Book Nerds Across America: Sophie Kinsella

Showing posts with label Sophie Kinsella. Show all posts

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Book Review: Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella

Goodreads Overview:

The new Mr and Mrs Brandon are on honeymoon, and Becky has big plans! They’ve got a whole year to explore Venice, learn yoga in India, sleep in little wooden huts in South America… maybe even see penguins in the Antarctic. And of course they’ll need to buy just a few essential souvenirs along the way (everyone needs a set of Murano glass goblets, after all).

They’re not just tourists, they’re travelers. Becky is sure it is just the thing that Luke needs – time to unwind. He’ll come back a changed man… with all the good bits still intact of course.

But it soon becomes clear that Luke has different plans entirely. Can Becky help him let go, or will this little disagreement threaten their whole honeymoon?

Jacque's Review:

The previous book in the series, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, was all about Becky and Luke's wedding. The planning and everything leading up to the big day and their honeymoon. I haven't read the next book in the series yet, Shopaholic and Sister, but Sophie Kinsella released a free short story in 2014 to bridge the gap between the two books. The ebook is less than 30 pages and is an entertaining addition to the series.

Luke, ever the workaholic, is beginning to question the decision to take a full year off to travel the world. He is very intent on seeing and learning as much as he can at each location, and once they have hit all of the highlights, is ready to move onto their next destination. A souvenir to commemorate a location is certainly enough.

Becky is the one planning and organizing the honeymoon and has far different plans. She is happy relaxing in one city and taking in the culture. She is in no hurry and of course has to purchase all sorts of souvenirs to fully experience each city. For example, she sees some artists painting and decides she needs to take up painting, even though she has never had an interest in the past and has no artistic talent.

Ever the practical person that I am, I have a very hard time relating to Becky and her frivolous spending. She is constantly buying things she doesn't need and ultimately regrets purchasing once she sees how much she has spent or her sudden impulse has passed. Her antics are entertaining and provide a number of laughs, but I think that sort of personality would wear on me after a very short period of time. Fortunately, Luke is wealthy and can support her habits.

They have a bit of a falling out over their difference of opinions, but ultimately work through their issues. I enjoyed this short story and would recommend it if you are a fan of the series. It is a very quick read and provided some humorous insight into their honeymoon adventures.

I downloaded the ebook for free from the library, so it was certainly worth more than the price :)

Friday, July 26, 2019

Book Review: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

Jacque's Review:

Becky's troubles will never cease to amaze me. This time Becky isn't in financial trouble. She simply can't say no to her mom or her soon to be mother-in-law who are both planning weddings for her on the exact same day on two different continents. As multiple invitations are going out to many of the same guests and the arrangements are being made, Becky just hopes everything will sort itself out.

On one side of the spectrum she could have the wedding of the year that would rival any celebrity's. On the other hand, she could have a more traditional ceremony at her parent's home with all of their family and friends. When she finally makes a decision and takes a stand, she is confronted by the wedding planner from hell and discovers she may be in well over her head.

In addition, Luke is finally coming to terms with the fact that his mother may not be everything he had always hoped she would be. He is struggling emotionally and has a bit of a breakdown. As a result, Becky doesn't want to bother him with the "petty details" of their wedding troubles and keeps putting things off for a better time, but unfortunately time is running out.

These are very light and entertaining reads with quite a bit of humor mixed in. I did feel like this one drug on a bit and wished they could have gotten things sorted out a bit sooner. The constant stress Becky was under with the two weddings was a bit much after a while. Overall, I gave it three stars. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't my favorite in the series.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Audiobook review: Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

Book Summary
Becky Bloomwood and a hilarious cast of beloved family and friends (plus one enemy!) set off in a van to find her missing father, last heard from in Las Vegas.

Becky’s father Graham and her best friend’s husband, Tarquin, have disappeared from Los Angeles saying simply they have “something to take care of.”

But Tarquin’s wife Suze who is Becky’s best friend, and Becky’s mother Jane, are convinced the two men are hiding something and are in danger—their imaginations run wild. They must track them down!

