Sylvie Winter's terrible idea

I mean, really. Planned surprises are never a good idea.

Disclaimer - I write this review as a total newbie to the genre. I don't really read women's fiction, and am only just starting on commercial fiction in general. But when you go on holiday, you aim to get something that's easy to read and is a page-turner, something that keeps you busy for hours on end. And that's kind of exactly what Sophie Kinsella's new novel, Surprise Me, is.

At the time of writing, it's down to second place on the UK charts (while Eleanor Oliphant is now back up to third place again - can you believe this gal?), but Surprise Me burst into the public consciousness in first place just a short while ago. So here was little me going on holiday and I thought, let's give it a go.

It's quite a cute premise: Sylvie and her husband, Dan, make a dreamy couple, finishing each other's sandwiches (sentences) and the whole shebang. Then they attend a standard insurance health check and are told they're so damn healthy they'll probably get to be married for at least another 68 years. And then they panic (understandably). Sylvie's idea is to shake things up by constantly surprising each other with gifts, acts and the rest - but then, surprises can go two ways, and when they go wrong, they go really wrong. So there's your setup.

What did I like about it?

It's a very catchy story, first of all, and the language hits close to home. Her thought process, her acts, her ways - Sylvie is a very believable character (right up to the end, but more on that later). In fact, pretty much all characters are believable - or perhaps they just fit well into this type of story. The best friend, the best friend's witty son, the mean guy at work, the kind, smart neighbour. It's all there.

The story structure is solid, and the build-up keeps you turning pages. The inciting incident happens pretty much straight away, and you're hooked into the story with it. There are no boring bits, there's always something going on. Kinsella makes us feel what Sylvie feels throughout, and especially when jealousy kicks in (that's no spoiler). Then a little crazy. Then loads of crazy. We feel you Sylvie.

What was I not massively fond of?

Let's start at the end. The ending. It all ends with a completely expected twist - the only way you don't see it coming is if you haven't read the book - and a cheesy, romantic act on behalf of Sylvie, who at this point loses all credibility. All of a sudden, she takes charge. She can do everything. She's changed. Now that's just ugh. But on the other hand, why would you read a book like this if you didn't expect such an ending?

Another thing is, without giving away spoilers, I almost wish there wasn't a twist at the end, and everything we'd assumed throughout the book was true. Then we'd feel righteous. We'd feel justified. It could be one of those cases where a crazy woman was, for once, rightfully crazy. But not today, ladies.

There are also some speed bumps in the text that we could have done without, which clearly just move the plot forward but only help show the edges in an otherwise credible character. Some blurts. Some actions. Some coincidences. I think that, if Kinsella wanted to, she could easily get rid of these and go about it a bit smarter.

Overall...

This is, for me, an ideal beach read. It's not a complicated story. It's not something that requires 100% attention at all times. It gets saucy, too.

Women's fiction is not my cup of tea, but this is probably a great example of the genre, and kudos to Kinsella for writing so many great ones. I can see why she's successful. More books from Kinsella = more holidays for me.

8/10