review: surprise me by sophie kinsella

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I once saw an interview with a soap opera actress who said one reason the couples on the show always divorced was that happy couples were boring; that sentiment applies to Sylvie and Dan from Surprise Me. Sylvie and Dan have been together for ten years (married seven) and have twin daughters. They are blissfully happy until a doctor flippantly mentions they likely have another 68 years together. Rattled by this news, Sylvie decides they should spice things up by planning surprises for each other. It immediately goes wrong (which often provides some comedy), but they're still a near perfect couple until Sylvie becomes suspicious Dan and her mother have a secret and that Dan is also having an affair. That’s when the story finally starts to get going. A significant amount of the preceding chapters could’ve been cut in order to get to the news that rocks Sylvie’s core. Hinting at the storyline in the prologue saved the early boring chapters. The plot does pay off, but those early chapters drag; fortunately, Sophie Kinsella’s trademark humor shines throughout Surprise Me.
3/5
Review copy from Amazon Vine.