Mini Shopaholic: A Novel

I have been reading the shopaholic series since the first book came out when i was in high school. I love sophie kinsella's wit and charming characters. My girlfriends and I always get excited when we see that a new shopaholic book hits the shelves. With Mini Shopaholic, I was not disapointed. I was so at home being back with becky bloomwood and luke brandon. Beckys antics remind me of old episodes of I Love Lucy. And her way of thinking is always hilarous! If you are looking for an easy read with lots of quick wit, and dramatic plot lines, pick up Confessions of a Shopaholic.. cause after the first book you fall i love with all the characters, and can understand the utter excitment of Mini Shopaholic which did not disappoint..

I usually enjoy Sophie Kinsella's books for some light reading and a few laughs. The Shopaholic series generally provides just that. The main character in the series, Becky, is usually portrayed as a slightly ditzy but also a fairly likeable character. In this book, however, I found myself utterly annoyed with Becky.

The book is set in the midst of the recent financial meltdown. Becky's husband Luke is under pressure at work, they and their toddler, Minnie, are living with her parents, and Luke's birthday is approaching, creating a 'stressy' situation for Becky. The serious nature of the financial crisis that many people experienced is not a good match for the silliness and irresponsibility of Becky's flighty spending habits and attempts to 'cut back'. In addition, her daughter is indeed a spoiled brat and Becky is portrayed as a pretty crappy parent. Usually you can find something warm to cuddle up to in her character, but not this time.

This book attempted to make light of some serious issues. It probably could've been done with a little more finesse, but in this case the attempt failed. The usual loveability of Becky was missing; hence the two stars for what was ultimately a massive downer.

This book is a great read. Once again Sophie Kinsella delivers. I loved the first book in the series and amazingly, each book is even better than the one before. Mini Shopaholic continues the adventures of Beckly Brandon nee Bloomwood, family and friends. I don't want to spoil the fun, so I won't go into details. I was often laughing out loud at the situations Becky gets into. One example, is the expedition with Minnie and Nanny Sue. The book ends with mention of Becky, Luke and Minnie's next adventure. I hope Sophie Kinsella intends to continue the saga.

Although Shopaholic Takes Manhatten Is still my favorite in this series, this was a fast paced humerous story.
Minnie Brandon is a chip off the old block. Looking forward to the next book that is probley going to be based in LA.

I really, really like this book. But not as much as the others. It was a little over the top, and you kind of want Becky to grow up a little bit. Over all though, it is a fun read, and I always love to read about Becky and her adventures!

As usual, Sophie Kinsella has come up with a hilarious, very entertaining novel, the latest sequel in the "Shopaholic" series. This book will never win a Pulitzer Prize, but it is lighthearted and very funny.

Mini Shopaholic: A Novel

I am a Sophie Kinsella fan, and when I was surfing the store.com and I spotted this book I had to have it. I'm glad, because it is a real laugh fest. Becky Brandon is my comedy hero.

This book came is perfect condition! I just love Becky's story and the little conflicts she runs into. Minnie is so cute and I hope she has a sibling so the adventure can continue. When I read these books, and any other Sophie Kinsella or Madeline Wickham books, I just fall in love with the characters and don't want to story to end.
This is a great deal too if you were planning on buying the book anyway because I haven't seen it in stores for less than $17.

This was another fast read for me. Rebecca just can't seem to keep herself out of trouble! And I guess that's why she is so lovable??!!??! lol Sometimes I feel like the situations are a little far-fetched or maybe that's the intent but other than that I think this was another great installment of the series. I hope we get to skip a few, several years so we can see Baby Bloomwood as a pre-teen or teenager and then see what sort of fiascoes that causes Rebecca...

Another laugh out loud good time by Sophie Kinsella! In a world of serious topics and busy jobs, Sophie's books are a relief. Love the addition of Minnie who apparently has some of her mother's traits. Rebecca still has the crazy personality that you love and end up cheering for!
The only authors that I enjoy reading as much as Sophie Kinsella are Mary Kay Andrew and Meg Cabot. Thanks for the heroic funny women characters!

