185th out of 1,281 books
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1,576 voters
Can You Keep a Secret?
Emma is like every girl in the world. She has a few little secrets.
Secrets from her mother:
1. I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom to Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben Hur.
...From her boyfriend:
2. I'm a size twelve. Not a size eight, like Connor thinks.
3. I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.
...From her colle...more
Secrets from her mother:
1. I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom to Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben Hur.
...From her boyfriend:
2. I'm a size twelve. Not a size eight, like Connor thinks.
3. I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.
...From her colle...more
Paperback, 364 pages
Published
2003
by Black Swan
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Jun 27, 2011
Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult
So...I really wanted to dislike this book. I was determined not to allow myself to be one of "those girls." You know...the ones who plan ladies night out to watch Sex and the City. I've never had a desire to read Bridget Jones' Diary or The Devil Wears Prada (although I do hate to admit that I actually liked Devil as a movie) I mean, it's Chick Lit. Fluff without the smut. What fun is that?
Turns out, it's more fun than I was expecting. The book started out in such a way that I was expecting to g...more
Turns out, it's more fun than I was expecting. The book started out in such a way that I was expecting to g...more
My first - and almost certainly last - foray into chick lit. Very shallow, contrived and implausible, albeit in a self-conscious ("ironic"?) way.
Although the "plot" may excuse the improbable co-incidences, there is no justification for the ludicrously artificial dialogue. I find all the "poor fluffy little me struggling to bluff it in the big bad grown up world" nauseating. Not as funny as it thinks because the humour, such as it is, is entirely reliant on very cliched stereotypes.
If it were w...more
Although the "plot" may excuse the improbable co-incidences, there is no justification for the ludicrously artificial dialogue. I find all the "poor fluffy little me struggling to bluff it in the big bad grown up world" nauseating. Not as funny as it thinks because the humour, such as it is, is entirely reliant on very cliched stereotypes.
If it were w...more
Feb 08, 2012
Dija
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Dija by:
Kissa, Jasprit, Jessica, Madu, mrsj, and Aly.
Shelves:
before-2007,
cotton-candy-fluff,
lollercoaster,
cr,
authors-i-stalk,
read-in-2012,
my-reviews
Rating Breakdown:
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Story - 3 stars
Emma - 3.5 stars
Jack - 2 stars
Side characters - 5 stars
Ending - 2.5 stars
The average is 3.5 stars, but since enjoyment is my number one reason for reading in the first place, I'll round it up to 4 stars.
This book is, hands-down, the funniest book I've ever read. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes and cramps in my tummy throughout. This book should come with a warning label, something like, Can You Keep a Secret?... AKA The Sole Cause of...more
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Story - 3 stars
Emma - 3.5 stars
Jack - 2 stars
Side characters - 5 stars
Ending - 2.5 stars
The average is 3.5 stars, but since enjoyment is my number one reason for reading in the first place, I'll round it up to 4 stars.
This book is, hands-down, the funniest book I've ever read. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes and cramps in my tummy throughout. This book should come with a warning label, something like, Can You Keep a Secret?... AKA The Sole Cause of...more
Feb 14, 2012
Anzu The Great Destroyer
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
legally blondes
Recommended to Anzu by:
all my friends. thank you guys so much!
Goal: Read a light book and laugh my ass off.
Result: Read a stupid book that made me want to cut it into little pieces.
Overall Goal: Happiness.
Overall Result: A sh*tty headache.
All my friends gave Can You Keep A Secret? a high score, all of them loved it, all of them asked me to read it.
So I did.
Yep. And I ended up having a headache. Literally. Mrs. Kinsella you owe me a pack of meds and a nice foot massage.
So why did all my friends love this book and I didn’t? I have no idea, to tell you the tr...more
Result: Read a stupid book that made me want to cut it into little pieces.
Overall Goal: Happiness.
Overall Result: A sh*tty headache.
All my friends gave Can You Keep A Secret? a high score, all of them loved it, all of them asked me to read it.
So I did.
Yep. And I ended up having a headache. Literally. Mrs. Kinsella you owe me a pack of meds and a nice foot massage.
