I Owe You One

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It’s simply not in her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?  -  excerpt from book

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella is her latest stand alone, I was fortunate enough to get a proof read copy from Times Read (Thank you so much btw). I can proudly say I have never missed any of her standalone as I love those more than the Shopaholic series, Becky can be funny to read about but tiring as well as she's kinda annoying in her ways.

So back to the standalone, I won't say I was blown away with this title but I was quite satisfied with the story and characters. Not exactly my favourite but I could relate to Fixie. She is a character that makes you frustrated because you feel for her and you'll be rooting for her all the time. Her encounters in life is not unfortunate but nonetheless a little bit sad. There is a side that you will love about Fixie and that's what captured my attention as I want to know what happens to her. Her interactions with other characters are amusing, funny and you would want more. Her love for her family can be seen through her actions but it's also her downfall. When the lead male character was featured,  there wasn't enough sparks and I also felt that wasn't enough interactions for the both of them. From that, I concluded this book was more about family and Fixie growing than a love story.

My Not So Perfect Life

Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed. OK, so the truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn't really hers. But on day her dreams are bound to come true, aren't they?

Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-sucessful boss Demeter giver her the sack. All Katie's hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then, Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams - or try to get her job back? Does Demeter- the woman who has everything- actually have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems - excerpt from book.

My not so perfect life from Sophie Kinsella is a standalone novel about a woman who lost her job and maybe her dreams and then an opportunity to get revenge surfaces. This author is naturally an auto buy for me as I have always been well entertained with her stand alone novel for years. The summary at the back of the book is just the surface of the book and it's one with more meaning to it than you expect. 

It's definitely funny at certain parts and also some self discovery. At first I was a tad annoyed with the main character Katie as I felt that she can be long winded and too naive but as the story progresses there's more to her than meets the eye and I'm glad that the character did have some growth. As for the side characters they surely made interactions fun and interesting. I think those characters actually kept the story going at some point in the middle and you could feel the pull of wanting more for them. The personalities of those characters complements the actions and attitude of Katie quite well.

The flow of the story was a bit dry here and there which did not grasp my attention well enough until part two started and then I was hooked. The twists in the book weren't really jaw dropping but just mediocre to the point that I could predict some of it. 

But nonetheless it's the typical Sophie Kinsella writing that you would expect and to compare with her other books this was not impressive. I would have prefer more Oh My God moments between Katie and a certain someone and more emotional between the family. As those laugh out loud moments, I still felt it was lacking as I have been spoilt by her other books. I will give credit to the meaning of this book and what the author is trying to tell her readers. In this current technology generation, it's obvious that we should always be reminded you only see what you see, you do not know other people's story. It's a quick read so if you're a fan of Sophie then I think this would be a good book to read but not necessary. If you have not tried any of her titles, this book is not a good start because it does not highlight her best writing, I would introduce you to Twenties Girl or Can you keep a secret.

Finding Audrey

Audrey loves her family, even if they are a bit off-the-wall. When Audrey develops an anxiety disorder as a result if an unpleasant incident, her family us there to help. Audrey now wears dark glasses whenever she feels the need to protect herself, but she's also making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah.

Then Audrey meets Linus, her brother's gaming teammate, and she is energized. She can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she's never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family. - excerpt from book

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella who is one of my favourite authors. This is her first YA book as she usually writes chick lit. This book is one of the funniest read I've had this year. I laughed out loud and giggled many times in public while reading this book that my sister thought I went mad. I really really enjoyed the book as all the characters were interesting and fun to read about. The interactions between the characters were really good. The female heroine in the story is a very realistic character as her struggles are real and I love her bravery in dealing with her problems. The relationship between Audrey and Linus is quite sweet and cute as well, totally loved it.

As for the plot of the book, it was quite unexpected and the twists were good. I love that it's a book that I can't predict at all. The story of the family is also funny and heart warming. The book has such good meaning because the issues highlighted are important to know, well at least for me. Overall the book was really enjoyable to read and I felt it was too short as I just wanted more. This is a book that without a doubt I would read again and again. The author never cease to amaze me as I have no book of hers that I'm disappointed with. I highly recommend this to Sophie Kinsella fans, book readers who enjoy humour and some serious stuff at the same time.