This book came today and though putting on a partylight party together I have snuck away to read every chance. I love that their is someone who makes me look frugal and I so understand how it is to have your mom watch and spoil your child then unsure how they got that way. Only diffrence with that is mine wasa son with my dad and they still keep it up now that he is 14. I love this book can't wait to read some more is a second.

This book came today and though putting on a partylight party together I have snuck away to read every chance. I love that their is someone who makes me look frugal and I so understand how it is to have your mom watch and spoil your child then unsure how they got that way. Only diffrence with that is mine wasa son with my dad and they still keep it up now that he is 14. I love this book can't wait to read some more is a second.

Listen, don't listen to the negative reviews. I read the entire book and was laughing out loud and entertained the whole way. The whole Shopaholic series is warm and hilarious and Sophie's newest addition is an absoulute pleasure to read. Its also fun to see the wicked Eleanor take a sudden interest in her grandchild and her sad and strange attempts to forge a bond. I can't wait for the next in this series. Always a treat.

I love all the Shopaholic books and this was another great story. The story changes enough to keep it interesting but stays true to the original characters at the same time. A few surprises also! A great read for any shopaholic fan!

In this newest book Becky Bloomwood has a two-year-old daughter who Luke worries is out of control, so much so that he wants to call the equivalent of a Super Nanny; a part-time job as a personal shopper to feed her clothing addiction; and as much of a spending addiction as she ever did -- worse, in fact, because now she can say she's buying for Minnie. Add a global recession and her determination to throw the biggest most lavish party she can, and you've got a typical Bloomwood scenario, with the potential to go enormously wrong. Sophie Kinsella manages to keep it funny, with some lovely poignant moments, and she still manages to work in some surprises, but what was humorous and charming in book one is becoming a little stale. And where readers could sympathize with the early Becky, it's hard to feel for someone who spends too much when she has a wealthy husband. Not to mention that at this point the reader has to wonder: Is she ever going to learn?

So, in short, still enjoyable -- but I'd love to see something new!

I have read all the previous Shopaholic books and liked them. Laughed out loud funny at times, the characters are predictable, and endearing, and I like that. BUT, this newest book gets only 2 stars. It delivered what I was expecting, and not looking for a highly intelligent novel I got exactly what I wanted, a fun read, with a little humor, and some touching moments... The problem is that now Becky is a mother and her attitude toward shopping and the other people in her life don't mesh quite so well with the picture of a caring, loving, thoughtful mother. I think there is a fine line being walked between liking Becky as a mother and thinking she's completely clueless as to raising a child. It's cute and funny when it's just her and the other adults, not as funny when a child is involved. It's just not that cute to see a child be that spoiled and crazy. Lastly, why in the world is there so much cursing in this book? I just don't remember that in the other books. An occasional well-placed curse word to emphasize a point is fine, but every other page has the F word on it. And, again, the characters are often cursing in front of the child... just kind of makes them seem trashy, and made me cringe.

Why, hello Rebecca Bloomwood, the most extravagant, spendthrift lady in the world, we meet again!

Two years ago, I’ve already read her first 5 books (Shopaholic series), but I wasn't able to read Mini-Shopaholic immediately. A month ago, we did some renovations in our house and found some of my old books and soon, I saw myself flipping the pages about the tiniest shopaholic in town!

Like Mother, like daughter, I must say! Minnie, at her tender age of 2 already knew about online shopping and would not settle for anything less than Balenciaga or Baby Dior. And before I forget, have I mentioned that this adorable Minnie already wreaked havoc everywhere she went, from a shopping mall, to Santa’s places even to her own christening!

On top of this, there had been a major financial crisis in their country causing distress in her husband Luke’s career. To make it up to him, Becky decided to throw a surprise birthday bash for Luke, amid being penniless and being too proud to ask for help. In the end, Becky was able to settle her dilemma with the assistance of the last person she intended to ask for help.

