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

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

Best Bits: There's something about good chick lit that lifts my spirits. Maybe it's because winter has gone on so long, but I was really in a rut. This book helped me get through that by laughing hysterically, and face-palming repeatedly. Poppy is a fun character, and she's really likeable. I think it's because she's a little bit of a mess (aka human), and I totally connected with that. When she takes over Sam's phone (sort of, it really used to belong to his PA) she accidentally snoops through his work emails and eventually intervenes in what she views as a helpful way. The romantic aspect was fun, too. I think my favorite romance/romantic comedy reads have lead pairs who round out the other's personality. In this case, Poppy shows Sam how to take himself less seriously. Sam teaches Poppy to really investigate what she's passionate about and to trust herself. There are also a bunch of background characters who are jerks, and seeing them get some sort of comeuppance was totally satisfying. 

Another fun tidbit about this book: it has some great footnotes. When a book can pull this off well, I want to dance for joy. Kinsella manages to make these footnotes a great, hilarious addition. Plus, any book that references QI, one of my favorite British quiz shows, gets a high-five from me.

Nit Picks: This book was predictable, and I knew that Poppy and Sam would end up together, despite the different obstacles getting in their way. I can't say this is a major nitpick, though. In much the same way that I enjoy knowing a couple in a romcom will have a happy ending, I was glad to know it would happen in this book.

I've Got Your Number
By Sophie Kinsella
Published by Dial Press
433 Pages
Borrowed