Wedding Night

Lottie is getting excited at the restaurant that her boyfriend Richard booked and she is thinking that he will propose today. Lottie had many failed relationships and Richard is finally the one for her. They understood each other just by looking at each other. Richard mentioned he had a big question to ask and Lottie got so excited she excused herself to the toilet first. In the end, it was a big misunderstanding which resulted with Lottie breaking up with Richard because they didn't want the same things. Lottie stormed out of the restaurant without giving Richard a chance to say more and he had to fly to San Francisco for work the next day.

Fliss is the editor of a magazine that reviews hotels and she loved her job. While working she received a message from her sister saying that Richard will propose soon and she is excited for her. Fliss felt that Richard is the one for her sister because he was the best out of all the failed relationships Lottie had. After awhile, Fliss have gotten a message that there was no proposal and they broke up instead. Fliss got worried because everything Lottie breaks up she will make irrational choices which are bad and Fliss calls it Lottie's Unfortunate Choices. Fliss could not keep checking on Lottie because she had a ceremony to handle and worse her son who was suppose to be with her ex was dropped off at her office. Her divorce is a on going disaster because her ex doesn't care much about everything and just listens to his current girlfriend. He also dropped more conditions for their divorce which made Fliss mad. 

Lottie was devastated and sad, she got a call at the office from Ben who mentioned that Lottie will know. She kept thinking who is Ben that was once in her life and then remembered that he was the guy that she hooked up with at her gap year vacation in Ikonos, Greece. She decided to have dinner with him. During dinner, Ben was reminiscing all the good times that they had in Ikonos and Lottie was feeling all teenager again. Ben proclaimed that he loved her for fifteen years and they should have been together. He got down on one knee and proposed to Lottie whereby she accepted. Lottie said that they should make their wedding night special hence they will hold off sex till then which made is more exciting.

The next day, Fliss was going on vacation with her son Noah but actually she was out to review more hotels. After she was back from vacation, she decided to check on Lottie so she called her office and found out that Lottie was out shopping. Fliss then called Lottie's cellphone and Lottie was so excited telling Fliss that she was engaged and she is shopping for lingerie to wear on her wedding night. Fliss was happy for Lottie that she is finally getting married with Richard and she was invited to attend the ceremony which is happening the next day. Fliss thought it was odd that they were getting married so quickly without a wedding reception and after more talks she got shocked that Lottie is marrying a guy called Ben which she didn't know who it was. It was Lottie's unfortunate choices and Fliss must put a stop to it before Lottie ends up in a heartbreak or a bad divorce like herself.

Wedding Night  by Sophie Kinsella is about a woman rushing into marriage and her sister trying to stop it. I love Sophie Kinsella's works all the time and this one is no exception. I love that the story is very refreshing to me. I enjoyed the characters a lot especially the elder sister Fliss where she has the kind of personality that makes the story realistic. Fliss' story is the realistic to the world because divorce is tough to go through and it kind of changes a person. Lottie on the other hand is trying to be a strong person and keeping herself occupied instead of grieving for the relationship that she lost. The thing I love about this author's books is that it's always funny and this book is not excluded.

The start of the story is  like an introduction to the ladies and slowly it reaches the middle part where all the funny parts start and it's the most enjoyable part of the book for me. As I read the book, I have many anticipations for the story and I'm happy that some of it happened which made me feel that I could think like the writer. People would say that it's called predictable but to me I love being able to predict chick lits because I love that love story goes my way and there is always a happy ending.

I often compare her books with each other and I still find that Twenties Girl is my favorite one because it was funny from start to end and it was touching too. Nevertheless this is still a great book to read with two characters that are interesting and a story line that is refreshing and funny. Because I love her books much I bought the hardcover one and I recommend it to book collectors of her works. This book is worth the money and the time to spend on. 