Hijinks ensue as husband Luke drives Becky, daughter Minnie, Jane, Suze and other favorite Kinsella characters across country from LA to Las Vegas in search of the missing men.

Becky feels deeply guilty about ignoring her father while he was in LA, in addition Becky feels her enemy Alicia is threatening her friendship with Suze.

Flo's Review
I took an impromptu road trip last weekend and needed something fun to keep me going as I drove. Booknerd Jacque has recently discovered the Shopaholic series, and maybe that inspired me to finally listen to this audiobook that I picked up at a conference several years ago.

Shopaholic to the Rescue picks up right where Shopaholic to the Stars left off. I haven't read Stars, so while I wasn't completely lost, there were a lot of references to events from that last book that I didn't get. Also, the last book in the series that I read in full was Shopaholic and Sister, so there were some new characters I hadn't met.

But I still adored this story. I believe it's the final book in the Shopaholic series and I got a little misty eyed at several points of it. But I feel like it left all the characters in a good place, with a satisfying conclusion.

In this one, Becky has visibly grown. Her musings are still quirky and fun to read, but she is far from the woman we met in Confessions. One of the main story lines in this book is that Becky does not want to shop for herself, and I think it's completely brilliant that in the last book in the series she is having the opposite problem as in the first. That being said, Derek Smeathe is in this book, and I loved the circle effect of having him play a role in this story.

True to any Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) story, the situations the characters find themselves in are so bizarre and fun to read. This book is a road trip, so we got to see several scenarios through Becky's eyes: a big county fair, Las Vegas, Sonoma, and more. Becky steals the show as always, but I had fun with the other characters as well: her mom and Janice, Eleanor, Danny, Tarquin, and even Alicia B*-Longlegs were all a delight to read.

There is a scene with Elvis toward the end of the story that really did make me tear up. So perfect and well done. And "Becky's 11?" I love it!

This is a delightful, fun, satisfying conclusion to the Shopaholic series, and I am really glad I read it!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Book Review: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Shopaholic, #2)

Jacque's Review:

This is the second book in the Shopaholic series and it is just as funny and entertaining as the first. When we left Rebecca (Becky) Bloomwood at the end of Confessions of a Shopaholic, she had just worked out all of her shopping difficulties. She had amounted a large amount of debt, but everything was now on the upswing. With a new job, a fantastic boyfriend, and most importantly...no debt...she is determined to stay on track with the help of her flatmate Suze.

It doesn't take long for Becky to start "investing in her career." She "needs" to have various items to wear on her TV show, or to help her write her self help book, or to take on a weekend holiday. Before you know it, she is once again over her head. To make matters worse, she accompanies her boyfriend Luke on a work trip to New York City. She will get to spend a couple of weeks in the Big Apple hitting all of the glamorous shops and boutiques. If all goes well, Luke and Becky will move to New York so Luke can concentrate his efforts on his office in New York and she will be a star on American television.

Everything is on shaky ground with regards to Luke's expansion efforts and Becky's financial troubles soon become public knowledge. She is humiliated and watches everything she worked so hard for fall apart. Just when she thinks she will never get a break, she stumbles upon some very useful information that could turn everything around. She also devises a strategy that just might erase her financial problems.

I absolutely love all of the dialogue and British vocabulary used in this series. While I can't relate to the woes of a shopaholic, I couldn't help but love Becky. There are so many laugh out loud hilarious situations that could only happen to her. It was also funny to see some of the cultural differences and how she integrates into American society. While I understand the reasons for the plot twists, I wish there could have been more to Becky and Luke's relationship. Obviously, that is likely what is coming next in Shopaholic Ties the Knot, but it felt like there was constant tension between the two of them. He was so focused on expanding into the United States that he lost focus on everything else in his life. The last couple of chapters definitely redeemed him, but it took a long time and a lot of external assistance for him to come to his senses.

