Can You Keep a Secret?

Relationships are all about trust and equality. If one person shares, then the other person should share, too.

Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

Oh boy, I have things to say about this one!

Kinsella's novel, Can You Keep a Secret? invites you into the life of, Emma Corrigan, a young woman in her 20s. Emma's story is a fun account of her struggles and attempts to advance in her work career and balance her romantic relationships. During an eventful and frightful plane ride, Emma confesses all her secrets to a stranger with belief that she will never see him again. However, a series of humorous events and fun character dynamics launch as the lives of Emma and the handsome stranger cross as Emma discovers he is the founder of the company she works for.  

Without further due: magic of threes, everyone!

This novel is... 

1. Fun and fluffy. 
   When I picked up this novel, I expected a fun, light, and quick read. That's exactly what I got! This novel offers an amusing story of Emma's challenge to maintain and keep up with the network of lies and secrets she has webbed around herself. Emma's characterisation is relatable as she creates chaos with simplistic stretches of truth and exaggerations, such as sweet-talking to a familiar bartender about her (nonexistent) kickboxing career and taking revenge by lying about watering her coworker's plants. These mundane lies that Emma crafts attract a sense of familiarity in the reader and Emma as a character becomes more approachable and amusing. Kinsella's novel is overall an easy read without much depth into serious or thought-provoking themes, making this literary piece, what I would call, "fluffy", or in other words playful and light.
   
   
2. Witty and Engaging.
   Aforementioned, not only are the secrets and challenges of Emma simplistic, they're relatable, and provide comic relief despite their consequential burdens. I enjoyed Emma's flippant attitude as well as her clumsiness and slurs in maintaining the lies. The novel is constructed with suspense and foreshadowing that result in humorous conclusions and Emma's witty commentary. Already from the start, Emma's narration offers a dynamic jump into action and the exciting events catch the reader off-guard. I read over half-way through the novel in one sitting, couldn't stop giggling, and found myself intrigued and invested in the potential advances in Emma's life. Emma's vibrant and radiant character offers a comfortable and engaging read and the secondary characters are fun and interesting to follow. 
   
   
3. Disappointing.
   The novel starts off with a blast and a great kick-off into literary success. I couldn't stop laughing and I was preparing to write a highly-praising five-star review. 
   
   However, about half way through the novel, I noticed the pit-fall. Emma's persona experiences no character development. Big hit and miss in this area! I hoped and expected to see more of Emma's self-growth and independence, but rather Emma's character remains naive and refuses to take true ownership of her mistakes and life. Rather than embracing responsibility and autonomy, Emma becomes dependent on Jack's (her romantic interest's) temper and shows of affection and shows forgiveness despite his hurtful actions towards her. Emma's character seemed to have no back bone or a sense of personal determination. This lack of character development left me unsatisfied and disappointed. 

All in all, the first segment of this novel is great and lots of fun, but if you stick out all the way to the end, you may find yourself disappointed and craving more depth and determination from the characters. This is where the "fluffiness" falls short and to the novel's disadvantage.