Mini Shopaholic

"Mini Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella is the latest installment in the "Shopaholic" series, which started with, "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I've read every one of Sophie's books and I loved this latest one!

I started reading the Shopaholic books when I was in highschool and after the first one, I was immediately hooked! Becky Bloomwood, the heroine, never disappoints! She's a great madcap sort of character who's constantly getting herself into trouble, which is something any shopaholic can identify with. But the great thing about this series is that it's truly entertaining and laugh out loud funny, so even if you aren't an actual "shopaholic" you'll appreciate the books just for their wit, charm,, and really interesting writing style. Sophie Kinsella writes in a sort of signature first person-present style so that you're experiencing events as the characters are. It keeps the story fresh, interesting, and it also keeps you on the edge of your seat a bit wanting to know what happens next!

I don't want to give too much away a bout the book, so I'll just briefly reveal a bit of the plot:

Becky by this point is Becky Brandon, ever since book 3 where she marries Luke Brandon, a big tycoon. They have a daughter, Minni, who it seems, is destined to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a shopaholic herself. At age three, she already knows how to shop online! It's very amusing and entertaining to see Becky as a Mom after reading all the books to see how she's grown and developed but still manages to maintain her basic enchanting qualities. There are always lots of great subplots in Sophie Kinsella's books, some of which include a surprise party Becky is trying to throw for Luke which becomes a complete fiasco, Luke's estrangement from his biological mother Elinor, and the fact that they are living with Becky's parents because each house they try to get falls through for some reason or another.

This one is another triumph for Sophie in that you simply can't put it down. So, fans of the series will really love it, but if you haven't read the other books, I doubt it'd be easy to follow. If you saw the movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic", do NOT judge the books on that. I found the movie entertaining as a fan of the books, but it was nowhere near as good as the books are! There were so many changes, not the least of which was that the movie takes place in New York where the books take place in England, which in my opinion, makes them even more intriguing for American readers because Sophie Kinsella lives and works there, so that adds a lot of authenticity and gives you a good idea of what life is like in England.

So, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend starting with "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and working your way up to this one! You won't regret it. Just make sure you hide your credit cards because you WILL want to go shopping! ;)