Becky Brandon (nee Bloomfield) is back in another Shopaholic adventure – this time the Brandon family have moved to LA, where Luke, Becky’s husband has taken on film star Sage Seymour as a client. Becky arrives in Tinstletown determined to make it – she’ll be best mates with countless celebrities and will become an A-list stylist. With her best friend Suze in tow, she sets out to conquer Hollywood – but things don’t seem to go to plan. Then she gets the opportunity of a lifetime, to really make her mark on showbusiness – but what will it cost her?
Right – confession time: I have read every single one of Sophie Kinsella’s books. Ever since I was 17 years old, working in North Finchley library, when I came across her first novel, The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, I’ve been a devoted fan. I hate to say it, but I think the magic has ended – I just didn’t really get this latest book. Yes, the whole series is quite trivial – it’s about a woman addicted to shopping – but the previous books in the series have been hilarious. Becky always manages to get herself into all kinds of scrapes, she is ditzy but smart and somehow always lands on her feet, she is silly but lovable – but all of that just doesn’t really come through in this latest installment. Instead we get a convoluted plot, characters that aren’t really very likable, very few laughs and a disappointing cliff hanger ending. I think it’s partly that I have outgrown this type of book – but then I knew that before I even picked it up. I think Sophie Kinsella has lost a bit of her magic, the book isn’t terrible, but it’s lost the sparkle that I have come to associate with her writing. A shame really – it feels like the end of an era, but then I have been reading her books for over 10 years now so it probably is time to move on!
Cooking the Books 