Vancouver, Canada, Present Day

Sophie Kinrock hates change; she craves security and the things she can count on. Sophie already made one big change in her life, immigrating to Vancouver from the U.S. She feels secure in a long-term relationship with Doug, her boyfriend. When Doug walks into the laundry room announcing that he is leaving, takes his folded laundry and moves out, Sophie is stunned. Now change is her middle name. She is alone, thinking about whether she can afford the house that she now must pay for by herself, but she has a plan. She will get Doug back; make him see the error of his ways and move back home. Sophie’s inspiration comes none too soon, for already, Doug has a new love interest. Sophie’s friend, Jane, thinks that she should move on, forget Doug, a loser who never appreciated Sophie anyway. Sophie thinks Jane should support her idea to win Doug back and help her along the way. Does Sophie realize where her scheming will take her life?

UNPREDICTABLE is the slightly crazy world of Sophie, who will go a long way to maintain the status quo, even when it is not good for her. Sophie goes from stealing Doug’s socks to becoming a fake psychic so that she can advise his new girlfriend of the error of her ways. Sophie’s story starts off so outrageously, you can only laugh at her antics, but it quickly becomes difficult to sympathize with her. I kept thinking she would pay for the consequences of her actions, and learn from them, but she is saved at the last minute several times. Along the way, she meets Nick, professor and skeptic, out to prove that psychics are charlatans. She convinces him to help her with her plans! Nick is kind and is attracted to Sophie, but she's locked into her goal of getting Doug back, so she does not act on this attraction until the end of the book. Sophie makes you just shake your head, wondering how she can keep doing such foolish things. I wanted to slap her for being so stupid and causing pain, to not only herself, but others.

UNPREDICTABLE (previously entitled IN THE STARS) is laugh out loud funny, but its main character is ultimately disappointing. It satirizes and lampoons the crazy things people will do for love and security. Nick is something new, a short hero, shorter than Sophie, but kind and confident. He is definitely worth reading about. If a good laugh is an important factor in your reading, this is worth the purchase; it is definitely a funny book.

Lisa Baca