Shopaholic to the Stars is the latest (the seventh?) book about Becky Bloomwood Brandon, a London girl obsessed with shopping. Over the past six books, she’s found herself in pretty much every single ridiculous plot situation imaginable, all while spending large amounts of cash in order to buy fashionable clothes. She’s kooky, but she has a delightful and grounded bunch of friends and family to keep her in check. You know what you’re going to get when you pick up one of these books, kind of like the UK equivalent to a Stephanie Plum story.
And just like my vow to break up with Stephanie Plum, I think Becky and I are through. This book’s outrageousness was simply too much for me to take.
Becky and her UNREALISTICALLY patient husband, Luke, move off to Los Angeles for a few months so that he can cater to his new movie star client (he’s a something or other in PR, and clearly makes huge amounts of money). Along with their preschool aged daughter, they pick up and head to Hollywood, where Becky decides she’s going to be a top-notch stylist to the stars.
Of course, things don’t go as planned.
Becky gets herself into one crazy plot after another, and frankly, I’m tired of it. Yes, in this one, it seems as if she actually learned that her crazy actions can actually affect others around her, but too little, too late, for me.
Becky spends loads and loads of money. She fibs her way into embarrassing situations. She befriends movie stars, only to find out how absolutely horrid they are. She spends time in a cult-like Hollywood self-help center, and becomes slightly brainwashed. But she’s so cute and charming, how can anyone stay mad at her?
Luke, wake up. She’s draining your bank accounts and making you look like an idiot. Time to move on.
Also, I despised the cover of this book. There was nothing redeeming about it.
Sophie Kinsella is a fun writer, and I’ve usually enjoyed her books. I’ll keep reading her novels, just not the Shopaholic ones. I think I need a break from the “non-stop fun”. I’m assuming there will be another in the series, as this one ends in the middle of a major plot point. I guess I’ll just look it up on wikipedia or goodreads, as I just can’t read another of these.
You can read all of my other reviews — including a few Sophie Kinsella books that I really enjoyed — on my blog.
