# Can You Keep a Secret?

By Sophie Kinsella

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/can-you-keep-a-secret-f0acd606/

Convinced that a turbulent flight might kill her, Emma Corrigan tells the man beside her the embarrassing things she usually keeps private. She survives. Then Jack Harper, the CEO visiting her company’s UK office, turns out to be that very well-informed stranger.

## What makes it funny?

In the opening business meeting, Emma enthusiastically agrees with jargon she does not understand. Her backup plan is to invent more impressive jargon of her own. She wants to sound like a rising marketing professional while admitting to the reader that she has already forgotten the other man’s name.

### The comedy at work

Emma supplies the explanations that make her behavior sound reasonable to herself. Kinsella lets readers hear those excuses while watching her try to look composed, then gives the boss access to the private information she depends on hiding.

### Try this if…

The appeal lies in embarrassment, office maneuvering and romantic fantasy. Publishers Weekly enjoyed the comic episodes and sympathetic heroine but found the plot thin and the unequal romance less convincing.

### Good to know

Sexual jokes and intimate disclosures are part of Emma’s account. The romance also involves a senior boss and an employee, making the difference in their workplace authority part of the setup.

## What to expect

- Genre: Romance
- On the shelf: Contemporary romance · Romantic comedy
- Kind of humor: Satire · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Length: 368 pages
- Audiobook: 10 hr 26 min

## A few distinguishing details

- A flight confession returns at the office
- Private panic behind professional jargon

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Google Play audiobook](https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Can_You_Keep_a_Secret?hl=en_US&id=AQAAAEAysBHwMM)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385336819)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/93075/can-you-keep-a-secret-by-sophie-kinsella)
- Author commentary: [Author introduction and excerpt](https://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/book/can-you-keep-a-secret)