Can You Keep a Secret?
Ratings137
Average rating3.7
I could not get into this book. I hated the witless, idiotic protagonist and her self-created pathetic life. She wasn't funny or likable, just weak. A third of the way through it I still had no idea where the plot (??) was going, and gave up. Disappointing.
It should come as no surprise that I enjoyed reading Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella. I had previously read and loved The Undomestic Goddess, so I had high hopes for this novel. I was not disappointed. Can You Keep A Secret is a fast-paced, witty read that will keep you entertained from beginning to end.
The story follows the life of Emma Corrigan, a young woman who works in marketing for a failing airline. Emma is what you would call a “people pleaser.” She always puts others first and is always willing to go above and beyond to help out. Emma's life is turned upside down when she finds herself seated next to a handsome stranger on a plane that is about to crash. In a moment of panic, Emma tells the stranger, who she later learns is Jack Harper, all of her deepest, darkest secrets.
Somehow, against all odds, the plane manages to land safely. Emma is relieved but also mortified that she revealed so much about herself to a complete stranger. She's even more mortified when she discovers that Jack is the CEO of her company.
As their relationship develops, Emma begins to realize that she doesn't have to be a people pleaser. She can be her own person and do what she wants to do. With the help of Jack, Emma starts to learn to stand up for herself and to live her life the way she wants to.
Can You Keep A Secret is a delightful read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a light-hearted, fun novel.
I wanted to find a light book to read at work in downtime, one I wouldn't have to pay too much attention to or think about too much. I will say by the time I was almost finished this book I was about to give up. some parts of it were genuinely funny. At times I really liked the main character and thought she was hilarious.
But...
I honestly wanted to strangle pretty much every character. Emma was funny sometimes but insecure, naive, immature, and just completely stupid at times. Her roomates (mainly Jemima) made me want to rip the book apart (I guess it's good that I had it on Kindle and not paper). I wanted to like Jack but he was basically a cardboard cutout. No substance. Nothing. He literally could have been a cardboard cutout that Emma carried around everywhere, and I might have found the story more interesting.
I am sorry I didn't enjoy this book. I wanted to like it. But it was like Bridget Jones with even more crazy drama and less enjoyable characters.
I love Sophie Kinsella. I've read three of her novels now and they never fail to make me laugh, genuinely, out loud. This one was incredible well done. It was a truly non-formulaic chick lit novel. I fully recommend if you want a by the pool read that will add a few years to your life with laughter
This is one of the funniest book I've ever read. It was a nice, light read with a good amount of humor. The plot is rather simple, but it was developed nicely and flows naturally. Nothing in the story feels forced or unnatural. Sometimes it made me laugh, the other times it made me wanna cry with Emma. Sophie Kinsella is really good at drawing the readers' emotions as the story goes on.
Emma is a very realistic protagonist. I can totally relate to her, understanding her way of thinking easily. Just like what she said, she could be a deluded moron sometimes, but I find most of her reactions (and delusions) amusing. Couldn't help but think that it's quite a string of bad luck she had though, looking at all the mess happening to her one after another. It's nice to see that she could finally say what she truly feels to her family though. :)
The idea of romance with someone whom she initially thought is a stranger strikes me as romantic. When Emma blurted out all of her secrets to a man sitting next to her in the plane, she didn't know that he's actually her big boss. She also had no clue that he'd change her life forever. I think that's exactly how ‘fate' works, just like what Emma herself thought in the book.
Hello, readers! This happens to be the first book I added to Goodreads. So I will consider it my first “review”.
Since I was young I've identified as an avid reader, and I believe I'll remain a lifelong lover of books. In my formative years I fortunately gravitated towards literary classics. They made me love reading, by 1) being imaginatively epic, and 2) letting me eclectically explore a diversity of perspectives. Reading has been deeply personal for me. I do not know why others read. I know I read so immoderately in my youth, books left concussions on my mind rather than conclusions. Feeling like a cosmic misfit, I turned to contemporary fiction in my teens to ease a discontent of the mind that classics couldn't and found it to be too blindingly brilliant, offering little relief. Most of the books I have read in between have been for solace or escape - a plain but sustaining fare of romance, fantasy and thrillers providing a sanctuary from reality.
I found connection and community through reading too. I met my former partner, the strongest reader I know, on Goodreads. He remains a cherished friend because I can confidently say he is one of the best people I know, and the world is a better place because he exists in it. Would I have been able to say that if he had not been a reader?
This was one of my favourite books as a teenager, Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella; I had a dog-eared paperback of it back home. When I first reviewed it I'd written “Nothing I've ever read in this genre has measured up to Can You Keep A Secret. I've read this book a gazillion times, and it still makes me laugh until my sides split every time. A lot of people (okay, none) agree with me, but this is Kinsella's best book.” Thinking of it years later, I can still say I remember it affectionately.
To me, this ordinary book is akin to a long, hot bath. So as you can tell, reading to me is a comfy escape from life's discomforts.
You've reached my review's finale, so I will take your leave with these questions:
1) What compels you to read?
2) How do you measure a book's worth?
3) Are bookworms as precious to you as books?