Yeah, it was a reeling Becky Bloomwood Brandon experience again. The woman who couldn’t last a day without shopping. I don't know if it made matters worse, but Becky and her daughter, Minnie, who’s favorite expression is “Miiine!! (Mine!), was certainly making me nauseous and eager to do early Christmas shopping this time of the year.

I loved this book, I don't know about you, but I really liked this. Although I still have the love-hate feeling for Becky Brandon, her Mini-Me daughter Minnie brought a smile to my face. A really fun and light read, I was able to finish reading the book within 24 hours! Sophie Kinsella never fails to make me happy! I need to get my hands on Shopaholic To the Stars and Shopaholic To the Rescue soon!! 

I read Confessions of a Shopaholic years ago and really liked it. It was a cute, refreshing, quick novel about a quirky chick with a serious spending and hoarding problem.

Over the years, I read each of the new Becky Bloomwood stories, giggling as she struggled to reform her ways in NYC, of all places and watching her plan a wedding with a nightmare mother-in-law and a spending habit she was trying desperately to hide from the somehow ever-patient Luke.

Byt the time she found out she had a long-lost sister, I was slightly less charmed by her antics, but still on board. Then she had her baby and I found myself wanting to punch a fictional character in her moronic face. Because stupidity that is funny and quirky in a young twenty-something becomes bad parenting in an established adult. And everyone in Becky's life it a moron. Her parents. Her parents' neighbors. Her husband. They all indulge her terrible life choices and reckless disregard for her family's well-being with eyerolls and shrugged shoulders. Luke transforms from a super-humanly patient and devoted husband to a wimp who needs to lay the (figurative! Not literal!) smack down on this broad before she ruins their lives. It's not cute that they have to live with her parents because her spending is ruining their lives. It's not charming that their daughter is completely vile and over-indulged.

And Becky, a character that fans have followed for...what, eight novels now?...never, ever grows. She is a simpleton with no self-control or regard for anyone else's welfare thrown into a variety of situations and failing to ever mature. She's so unlikable by the time she's raising her evil spawn in her parents' house that it took me six months to finish a Shopaholic book. Six. Months. I read the first few in, like, two days. I just could not stomach her stupidity in this last one.

I sincerely hope that Kinsella has put Becky out to pasture. Her non-Shopaholic novels are so very good, and the early Shopaholic books are cute enough. But after eight novels, to see a character still the same exact person she was in the beginning is disheartening and frustrating. Please take this broad's credit cards away for good, pop her kid in a decent reform school, and get Luke a pair of cojones.

Whoever said that money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. ~ Bo Derek, Actress

Last Saturday, we flew from Baltimore to Tampa to enroll my son in the University of South Florida (USF). Unfortunately, the regional Air Traffic Control (ATC) was down, so we sat at the BWI airport for five hours. Many flights were cancelled but we were lucky we had an aircraft to board once ATC was operational again. Still, we were exhausted when we arrived at my mother's condo in Clearwater. I just wanted to read something that would make me laugh ... and I pulled out MINI SHOPAHOLIC, Book 6 in the series, from her bookshelf. Published in 2010, MINI SHOPAHOLIC kept me laughing through to the last page.

Becky Brandon, nee Bloomwood, is a modern day English version of Lucy Ricardo. Becky, like Lucy, sees the world from a different angle ... and finds herself in hot water, no matter the good intentions. Becky's side kick, Suze, is akin to Ethel - she follows Lucy into trouble. Where Lucy always sought the limelight in Ricky's productions, Becky seeks designer labels.

MINI SHOPAHOLIC is a laugh out loud adventure into bargain shopping, motherhood, and friendship. While the plot follows the same pattern as previous books, MINI SHOPAHOLIC is still an entertaining read laced with heartfelt moments (the last page made my heart melt). Becky truly shines when she relies solely upon herself to rise above the circumstances. Likewise, Becky has a good heart in helping others when she is not otherwise justifying her next purchase.

