Skip to content

Can You Keep A Secret?

Pages
366
Published
2003
Language
English

Synopsis

Emma Corrigan has plenty of little secrets — the kind everyone has and no one admits to. She doesn't really like her boyfriend's dog. She's never actually read the management book her company reveres. She has no idea what her job's key performance indicators even mean. And when a terrifyingly turbulent flight convinces her that the plane is about to go down, she blurts every last one of these secrets to the calm, handsome American stranger sitting beside her.

The plane lands safely, of course, and Emma walks away mortified but relieved that she will never see the man again. Then she arrives at work to discover that the stranger is Jack Harper — the enigmatic founder and CEO of her own company — and that he now knows absolutely everything about her.

A breezy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from the bestselling author of the Shopaholic series, Can You Keep a Secret? is Sophie Kinsella at her most charming: a warm, wince-inducing, feel-good story about honesty, embarrassment, and the messy business of falling for exactly the wrong — or perhaps exactly the right — person.

About the author

S
Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella was the pen name of English novelist Madeleine Sophie Wickham (1969–2025). A former financial journalist, she published seven novels under her own name before adopting the pseudonym in 2000 with The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (published in the US as Confessions of a Shopaholic), the first of the bestselling Shopaholic series. Her novels sold more than 50 million copies worldwide in over 60 countries. She died in December 2025 following a diagnosis of glioblastoma, which sh...

Characters

Emma CorriganProtagonist

A marketing assistant at a London beverage company whose blurted secrets on a turbulent flight upend her life.

Jack HarperSupporting

The company's American CEO who turns out to be the stranger Emma confided in on the plane.

KerrySupporting

Emma's cousin, who Emma feels overshadowed by.

Connor (Can You Keep a Secret?)Supporting

Emma's steady, seemingly perfect boyfriend, who she privately compares to a Ken doll and keeps small secrets from throughout the book.

All characters in Can You Keep A Secret?

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a film adaptation of this book?

    A feature film adaptation directed by Elise Duran and starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin was released in 2019.

  • Are there any sequels to this story?

    No. Can You Keep a Secret? is Sophie Kinsella's first standalone novel, separate from her Shopaholic series, and it has no direct sequel.

  • Are there differences between the UK and US editions?

    The US edition includes additional passages not found in the original UK release, such as an opening scene where the protagonist helps a young boy choose a toy while on the plane.

Read all 6 reviews