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Much like its cinematic counterpart, chick lit is generally pretty hit-or-miss. When done poorly, it’s nothing but a formulaic mess of overdone clichés and bad jokes. In the hands of a reliable author like Sophie Kinsella, though, the usual clichés can turn into a light and entertaining read like I’ve Got Your Number.
With just over a week to go until her wedding day, blushing bride-to-be Poppy Wyatt is eagerly working out the last-minute details with her less-than-capable wedding planner when the unthinkable happens: she loses her ring. Of course, it’s not just any ring; it’s a family heirloom. And, to make matters worse, while she’s attempting to find the ring back, her cell phone is stolen.
Poppy’s world continues spiraling out of control until she finds another phone in a trash can. She plans to borrow it for a little while—just until she can get everything figured out—but it ends up leading her on a whole new adventure.
The phone once belonged to the former personal assistant of no-nonsense businessman Sam Roxton. Though he’d really like to have it back, he agrees to let Poppy borrow it for a few days—if she’ll forward his messages. And, before long, Poppy finds herself completely engrossed in Sam’s life.
In the hands of a less proficient author, the same old chick flick can feel completely trite and pointless. It can make you roll your eyes at the painful clichés. But that’s not the case with author Sophie Kinsella’s latest standalone rom-com.
Frothy and comical and loaded with quirky footnotes (which, incidentally, aren’t quite as much fun if you happen to be reading the electronic version, as I was), I’ve Got Your Number is, for the most part, the typical chick lit. The story is light and predictable and completely implausible, with plenty of the usual amusing missteps and misunderstandings. And the characters, meanwhile, make their share of bad (and sometimes nearly disastrous) decisions—all of which, of course, manage to work themselves out in the end.
Still, despite the usual chick lit limitations—all of the frothiness and predictability—Kinsella still manages to make I’ve Got Your Number irresistibly entertaining. Of course, the story revolves around Poppy—and, fortunately (in spite of her flaws), she makes a likeable heroine. She’s insecure and bumbling and sometimes a bit of a pushover, but she’s also so kind and caring (and often so misguidedly well-meaning) that you can’t help but love her. And her story is written with such a finely-tuned sense of humor that you’ll happily set aside your doubts and frustrations and disbelief and smile your way from unlikely beginning to sweet, romantic, and entirely satisfying end.
It may not be a challenging or unexpected read, but the light romance and easy-going humor of Sophie Kinsella’s I’ve Got Your Number make it just what the doctor ordered after a long and trying work week. If you’re heading out on vacation—or you’re looking forward to a quiet weekend staycation—don’t relax and unwind without it.
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