Book Review: Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella

In honour of Valentines I thought it was appropriate to review some chicklit (my favourite comfort read genre – I love some brain candy!). One of my favourite chicklit authors is Sophie Kinsella (along with Katie Fforde) – her books never ever let me down; they are just wonderful to read and always leave me with a big smile on my face. I have already reviewed Kinsella’s standalone books here.

 

Oh how I loved this book. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (Confessions of a Shopaholic in the US)  is the first book in the Shopaholic series and where we first meet Becky Bloomwood. Becky had me crying with laughter at her shopping addictions and I hate to say it but I had several “oh my god, I do that!” moments (more than I care to admit to in fact).

Becky is a bored financial journalist who just can’t stop spending money she hasn’t got. She’s constantly in trouble with the bank and all her store cards have gone over their limits so she decides to try and save money using a self help book. I really did laugh out loud at some of the ideas she tried to try to curtail her spending, which usually ended up with her spending more.

Shopping has never been so much fun.

 

In this second helping, Shopaholic Abroad (Shopaholic Takes Manhattan in the US),  Becky Bloomwood is back and this time she’s in New York (think Prada, Barneys, Bloomingdales…) all a recipe for disaster in Becky’s world. Becky has gone to the Big Apple with her boyfriend Luke and is staying at the Four Seasons while Luke tries to launch his business in the States. Becky has great intentions of sightseeing and getting herself a great job on American TV, but she still can’t resist the lure of the shops…. even the museums have stores! Since according to Becky the money you spend overseas really doesn’t count she feels free to go crazy, and in her usual fashion, she does. But when Luke gets wind of her excessive spending their relationship becomes in serious jeopardy.

I read this in one evening, I just couldn’t put it down. It’s absolutely hillarious and I howled with laughter all the way through.

 

I cried with laughter at this next chapter in the Shopaholic saga (Shopaholic Ties the Knot) on so many occasions; it was just brilliant!

Luke has proposed to Becky and both families immediately leap into organisation mode, planning weddings in both England and New York. Becky is so caught up in both weddings (a big over-the-top affair in the New York Plaza with $3000 wedding cake and pine trees shipped in from Switzerland and a traditional, stripey marquee in her parents back garden) that she doesn’t have the heart to cancel either of them and the weddings just get nearer and nearer…….
Instead of taking the bull by the horns and sorting it out, she does what she knows best – goes shopping.

This book was hillarious and I just love seeing what situations Becky finds herself in next. When her best friend, Suze, goes into labour I couldn’t see the words on the page for tears streaming dowbn my face with laughter!

Shopaholic & Sister opens with Becky & Luke on their honeymoon round the world trip. Finally growing tired of traveling after 10mths they decide to go home early. But not everyone is excited that they’re home. Not least Becky’s parents who have the unenviable task of telling Becky that she has a long lost sister she never knew about. Becky being Becky sees hours of girly hours and shopping with her sister ahead of her. But as is usually with real life…..things don’t go according to plan.

Beckys plans of her and her new sis hitting the shops in their new stilettos she (gasp!) discovers that her sister Jess is a tightfisted spendthrift. Opposites certainly don’t attract in this page-tuner and Jess is a hilarious character with her obsession with collecting rocks and going on outdoor protests. Read it and weep (with laughter!)

Once again, in Shopaholic and Baby Becky Brandon manages to get up to her eyeballs in misfortune, sticky situations (and debt!) and yes we know it’ll all be alright in the end but half the fun is following her mishaps along the way. In this latest book, a pregnant Becky thinks that Luke is having an affair with her obstetritian, Venetia (who just happens to be an ex-girlfriend from his uni days). As she gets bigger (and more paranoid) she decides to have them followed by a Private Detective but still manages to find plenty of time for doing what she does best – shopping (5 prams, 400 count egyptian cotton sheets for the baby’s crib, Christian Dior baby dressing-gowns). BRILLIANT!!!

 

If you haven’t read any of the shopaholic series you are missing an absolutel treat! They are true laugh-out-loud books and you can’t help but laugh at the scrapes Becky always managed to get herself into.

 

The next in the series is Mini Shopaholic about Becky and her now toddler, Minnie, and the disasters that befall them (it sounds like Becky has finally met her match!). This book is due out in September 2010 (no cover yet) and I cannot wait!