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lweezthereadrat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Shopaholic series is my favourite one for quick reads and this keeps up the momentum. Becky is so annoying in a real world scenario but as a comedy character she's pretty brilliant (I still see her as Isla Fischer in the film adaptation). This one ends on a bit of a loose cliffhanger so not a great standalone but there are plenty of hijinks on the way. Yes, hijinks. This is a hijinks kind of book and I love that for it.
helenewallace's review against another edition
2.0
I may have liked this better in print as I found the narration of some of the characters awful. Minnie’s character is basically as a whiny little girl and that was definitely emphasized in the narration and Sage who is apparently part French and would randomly have a word or two in a French accent. Very weird. Male characters weren’t very well done either. The story itself is the usual Becky Bloom fun fluff, but this one had some random tangential story lines that seemed unnecessary and unresolved.
rebecanunez's review against another edition
3.0
Advertencia!: No podes leerla si no leíste las anteriores, ya que tiene personajes y conflictos que vienen de otras novelas, a los que se suman problemas y personajes nuevos. En cierta forma no es una historia completa, sino que se siente sin final y que el final cerraría con la siguiente novela, lo que es raro. Y la amo a Becky, pero la verdad en esta novela su personaje decae, mas que en cualquiera de las anteriores. Y ojo que soy super fan de la saga.
brianne_k's review
3.0
I have loved this series for many, many years. However, in this installment.. I found myself rolling my eyes at Becky and how immature she was. I don't know if it is because I am older.. or what but I didn't find her shenanigans as adorable.
That being said, I will read the next book.
That being said, I will read the next book.
sydnee_calhoun's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kikitiando's review against another edition
3.0
While I love the Shopaholic stories and characters, it's getting hard to watch Becky make the same sorts of mistakes over and over with little personal growth.
jimmyjamesnickels's review against another edition
3.0
At the start of Chapter 10, there is a mock up of a receipt from a store. The very first item on this receipt is for a book entitled "Shopaholic: Break the Pattern"
Oh Sophie Kinsella. Oh ho ho ho. So in this episode of the Shopaholic series, we may just be reaching critical meta where the subtext has quite literally become text. I may need to check the margins to see if the first letter from each sentence spells out a plea for rescue from an Annie Wilkes like captor. I mean, are we sure Ms. Kinsella is doing okay these days and not holed up in a bed with broken legs in Colorado somewhere? Just saying, are we really really sure?
Nah but for real. I didn't hate this book. I really and truly didn't. It clipped along at a brisk pace and was entertainingly bright. Each book, it would seem, has to top the one before it and what splashier, materialistic backdrop could there be than Hollywood. It seems inevitable and right that Becky would end up there, all the promise of narcissism and shallow materialism frothing over in the most spectacularly flamboyantly awful ways.
A synopsis of the book can be easily found in blurb form somewhere, but sufficed to say the Brandons have moved to LaLa Land where Luke is managing? Advising? Doing something or other with movie star Sage Seymour. Becky, of course, instantly sets about on a madcap quest to become a Stylist to the Stars, more to the point to become famous herself. The wild and improbable situations one has come to expect from a Shopaholic book are of course present and accounted for, except it all seems amplified in this one. The book really does seems like it's gone meta with how over the top the situations and characters are, I'm not sure if the self referential punch is deliberate or if Kinsella is still having fun with her characters or just doesn't care anymore.
The situations are outlandish and fun. There's all the stereotypical glamourpuss Hollywood story back drops (Movie sets and premieres and red carpets) which seems funny as everything I've heard says the town is actually very run down and seedy, with very little of it being as glamorous as the book claims. No, this is movie fantasy fairy tale Hollywood. And Becky is just over the top with her justifications toward being completely narcissistic and selfish. For awhile now, I have harbored a hope that Kinsella would take an Amy Dunne turn with Becky and just let Becks be the monster she was born to be...to get rid of the comedy, sweetly silly schtick and go full Dark Side Shopaholic. These are some terrible characters doing terrible things when you look at the situation objectively, why not just be honest with that? But unfortunately, this is chick lit written for the check, and depth doesn't happen in this book. As for the other supporting players, Luke is as dark, brooding and mysteriously devoted to Becky as ever. Minnie is a lot more tolerable in this one, mostly because she's barely even in the book except as an after thought in a few scenes, but the new toned down Minnie is a vast improvement. I still feel it's a mistake for a child to be written into these character's lives, but whatever. Think of her as a cute little scarf or something. There's an interesting side plot which ends up gaining legs at the book's end involving Suze and Tarquin both in their own ways drinking the Hollywood Koolaide and getting in over their heads as a result. Kinsella wrings each character dry, the familiar favorites are all present and in rare form but there's a few old characters from previous books showing up at dramatic moments to stir up situations with no resolution in sight to the havoc they cause.
As the book went on, it was a delightful little car crash, Metallica's "King Nothing" reimagined with a spoiled, materialistic and not terribly intelligent wealthy womanchild proving that getting everything you want is meaningless if you want the wrong things.