I have not read a Shopaholic book in several years - MINI SHOPAHOLIC hit the spot after our long travels. I am excited to catch up with the series, SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS (Book 7, published in 2014), and SHOPAHOLIC TO THE RESCUE (Book 8, coming in October, 2015).

Let me add the books are much more charming that the 2009 movie starring Isla Fisher as an American version of Becky Bloomwood.

I adored every single bit of Sophie Kinsella's work...until I read this book. Every time a Shopaholic book ends, I feel slightly disappointed that Becky hasn't changed but I'm charmed enough by her character to get past that. This time, I couldn't even get all the way through the book - and that has NEVER happened with a Sophie Kinsella read before.

It was so disheartening to witness cute little infant Minnie transform into a complete nightmare between the 5th and 6th books. There was nothing even remotely redeeming or cute about the two-year-old because we only see her in her worst moments (or she only has worst moments!). I love babies. Couldn't she have made this one even slightly endearing?

In fact, wouldn't it have been more interesting to see a child who was more sensible about shopping than her mother? She could have taken after Luke's side more. Maybe baby Minnie could have reigned her mother in and provided an extra balance to the family. Or at least give a hilarious contrast between a lunatic mom and a child who has more sense. I was especially disappointed to see that Luke was so swept up in his business that he allowed his daughter to become this nightmare of a toddler in the first place. I expected more of him as a parent.

The last possible save would have been to have Elinor tame Minnie and be the change their daughter needs; Luke could have come around and reconciled with her. But no, instead of making it about the relationships and change of character, it became about throwing some stupid party in the middle of a freakin' recession! Minnie didn't change at all! And yes they got their party, but the "payoff" wasn't worth suffering through more than 300 pages of Becky's antics and Minnie's foul behavior.

Becky has always been a bit of an airhead but she was always a lovable, fun one. Now, she's a selfish, vapid, conceited, completely shallow, horrible excuse of a mother, wife, daughter, and friend. She LIES to everyone and then has the nerve to snap at them throughout the book. At least in previous books, she would acknowledge her faults but now she places the blame on those around her and doesn't own up to anything - even the spoiling of her only child. What the hell is her problem? Even Luke got on my nerves. The only endearing part of the book was when he tells Becky she's perfect and would never need any surgery. We get a glimpse of the old Luke. But for the most part, he's a removed, irritable, sarcastic jerk for much of the book.

I honestly wish Sophie Kinsella ended the series with Shopaholic and Baby because she has now tainted the entire series with this monstrosity of a read. No quite sure I'll be reading the next installment.

This book was awful, and that's not an exaggeration. Up until 'Sister', The Shopaholic series has made me laugh til I cried, avoid sleep until I finished, and beg friends to read them. 'Sister' ended that; 'Shopaholic & Baby' was tolerable, but this 'Mini' book ended my fascination with Rebecca Bloomwood Brandon. It was SO bad. I think the only time I chuckled was****spoiler**** the parts with the priest. That's a long way from the time when I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

Without rehashing everything, I will say it was definitely disappointing to see Becky up to her same old tricks. I mean, come on. The character should still be 'Becky,' but not the Becky from the first novel. (Even Stephanie Plum got a little bit better at bounty hunting.) Becky's married, a mother, and a few years older. What's clear is she's not wiser. When you think about how many marriages end over secrecy and money, it's amazing that Luke is still with her. She's still so over-the-top. It was quite frustrating to read, and I definitely ended up skimming through.

And I really hated that their child was such a brat. It's not surprising given how they treat her, but it was so over-the-top.

Just like the Stephanie Plum books around books 13-16, this series is out of gas. So glad I picked it up from my library. Read at your own risk. I'm upset I read it b/c I loved this series.

This was the sixth in the Shopaholic series.

This saw the introduction of Minnie as a driving force of nature over an accessory. Becky's life really revolves around the two-year-old and it's quite fun to see Becky deal with this.

