Abandoned by Booklikes

Meh. Annoyed that I didn't just wait for this one via the library. I decided to buy this instead of the new Michael Connelly (shakes head). Surprise Me sounded interesting which is why I got it. A married couple (Sylvie and Dan) are told they have more than 60 plus years to go after their health assessment freak out since they don't know what they are going to do with all that time together. Yeah I know, I would be happy, but these two have no common sense. They decide to surprise each other so that they have something to look forward to since they know each other so well. Well, Sylvie thinks she knows Dan very well, instead she founds out she doesn't know everything. We also get a total tone shift towards the second half of the book and it did not work at all. I honestly worried at one point maybe I was misreading things.

I wish I could have liked this one better. I just didn't gel with the main character Sylvie. I think if Kinsella had told the chapters in alternate POVs with Sylvie and Dan it would have worked better. I was more intrigued by him. And I honestly think that Kinsella tried to hand wave away too much stuff that was going on with Sylvie with her blaming Dan for being overprotective.

Sylvie is in a bubble and doesn't really want to accept most things around her. She keeps her hair long cause her late father loved it long. She thinks her husband is good and all, but was totally outshone by her awesome and handsome father. I seriously rolled my eyes the many times we had to read about how great/fantastic Sylvie's father was and how people flocked to him like he was the Piped Piper. The fact she didn't even see how things were going in her marriage and kept doing things that she knew was hurting her husband (like constantly showing their wedding DVD that barely featured them and instead featured her father) just got on my last nerves.

There is some chances for levity here and there. We have Sylvie and Dan going through the whole surprise me motions and I chuckled a few times. But honestly the whole book dragged. When we get a reveal I wasn't expecting, it just made the whole book go sideways. Things got too rushed for a resolution and I honestly don't think Sylvie learned much of anything really.