Can You Keep a Secret?: A Novel

I’d just finished reading a very heavy book, and I wasn’t in the mood for anything remotely complicated or dense. When I saw Can You Keep a Secret? floating around in my massive TBR, I literally yelled “yes!” Pre-blog, I read Kinsella’s Twenties Girl and Confessions of a Shopaholic books. This author is a master of hilarity, awkward situations and heartfelt moments. Can You Keep a Secret? fits those qualities perfectly. The premise alone was too cute to pass up. A girl who gushes all her deepest, darkest secrets to the handsome man next to her on a plane, who she later finds out is her new boss?! Perfect. This is the ideal beach, vacation or traveling read. It’s light but engaging and sweet yet sincere. It doesn’t require a lot of focus, but it’s 400+ pages will keep you entertained. Some people have issues with these types of books because they’re not “serious literature,” but who cares? Not every book has to change your life and challenge your brain. Reading is supposed to be entertainment, and I often need a break from all the aliens and vampires and dystopias. The only real criticism I have for this book – and Kinsella’s books in general – is the heroine, Emma. It’s not her fault, but she’s just like every other Kinsella leading lady. She is struggling in her career, a bit inept with her friends and family, interested in superficial things and has a penchant for making huge life mistakes. It’s a great character, don’t get me wrong, but Emma could have replaced both characters from the other two Kinsella books I’ve read and no one would have noticed. That is sort of non-issue for me overall because I simply adore Kinsella’s prose and dialogue. The romance is pretty predictable, but the same is true of any romcom movie. And, at least in Can You Keep a Secret? there is a nice little point about telling the truth and practicing honestly in life and relationships. OVERALL: I really needed this. It was plain enjoyable. The characters in every Kinsella book are all pretty much the same, but they’re likable enough that you might be like me and not care. Can You Keep a Secret? is basically a romcom in book form, and if you’re looking for a beach/travel read this is your book.

The Shopaholic series was a guilty pleasure of mine last year, and was just the thing to read while, e.g., sitting in the vet's office when my dog was terribly ill (he's okay now, thanks for asking), so I approached "Can You Keep a Secret" with both interest and a certain amount of trepidation. Kinsella has a formula that works for her, so I assumed that this latest book would be formulaic. But would it be intolerably so? The answer for me was both yes and no. "Can You Keep a Secret?" definitely follows the pattern that Kinsella set with the original Shopaholic series, of a ditzy and insecure young woman stumbling into good fortune, figuratively and literally, by meeting a high-powered executive and charming the socks and everything else off of him. This SHOULD be complete BS, but somehow Kinsella makes it work. No, not somehow. She makes it work because her heroines are indeed extremely charming, full of high spirits and keenly aware of the ridiculousness of the positions in which they find themselves, and are always able to overcome their external obstacles and internal insecurities to come out on top, save the day, and get the guy. Kinsella also sprinkles on the glitz and glamor with a liberal hand, but is still able to provide a pretty sharp critique of modern consumerist society and the way it can brainwash people into overspending and chasing after things that aren't actually that important. And she's got a great eye for the ways in which people feed themselves false narratives that they then cling to long past all sense. Not to mention a sparkling prose style. "Can You Keep a Secret?" did, however, strike me as a little formulaic. What felt surprisingly groundbreaking in the early Shopaholic books felt a little more like retreading the same ground here. Furthermore, there were some things that gave me the sense that neither she nor her editor could be bothered to smooth out the details: e.g., Emma is 25, but if Jack actually started his company back in the 1980s, he must be twice her age, but the age difference never really comes up. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but a 25-year age gap between partners is a biggish deal in my book. Still, "Can You Keep a Secret?" goes down very smoothly, like cake or one of the Panther colas that Emma is supposed to be selling. If you're looking for some hard-hitting realism or an in-depth examination of the dark side of the human soul, you'll probably want to keep on looking, but if you enjoy Kinsella's other books or the genre in general, you're likely to enjoy this quite a lot.

This is a good fun read with no deep issue going on with the characters. I like her writing, easy to read but not childish and keeps you engaged and funny. I just finished her shopaholic series(book after book) and although I loved the first book, by the 4th book I was done with them and I couldn't finish it. The characters were all the same and the main character, although you gotta like her, her stupidity sometimes drives me crazy and you can only take too much. I really was impressed with Sophie Kinsella's writing in those series and therefor wanted to try her other books too. I'm somewhat impressed, it reminds me of her other shopaholic books and maybe if i didn't pick this right up after I got tired of that series, I might have liked it more. Although it's a different plot and characters, it just felt so much of the same to me. Please give this one a try, wether you've read her shopaholic books or not, she's worth it. As to how much I really liked her, I will keep an eye out for more of her books, I just will have to pace myself better and not read them all at the same time.

