Surprise Me

Author: Sophie Kinsella Publisher: Bantam Press ISBN: 9780593074800

I HAVE always found author Kinsella’s work to be breezy, amusing and a generally entertaining read. But I have mixed feelings about Surprise Me.

Perhaps it’s the subject matter, which I find hard to relate to. It lacks something for me, and is a tad offputting.

Imagine a couple who are so in love and in sync with each other that they can finish each other’s sentences, and are blessed with beautiful twin girls to boot.

What have they to complain about, right?

Well, during a routine checkup, they discover that they are in excellent health and given their good genes, the doctor predicts that they probably have another 68 years together... and they freak out.

Worried about being unable to sustain the relationship, they decide to create little surprises for each other to keep things fresh and fun.

All good, except in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me – from u n e x pected gifts to date nights and dubious photo shoots – their obsession with the little things all create mishaps that run towards disastrous results. When small surprises turn into big shocks, they find out more about each other than they would have liked.

The book starts off a little shakily but fortunately, it jumps back on track towards the end, making it still a good read.