To my knowledge, I have read all of Sophie Kinsella's books. And, for the most part, they are essentially the same. The plots vary a bit, but as a whole, they are light-hearted chick-lit reads that make me laugh every now and again. They'll never end up on a critic's serious "must read" list, but they're entertaining enough to be a fun story.The entire Shopaholic series revolves around Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood), a serious shopaholic that while flawed, has her heart in the right place. In Mini Shopaholic
, Becky now has a toddler age daughter and finds herself trying to live within the constraints of the economic downturn by "cutting back" (in her own way of course) while also planning a lavish surprise party for her husband.
, Becky now has a toddler age daughter and finds herself trying to live within the constraints of the economic downturn by "cutting back" (in her own way of course) while also planning a lavish surprise party for her husband.I have to admit, this book fell short for me. There are some cute moments at the end that made me laugh, but it took a lot to get to them. I think most of what made Becky so endearing in the previous books was lost in this one. There's too much lying (and I think the lies go too far beyond "white") and a certain amount of Luke's appeal was diminished too. In general, all of the characters were less likable (even her daughter!). With this type of book, where the characters don't have much depth in the first place, likability is huge.
I know Kinsella has more ahead for Becky Bloomwood, but I just hope that the next novel does a better job of highlighting the characters that I used to like so much. Otherwise, it might be time to for this shopaholic's story to end.
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that is such a bummer- i was looking forward to reading this at some point but maybe i will skip it. have you read emily giffin's books? if you like kinsella you would probabluy like hers... they are wonderful reads! plus she graduated from my alma mater (before i was there) so it's always nice to support her! :)
ReplyDeleteI have read most of her books as well, and all of the other ones in the Shopaholic series, except this one. It's a personal thing, but I just wasn't that interested in Becky's life as a mother. If I wanted to read about motherhood, I would check out one of the zillions of fabulous "mommy" blogs out there. Like I say, it's just a personal thing.
ReplyDeleteBut it's too bad this one wasn't as good. I loved the first three, and I also loved the Undomestic Goddess. Hopefully this isn't the end of her fun writing style.
I completely agree! I've loved all of the Sophie Kinsella books, as well as the Madeleine Wickham books, but this one was just okay. It's possible that I'm just getting burnt out on the Shopaholic series though.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I was pretty disappointed, because I'm a HUGE shopaholic fan. I agree that her lies were too big... there were times where i was just like, "confess, ask for help, its not the end of the world."
ReplyDeletei will remain a faithful fan, and read whatever comes out next, but i felt like this one was lacking a bit.
I read this book for a quick fun read and was disappointed too. It is the same story every time, and very little variation. I also thought the lying got out of control in this book too.
ReplyDeleteI've read a couple of these as beach reads, but I think it was the movie that really ruined the series for me. They had so many opportunities to make a fun, interesting movie, but instead it came out so cartoon-like. I really like how she finds one item and bases a whole life around it (if I get this, then I need to get this, and this because I will now be doing this...)but they totally left that out of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed the Shopaholic series as well, sorry to hear this one didn't measure up!
ReplyDeleteOh that's such a bummer. I love the series and was looking forward to reading this one! I will still probably read it, but I'll most likely borrow it from the library instead of purchasing it. Hopefully the next one is better!
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