Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Book Review - Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Bloomwood is back in the second book by Sophie Kinsella, following the success of 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'.

When we meet Becky Bloomwood again, she's in a very good place. She's in love with her hunk of a millionaire boyfriend Luke Brandon, and has a very good high paying job as a personal finance expert on a morning TV show. Those days of debt are behind her!

Um, not quite, unfortunately. Becky hasn't really kicked her habit, and her new high paying job may have paid off her old debts, but she has wasted no time in collecting a new pile of unpaid bills! Oh, Becky!

When Luke relocates temporarily to New York City to open a new office for his financial PR agency, he brings Becky along with him. While Becky tries to look for a job in New York so she can stay longer in the States, she also discovers the joys of New York Boutique shopping and yes, sample sales! Despite knowing she is sinking further into debt, Becky can't help rationalizing by saying that foreign money ($$$) doesn't count, right?

Unfortunately, things (i.e. all her lying and debts) eventually blow up in Becky's face and she's left without both a job and a boyfriend! Oh, no, how will Becky turn things around this time? Because you betcha that Becky will pick herself up and dust herself off in the end...

Becky is a winning personality and there remain numerous laugh out loud comic instances in the pages, but to be honest, I'm getting tired of how out of control she is. Does she finally learn her lesson here? Find out!

Check out Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella on Amazon!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Book Review - Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Nobody does silly chick-lit quite like Sophie Kinsella. 'Confessions of a Shopaholic', where I first met her scattered and spacey heroine Rebecca Bloomwood, made me an instant fan.

Rebecca Bloomwood is just like you and me - after graduating from college, she is offered a line of credit by her bank and gets a job writing for the financial magazine called Successful Saving. Sounds like a model citizen? Well, not quite - Becky has a problem. She can't stop shopping even though she's in debt many times over. Things are so bad that she is using a credit card to pay off old credit card bills, she hides/ throws out all the new credit card bills, she avoids her banker like the plague and tells a string of white lies more implausible than the previous - and still, when she passes by any store that has a sign saying 'SALE', she can't help but shop yet again.

Becky finds a self-help book that promises to help her deal with her debt. First line of business, scaling back! Becky earnestly tries this out by going to the museum, and attempting to cook her own food etc... all with hilarious results where Becky only ends up spending more money! Horrors!

Next, Becky tries earning more money, such as trying to apply for a new job with a resume that has been 'polished' and ends up in more trouble. She even briefly considers seducing the young cousin of her roommate (who also happens to be an aristocratic millionare) with hilarious shenanigans.

Finally, in a fit of panic, Becky ends up hiding in her parent's home with a string of lies behind her. How does she get out of this mess? Well, she does this quite brilliantly in the end while attracting the attention of young millionaire Luke Brandon. Happy ending! Well, that part reads like a fantasy to be honest, because I can't quite believe that someone like Luke would actually fall for someone like Becky, but I guess that stranger things have happened in real life!

Check out Confessions of a Shopaholic on Amazon!