If you are looking for a fun summer read I would definitely recommend this series. I can't wait to read Shopaholic Ties the Knot and just discovered there is a Confessions of a Shopaholic movie!! I had no idea. I'm sure it wasn't an award contender by any means, but it has to be hilarious. If you have seen it, let me know what you thought of it. I'm going to see if I can find it on Netflix/Prime ext. for this weekend's movie night.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Jacque's Review:

I needed an audio book for a road trip, so I looked on the library's site to see what was available. I LOVED I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella and decided to give another one of her books a try.

This book was just okay for me. If I were reading a print copy, I may not have finished it. Since I was stranded in the car for 12 hours each way to and from Vermont with nothing better to do, I kept listening.

Laura Lington is a twenty some year old girl from London. (The narrator had a British accent, which was a bonus.) When we first meet her she is getting ready for her Great Aunt Sadie's funeral. Sadie died at the age of 105 in a nursing home where she had been living for many years. Her remaining family never really knew her, but Laura's Dad and his brother Bill agreed to hold a funeral. During the service Laura is approached by Sadie's ghost demanding that they stop the service. She simply can't leave this world without her dragonfly necklace. Laura is the only person who can see Sadie, but she proceeds to stop the service by declaring Sadie was murdered and there needs to be an investigation.

Laura has been under a lot of stress lately and thinks she is finally going crazy. What other explanation could there be for seeing and hearing a ghost? Sadie appears to be close to Laura's age in her ghostly state and loved the twenties. Not only does she want Laura to find the necklace, but she plans on living life to the fullest while she is still here. She talks Laura into asking an American business man named Ed out on a date and wants her to dress in vintage 20's clothing and makeup. She agrees to go along with the ridiculous plan because she wants to do something nice for Sadie. She didn't really know her while she was living, but she is determined to make it up to her now.

Throughout the story Laura and Sadie develop a real friendship and begin to use their talents to help one another. They are a great team and with Sadie's help, Laura is finally able to get her personal and professional life back on track. It was a nice story with some surprising twist at the end, but I was never engaged to the point in which I couldn't stop listening.

I really enjoyed the portion of the book where Laura takes Ed on a tour of London. I went to London last September and visited all of the same locations, so I could totally relate. I just wish there had been more interactions with Ed. Those were definitely the high points of this story.

I've heard great things about all of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books, so I will probably read the first book in that series the next time I want a Kinsella book. Unless this is the ONLY Sophie book you haven't read, I would probably select one of her others before starting this one.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Flo's Favorite Authors

So a few months ago, Mary suggested that we should all post about our favorite authors. She went first, and then was followed by Jacque a few months later. I actually created my list on some Post Its (the best invention ever -- thank you Romy and Michele!), but have not had the chance to post until now. A few things about this list...first, there is no way I could rank these -- are you kidding me?!?! Second, I decided not to include authors that Mary and Jacque already posted about, though without a doubt I share some from both their lists.

Without further ado...

James Patterson

When I was around middle school age, I really loved reading his suspense novels: Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider were two of my favorites. Then, I found myself loving his romance novels: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Sam's Letters to Jennifer, and Sundays at Tiffany's all come to mind. Most recently, I have been obsessed with his YA Maximum Ride novels. He makes the list of my favorite authors for two reasons: first, span of time. I have been reading and loving his books for years. Second, I am in awe with his range of publications. He writes suspense. He writes YA. He writes romance. And he is REALLY GOOD at all of them. My hats off to you, James Patterson. http://jamespatterson.com

Rick Riordan

I was in Kmart one afternoon and for no reason whatsoever decided to buy Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Best random decision ever! From there, my love of audiobooks was cultivated, as I listened to the entire PJO series on CD. I have simply not read many books that were more clever, more action-packed, more heartfelt, all in the same package. I obsessively began following every Percy Jackson Tumblr ever created after that. I also got myself my very own Camp Half Blood t-shirt. The last book in the series, The Last Olympian, was my favorite. I wasn't even sad to see the series end, though, because as soon as I finished I was lucky enough to be able to immediately jump into the Heroes of Olympus series. Of the two that are out so far, one I listens to one and one I read -- both of them I flew through as fast as I possibly could. The third book of that series comes out next month, and Rick is coming to Miami to promote it! I couldn't be more excited to see him in person and get a signed book. Rick Riordan makes my list because of the cleverness of his stories -- the way he ties things together as well as relates them to mythology -- and the pace of his action-packed writing. http://www.rickriordan.com