I was looking for something lighthearted and funny and I hit the jackpot. Highly Recommend this one! Add to cart, now!

We all occasionally need books like Can You Keep A Secret. No, it was not complex, meaningful, or particularly well-written, but it was entertaining and funny, and I found myself having a hard time putting it down. Sometimes it feels good to escape into the life of an "ordinary, nothing special girl" with all the trials and tribulations of snarky fellow employees, roommates, family, and of course, old and new romances. I liked Emma, the main character, and wanted things to turn out well for her (an ending you can always count on in this genre, but honestly not something I wanted for the annoying Becky of the Shopaholic books). One reviewer complained about too many secondary characters, but aren't our real lives filled with these? The book reads quickly, so with the cost of less than a day, I enjoyed a mini-vacation away from my professional life in Oregon. We all need these types of escapes sometimes, no matter whether your preferred genre is mystery, romance, or fantasy. I may not brag about this being the latest book I read, but if I know someone that likes this genre, I would recommend it - my definition of 4 stars.

Out of all the books written by Sophie Kinsella this one is my all time favorite! I have read it many times and it never gets boring. I read many books and when I'm not sure what to read next or I'm just in the mood for something funny this is my go-to book. It just puts me in a happy mood with all the laugh-out-loud moments. It's a change of pace and so well written that it truly is a pleasure to read. Emma Carrington has many secrets. Not big secrets. Just these tiny little ones like how she's afraid of flying, or how she told her boyfriend she was a size 4 instead of an 8 and so on. On a flight back from an important meeting the plane hits some really bad turbulence and she. believes the plane will crash and they will all die. As she's freaking out she spills all these secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. What she didn't expect was to see him again or that he'd be at her workplace for the next week. Jake Harper is one of the founders of the Panther Cola company and a marketing genius. Along with his best friend Pete they created an empire. But a year ago Pete died in a car accident and with grief Jake lost interest in everything. He's finally coming around and is in London checking up on his company there. When he met Emma on the plane he was gripped the moment she started talking. He never thought he'd see her again but fate had other plans. He can't stop thinking about her and all her cute secrets so he plays along when he sees her working for his company. Being around her is refreshing after all this time of grief and feeling empty. She sees the world in a different way, just like Pete used to. But with a big secret of his own will they have a chance at being together or will they crash and burn before really taking off? Fair warning... you will laugh out loud many times while reading this book and at the most unexpected moments so I suggest not reading it in public places, that is unless you don't mind people looking at you like you're crazy. :D

A delightful book, very entertaining. Can You Keep a Secret? was my book club's July selection, and although we didn't have a lot of "meaty" material to discuss, we had lots of fun talking about what constitutes a secret and whether there are occasions when secrets are not only appropriate but also downright necessary. Before the evening was over, some people shared secrets, and we all agreed that we could easily identify with Emma Corrigan. Although the novel was funny and entertaining, there are bits of it with which everyone can identify. Who hasn't felt a bit of annoyance with boastful relatives, the joy of love and attraction, and the frustration of a job that seems to be going nowhere? The difference between us and Emma is that we don't tell all of our secrets to strangers on an airplane and then later end up in close proximity to the stranger...as in "boss" and later, friend and lover. The dialogue was great as were some of the scenes. Kinsella does a fantastic job of creating amusing and sometimes exciting, tense scenes. I laughed aloud at the picnic scene and Kerry's discomfiture, and I found myself tensing up when Jemima brought the journalist to get the "real scoop" on Jack. In other words, this was a fun book that most gals will enjoy.

This has been a favorite of mine for about 20 years. I recommended it to my daughters and my neice... who also loved it. I still listen to the audio version once a year or so... several scenes are laugh-out-loud funny I love it when her boss gives her boastful cousin a hilarious set down. Falling in love with the wealthy boss... what girl doesn't find that an romantic concept? This book was far better than the shopaholic books. I was saddened to hear that the author passed away in Dec of 2025 of brain cancer. Makes me treasure this story all the more. Here's to Emma Corrigan and Panther Cola!!!