I've Got Your Number

Poppy Wyatt is in a big disaster, the kind that might ruin relationships between people. She has lost her engagement ring which belongs to her fiance's grandmother. Poppy was just recalling the situation where her friends and her was attending a charity luncheon in the hotel. They were all talking about her ring and everyone wanted to try the beautiful Emerald family heirloom ring from Magnus (Poppy's fiance). The ring went from one person to another and suddenly the fire alarm rang and all the guest was escorted out of the building.

When everyone was outside they heard that the event is be cancelled and all of Poppy's friends headed home. That's when Poppy realise the ring isn't with her and when she texted her friends to ask and none of them had it. She started to panic and have searched the event hall for a long time. She has gotten a message on her phone but the reception in the hotel was terrible, so she went outside to get better reception and then her phone got nicked by a person riding on a bicycle. Poppy didn't know how to react because her phone is like her life, all her numbers are there and then she had given this number to the hotel staff for contact in case they have found the ring. It was such a bad day for her, she lost her ring, her phone and worse part is her future-in-laws were coming back from the States tonight and how is she going to hide the fact that she lost their family heirloom ring.

Poppy just keep pacing around the hotel lobby thinking what to do and also hoping that the ring might just turn up while she was there. She is scanning the objects in her view while turning in circles, then she realise there is a mobile phone in the bin nearby. She looks around to confirm that no one is around and then quickly she picks it out of the bin. Since no one wanted it and threw it into the bin, then finders keepers. Poppy was glad that now she has a replacement phone, so she quickly text her friends of her new number and then passed it to all the hotel employees. Suddenly the phone rang and instantly she picks up the call. On the other end of the line was a man asking Poppy whether she is still in the lobby and whether a Japanese man is leaving yet. Poppy told him that the man was going to leave and that she does not know who is on the line and told him that she picked up this phone from the bin. The man asked her to stop the Japanese guy from leaving at all cost while he tries to come down to the lobby as fast as possible. 

Poppy went to the Japanese man and distracted him for some time and the guy Sam managed to get down and meet up with Mr Yamasaki. Poppy quickly left the hotel lobby because she wanted to keep the phone. Sam called later to say that the phone is company property and she has to return it to him as it was his PA's phone. Poppy told him her situation of lost engagement ring and begged him to loan her a few days because she has given this number to the hotel workers. Sam agreed in the end as he does not want to set the police on her and asked for her to forward all emails and messages to his mobile. And so an agreement was made between them for temporary use. This phone containes many messages and emails that sounded interesting and Poppy could not help but read to find out more about Sam. 

I've Got your Number by Sophie Kinsella is a story about two strangers with only one link between them which is a mobile phone. These two strangers meet under a complicated situation and somehow some incident happened which kinda made the relationship even weirder. I wouldn't want to leave too many spoilers so I'm trying to keep this brief but my excitement after reading this book is just uncontainable. I'm typing right after I've finished the book now. I'm really happy with the ending, it's somewhat what I've expected. When it's comes to chic lit stories I love what I expect to come true or at least a close version of it. I must compliment the way the characters are in this book where they just fit the story really well. The story has a lot of mystery element in it where it makes one to keep reading non-stop just to find out more. 

There are a few characters in the story that will catch you by surprise and that is something that I love because you cannot judge a book by it's cover and sometimes first time impression is not everything. This book really stresses on that point and that we as people should not judge or assume too much because sometimes it might cause a disaster. This book has some moments of funny and silliness happening which is typical of Sophie Kinsella, else you wouldn't called it her book. I really love Sophie's writing style and her story all the time, it doesn't cease to amaze me. This book however have a bit of difference compared to other books which I will not reveal but to me it's a bit annoying but still acceptable because it goes with the story.

This book just gives me the same excitement when I picked up and read "Twenties Girl" which puts it at the same ranking now which is my two most favourite books from Sophie Kinsella currently. If I read it again I would still love it just the same right now. Definitely a story worth every penny and worth your time reading it. So please read this if you love other Sophie Kinsella's books because this one is a story that made me dream about in my sleep too.