Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella
| Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella | |
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| Category: Women's Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sophie Diamond
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| Summary: Becky's back with another cracking adventure. Warm, witty and full of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic sparkle. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 320 | Date: October 2015 |
| Publisher: Bantam Press | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0593074626 | |
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After a year of waiting (and somewhat frantic googling for the release date), Becky returns with the latest in the Shopaholic series, and guess what? It was completely worth the wait.
Unusually for this series, Shopaholic to the Rescue takes place immediately after Shopaholic to the Stars ends. Becky, her husband Luke, her daughter Minnie, her best friend Suze, her mum Jane, her mum's next-door neighbour Janice, and her old arch-enemy Alicia Bitch-Long-Legs, are all on a madcap adventure to track down Becky's dad, who has gone on a wild goose chase with Suze's husband. The motley crew travel in a rented RV from LA to Las Vegas, to the American West, and the close quarters heighten the tension for the already tense group. Becky's mum is frantic about the whereabouts of her dad, Suze is convinced her husband is being brainwashed by the evil wellness centre instructor, Becky's jealous that Suze is suddenly best friends with Alicia, and she blames herself for everything that has happened. As usual, ever-reliable Luke is the only sane one in the bunch, but even that's tested as his ice-queen of a mother shows up and starts bonding with the girls… Becky knows she has to fix this mess and put everyone back together again, it'll take the same amount of time and effort as finding that perfect pair of jeans, so luckily she's had plenty of practice.
I was a bit apprehensive about this book because I found Shopaholic to the Stars a little disappointing. I'd waited a long time for it and it wasn't what I was expecting. I never love these books more than when they're centred around Becky and Luke, but the previous book was focussed on Becky's obsession with celebrities and becoming one of them. It was very cleverly crafted because it was the most unlikable Becky's been since Shopaholic Abroad, so in Shopaholic to the Rescue, Becky has to redeem herself not only to Luke, Suze and her family but also to the readers. Don't worry readers, Kinsella pulls it off in her usual (designer) style.
The Shopaholic series is full of lovely, bubbly happiness. It's the reason they're my favourites. Becky is a heroine that you simultaneously cheer on and despair of. She's always getting herself in to ridiculous pickles and her friends and family are always pulling her out (which usually means out of debt), but this time, the situation has turned on its head and she's trying to save everyone else. It was lovely to see Becky sort things out on her own; it was like the series has gone full circle, from a clueless twenty-something figuring everything out, to a grown woman who knows that the real value in life is the people you have around you and not how many designer handbags you have in your collection. Shopping just isn't the same when the people you love are so unhappy. So Becky's only solution is to fix that. And then she can hit the shops guilt free and perhaps have another baby now she's finally gotten Luke on board …
This is without a doubt my favourite series of girly books. Sophie Kinsella has a knack for just the right amount of melodrama and humour, and with this series she has created characters that are so full of foibles it's impossible not to love them. My one complaint of the book (apart from the fact it didn't go on for another 200 pages) is that the ending ties loose ends quite tightly together and begs the unthinkable question, is this the last one? (Sophie, please say no!)
If you're excited about the new shopaholic book, why not pick up one of my favourites Shopaholic and Baby, it's book five and a real jaunt.
Thank you so much to the Bookbag and the publishers for my advanced copy! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella at Amazon.com.
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