Becky's always been really generous, partially due to her shopping addiction. She loves buying things for herself, but she also loves buying things for other people. In an effort to stop spoiling Minnie, she decides to give her 'pocket money' and to allow her advances on said pocket money. Ohhh dear.

This book, while continuing to cause me perpetual anxiety over Becky's decisions, was a lot of fun to read. The final conclusion was absolutely hilarious, and I loved seeing how Luke continued to be very loyal and steadfast. This was the first book of the series that really left threads unresolved though, and in this regard was less of a standalone than the previous ones.

DISCLAIMER: SPOILER ALERT.

The title Mini Shopaholic indicates that this book is (supposed to be) about Becky's Daughter, Minnie. But nope. Minnie was not the central of the story. Minnie is only the center of the story in probably 20% of this book. The rest is about Becky trying to throw a surprise party for Luke, her husband. Many aspects in the story seemed forced, made you cringe and silently (or loudly) thinking "what a BS". Luke, although I get he's a big shot in what he does, I doubt the royal family would bother to send a youtube video just to join the fora singing Happy Birthday for him. I doubt the tribute videos for his birthday in youtube would reach hundreds of thousands of hits in a day only.

And what does recession mean for a wealthy family anyway? Probably only a speck of dust in their lives. I doubt it would make a huge of an impact like what this book is trying to portray. And why the Reverend cared too much about his money in the bank anyway. A cynical view about the church? Just for humor sake? Another pointless filler in the story.

I've been a fan of the Shopaholic series. But this latest installment would be buried in my library. i doubt I would want to read this for the second time.

I wouldn't mind, really, to wait a little longer, if that means the story would be improved. It was still somewhat entertaining, at least for first timers (who never read the previous books). And for someone who has been following the series you wouldn't say it's a good book after you finished, if you ever... I felt like I couldn't finish it but it helped me pass my time in the bathroom.

If I could return this book, I would.

I absolutely adored the last five Shopaholic books, and I really hoped this would be the one in which Becky would realize she had a shopping addiction and got help, for Minnie's sake. But alas, I was sorely disappointed.

In the sixth addition to the Confessions of a Shopaholic series, Becky and Luke Brandon are struggling to control their two-year-old daughter, Minnie Brandon. Minnie causes all kinds of havoc wherever she goes—she's even been banned from four Santa's Grottos. Out of desperation—and against Becky's protests—Luke hires a professional child-caregiver, Nanny Sue, to evaluate their daughter and see what should be done about her behavior.

To Luke and Becky's surprise, Minnie is given a positive review from Nanny Sue; they were told Minnie was a normal, happy two-year-old, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with her.
However, Nanny Sue did note that Becky herself may have a problem—with shopping, of course. She suggests Becky goes to a sort of rehabilitation-center, and Luke agrees.

But, sadly, Becky manages to wiggle her way out of going to rehab, and thus continues putting Luke and Minnie under the pressures of her shopping addiction. Absolutely no character growth happens in this book, and I found myself cursing at Becky many times for her childish, inexcusable behavior.

I would have loved this book, had Becky taken Nanny Sue's advice and gotten help; it would've been the perfect way to wrap up the series that I loved so much. All of that being said, I will be purchasing the first five books to read again—but not this one. If you're planning on reading this book, prepare for disappointment and anger toward the protagonist we all used to love.

Yes, she is predictable but still funny and witty. After reading previous books, you already know that Becky has no sense when it comes to shopping. She got Mini-Mo that follows in her steps and act like bratty 2 year old, Luke is acting like Luke, and family dynamic is a little twisted in this one. Of course , if you've expected that Becky will suddenly develop common sense and understanding of budget because she is almost 30 and mother during recession, then you forgot what she is all about. Becky is a complete twit when it comes to money but on the other hand she is an ditsy and resourceful character that will leave you laughing and happy for a few hours.What more would you ask from fictional character in light read? If you look for morality or personal growth story you'll be disappointed, but if you want to forget about real life for a while and just have a good time then don't give up on Becky.

