Narrated by Jayne Entwistle
I’ve Got Your Number is a hilarious British rom-com in the style of Bridget Jones’ Diary (I totally imagined Sam as Colin Firth too). If you like Bridget Jones, you will like this one.
Two weeks before her wedding, physiotherapist Poppy Wyatt has not only lost her engagement ring, she’s also lost her phone. In order to get news of her missing ring, she needs a phone and, when she spots an abandoned phone in a rubbish bin in the hotel lobby, she snatches it up. The engagement ring has been in her fiancé’s family for three generations so it’s a BIG DEAL. To add to the pressure, the toffy and academic parents of Poppy’s fiancé (Magnus) are coming back to town after months away. They will expect to see the ring. What to do?
To add more hijinks into the mix, the phone belongs to the PA of businessman Sam Roxton. It gets all his emails and text messages and he needs it back. Poppy, desperate, makes a deal with him to forward on his messages for the few days she will need so she can receive news about the missing ring (hopefully). Poppy cannot leave well enough alone and pretty soon she’s not only reading Sam’s messages, she responding to them too. Cue hijinks and hilarity. That’s not a criticism – I was laughing out loud throughout the book. The scenes involving the Scrabble game and the replica ring were so funny I was wheezing and snort-laughing. Just as well I was alone at the time!
It is a romance and there is a happy and hopeful ending, but there is nothing explicit and, in the circumstances (as can probably be guessed) I’d describe the romance more as “developing”. It was nevertheless satisfying. Which I didn’t quite expect, but there you go.
I had been a little concerned that the main characters wouldn’t spend enough time together and I wouldn’t get enough of the hero, but that wasn’t the case at all. Through text messages, emails, and phone calls and in person meetings, the hero is very present in the story. I think it would make a wonderful movie actually. With Colin Firth. Ahem.
The narration was wonderful. Jayne Entwistle (who is new to me) delivered the natural British accent and chatty friendly personality that nailed Poppy exactly. The male characters had slightly deeper voices but were mainly differentiated by tone (slightly stern). The various female characters were distinctive and there were various British accents showcased as well.
For the first time ever, there was an occasion where I felt it was entirely appropriate to give a narrative laugh and then deliver the words. And Ms. Entwistle did this only the once – the other times the laughter was clearly bubbling away under her voice but there was not a separate “heh heh” (this is a Very. Good. Thing). Something about the conversational style of this first person narrative lends itself so well to audio – I’m sure it was more fun for me to hear it than read it (even though I would have enjoyed it either way).
The production values were clean and I didn’t notice any mistakes or vocal errors.
I think the combination of this story and this narrator was a perfect marriage and I expect I will be listening to both again. Win.
Kaetrin
Narration: B+
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: You Can Play it Out Loud (though there is some profanity)
Violence: None
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
Really enjoyed both the book and the audio.
I’m going to pick up Wedding Night soon. Jayne Entwistle does half (?) the narration. For that alone, it’s work it I’d reckon. I do have a soft spot for British humour so I’m expecting another fun romp.
it was a little more than 1/2 Entwistle, because her character was slightly more featured (maybe?). I didn’t really measure but she was the sort of “main” character, while her sister Fliss was sort of secondary. I’m looking forward to listening to this one – I thought Entwistle was brilliant!
From what I’ve read about Wedding Night Melinda (including your review), I think you’d like this one better. Just a word of warning: don’t be drinking anything when you’re listening to the Scrabble game or the ring shopping because you might give your sinuses a forcible cleanout! :)
My oldest daughter loved Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret – sounds like I need to add I’ve Got Your Number to her Kindle. :)
It was really funny Brenda. Complete farce but it didn’t cross the line to make Poppy look stupid – that is, the humour didn’t all result from embarrassing her. A bit of it did, but others were poked a bit too and Poppy herself was very funny. The wedding planner was so much fun – “I’m so busy, can’t YOU do this Poppy? It is YOUR wedding, after all.” I’m laughing just remembering. I think you’d enjoy the audio – the narration is really very good.
I adored the book, but I’m afraid I’m going to be a dissenting voice on the narration. I absolutely could not stand it. I kept thinking ‘this is not Poppy, why is she making Poppy sound like a complete idiot?’. It was bad enough that I stopped listening after about an hour and bought the ebook, and it was not cheap at all!
I guess we just have different tastes. I’m curious about your comment “this is not Poppy” – had you read the book before? I think we’ve all had the experience where we read a book and “hear” a voice in our heads and if the narration we later hear doesn’t match it can be a problem :)
No, it was the first time I’d picked it up, that’s the funny thing. I guess I felt there was a disconnect between the textual evidence, what Poppy was actually saying, and the inflections Entwistle was giving her narration.
I guess that happens to all of us every now and then :)
This is my favorite Kinsella novel. I listened to it driving my kids to school, and often took the long route to be able to “indulge” a little longer. I really loved how the relationship between the protags was so decidedly NOT based on appearance, but character instead.
This was my first Kinsella but I enjoyed it so much there will definitely be more. I loved the use of technology in the courtship and yes, that it was more than physical attraction which drew the MCs together. :)
Read this book years ago, and loved it. Looking forward to listening to it when it comes out.
Sorry, I got my books mixed. I loved this book. Though it wasn’t totally hilarious, it had it’s moments and I throughly enjoyed listening to I’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER.
Yes, I thought the narration was so very good. And I remember, even onw, quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. :)