Book Club Friday - Sophie Kinsella's newest release

Today I'm linking up with Heather, at Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday. This is a great weekly feature where we all link up with posts on what we were reading this week.

This week I finally got around to reading Sophie Kinsella's newest release, I've Got Your Number.  I can confidently thank Sophie Kinsella for turning me on to chick lit. I have been reading this genre since I was a young undergrad (oh, God, it was over 10 years ago) and although I have outgrown some of them, for the most part, I still enjoy a good chick lit every now and then, especially in the summer.

I can vividly remember picking up Confessions of a Shopaholic while I was still an undergrad at Iowa State and reading the book in the basement of my sorority house. After I reading it, the book got passed around the house, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's still there! I absolutely adored the character of Becky Bloomwood and was hooked on this style of writing.

From there I fell in love with Sophie Kinsella and everything she puts out. I have immediately purchased all of her titles, and although she has had some flops (Mini Shopaholic?) I still love her and will buy whatever she writes. It may seem like I buy a lot of books (because... I do) but I am actually very careful about how many purchase, and which ones I purchase I new. I use the library A LOT and I frequently wait for used copies at Half Price Bookstores, but for some authors, the ones I want to support and know, I'll shell out the money for a brand new copy and support them.

The Shopaholic series has been quite exhausted by now, and to be honest, I am really excited when an independent book is released. I adored Twenties Girl (in fact, I really want to reread it!) and Remember Me? so I was really happy to see another independent book with I've Got Your Number.

From Goodreads:


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!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect 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.

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.

IGYN started really slow for me. After about 150 pages the storyline started to pick up for me and I really began to get into the characters. The plot was predictable, and I would compare it to a typical romantic comedy. In fact, the entire time I was reading the book, I kept thinking to myself how it would make a great movie.

I loved the character of Poppy and Sam. Sam surprised me with his depth about halfway though, and so did Poppy, actually! They both had some great insights and depth by the end of the book, but I found both of their storylines very predictable. There were a few twists, but nothing that left me shocked. This formula is classic Kinsella though. I'm not complaining, because I knew it was coming, and what I enjoy most is getting to know her quirky characters.

This will be a fabulous book to read while lying poolside this summer or on the beach. If you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella, don't let the flop of Mini Shopaholic deter you from picking up this book!  

Did you read the Shopaholic series? Have you outgrown "chick lit" or is still a favorite genre of yours?