So I started reading this series ages ago, when I was in my mid-twenties with the first one, Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was cute. It was funny. It was highly readable.

Then after a few more books I realized that the series wasn't going anywhere, or at least the character wasn't. With each new book her life had changed dramatically (she'd gotten a new job, moved to a new country, planned her wedding, met her long lost sister, gotten pregnant or quit her job to be a stay at home mom) but through all of it the character remained the same. Exactly the same. Exactly as cute, as mature, as flawed, as befuddled as she was in the first book. Except that for a single woman in her early twenties to be flighty irresponsible, naive, and more than a little scheming is a very different thing than for the same woman in her early thirties, married and with a child, to be the same way without ever having shown any signs of growth. Even her marriage is written exactly the same way as her early courtship--they are nervous around each other, keep secrets, play coy games and don't seem to know or trust each other very much.

Why do I keep reading them?? Sigh, because she writes them. I think I feel it would be a shame to have read "all but one" (probably why I've read so many John Irving novels too).

For more reviews, please visit my blog, CozyLittleBookJournal.

Synopsis: Rebecca Brandon (nee Bloomwood), our favorite over-spending heroine, is now a mother to a precocious 2-year-old. Living in with Rebecca's mother and father, Becky and Luke have fallen on difficult times. Luke has had a tricky situation on his hands with a former client. Becky is still working at The Look, which is doing well after Becky's brilliant plan involving her designer friend, Danny.

But a financial collapse in the London banking system makes Luke and Becky's situation more dire. No one is shopping, except perhaps Becky, so The Look is suffering. Luke's clients are in an uproar over the financial collapse. And in the midst of all of this is little Minnie Brandon, who is quite the opinionated, and possible out of control, toddler.

Trying to brighten a dreary situation, Becky decides that the perfect thing to do is throw a surprise birthday party for Luke. Nothing lightens a mood like a good party, right? But can Becky handle the birthday party and a child that is running amock?

Review: I have truly enjoyed this series, but I have to say, this is my least favorite book in the series. All of the things I adored about this book are true of the entire Shopaholic series. I love Kinsella's writing. Becky Bloomwood Brandon is a totally loveable and dynamic character. I love that the series is set in London. I totally dig the British slang and expressions.

With this novel, though, I felt like Kinsella became confused during the telling of her story. The title of the book is Mini Shopaholic and the novel begins by highlighting some spectacular behavior on the part of Minnie Brandon. I had assumed from the title that this book would be about Minnie turning into a mini-Becky.

Instead, the story really focuses on Becky trying to throw a surprise birthday party for Luke. The surprise party is 90% of the plot of this book. It should have been titled Shopaholic Throws A Party instead of Mini Shopaholic.

I found the idea of Becky struggling with a smaller version of herself to be a much more compelling storyline than the one I ended up with. Reading 300+ pages about someone trying to plan a party is very dull. The small bursts of Minnie's antics and Jess', Becky's sister, unfortunate love situation were the only things that added levity to the long stretches of dull.

Would I recommend this book? I'm not sure. I guess if you are a fan of the series, then yes, I would. But get it from the library. I wouldn't recommend purchasing it.

Becky Brandon is now a mother, and her daughter Minnie seems slightly out of control...she also knows a lot about brand names, VISA, and Starbucks for a two year old. On top of their worries about Minnie, Becky and Luke are still living at Becky's parents house after having multiple house deals fall through and are close to their wits end dealing with parents, a toddler, and the failing economy all at once. Becky has the idea that a surprise birthday party for Luke could turn it all around for them and make everyone happy, but has no idea of the time and expense it will take. This time, Becky might be in over her head with no one to step up and save the day for her.

While still a humourous, entertaining, read Becky's lying to cover up messes she's gotten herself into becomes a bit tiring here. You think she would have learned by now that telling the truth would avoid half her troubles, including hurting her mother's and other friend's feelings. She does seem to mature a bit in this one and realize the impact she could be having on her young daughter as well as learn that sometimes leaning on friends and family is the right choice to make. I really hope that there are more Becky books in the future...as long as she matures a bit.

