I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I've never read any Sophie Kinsella before. It's true. I'm not sure if it was the titles of her Shopaholic series that put me off, or if they were merely big at a time when I wasn't reading much chick lit at all, but one way or another I was never tempted to pick them up. After that. I likely relegated her name to that series alone and never investigated any further. Silly me. But. I began seeing reviews of her latest, I've Got Your Number, popping up here and there. Ari's review over at Emily and Her Little Pink Notes in particular caught my eye (as her reviews are wont to do). So (and this is becoming a familiar refrain), when it popped up on NetGalley I just went right ahead and hit request. As far as covers go, I'm liking this one. I love the silhouettes, the text bubbles, and the font. More importantly, I think the cover overall accurately gives the reader a sense of what she will find inside--a phenomenon that seems to me to be becoming rarer these days.

Poppy has, well, she's taken leave of her senses. In a moment of madness, she allowed her bridesmaids to pass around her engagement ring at a posh party in a London hotel. It (along with her cell phone) go missing in the fray, and Poppy is reduced to canvassing the entire hotel and menacing the staff into finding the missing ring. Alas, nothing turns up. But the frantic Poppy does spot a discarded cell phone in the hotel garbage. Utterly at her wit's end, she snatches up the phone in order to stay in contact with the hotel in the coming days, hoping they'll call saying her fiance's treasured family heirloom has magically appeared. But a wrench is thrown in the wheel of Poppy's mad machinations, when one Sam Roxton enters the scene saying the phone she found belongs to his former PA and he needs the information on it ASAP. Poppy convinces Sam to let her keep the phone just until the ring is found, promising to forward on any and all important messages and emails. And so a hilarious and awkward relationship is born. Poppy and Sam become inextricably linked through a near constant stream of texts and emails. Being the outgoing, curious girl she is, Poppy can't resist peeking into the insane business world Sam lives in. And for his part, Sam loosens his tie long enough to offer his help and opinions (welcome or not) on Poppy's tendency to be a pleaser and focus on everyone else but herself.

I've Got Your Number is a real charmer. Though it might initially feel like you've read this story before, the connection between Poppy and Sam quickly breathes life into a potentially tired setup. On top of her two sympathetic leads, Sophie Kinsella drizzles hysterical predicaments throughout the story, ensuring that I stayed up well past my bedtime laughing. Incorporating texts, emails, messages, and footnotes into a narrative can be courting disaster, I often think. Many a story stumbles in its execution when these elements aren't handled just right. Happily, "just right" is exactly the note Kinsella strikes. The various communications feel real and appear in natural and perfect amounts, enriching but never overwhelming the story. The heart of this book is in the unexpected discovery of kindred spirits by two people who were so busy filling their lives with things they thought they wanted, so busy being the people they thought they should be, they didn't even realize what was missing. It's a slow burn sort of falling in love. You're all in before you realize it. And, as long as we're talking romance, I'll just go ahead and say that I've Got Your Number builds up to one of the most steal-your-breath moments I've had the pleasure of reading. Seriously. The fact that their relationship is conducted and developed primarily via technology (though they do interact some in person) leads to some pretty fabulous and subtle buildup, and it all happens without the reader even noticing. So, so worth the wait. All in all, I've Got Your Number has everything I want in contemporary chick lit. I'm so glad I gave Kinsella a shot, and I will definitely be coming back for more. I've already gifted a copy to my sister. I rather suspect it'll be just the thing.

Linkage
The Book Scoop review
Dear Author review
Emily and Her Little Pink Notes review
Fabbity Fab Book review
Fiction Vixen Book review
Five Alarm Book review
Smexy Books review