, Project Surprise Me was born. However, in an effort to surprise each other, they may have uncovered some flaws and secrets in their marriage that they were unaware of.

Surprise Me had many of Kinsella's signature elements present. There was a lot of humor, warmth, and the everyday chaos of life. As with most of her novels, we had that "serious" part, but I will say, this one took me by surprise, because it was quite a weighty issue she included in the story, but this did not dominate the story the story for me.

My interest was won by all the wonderful characters Kinsella jammed in this book. Each was a delight in their own way, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. A stand out for me, was Sylvie's neighbor, John. He did now have a huge role in this book, but he was just dropping all sorts of beautiful truth bombs, and I wanted to wrap myself up in his words.

Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating.

This book presented a realistic look at relationships. They can be hard, and require work and sacrifice if you want them to flourish. This is true, whether it be a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a familial relationship.

Vincit qui se vincit, keeps running through my head. She conquers who conquers herself.

I also loved Sylvie's growth. It's so important for me to see that people can still grow and change even after thirty. Sylvie may have started Project Surprise Me to keep that spark in her marriage alive, but really, it injected a new spark into her life. She learned so much about herself, and the kind of woman she could be. I wanted to cheer when she became Sylvie in Charge.

And let's give Kinsella a round of applause for that ending. She always writes these wonderful endings, that leave me with a huge smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Sophie Kinsella is on a short list of authors, who I vow, if they write it I will read it, because I can count on her to deliver a humorous story with great characters, depth, and a lot of heart.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[chymerra]

Reading Surprise Me I thought that it was a book about a couple rediscovering themselves after drifting apart in their marriage. While it was that, I was not expecting it to be deeper. The blurb did hint at it but that hint barely scratches the surface of this book. Barely scratches it. Put it this way, I was surprised at what came out in this book.

Surprise Me starts off with Sylvie and Dan coming out of a Dr's appointment stunned. They had been told that they had 68 more years together. Shortly after that, Sylvie notices that Dan is very stressed out. That he is hiding things. He starts to come home late and is acting sneaky. After witnessing a moment between Dan and his ex-girlfriend at a dinner party and finding a secret cell phone, Sylvie comes to one conclusion. Dan is cheating on her. While Sylvie is dealing with her personal issues, she is also dealing with issues at work. Her boss's nephew has come and is making changes to the museum she works at. Sylvie's personal and work issues catch up with her. But, everything is not what they seem. The truth behind why Dan is acting the way he is and the nephew's changes will come out. Will Sylvie be able to handle the truth once it comes out? Or will she lose everything?

I liked Sylvie and thought she was hilarious. Her reaction to living with Dan for another 68 years would have been the same reaction I had. I was dying laughing when I read those scenes. I also felt bad for Sylvie. She had a breakdown when her father died. She hero-worshipped her father. The growth of her character during this book was amazing. She came into her own in all areas of her life. She went from this sheltered spoiled princess to a confident woman who could handle everything that was thrown at her. I loved it!! What I also liked is that she was willing to do anything to keep the spark in her marriage. Her "Surprise Me" take on that was very good. Except Dan kept one-upping her....lol.

I was with Sylvie with Dan cheating on her until she got to the lawyer's office. Then I had the same reaction that she did when confronted with the truth. I wanted to hug her. I also wanted to smack her mother upside the head. I thought she was a selfish person. 

I mentioned above that I liked Sylvie's transformation. It was not only physical (cutting her hair) but mental too. When she discovered the truth about things, it was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. I loved reading that.

The end of Surprise Me was wonderful. I loved seeing Sylvie's complete transformation. Her acceptance of everything was wonderful (she did have help). 

Surprise Me is written in 1st person and is told only from Sylvie's perspective. While I liked it, I do wish that the book flashed to Dan so we could get a hint at what was going on. Other than that, I loved the book. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16. While there is a couple of sex scenes, they aren't graphic. There is language, but it is mild. I would reread this book too.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Surprise Me.

All opinions stated in this review of Surprise Me are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**