I've Got Your Number

by Sophie Kinsella

[Leah]

I love Sophie Kinsella. She is hands down my favourite author ever. No author comes close. Yes, there are other authors I love very much (Paige Toon, Jane Costello, Ruth Saberton, Miranda Dickinson) but Kinsella is streets ahead. I have loved every. single. book. she has ever published. That is 10 novels that have all been books I can read again, and again, and again. So it’s fair to say that when I heard Sophie K was back this year with I’ve Got Your Number I was ridiculously, insanely excited. And when I saw it on Netgalley, I nearly screamed in excitement. Mind you, it was an anxious wait to see if I’d be approved (something in the vein of “Just HOW LONG does it take a publisher to APPROVE a request?!?!?!”) so when I was finally, finally approved I started it immediately (duh). Two weeks later (work, long story) and at 1 a.m. in the morning, I finally finished I’ve Got Your Number and OH EM GEE, I loved it.

It was tempting to let me review go something along the lines of this: “jghsjgbjfskgbvdlfjdk” because that is how I’ve Got Your Number made me feel. It made me giddy, it made me laugh, it made me smile and it made me fall in love with reading again during a time where reading has not been a top priority, sadly. Kinsella just has the magic touch, at least as far as I’m concerned. I never, ever worry that she will write a stinker. It just doesn’t happen. And with I’ve Got Your Number she’s on tip-top form as her (somewhat hapless) heroine Poppy ends up losing a very precious engagement ring, stealing someone’s phone (although it was in a bin and therefore anyone could have it…) and sort of meddling in the life of Sam Roxton, who owns said phone. As you do. Obviously. I mean it’s genius!!! Bonkers, a bit unrealistic perhaps, but genius! In a world full of technology, in a world full of mobile phones you do wonder why it’s taken so long for an author to go “Hey, how about we have our heroine steal/borrow a mobile phone and mess up someone’s life?”. It’s GENIUS! It’s ripe for comedy and Kinsella pulls it off effortlessly.

Poppy immediately becomes an instant hit, joining Becky, Emma, Lara, Lexi and Samantha as a heroine you love, a heroine you root for and a heroine you feel close to. And Sam Roxton! Oh, Sam Roxton… I admit, as much as I love Kinsella’s other heroes, they’ve never gotten close to Luke Brandon. I LOVE Luke Brandon. But Sam Roxton BEATS Luke Bradon! They’re somewhat built from the same model – a bit scary at times (particularly when angry/annoyed and I mean scary in a good way), with gorgeous smiles and witty retorts but SAM BEATS LUKE. I never, ever thought I’d say that anyone would beat Luke Brandon! It’s Luke Brandon! But I loved Sam. The way he and Poppy bounced off each other as Poppy constantly interfered in his life was just hilarious and sweet and lovely and it did mean that Poppy’s fiance Magnus did get somewhat left to the side, frankly. I honestly didn’t much care for any of the side characters, they were there to sort of flesh the book out, to stop it being just Sam and Poppy but I wouldn’t have minded the whole book being just Sam and Poppy, because the banter, the chat, the interference was excellent and highly readable and it did feel a bit of a wrench whenever we moved away from those two.

I’ve Got Your Number is just Kinsella at her best. She’s created such a readable novel, with such a convincing plot and the characters are just immense. Sam and Poppy are just brilliant. Yes, there are other strands to the novel in the shape of Poppy’s wedding, and her job as a physiotherapist but the bulk of the novel is Sam and Poppy and Sam’s mobile phone. The writing is up there, as it always is with Kinsella, and it’s just another home run for Sophie. She just can’t do no wrong and I’m so sad that I’ve finished it. I read it on my e-reader and I can’t wait for my hardback copy to dispatch so I can re-read it. That is how good it was. I can’t WAIT to re-read it, even though I have a mountain of books to read that is scary-high. Kinsella fans will lap it up. I mean, my review is pointless and should just read, “Read it” because basically, Kinsella can do no wrong and I’ve Got Your Number is Kinsella at her very, very best and it’s just brilliant. Just brilliant.