So why did all my friends love this book and I didn’t? I have no idea, to tell you the tr...more
don't read this in public..especially if you're by yourself...
this book has been on my wishlist for years (apparently it was earning rave reviews from readers online) and yet everytime i come across this at bookstores i'd tell myself to postpone buying it since it had many copies on shelf. i never even bothered leafing through it. but one day i just decided to actually read its back cover and see what all the hoopla's about.
and then i saw the line, " Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the...more
this book has been on my wishlist for years (apparently it was earning rave reviews from readers online) and yet everytime i come across this at bookstores i'd tell myself to postpone buying it since it had many copies on shelf. i never even bothered leafing through it. but one day i just decided to actually read its back cover and see what all the hoopla's about.
and then i saw the line, " Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the...more
Feb 26, 2012
Meg ♥
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Meg ♥ by:
Jasprit
First of all thank you, Jasprit, for insisting I read this one. A couple of days ago I was sick and in bed all day. I had just finished another book and was wondering which book to start next. I saw this on my Nook and remembered you said it's her best book. This book really made me feel better when I was under the weather.
Emma is 25 and has been through many jobs. She has had a job in marketing for over a year now, and although she does okay, she's not exactly moving up the corporate ladder. Sh...more
Jun 09, 2008
Idle Hippo
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mereka yang pengen ketawa, gak peduli cewe ato cowo
sebuah pengakuan.. um.. setengah pengakuan lebih tepatnya
chiklit.. chicklit.. cik ah
okay.. okay.. gw baca chicklit juga ahirnya.
kesan pertama baca chiklit gw jadi punya perasaan udah ngintip kehidupan seorang cewe dan rahasia-rahasia mereka. oo.. jadi gini kalo cw lagi ember, oo.. jadi gini cewe kalo lagi dandan, oo.. jadi gini kalo cewe lagi ngegosipin cowo, oo.. jadi gini kalo cewe lagi ngadat, tanpa bermaksud untuk menyamaratakan cewe, jadi maaf kalo ada cewe yang merasa gak seperti itu ya.....more
chiklit.. chicklit.. cik ah
okay.. okay.. gw baca chicklit juga ahirnya.
kesan pertama baca chiklit gw jadi punya perasaan udah ngintip kehidupan seorang cewe dan rahasia-rahasia mereka. oo.. jadi gini kalo cw lagi ember, oo.. jadi gini cewe kalo lagi dandan, oo.. jadi gini kalo cewe lagi ngegosipin cowo, oo.. jadi gini kalo cewe lagi ngadat, tanpa bermaksud untuk menyamaratakan cewe, jadi maaf kalo ada cewe yang merasa gak seperti itu ya.....more
i swear when i was done with book i was sooo what ? umm...frustrated or somthing, geesh !

the ending seemed so...lacking ? disappointing ? i dont know maybe both....., i mean unlike Ms.Kinsella's

for the first time, in my history of books,i actually ended up hating the hero jack,(view spoiler)(instead of the heroine ) along with her cousin kerry (whojust HAPPENED TO STEAL her ENTIRE CHILDHOOD) and her fashion/mommy obsessed ro...more

the ending seemed so...lacking ? disappointing ? i dont know maybe both....., i mean unlike Ms.Kinsella's

for the first time, in my history of books,i actually ended up hating the hero jack,(view spoiler)(instead of the heroine ) along with her cousin kerry (whojust HAPPENED TO STEAL her ENTIRE CHILDHOOD) and her fashion/mommy obsessed ro...more
Sep 24, 2008
Palsay
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
translated-fiction,
chicklit
bukunya kocak bener...hehe...kalo dibayangkan bener2 jadi scenes dalam sitcom gitu yah..
terus terang gw baca loncat-loncat sih...jadi ga bisa dibilang selesai juga..tapi gw dah menangkap intinya lah..(kok bisa?)yang jelas tokoh emma ini bener-bener beruntung, sebab dia mendapatkan segalanya hanya dengan menggunakan sedikit otaknya..hehehe
dalam hati, kok agak mirip dengan harlequinn yah? cuma kalau harlequinn seperti soap opera, nah ini sitcom..
oya, betewe gw juga punya beberapa rahasia loh...hih...more
terus terang gw baca loncat-loncat sih...jadi ga bisa dibilang selesai juga..tapi gw dah menangkap intinya lah..(kok bisa?)yang jelas tokoh emma ini bener-bener beruntung, sebab dia mendapatkan segalanya hanya dengan menggunakan sedikit otaknya..hehehe
dalam hati, kok agak mirip dengan harlequinn yah? cuma kalau harlequinn seperti soap opera, nah ini sitcom..
oya, betewe gw juga punya beberapa rahasia loh...hih...more
Dec 01, 2007
Rhapsody
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
romance/comedy readers
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1,5 *
Wait, wait.. oops another of my brain cells just committed suicide...