(This review was originally posted on Alexa Loves Books.)

I loved the Shopaholic series from the very beginning, and I've been with Becky Brandon (formerly Bloomwood) throughout all her crazy (mis)adventures in shopping. I was therefore looking forward to reading this book, in the hopes of finding out more about Becky and Luke's daughter Minnie - especially to see if she's anything like her mother.

I don't know whether I'm pleased or displeased that the book focuses more on Becky than on Minnie.

I still love Becky, and her quirky personality, crazy diatribes (in her head), her big heart of gold and her shopaholic tendencies are all accounted for and present in this book. This is something that I, as a loyal reader of the series, can appreciate. I found myself still laughing (and sometimes cringing) at her escapades, especially when it came to planning Luke's surprise birthday party and trying to deal with Minnie in the throes of the terrible twos.

But I was expecting Minnie to be a little different, maybe a bit older. I wish she could have been able to speak properly for herself and well, show us even more explicitly how she takes after her mother or father. In fact, I was kind of expecting the story to revolve mostly around her and not Becky, which wasn't really the case. I did find it funny though, how, even at two years old, she's turning into a shopaholic too because Becky insists on giving her an advance on her allowance AND pretty much buying whatever Minnie wants (after justifying it in her head, of course).

In any case, it was also nice welcoming a lot of familiar characters back - Luke, Danny, Tarkie, Suze, Jess, Tom, Janice, Mum, Dad and even Eleanor, who I now have a soft spot for.

It's still a pleasure joining Becky for all of her adventures though, so I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of the Shopaholic series, as well as those looking for a nice, pleasant chick lit read.

This review was written by my daughter for whom I obtained a copy of MiniShopaholic.

I have been a fan of the Shopaholic series since the first book in the series, Confessions of a Shopaholic, came out. Sophie Kinsella does a great job of getting the reader inside the mind of Becky Brandon (nee` Bloomwood...as she would say!) and you feel you are experiencing everything right along with her. Becky always seems to get herself into some kind of mess and it is very entertaining seeing how she works her way out of them.

In the most recent novel, MiniShopaholic, Becky is back to her usual antics. She is still happily married to Luke, they are living with her parents while waiting for the sale of their dream house to close, she is working as a personal shopper at a popular department store and they have a 2 year old daughter named Minnie. Minnie seems to be acquiring the spoiled, shopaholic tendencies of her mother, which is beginning to worry Luke - and causing some animosity towards Luke and Becky since Luke feels that hiring a "Super Nanny" is necessary. In addition to the "Minnie issues", England is experiencing an economic recession forcing people to cut back on their spending - which results in Becky promising Luke she will not shop for herself. Obviously this is a challenge for Becky! Becky has also decided to throw Luke a lavish surprise party during the tough financial times which she is determin ed to pull off on her own and prove to everyone that she can do it on a budget.

Of course as in all the Shopaholic novels, Becky has to face a milllion different obstacles - most of which she brings on herself - and the reader is taken on a fun adventure trying to see how she gets herself out of trouble. As I mentioned, Kinsella does a great job of putting the reader inside Becky's head so they feel as though they are along for the ride and she always throws a few surprises in there so just when you think a problem is solved, something else goes wrong!

While I enjoyed MiniShopaholic, and would recommend it to other Kinsella fans, I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the others in the series. To be honest, while the writing of this novel is up to par with all of the other books in the series, having read all of the other ones, each subsequent Shopaholic book becomes more and more predictable. You always know all will work out in the end so it makes it less and less exciting to keep reading. For the other books in the series, I was always excited to pick up the book and was always in a rush to finish it to see what happens. Reading MiniShopaholic, however, took me quite some time. In my opinion - this should be the last in the Shopaholic series and Kinsella should now create a new character who we can grow to love as much as we love Becky!

