Book Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

"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!! :)

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!

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. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?"

Rating: 5/5

Who doesn't know the name Sophie Kinsella? If you're a chick-lit fan, then it pretty much goes without saying you've heard of the Queen of Chick Lit, and have probably read all of her books too. I have to confess that while I love Sophie's 'Shopaholic' series, I've always been a bit unsure about her standalone novels as I've always felt they are missing a certain something that is always in her Shopaholic books, although I can't quite put my finger on what exactly that 'certain something' is. I have to confess I'm not crazy about the cover, it's a little too bland for me, and I'm not keen on cartoony-portrayed women, but since it was a Kinsella book, I'm willing to overlook that fact... it's miles better than the hideous US cover! When I received a copy of Sophie's latest book for review, I was so excited and began it that very day, and finished it the next, I just couldn't put it down. It had that spark in it that her previous standalones have lacked, and I adored every single page... possibly one of my favourite Sophie Kinsella novels to date and here's why!

Poppy is the lead character for this book, and I absolutely loved her. She's the perfect heroine in so many ways. She's funny, she's sweet, she's nice and best of all, she seems very normal! She works as a physiotherapist, and finds herself in a bit of a muddle when she manages to lose her rather expensive engagement ring, given to her by fiancé Magnus, a rather intelligent professor. She decides NOT to tell him, and has to find a way of getting the ring back without anyone in his family finding out since it's an heirloom. When her own mobile is stolen and she finds one in a bin, she decides it's fate and keeps it. Sam Foxton, however, the original owner of the phone, begs to differ and decides to find out what Poppy is up to with his phone and why she's so desperate to keep it. Poppy manages to get herself into some terrible scrapes and situations, but far from being unbelivable and silly, they're hilarious and utterly believable.

Sam Roxton is the male lead in the book, and he is fantastic! At first, we are meant to believe he's a hard hearted businessman who just wants his phone back, no matter what the consequences for Poppy. But as the book progresses, we and Poppy see a different side to him and soon I absolutely loved him, he was a great guy in many ways, but also had a more serious side he wasn't afraid to show! He's everything we want a romantic male lead to be, and perhaps this is the formula that Kinsella applies again and again to bring us these successful novels full of characters to fall in love with. Yes, we can all probably guess how it's going to end up, but it's the getting there that counts, and Kinsella makes every page readable, and leaves you wanting more for every page that you finish.

Curiously, there is an abundence of footnotes within the book used by Poppy. I have to admit that at first I did find these annoying and wondered if they were really going to continue right until the end of the book, which they did. However, once you get used to them, they're fine and are actually quite funny! Poppy uses them simply because she can, because Magnus and his family manage to make her feel intellectually inferior, and she's fed up of it. I hated how they came across, really patronising and actually quite rude, but I loved how Poppy handled these awkward situations, especially a rather funny scene involving Scrabble! Actually, I laughed out loud a lot when reading this book, it really was genuinely funny and it had that splash of Kinsella humour which works every time and without fail.

I've Got Your Number is one of the best Sophie Kinsella novels I've read, and that's saying something given how much I love her Shopaholic series. This book just has nothing dislikeable about it at all, from brilliant characters to really funny scenarios and a storyline that keeps you reading more and rooting for Poppy and Sam. The book is so much more than a tale about a missing engagement ring, and I love how Kinsella was able to progress the book, and bring different storylines into it too, and I enjoyed the different directions it took, in fact, the book was all the better for them and surprised me for it! I am sure that this book is going to be a hit amongst Sophie Kinsella fans as it has everything they will want, and it was certainly better than I had expected too! It's a really strong stand-alone book, and I only wish we could see Poppy and Sam Roxton again, they're fantastic!


You can order I've Got Your Number in both hardback and as an eBook now!