I have to say this is the first time I've read a Kinsella book. I also have to admit that I am not very into to chick-lit. But, I have read enough to know that is not acceptable to base a book on a totally stupid, ignorant and "fake" character! Don't get me wrong I am not trying to compare this with any "serious literature". I knew what I got myself into. But honestly there has to be a bottom line to "light read". Many au...more
Wait, wait.. oops another of my brain cells just committed suicide...
I have to say this is the first time I've read a Kinsella book. I also have to admit that I am not very into to chick-lit. But, I have read enough to know that is not acceptable to base a book on a totally stupid, ignorant and "fake" character! Don't get me wrong I am not trying to compare this with any "serious literature". I knew what I got myself into. But honestly there has to be a bottom line to "light read". Many au...more
Funny.
Cute.
I am not a Shopaholic reader but this hilarious chic lit absolutely has influenced me to find other Sophie Kinsella’s books.
Emma spills all her secrets to a stranger on a plane when she thinks they're about to die. But then this strange guy turns out to be the co-founder of the company she works for. OMG! *wink*
Jack Harper; a multi-millionaire bachelor that the girls would die for. But literally, he only opens his heart to this nothing-special-ordinary-girl named Emma. He felt extre...more
Cute.
I am not a Shopaholic reader but this hilarious chic lit absolutely has influenced me to find other Sophie Kinsella’s books.
Emma spills all her secrets to a stranger on a plane when she thinks they're about to die. But then this strange guy turns out to be the co-founder of the company she works for. OMG! *wink*
Jack Harper; a multi-millionaire bachelor that the girls would die for. But literally, he only opens his heart to this nothing-special-ordinary-girl named Emma. He felt extre...more
I adored this one! Emma spills all her secrets to a stranger on a plane when she thinks they're about to die- then he turns out to be the millionaire head of the company she works for. The rest of the story is well paced and enjoyable. Emma was a very likable and easy to relate to character and I definitely found myself hoping things would work out for her. The writing is light and witty and the book is impossible to put down. It was a very fun read and definitely on par with Kinsella's Shopahol...more
Worst book I have read in a LONG, long time. Seriously, How could so many of you like this book? Now I remember why I hate chick-lit so much. After having read and adored Something Borrowed and Something Blue I thought I wasn't giving enough credit to this genre, I thought there were some good books on it out there. Because of this, I went to a list with the best chick-lit books and added them to my TBR pile. This is the first one I try and I completely abhorred it.
I found this read and most of...more
I found this read and most of...more
Its my first Sophie Kinsella book. I didn't even know she was the author of the best selling series 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'.
Anyway I read it and YES, I like it. The story of Emma is so funny!
Couldn't stop laughing! not just smile kinda /lady like laugh! but laugh which makes your stomach hurt!
Anyway I read it and YES, I like it. The story of Emma is so funny!
Couldn't stop laughing! not just smile kinda /lady like laugh! but laugh which makes your stomach hurt!
Apr 28, 2012
Kajal Nehra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants a good laugh
AHHH! This book was... It was... I'm out of words! It was that good.
'… knight in shining armour is not a realistic option. But there's a part of me that wants a huge, amazing romance. I want passion. I want to be swept off my feet. I want an earthquake, or a … I don't know, a huge whirlwind … something exciting. Sometimes I feel as if there's this whole new, thrilling life waiting for me out there, and if I can just—'
Oh god I enjoyed this book trememndously! It was a roller-coaster ride of emot...more
'… knight in shining armour is not a realistic option. But there's a part of me that wants a huge, amazing romance. I want passion. I want to be swept off my feet. I want an earthquake, or a … I don't know, a huge whirlwind … something exciting. Sometimes I feel as if there's this whole new, thrilling life waiting for me out there, and if I can just—'
Oh god I enjoyed this book trememndously! It was a roller-coaster ride of emot...more
"It's sweet when someone knows every detail of you not because you keep on reminding them but because they pay attention." This is a quote that [I think] can best describe this book to everyone. Well, it is quite true that we tend to feel special when someone pays attention to us in terms of our likes and dislikes, what we do, what we feel, our secrets, etc. Anyway, I love how you can really feel those emotions and can relate to the characters, how you can really picture out the situations they...more
Can You Keep A Secret?: a Decent 2.5 Star book that is perfect for a spring or summer day of relaxation
So its testing week for me at school and I needed something that was funny, uplifting, and would in no way inhance my knowledge base. This was perfect. It was hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the ridiculous situations that the heroine found herself in. However, had I been trying to read this book at any other time, I probably would have not liked it. The heroine, Emma,...more
So its testing week for me at school and I needed something that was funny, uplifting, and would in no way inhance my knowledge base. This was perfect. It was hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the ridiculous situations that the heroine found herself in. However, had I been trying to read this book at any other time, I probably would have not liked it. The heroine, Emma,...more
I absolutely loved this book! It so reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary. Emma is terrified of flying and when the plane hits massive turbulence, she thinks she's going to die and starts blabbing all her secrets to the guy in the seat next to her. And I do mean everything. Turns out he's Jack Harper, the guy who owns the company she works for. For everyone he meets, a little bell goes off, and he uses what Emma told him in a clever way which is just hysterical. Poor Emma she just can't win, she is...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Re-read April 11, 2011:
What I always tell people is that it's good this was the first Kinsella I read, because if I'd read those dumb Shopaholic books first, I'd never have bothered with this. That said, this made me laugh out loud the first time I read it, and everyone I've ever talked to about it said the same thing. Ironically, many of us also read it on an airplane, which is funnier if you've read the book.
