Can you keep a secret? By Sophie Kinsella

Can you keep a secret? By Sophie Kinsella is a 2005 Chick lit novel. Emma Corrigan is a young woman living in London, working for the Panther Corporation, a sports drink manufacturer. Heading to Glasgow, this is her big chance to get a promotion, the deal is practically all sewn up, or so she was told. Needless to say drinks go flying and the deal is over, miserably she heads home. This isn’t her day and a kind flight attendant takes pity on her and upgrades her to business class. Emma has a lot of secrets, one of which is that she is scared of flying so when she believes the plane is going to crash she decides this is the opportune moment to tell the handsome stranger next to her every secret she has and I mean everything. As this is a random encounter she cannot believe what she has done but is relieved that she will never see him again.

As often in these types of novels, she encounters the stranger again, this time it is a lot worse as he appears at her place of work and learns that his name is Jack Harper. Stunned and shocked she thinks this is it, from faking her resume, to sneaking out to Starbucks this guy knows it all and has power to sack her, but he does not. They start to spend some time together and he helps her realise that her love life is not the greatest and she is missing passion and begins to question if she really love her boyfriend Connor? Does she really want to move in with Connor, or is it just because everyone says they are perfect and Emma believes it is the next step.

The book takes you on Emma’s journey, through her friends you see what type of person she is, why she does keep so many secrets. What if someone knew all your secrets? What would you do?

This is one of my favourite novels and one of the best Chick Lit books in my opinion and I have to give it 9 and ½ out of 10. It is enjoyable and you cannot wait to find out what happens next. Sure events in books like this do not normally happen, but this is part of their appeal. Escape from your reality and snuggle up to a book like this and you will like what you read. 

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella book review

Remember Me? is a 2008 chick lit novel by Sophie Kinsella.
 It is 2004 and Lexi Smart is a 25 year old associate junior sales manager (flooring) at Deller Carpets. Lexi is out on the town stood up by boyfriend Loser Dave, desperately trying to hail a cab in the pouring rain to get home as she has her dad’s funeral the next day. Adding to that she was the only one of her friends to not get a bonus for the end of the financial year because she has not worked for the company for a full year and missed the cut by two weeks. She’s poor and miserable and next thing she knows she slips and falls.

When she wakes up in a hospital she realises she has missed her father’s funeral but that is not all. She wakes up with nice nails, her hair has changed colour, she is thinner and her snaggletooth has been replaced with perfect white, veneered teeth and that Louis Vuitton handbag could never be hers. Oh and its 2007! She cannot believe it or the fact she was in a car accident because she does not even know how to drive. Feeling like she is Cinderella she learns a lot has changed in three years, including her friends, her occupation and the fact that she now has a husband. However, things are not as they seem and while suffering from amnesia she struggles to comprehend how her life and her personality have changed so dramatically.

Will she get her memory back? The novel does have twists and turns and while trying to figure out her life, she encounters a handsome stranger who tells her of their secret affair, is he just taking advantage of this amnesia victim or does he truly love her? Is her rich handsome husband all that perfect? Who does she love? Is loft style living everything Lexi wants?

With many Sophie Kinsella books they do not always have the most realistic plots but they are enjoyable reads. If you enjoy the chick lit genre then you will like this, it is a book about self discovery, friendship and sacrifices that have to be made to have a successful career. I gave the book 6 and ½ out of 10, well written but not as enthralling as other Kinsella books. Perhaps, this is because I hold Kinsella books to a higher standard. A fair read overall.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella Book Review

Twenties Girl is a brilliant book by Sophie Kinsella. Maybe a little slow to start but it reels you in. The book is about Lara Lington and how her life changes at the funeral of her great aunt Sadie. Things are not going well for Lara, her corporate head-hunter business is struggling as her partner has nicked off leaving her floundering. She even tried to get work from her famous, rich, coffee shop entrepreneur uncle Bill Lington, head of Lington’s coffee, who just started his empire with just two little coins, ignores her desperation.

Not only does work such so does her personal life as she just broke up with her boyfriend Josh, who she is not exactly over yet, even after he changed his number as she just sent him a few too many text messages. So while at the funeral for her great aunt Sadie she starts to hear a voice, asking where her necklace is and for Lara to stop the funeral, only problem is that Lara is the only one who can hear and see this Twenties girl.

Turns out the ghost is her great aunt and Sadie is determined to not rest until she has her necklace back and makes Lara’s life a living hell until she does. Although things are not all bad for Lara, she learns that having a ghost who can scream in a person’s ear can be beneficial, like destroying the date of her ex-boyfriend and then having another shot with him.

Sadie is determined to not leave the earth until she finds her necklace, Sadie may have died as a 105 year old but she is living life in her early twenties, a time when she was happiest. With her ever changing wardrobe, being a ghost she can wear what she wants and just thinks of an outfit and it appears, Sadie is not satisfied and forces Lara to go on a date because she cannot. Sadie decides Lara must look the part and insists she goes all out in Twenties clothing, much to Lara’s embarrassment.

Having Sadie in Lara’s life helps her career and her personal life leading her to an unexpected man. The journey to find her aunt’s necklaces also affects her relationship with her family. A terrific novel which was thoroughly enjoyable, although it may be slow to start it is well worth the read.

I would give it 10/10, a must read for any fan of chick lit and Sophie Kinsella books.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella Book Review

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella is a refreshing tale of what happens when a corporate lawyer makes a career ending mistake. Samantha Sweeting is a 29 year old lawyer at top law company Carter Spink. She is a corporate career woman who works very hard to achieve her dream of becoming a partner, just as she finds out that she has achieved her goal, her world starts to fall apart. While cleaning her desk she finds a memo, that means she did the unthinkable, she made a mistake. Not a small mistake but one that destroys her life and leads her to running away from her former life. Heading out of her office she boards a train not even knowing where it is headed. After a few too many mini alcohol bottles and a headache she thinks to ask for directions at a large house, but somehow ends up taking the job of a housekeeper.

Samantha’s previous life as a lawyer is over so she believes she can become a housekeeper, which proves difficult for a woman who can’t cook, clean, iron or do anything relating to the job she just agreed to be. Her employers, Mr and Mrs Geiger think she is a brilliant chef, trained under a Michelin star chef and have no idea they have a curtsying corporate lawyer scrubbing their toilets. They think she is a little slow and cannot even believe she speaks English! They even want to help her get qualifications after finding that she has a unique talent of calculating large sums in her head.

Samantha starts her job and although having a few hiccups which involve her ordering food from caterers, accidentally washing the clothes and them turning red and costing her over a thousand pounds to replace, she starts to get the hang of things.

The book is about a journey of self discovery and how Samantha’s new career change can change her life in other ways. From being pale, overworked and exhausted Samantha becomes tanned and relaxed, even changing her hair colour. Along this journey she meets Nathaniel, the gardener who doesn’t like lawyers not that she tells him she is one.

The book has many twists and turns and a worthwhile read.

If you enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s previous work then you will enjoy this book. Though at times unrealistic I find that is what makes these books an enjoyable read.

I would give it a 7/10.

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This Chick Lit and Flicks blog is to discuss Chick literature and movies. It will provide reviews of books as well as notifications of upcoming releases.