I Owe You One: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

I Owe You One: A Novel. Sophie Kinsella. Random House Publishing Group. February 2019. 448 pp. ISBN #: 9781524799014.

In Fixie Farr’s world, everything must be just so.  She and her family run a housewares shop that sells low-priced, practical goods.  The reality is that her mother makes all the decisions about the store, since Fixie’s father had recently passed away.  A brother, Jake, and a sister, Nicole occasionally help but that’s not really too much as Nicole is “into herself” through yoga and affirmations and Jake lives like a millionaire without the millions to go with it.

One afternoon while having a drink at a nearby café, Fixie rescues a laptop from a nearby table when the ceiling collapses and a flood ensues.  It’s owner, Sebastian, insists he owes her one and he really means that as he hands her his card with that message written on it, “I owe you one.”

Soon thereafter Fixie’s Mom has a heart attack and Fixie’s old romance, Ryan, shows up and pours out his pitiful story.  Fixie is always trying to make things better, doomed to trying so hard that she misses the forest for the trees.  So now that Mom is moving away to get some mandatory “rest,” Fixie’s problems increase between her siblings’ ineptness or obstructive ways and the control of her Uncle who hasn’t got a clue as to what’s going on.  Uncle Ned just reminds everyone of how much he’s done for them.

Fixie will finally have enough and get to truly getting rid of the losers, even after she trusts Ryan to Sebastian’s care.  That almost turns disastrous!

I Owe You One… is a light-hearted chic lit book that makes for some pleasant reading, even if the characters are seriously lacking in responsibility.  That includes Fixie who has too much of the opposite.  All in all, though a lovely romance builds with an airy, pleasant end that Sophie Kinsella fans will love. Enjoy!

Thank you to Penguin/Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing this novel for a review!

Surprise Me: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

Surprise Me: A Novel.  Sophie Kinsella. Random House Publishing Group. February 2018. 432 pp.  ISBN#: 9780399592881.

Sylvia and Dan have been married for ten years; they truly are best friends who completely understand each other and their rambunctious twin daughters.  One day they visit a doctor for a wellness visit and from here to about three-quarters of the way through the novel the plot gets downright silly.  They are healthy and are told by the doctor that they have another sixty-eight years more of life together.  For some odd reason, this scares the heck out of Sylvia and Dan.  While their uncanny understanding of each other’s thoughts and feelings brings great peace and joy to their life, the unpredictability of it is unacceptable.  So, they come up with a plan of surprises to keep the future fresh and novel, but it doesn’t really work out at all.

Meanwhile the only thin friction between them has to do with Dan’s dislike of Sylvia’s privileged past and his refusal to let her “Daddy” finance their future.  However, it will turn out that Daddy wasn’t the perfect husband and parent in Sylvia’s memories and this part of the plot saves this novel from being a disaster.  Dan is more than just an understanding husband and lover.  He’s someone who’s been trying to save his wife’s perfect image of her father, sheltering her from the stark reality of a very flawed father.  The ending is quite a shocker for Sylvia but what is more precious is the fact there are some secrets in Dan that are stunning elements and a definite surprise! 

While the second half of this novel “saves the day,” overall, it’s a bit of a strain on credibility.  However, Kinsella manages to pull the reader into an interesting and real part of the relationships that work.  Nicely done, to a degree!

My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel.  Sophie Kinsella. Bantam Press/The Dial Press. February 2017. 448 pp. ISBN #: 9780812998269.

Katie Brenner is living the dream!  She’s escaped her small-town Somerset life, dumped her accent, and is living in London in a flat she shares with two other workers.  She’s working for a chic London company which specializes in unique marketing strategies.  Her boss, Demeter, is a genius in branding products, even if she is a hyped up, selfish and demanding woman whose key interest, outside of her skilled choices of advertising, is being the first to do whatever is trending in food, clothing, etc. 

Initially, Katie is hired as a research assistant, putting survey data into a computer, hardly a blip on Demeter’s interest screen. Katie, who is now calling herself “Cat” is starting to yearn for more.  She’s got what she thinks are some brilliant design and advertising schemes and wants the chance to become acknowledged as someone worth encouraging to become an integral part of Cooper Clemmow, a famed company.

She then accidentally meets Alex and he shares with her some wacky adult toys (no, not sexual).  As time passes, Katie and Alex become close but this goes nowhere fast as a dramatic error happens at Clemmow and Katie is fired.  No, this isn’t a downer, although Katie is deeply upset.  Katie’s such a spunky character that she takes it in stride and returns to live in Somerset with her caring Dad.  He and his new wife has opened a country resort.  Lo and behold, who should arrive as guest but Demeter, her husband and her children.  And not too long after, Alex appears but not to woo Katie.  Before his arrival, Katie sees another side of Demeter which throws her plan to spike some revenge on her.  Alex has the same plan and the remainder of the novel brings some surprises and shows Katie maturing and making some startling choices!

Sophie Kinsella has done a marvelous job in creating this feisty character, Katie.  The plot is simple but there are enough snarky, funny moments to lighten the plot and give the reader a delightful experience.  Smart, humorous and satirical look at fame and fortune, laced with a bucket of old-fashioned, spot-on values. Nicely crafted, Sophie Kinsella!