Anyway, with all my recent heavy reading and because I BookCrossed my first copy of th...more
What I always tell people is that it's good this was the first Kinsella I read, because if I'd read those dumb Shopaholic books first, I'd never have bothered with this. That said, this made me laugh out loud the first time I read it, and everyone I've ever talked to about it said the same thing. Ironically, many of us also read it on an airplane, which is funnier if you've read the book.
Anyway, with all my recent heavy reading and because I BookCrossed my first copy of th...more
I decided to give Sophie Kinsella another try (I started a Shopaholic book once, but must have been in Chicklit burnout because I couldn't finish it), and picked up Can You Keep a Secret?. The premise is that Emma has a really horrible day that ends in a terrifying plane trip. In a panic, she turns to the man sitting beside her and spills every secret she has ever had: lying about her grades on her resume, that she hates jazz even though her boyfriend thinks she loves it and continues to buy her...more
Aug 13, 2008
Serena
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anna Horner
Sophie Kinsella's "Can You Keep a Secret?" blew me away with its wit and humor. There were times when I roared out loud with laughter and there was a time near the end of the book where I wanted to weep. This book surpassed my expectations. After reading the Undomestic Goddess, I was expecting a book that was similarly amusing, but Emma is a much funnier character.
***Spoiler Alert***
When we meet Emma Corrigan she totally messes up a "slam-dunk" business meeting and is headed back to London from...more
***Spoiler Alert***
When we meet Emma Corrigan she totally messes up a "slam-dunk" business meeting and is headed back to London from...more
The moment I started reading the first page.. I was gripped!
I could not put it down. I actually finished it last night, or should I say very early morning? Since it was already passed 1am.
This novel made me laugh and cry at the same time, and lots of interrupted emotions. I mean, just when I was about to wept and cry buckets something will happen that would make me burst out laughing. I love how it ended. And I just might read this book again whenever I need to have a good laugh and a happy endi...more
I could not put it down. I actually finished it last night, or should I say very early morning? Since it was already passed 1am.
This novel made me laugh and cry at the same time, and lots of interrupted emotions. I mean, just when I was about to wept and cry buckets something will happen that would make me burst out laughing. I love how it ended. And I just might read this book again whenever I need to have a good laugh and a happy endi...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I was thinking whether I should buy this book or not, I read the back of the book. "She has a few little secrets.."The minute my eyes landed on the words "...until she spills them all to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.", I was so curious that I started reading the book 10 minutes after i bought it. Then again, I had nothing to do anyway :p A expected of Kinsella, this book made me laugh and get embarrassed at all the right parts. It was interesting to see how...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mocha Girls Read: Book of the Month: Can You Keep A Secret? | 17 | 84 | May 17, 2013 07:29am | |
| Author's Style of Writing | 27 | 444 | Mar 01, 2013 06:49am | |
| Romance Lovers fo...: Can You Keep a Secret?, by Sophie Kinsella "Buddy Read" (Start date: June 11th) | 188 | 66 | Jun 19, 2012 11:19am | |
| Chick-lit YA: Who says chick-lit lovers are hopeless romantics?? Who agrees?? :( | 7 | 44 | Aug 31, 2011 07:59am |
Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her...more
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“Relationships are all about trust and equality. If one person shares, then the other person should share, too.”
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242 people liked it
“The truth is, some relationships are supposed to last forever, and some are only supposed to last a few days. That’s the way life is.”
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Sep 23, 2012 06:13am
Sep 23, 2012 03:39pm