Mini Shopaholic

I find this whole series laugh out loud funny and will happily reread.
At the same time, if I actually had a friend like the MC I would have likely strangled her

Becky and Luke are beginning to wonder whether they are raising a normal child or not, when their toddler Minnie is banned from a Father Christmas grotto... and it's not the first time. Minnie's favourite word is 'mine!' and she is extremely strong-willed. Luke finally convinces Becky that they should employ a super-nanny... Becky would really like another baby, and Luke is horrified at the idea of introducing another child into their somewhat chaotic environment.

Meanwhile the banks seem to be collapsing, and everyone is trying to cut back on spending. Becky agrees not to buy anything new until she has worn all her previous purchases... the ones taking up the majority of her parents' home where they are still living. They hope to move show more out into their own home, and her parents are counting the hours... then it all falls through, and Becky can't think how to tell them.

Oh, and Luke's birthday is approaching, and Becky determines to organise a huge surprise party for him, taking his office PA into her confidence.

Yes, it's all remarkably silly, and materialistic, and nobody could really be quite so addicted to shopping as Becky is... and yet, at the same time, it was almost impossible to put this down, once I had started. Sophie Kinsella has a great gift of setting just the right pace, throwing in some unexpected humour (I even laughed aloud at one point, which is very unusual for me) and interspersing just enough emotion to pull ever so slightly at my heartstrings. For Becky means well. She's generous and loving, and really does want the best for the many people she loves, even if her impulses frequently get her into trouble.

This is the final volume of the Shopaholic series (at least, so far...) and is best read after at least some of the others. show less

This was another fun book in the Shopaholic series. Every time I think a book must be the end of the series, it looks like there's an opening for another one. Mini Shopaholic was full of crazy mishaps and elaborate plans, just like all the others.

A few things though. When I first started reading this series I think I was 19. Now I'm 27 and married. There were quite a few times when I wondered why she didn't just tell Luke something. I also wonder why all Becky's money seems to be separate.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to "Shopaholic in Hollywood" or whatever it will be.

I'm a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella, but I must confess a secret: I'm not a fan of the Shopaholic series. Even though it is, without a doubt,the series that catapulted her to fame, I've never really impressed by the books. So I didn't read this expecting to be charmed or thoroughly caught up in Rebecca's antics. But you know what they say...sixth time's the charm. Or something like that. This being the sixth book in the series I've decided to make a list of my six likes and dislikes.

1) "Becky's art form is unique," Luke suddenly chimes in. "She creates...unreal worlds. Fantasyland, some might call it." Rebecca's escapades reaches an alarming high in this book. It amuses me to read about the lengths she will go to just to achieve life's show more everyday necessities.
2) I really enjoyed the story but I felt that some portions were a repetition of the other books in the series. For example: Rebecca and Suze's fight reminded me of the one they had in Shopaholic and Sister and Rebecca's suspicion of Luke reminded me of Shopaholic and Baby.
3)Like mother, like daughter...If you thought Rebecca was a handful, wait until you read about Minnie. She is the embodiment of the phrase "terrible twos." Already banned from four shopping malls, she settles her need for retail therapy by shopping online, and making frequent trips to Starbucks for her much loved "biscuits".
4) Rebecca and Luke's marriage bothered me a lot. Luke sends out major sugar daddy vibes-granted he and Becky are almost the same age but he barely spends ten pages of the book without her Blackberry or running off to work.His priorities seem to be work, Blackberry, Becky and Minnie (in that order).
5) Just the fact that I had to cry from laughing too hard.
6) Many things were left unsaid. Kinsella failed to mention what the altercation between Luke and his mother was and she also failed to deliver a reconciliation between mother and son. I guess we'll have to wait for another book. show less

I loved this one! It didn't start off so great, it was a bit slow but after about 50 pages it really picked up. Becky is still as crazy as ever and now she has a sidekick- her 2 year old daughter, Minnie. The book mostly centers around Minnie's ever increasing behavioral problems and Becky's attempt at hosting a surprise birthday party for Luke. Like everything Becky does, it gets way out of control and she gets herself into loads of ridiculous situations as usual. This one was a really fun and light, and probably one of my favourites in the series. A very funny, quick read.

This book was very disappointing for me. Normally I enjoy Sophie Kinsella's books for a quick, light-hearted, humourous read. This time, however, Kinsella was lacking her usual wit. Becky, the main character, is no longer charming and funny. On the contrary, she came across as a silly little girl. She hasn't matured at all from the last books and I'm fed up. Kinsella needs to move on from the Shopaholic series.

I had been disappointed with the last of the series, so I was delighted to see that Kinsella is back in the game with this one. Whereas I feared it would all be about little Minnie's tantrums, I was glad to see a complication of plots and events, ludicrous situations and comical observations. Kinsella does a good job of mixing flightiness, friendships, misunderstandings, exaggeration and poignant emotions. Anything that makes me laugh out loud deserves four stars!