John Green

I discovered John Green when I decided to download the ebook The Fault in Our Stars to see what all the hype was about. Let me tell you -- much warranted hype! That book was fantastic. I immediately loved the way he created his characters -- flawed, lovable, real. John Green is on this list precisely because he is one of the best, if not the best, creators of character I read. After TFiOS, I picked up Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Both of these books got 5* on Goodreads for me. I cannot wait to read An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska. http://johngreenbooks.com

Cassandra Clare

Two words: Jace Wayland. Jace was the first of many beautifully broken YA bad boys that I have come to love. I discovered The Mortal Instruments from a girlfriend who is not a big reader. We were in Barnes and Noble, and I was telling her how she HAD to read The Hunger Games. She agreed, and responded that I HAD to read The Mortal Instruments -- which, by the way, is a fun story to try to describe to someone who doesn't know what it is. ("So there are all these different types of paranormal creatures, and this brother and sister who you want to hook up...") Wow. I was blown away by these books, and also by Cassie herself. If you don't follow her on Twitter, you should. She makes my list partly because she is one authors who is most interactive with her fans -- it's fantastic. Not only on Twitter, but also on the Mortal Instruments Google Group, which I participated in for awhile. City of Glass is my favorite of Mortal Instruments books, but I have enjoyed the last two (I know there's some mixed reactions there.) As for the Infernal Devices -- soooo good as well. I love that they are set in London in the early 1900s -- what a great setting! Clockwork Prince was absolutely amazing. Right behind my laptop I have a row of, I guess you can call them, Books of Honor -- these are my absolute favorites. From left to right, they are The Hunger Games trilogy, the Mortal Instruments series, the Hunger Games trilogy again (yes, I have multiples -- don't judge!), and the Twilight saga. http://www.cassandraclare.com/

J.K. Rowling

The year was 1999 and I was facilitating a Secret Santa gift exchange with friends in my college dorm. My Secret Santa gave me a book I had never heard of called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The rest, as they say, is history. I remember my parents were confused and surprised when I pre-ordered The Half Blood Prince, but had to pre-order to their house because when it came out I would be there and not at my current place of residence. I think that was actually the first book I ever pre-ordered. Nowadays, we toss the word EPIC around a lot and very casually, but the Harry Potter series is really, truly EPIC in its truest sense. Like so many of its readers, I really feel like I grew up alongside Harry and his friends and enemies. The books were incredible, the movies were incredible, and years later they are still making impact (re: Pottermore). J.K. Rowling's story is also incredible and truly admirable. The Casual Vacancy comes out next week, and I am really curious to see her write a world beyond Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling makes my list because her books are truly epic. http://www.jkrowling.com/

BONUS

Cheat: Chick Lit

Next to YA, chick lit is my favorite genre, and has been for a long time. All my life I have identified with the trials of women of all ages as they are touchingly and humorously recounted in books that have kept me company during lazy Saturdays at home, sunny days and nights on the beach, or whenever I wanted to relish in the fun and adventure of being female. Honestly, I could make a list just of my favorite chick lit authors, and I thought about it. But while I in no way want to say that all chick lit books are the same, the genre does have a familiarity for me. I could give you a list, but they were all be on the list for the same reason. So, allow me to just name some of my favorites throughout time as my bonus authors: Ann M. Martin, Judy Blume, Francine Pascal, Lauren Weisberger, Emily Giffin, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella. Thank you, ladies, for making reading fun and for reminding me of the greatness of being a girl.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Flo's Review
I love Sophie Kinsella! I tore through all of the Shopaholic series and really enjoyed her stand alone books like Can You Keep a Secret? and Remember Me. So when I was picking out what the BookNerds April Book of the Month should be and saw that she'd just released a new book in February, I added it to the list. This book is about Poppy Wyatt, your typical Sophie Kinsella heroine. One thing I love about Sophie is her protagonists. In all of her books, the leading lady is essentially the same lady. My guess it that Sophie's ladies are Sophie herself, but I can't confirm that. At any rate, Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series is basically Lexi Smart from Remember Me is basically Poppy Wyatt from I've Got Your Number. But I LOVE her, so it's all good! I think that's what makes all of Sophie's books so comfortable to read -- the sense of familiarity. The heroine is often clumsy and always gets into tricky spots, but her heart is in the right place and she's lovable. She's far from being perfect and/or having the perfect life. She makes you feel like, "I may screw things up from time to time, but I'm lovable, too!" It's like she is me, the reader. (Ok, did I lose anyone there?) Anyway, I've Got Your Number was a super fast read: delightful, funny, excellent pacing, and great cast of characters. If you're in the mood for a light, fun, and funny read, definitely pick it up!