Kept me interested till the very end. I have read Sophies book many years ago and enjoy her way of writing

Divertente, scorrevole e ottimo per esercitarsi nella lettura in inglese in un linguaggio informale completo di molti phrasal verbs. Davvero una piacevole lettura!

Je ne vais pas vous rappeler l'histoire puisque de nombreux commentateurs s'en sont déjà chargés, sachez juste pour ceux que ça intéresse qu'il s'agit d'un livre particulièrement facile à lire en anglais. Bref, étant déjà fan de Sophie Kinsella (j'avais lu "Lexi Smart a la mémoire qui flanche" et toute la saga de l'Accro du Shopping - en français) je n'ai pas été surprise d'avoir refermé le livre en ayant un immense sourire aux lèvres. C'est drôle et touchant à la fois. Je me suis reconnue dans certaines situations (cf l'attitude d'Emma face à sa cousine Kerry). On rit tout autant qu'on est au bord des larmes, parfois (je dis bien parfois, puisque ça reste surtout un livre humoristique). Sans prise de tête sans pour autant être une lecture stupide ou superficielle, Can you keep a secret a ce don de vous mettre de bonne humeur. Impossible de reposer ce livre une fois commencé. Les personnages sont très sympa, et Emma est particulièrement attachante. C'est une femme moderne dans laquelle chacune d'entre nous peut se reconnaître. Je vous recommande ce livre à 100% si vous aimez les lectures simples et sans prise de tête, et que vous avez envie de rire un bon coup !

nhaltsangabe (Quelle Goldmann): Emma Corrigan scheint vom Pech verfolgt. Alles in ihrem Leben geht schief, und jetzt auch noch das: Sie sitzt in einem von Turbulenzen geschüttelten Flugzeug und sieht ihr letztes Stündlein gekommen. In Panik legt Emma eine dramatische Lebensbeichte ab: Jedes Geheimnis, jede jemals geäußerte Lüge bricht aus ihr heraus. Zu dumm, dass sich Emmas Sitznachbar ausgerechnet als ihr oberster - und zudem äußerst attraktiver - Chef entpuppt ... Meine Einschätzung: Dank Spophie Kinsellas neuem Roman "Das Hochzeitsversprechen" bin ich auf sie aufmerksam geworden. Besonders auf ihre "älteren" Romane. Sicher, ich kannte sie schon von ihrer Shopaholic Reihe, doch ich wusste nicht, dass sie noch mehr geschrieben hat. Auf Anraten einer Freundin las ich dieses Buch jedoch auf engl. Und was soll ich sagen? Sophie Kinsellas Schreibstil war leicht, locker und sehr flüssig zu lesen. Ich konnte das Buch von Beginn an nicht aus der Hand legen. Bereits der Einstieg in den Roman war sehr lustig und sind wir doch ehrlich: Jeder von uns hat so seine größeren und kleineren Geheimnisse ... Die Handlung selbst hat mich richtig überrascht. Ich glaubte zu wissen, wie alles kommen würde, doch ich wurde von der Autorin mehr als einmal überrascht und das Positiv! Mit interessanten Wendungen in den Ereignissen verleiht SK ihrem Roman ordentlich Pep und doch ist an diesem Roman so viel mehr dran, denn es hat alles was ein wunderbarer Frauenroman so braucht. Ich habe mich regelrecht durch das Bcuh gekichert und mein Mann blickte mehr als einmal verstört zu mir rüber *grins* Gelegentlich traten mir auch Tränen in die Augen, weil es so schön oder so traurig war. Die Charaktere waren einfach liebenswert und man mochte sie sofort, besonders Emma. Doch auch die irre Mitbewohnerin hatte etwas, wobei ich hier gestehen muss, dass sie mir manchmal etwas Angst machte. Man mochte sie einfach alle gern und man wünschte sich eine Happy End für Emma und Jack. Ob sie es bekommen? Nun da müsst ihr das Buch schon selbst lesen. Mein Fazit: Ein Roman, der alles hat was das Frauenherz (zumindest meines) begehrt - 5 Sterne!

高校2年生ですが、突っかかるような難しい表現がなく、内容も面白いので2日たらずで読み切ることができました！日本でもよくあるような典型的ラブコメですが、テンポがよく、セリフも魅力的で夢中になってしまいました。