Wedding Night

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
3.5/5 stars
The Dial Press, 2013
446 pages
Adult "Chick-Lit"

Source: Received a copy from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Although I don't much like the Shopaholic series, I have loved most of Kinsella's standalones so I was excited to pick this one up. Further adding to that was the knowledge that it featured sisters. Unfortunately my sister put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm when she said she was not impressed with this book but I think she was being too hard on it as I had a lot of fun with it.

I think a big part of your enjoyment will stem from whether or not you can tolerate someone meddling in the affairs of someone else. This often irks me but when I read about a sister thinking she knows what is best for her five years younger sister, I'm pretty sympathetic (guess how much younger my sister is than me?) And in this case, Fliss has some good reasons for being concerned for Lottie. After every breakup, Lottie has flung herself into some horrendous decisions but this latest is probably her worst: deciding to marry her gap year boyfriend who she hasn't seen in 15 years. Fliss interferes by attempting to prevent them from consummating their marriage so that they can get an annulment when they inevitably realize they are wrong for each other thereby avoiding the trauma of divorce which Fliss is presently undergoing. Needless to say some ludicrously hilarious things occur.

My personal favorite moment is when Lottie and her new husband are on their honeymoon, attempting to cram for a Couples Quiz and he is incapable of answering such simple questions as "What is her favorite alcoholic drink?" However he can answer as if they were Dirk and Sally, the lead characters on their favorite TV show. When they decide to play as Dirk and Sally, the tide changes and they can answer any question perfectly. I have a soft spot for the Newlywed Game and this version of it made me so happy to imagine.

A close second is how Lottie's ex-boyfriend Richard (the one who sends her spiraling into the arms of the old boyfriend) reappears in the story. He realizes he was wrong to have let Lottie go and is planning to fight for her. It's quite romantic although I'm not going to spoil any of the details (does he win Lottie back? No spoilers here!)

Overall: Although this is not my favorite Kinsella book, I think fans will find plenty to love here. Suspension of disbelief has often been necessary for these kinds of books and this one is no exception. It's perfect for a light summery weekend beach read!

I've Got Your Number

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
The Dial Press, 2012
433 pages
Fiction
4.5/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine.

I know Kinsella is best known for her Shopaholic series but I never really clicked with them; however I love her standalones like Can You Keep a Secret? and Remember Me? so I had high expectations for this. They were met as I was immediately sucked in to Poppy Wyatt's world.

The book starts in the middle of a crisis as Poppy has lost her engagement ring shortly before she is about to meet up with her judgy in-laws and mere days before the wedding. Then her cell is snatched, leaving her no way to be contacted by the hotel where the ring was lost. Coincidentally she finds a phone discarded in the trash and starts using that, putting her in touch with Sam, the boss of the lady who threw away the phone.

It's kind of a crazy premise-would she really be allowed to keep that company phone that has confidential information on it? But Poppy is so likable that I just went with it. Over the course of a few days, she becomes very involved in Sam's life, even interfering at times, sometimes beneficially, sometimes harmfully but always charmingly to this reader. Of course, it soon becomes obvious that Poppy's fiance is not as good a match as Sam even as they both try to fight their feelings.

There is actually a lot packed in to this story: family and friendship issues, Poppy's insecurities and inability to stand up for herself, corporate espionage, love and marriage. And it was all delivered in what I consider the signature Kinsella style and tone-light and breezy but not afraid of getting a little dark (seriously just a pinch of darkness to balance out the lightness).

I did think the book as a whole was a smidgen too long and I'm not a fan of the cursing although I completely respect the author's right to use whatever language she wants.

Overall: A fast, funny read that is sure to charm fans of Kinsella.