Title: Shopaholic & Sister
Author: Sophie Kinsella
# of pages: 388

Plot Summary:

Becky Bloomwood and her husband Luke have already had ten months of their honeymoon, and both have changed so much since their wedding. After a day of yoga in Sri Lanka, they both choose to return to normal life in England. But once they return to England, Becky discovers that Suze, her former best friend, has now found a new best friend who happens to have a dull personality. Luke is also perturbed by Becky's extravagant purchases made during the honeymoon. She tries to find a job, but the shop that plans to hire her won't open in three months.

Becky's only consolation is that she has a long-lost half-sister, named Jessica. Through her attempts to befriend Jessica, who lives in northern England, she only deepens their disagreements with each other; each of them have completely different preferences.

In the end, from the kindness of the English villagers, Becky finally discovers a similarity she shares with Jessica, and she manages to solve each of her worries.

Opinion:

I admire Sophie Kinsella's ability to weave a story that seems so realistic, yet contains so many surprising incidences that add to the excitement of the reader. Becky is content during the beginning, when her honeymoon is still in effect, but her mood suddenly plummets when she discovers that she no longer has any friends in England.

I couldn't help feeling particularly emotional as I read Shopaholic & Sister. Becky was so lonely and in such a desperate situation, when she tried to heal the wounds of her relationship with Jessica, and when they finally became friends, everything just seemed to be all right.

Once again, the first-person narrative put the reader directly into Becky's shoes, and this made the story so much more entertaining and addictive. In addition to the unique storyline, Sophie Kinsella's work is extraordinary. Shopaholic & Sister is highly recommended for women and teenagers who haven't read Sophie Kinsella's books.

Main themes and subjects:

• There is no such thing as too much shopping
• If you save money on something, you can still use that money to buy a treat for yourself
• Treat others the way you want to be treated

Subjects:

• Shopping
• Financial management
• Romance

Target audience: Young women, including teenagers

Genre: Chick lit

Rating: 5/5

Book review by Fiona T.
* 27 hours so far
* Can be published in the Teen Newsletter