Can You Keep a Secret?

Rating:
Summary: Good Enough to Eat
Review: "Can You Keep a Secret" is fun. Although not formulated, the story does seem to follow a recipe for success. There is a touch of Nick Hornby's "How to be Good", the spice flavor of Rikki Lee Travolta's "My Fractured Life", a dash of Clare Naylor's "The Second Assistant", and a hint of Helen Fielding's "Bridget Jones Diary." The result is delicious!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: Sophie Kinsella creates a warm, funny character in Emma Corrigan. She is young, hip, and worried about the size of her thighs and her wallet. She wants to get ahead at work but is having a hard time finding a career to suit her.

It sounds great doesn't it? Well it is... but ... I found myself picturing Emma as Renee Zellwigger in Bridget Jones. Young British girl, body-conscious and a bit clumsy at times, and falling in love with her suave and completely together boss. It all seemed a bit familiar to me. This is why the book gets 3 stars from me.

Overall, the book is an engaging, quick read that will make you smile. You'll flip the pages to see what happens next, glancing at the clock and swearing you'll turn off the light soon. But you won't. You'll want to know what happens. The tone is light, and full of charming British words like "biscuit" and "agog." If you like chik lit, read it. Just don't pay full cover price.



Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Don't pass this one up; you'll be sorry if you do. Sophie Kinsella is one of my all-time favorite chick lit authors and she never, ever lets me down! The plot is fast, the humor is on target, and the love story is terrific!

Other books to check out: The Next Big Thing (Johanna Edwards), The Other Woman (Jane Green), and Ice Princess (Liz Maverick).

Rating:
Summary: Fun But No Shopoholic
Review: This review is written by a HUGE fan of the Shopoholic series. Unfortunately the heroine of this novel isn't as witty or quirky as Becky.
In the first few pages it was evident that she really isn't that into her significant other, her cringing when she has to call him "darling," so I felt irritated by the characters screw ups and lack of common sense.
Some funny moments, but not as speedy of a ready as Kinsella's other books.

Rating:
Summary: Laughed All Weekend
Review: I judged this book by its cover. The pink made me pick it up off the shelf, the first page had me hooked. I took it with me for a weekend at the beach and I could not stop laughing. I can definately see this book as a movie one day. It was a great relief from my life as a mom with three kids (twins age one).

I don't want to give the story away, just read it! Prepare to laugh!

It reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary type of story. If you liked that book/movie you will like this. And even if you didn't (I personally was not that impressed with the movie) you will still love this.

Rating:
Summary: deliriously great... even better than becky!
Review: most people that pick up this book will have previously read one or all of the shoppaholic series featuring the bumbly and sweet yet spineless becky bloomwood. though i laughed at the first one, the following two just tired me out. i began wondering if this is all sophie kinsella knew how to write, even if i found myself relating to becky a bit...

then she comes out with this book. i initially purchased it when it first came out but didn't crack it open until just the other night. folks... i just could not put it down! the alarm was ringing and i just decided to skip the world altogether, i was so engrossed into this book.

this book isn't going to change the face of modern fiction, but it will definately make you smile and put a nice fuzzy feeling in your heart. i absolutely *adore* all of kinsella's male characters, even the blindly clueless yet incredibly sweet connor. luke brandon (of shoppaholic) and now jack harper - these men are quiet stoic types - totally the type i *love*. but emma is... so much more different from becky. becky will scrape the magnet strip off her plastic just to get her hands on whatever fancies her eyes whereas emma will be far more frugal and purchase what she wants as long as it's within her budget and at a local thrift store. becky has a serious addictive issue with spending and can't control herself whereas emma struggles to maintain a job and attempts to get promoted. where becky hides behind everything and loses control in her own life, emma, though she has similar struggles, attempts to get a hold of herself, realizing that, perhaps, releasing all those secrets - however mundane and trivial they are (like, "i'm a size 8, not 4") - allows herself to be more forthright and honest to those around her with each passing sequence of events.

i loved emma so much more and jack was adorable. as a character, i believe sophie kinsella has much more potential with creating a delicious character with emma and her roommates, the brainy and creative lissy and the spiteful and revenge-hungry jemima (would love to see a spinoff books on them)!! should she decide to do an "emma" series, i'd be the first in line and can't *wait* to see what, i hope, will become the "chronicles of emma corrigan".

simply put - i love emma because she gets a backbone. the world is spinning around her yet she manages to catch herself and do something about it. becky feels like a slimy jellyfish in comparison to emma.

Rating:
Summary: Funny...just plain funny!
Review: Such a simple story that made me laugh out loud. Can you even imagine telling a stranger all your secrets and then having them show up at your job? I would die! Emma thinks she will too. Every single thing she says is amazingly funny to me. This is one of those rare books that makes you smile throughout. I hated Emma's "sort of" sister. I thought her family needed help and my heart went out for Emma. Although she was very strong in this book I just wanted something for this poor girl. She is so much like the rest of us. Doing what she can to get by and trying to figure out her life! She comes to life in this book and I simply can't say enough about it. This happens to be my first book by Kinsella and I would love to meet more of her characters. Or I'd be thrilled if she'd bring Emma back one more time!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read- Must Buy- Light Read
Review: The beginning of the book was a bit slow for me. After 30 or 40 pages, I could not put the book down. Emma is a character that is easy to relate to. I laughed out loud many times while reading Can You Keep A Secret. Great read!

Rating:
Summary: Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble
Review: In the tradition of the "Shopaholic" series, "Citizen Girl", and "My Fractured Life", "Can You Keep a Secret" is a book that you can jump right into like a big bubble bath. You just dive in and enjoy. Having one of those not so great moments that we can all relate to - the kind that you just have the need to unload your feelings - the main character confesses all her worries to a friendly stranger. The next day she is shocked to discover the stranger is none other than the CEO of her company.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The best way to find out what it's about is to read the summary the book gives, because if I say anything else about it, I'll give too much away.

However, it is really funny and appealing. I really like the Shopaholic series, but I think this novel is even better. There seems to be more slightly more emotional substance behind it, and the main character, Emma, seems a bit more realistic and doesn't have the outrageous flaws that Rebecca from Confessions couldn't conquer. If you liked Bridget Jones and the Shopaholic series, you'll probably love this.