Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I honestly think that Sophie Kinsella is the queen of Chick Lit. She creates these amazing characters and the funniest stories, so when I've Got Your Number came out the first thing I did after finishing my happy-dance was buy it. It was worth every penny.

Poppy -I love this name- is freaking out. She lost her engagement ring when she was at a party and she gives her number to everyone at the hotel so they can get in touch once they find it. But then she gets mugged, so she finds herself phoneless and desperate. That’s when she finds a phone in a trash can and decides to keep it for herself. But with the phone comes Sam Roxton (it used to belong to his assistant), a business man that after some convincing, agrees to let her keep it with the condition that she forwards every message and email to him.

The scene when they meet each other is hilarious, so try to read it when you are in a place where laughing out loud isn’t frowned upon –I was at the doctor’s-. My only warning is that you have to stretch your imagination a bit because in the real world when you find a corporative phone, you can’t and won’t use it freely, and you won’t become a PA over the weekend without really being part of the company.

Warning aside, the story is very fresh. It reflects well what’s going on now with the internet and all those phones and tablets. We no longer have to be present to have a relationship with someone, now we can have relationships through our mobile devices without having to actually meet. So even though our leads only communicate through emails and calls, they end up developing a relationship that starts as a reluctant friendship and ends in romance.

I don’t want to give a lot away with this review but something has to be said about Magnus and “the parents”. He is Poppy’s fiancé, an obnoxious guy that is not exactly bad, just selfish and full of insecurities, overly concerned with being or looking smart in his academic world (he is a college professor). This is obviously a poor match for a girl like Poppy who is kind and a little bit silly, but after six months of dating they don’t really know each other so well.  His parents are quite a handful and once you meet them you get some insight into why Magnus is the way he is. I’m kind of ashamed to say that the academic world is filled with people like that, it was a cartoonish portrayal and yet it ringed true to me.

This book is sooo funny that you won’t believe it. It starts amazing, it loses a little of its charm in the middle but the ending is good. It’s not as good as Can You Keep a Secret? But that book was perfect so the standard is a hard one to meet. Poppy reminded me of Becky from the Shopaholic Series, but Kinsella heroines are a bit of a trademark so I’m not surprised by the similarities.

I have to confess that part of my love for the book is, in some extent, a consequence of me being such a fan of Sophie's work, but if you’re a fan of chick lit I’m positive that you’ll love it too. Funny, refreshing and invigorating, that’s what it is.

Review by Marie

Grade: 4

Sensuality: McDreamy


Synopsis:

I've lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate Poppy. Stay positive!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring.

Perfect!

Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Random House Publishing Group. February 14, 2012