Jacque's Review:

This is the first book that I have read by Sophie Kinsella. As soon as I finished...I tweeted Flo a THANK YOU for selecting this as our read along. I have already added the Shopaholic series to my TBR list and I can't wait to submerse myself in more of Sophie's fictional worlds.

Poppy Wyatt is recently engaged, but it doesn't take her long to lose her engagement ring. On top of that...someone swipes her cell phone. Now she has no way of being reached if someone does find her ring. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse...she finds a cell phone in the trash and the story takes off from there.

Poppy begins corresponding with the owner of the cell phone Sam Roxton, who is a marketing executive. We quickly learn from their texting and e-mail styles that these two characters are polar opposites. I found it very interesting how comfortable someone can be when carrying on a relationship via text, but when you put those same two people face to face...things quickly become very awkward. It made me start to think about my own relationships. I do in fact have a few friend that I can text/e-mail/IM until all hours of the night talking about any and everything, but we too can be a bit awkward when we are actually together. It is as if we all of a sudden have nothing to say. It is so much easier to hit send than it is to talk about many of the same things in person. Why is that? Perhaps we need to get our hands on Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky sooner than I thought. (For those of you who are wondering...I am not referring to when all of us Book Nerds got together for the first time last weekend. Believe me...We certainly were not at a loss for words. We can ramble on about our favorite authors, books, fictional characters to no end.)

I know this book is supposed to be a stand alone, but I think there is potential for this to become a series. The characters are very enjoyable and I would love to find out what happens next for not only the main characters, but many of the supporting characters as well. It was a very light, funny, fast paced book that I will recommend to most of my girl friends. I don't know too many guys that I think will enjoy it, but I have one friend who is very much like Sam. I may suggest that he read it in hopes that he will learn something. xoxoxo :) (For those of you who have read the book...I couldn't help but add some hugs and kisses and a smiley to emphasize this last point.)

Teri's Review

I was hooked on Sophie Kinsella the minute my hubbie threw Confessions of a Shopaholic at me and said ..." Look some one wrote a book about you..."I am one of those people, the one that goes to the bookstore and waits for it to open on the day her books come out, take it home, devour it and then say..." I shouldn't have read that so fast..it needed to last..." It was no different with I've Got Your Number. I think the one thing I love about Kinsella's writing is I can always relate to the main character in some small way. Like when Poppy was playing scrabble with Mangus's family. I play Word With Friends, my score is always 98 to the others 3050 ( Ok I know the score cant get that high but it feels like it when your only popping out three letter words) I need a Sam on my phone, and lets face it, I know me, I would be right in the big middle of all those phone messages that didn't concern me.
I loved the interaction between Poppy and San, esp the texts in the woods when they are trying to find each other. My heart kinda raced anxiously before knowing what was going to happen. As with most of Kinsellas books, I was almost certain what was going to happen, but she did throw me for a loop there for a bit. The ending, like the book was perfect, Kinsella has never failed me yet!

Monday, April 2, 2012

March Monthly Read

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella:

I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life. (Barnes and Noble Overview)

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