Meet Becky. There's nothing more important than buying useless designer junk, not even her husband or her toddler.
Meet Luke. For some unfathomable reason (brain asphyxia?) he loves Becky enough to marry and spawn with her. But basically he's a deus ex machina who pretty clearly devotes his life at all times to his company to avoid his domestic train wreck.
Meet Minnie. We're supposed to assume she's the biological product of Luke and Becky, even though she seems to have come from the same closet as Chucky, Damien, and Linda Blair. She is the least likeable child character I have so far encountered--no kid is cute enough to compensate for the Ghengis Khan tantrums and the Vlad Tepes winning ways with other people. Then again, look at her parents. What could we expect?
I wish Jess would get her own book/series--she shows a much more even and interesting kind of woman!

Becky Brandon (Bloomwood) is back. With her daughter Minnie now a toddler growing as a partner in shopping. But, Minnie may be picking up some habits from Becky. Her favorite word is "Mine", she is banned from multiple paces, and that is just outside the house. Combine that with Becky and Luke still living with her parents, (the houses just keep falling through) and Luke now has extra stress at work with a nationwide financial crisis int he works.
So, what does Becky do. She plans a surprise party for Luke for his birthday, even though he has made her promise not to spend money and she has to wear everything in her clothes at least three times before she can buy anything new. Becky tries to plan the party without help, but may have to remember who she can turn to in the end.

I am not sure why I read these books sometimes. Yes, I enjoy them and fly right through them. But, the shopaholic books usually stress me out too. Becky just keeps spending that it stress me out to buy anything or spend money while reading them. I know that is silly, but I get so wrapped up in what the character is doing I take it personally I guess.

Kinsella has built this character well over the course of the books. But, there is no where for her to go and she doesn't seem to learn anything in the plot or through the books. This is another one that she accomplished her goal, but didn't learning anything.

I happened across this book in at the library, so I grabbed it. But, I don't think I would go out of my way to read more of the Shopaholic series. I am hoping to read Kinsella's other books soon and hope those keep growing like her past ones have been better than the Shopaholic series.

I usually disagree with negative reviews of Shopaholic books. Some reviewers, I think, take the books too seriously, finding heavy themes where there are none intended. Yes, Becky is a bit shallow and financially irresponsible--that's the point! Yes, the books are extremely light and somewhat silly--and thank goodness. In my opinion, the chick-lit genre was nearly killed by pretentious books that try to deal with major issues, while disguising their intentions with a cute cover and title. There is no artifice in Shopaholic books--what you expect is what you get.

However, this was not one of the better books in the series. I hate to say it, but this one really was too shallow. In the previous two books, the emphasis was more on Becky's relationships and less on her shopping. In this one, though, the book focuses on plans to throw a big party--and that's more or less it. Interestingly, there are several mentions of a bad economy in the first part of the book--but then that plot is scrapped and it's onto how much money Becky can spend on the most lavish party ever.

It also seemed like a book was skipped in the series. Becky mentions the settling of a trial, and about how several house purchases fell through as though these were plotpoints in another book--but they weren't. I wonder if the book that would have taken place during Minnie's infancy was abandoned at some point. It was an odd two year jump in the continuing story.

All in all, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't up to the level of some of the other books in the series. I'd give it 3 and a half, but since there are no halves, I'll round down.

Unbelievably bad! I am aware that Kinsella's writings aren't the most cerebral out there,in fact, they fall firmly into the junk food/fast food of the reading world category,but this book is terrible even by those low standards.Instead of evoking a laugh,the kid she creates in this book is so revolting that it's unbelievable.Obviously ,the author doesn't have any kids and has never interacted with any either.if she had,she wouldn't have created a spoilt,rotten monster of a kid believing it to be "cute",and Becky is just so annoying and irresponsible as a parent that one itches to slap her silly.What seemed funny in a young shopaholic is just unrealistic and stupid in a mature woman with a child.Kinsells should have quit flogging this dead horse of a series ages ago