And then there's the lack of resolution. I mean, of course there's a happy ending, of course there's no blowback or consequences for actions or anything silly like...reality. The book ends on a cliffhanger, one of the dramatic subplots involving Tarquin, Becky's dad and a possible cult leader (no, I'm not spoiling anything and yes, I'm serious) vanishing into the desert to Las Vegas.
But it was fun. It was giddy, irresponsible, breathless fun. I enjoyed this book, it was a quick and stupid read but I enjoyed it. The series has been stagnant since Shopaholic and Sister, this was a kick in the pants. Am I looking forward to the next book? You bet, I am now. Am I hoping the series dies a swift and merciful death soon? Sweet Jesus yes, let Becks get hit by a tour bus in Vegas. But one way or another she's on to Vegas, apparently which...I don't know, I think there's horrible genius in choosing Vegas for the next book. That's perfect, right? Y'all can see how perfect it is with the seedy "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" reputation.
I for one look forward to Shopaholic on the Strip, which will no doubt be followed by Shopaholic Does Dallas and Shopaholic and the Prize Winning Cow at the Ohio State Fair.
Oh Sophie Kinsella. Oh ho ho ho. So in this episode of the Shopaholic series, we may just be reaching critical meta where the subtext has quite literally become text. I may need to check the margins to see if the first letter from each sentence spells out a plea for rescue from an Annie Wilkes like captor. I mean, are we sure Ms. Kinsella is doing okay these days and not holed up in a bed with broken legs in Colorado somewhere? Just saying, are we really really sure?
Nah but for real. I didn't hate this book. I really and truly didn't. It clipped along at a brisk pace and was entertainingly bright. Each book, it would seem, has to top the one before it and what splashier, materialistic backdrop could there be than Hollywood. It seems inevitable and right that Becky would end up there, all the promise of narcissism and shallow materialism frothing over in the most spectacularly flamboyantly awful ways.
A synopsis of the book can be easily found in blurb form somewhere, but sufficed to say the Brandons have moved to LaLa Land where Luke is managing? Advising? Doing something or other with movie star Sage Seymour. Becky, of course, instantly sets about on a madcap quest to become a Stylist to the Stars, more to the point to become famous herself. The wild and improbable situations one has come to expect from a Shopaholic book are of course present and accounted for, except it all seems amplified in this one. The book really does seems like it's gone meta with how over the top the situations and characters are, I'm not sure if the self referential punch is deliberate or if Kinsella is still having fun with her characters or just doesn't care anymore.
The situations are outlandish and fun. There's all the stereotypical glamourpuss Hollywood story back drops (Movie sets and premieres and red carpets) which seems funny as everything I've heard says the town is actually very run down and seedy, with very little of it being as glamorous as the book claims. No, this is movie fantasy fairy tale Hollywood. And Becky is just over the top with her justifications toward being completely narcissistic and selfish. For awhile now, I have harbored a hope that Kinsella would take an Amy Dunne turn with Becky and just let Becks be the monster she was born to be...to get rid of the comedy, sweetly silly schtick and go full Dark Side Shopaholic. These are some terrible characters doing terrible things when you look at the situation objectively, why not just be honest with that? But unfortunately, this is chick lit written for the check, and depth doesn't happen in this book. As for the other supporting players, Luke is as dark, brooding and mysteriously devoted to Becky as ever. Minnie is a lot more tolerable in this one, mostly because she's barely even in the book except as an after thought in a few scenes, but the new toned down Minnie is a vast improvement. I still feel it's a mistake for a child to be written into these character's lives, but whatever. Think of her as a cute little scarf or something. There's an interesting side plot which ends up gaining legs at the book's end involving Suze and Tarquin both in their own ways drinking the Hollywood Koolaide and getting in over their heads as a result. Kinsella wrings each character dry, the familiar favorites are all present and in rare form but there's a few old characters from previous books showing up at dramatic moments to stir up situations with no resolution in sight to the havoc they cause.
As the book went on, it was a delightful little car crash, Metallica's "King Nothing" reimagined with a spoiled, materialistic and not terribly intelligent wealthy womanchild proving that getting everything you want is meaningless if you want the wrong things.
And then there's the lack of resolution. I mean, of course there's a happy ending, of course there's no blowback or consequences for actions or anything silly like...reality. The book ends on a cliffhanger, one of the dramatic subplots involving Tarquin, Becky's dad and a possible cult leader (no, I'm not spoiling anything and yes, I'm serious) vanishing into the desert to Las Vegas.
But it was fun. It was giddy, irresponsible, breathless fun. I enjoyed this book, it was a quick and stupid read but I enjoyed it. The series has been stagnant since Shopaholic and Sister, this was a kick in the pants. Am I looking forward to the next book? You bet, I am now. Am I hoping the series dies a swift and merciful death soon? Sweet Jesus yes, let Becks get hit by a tour bus in Vegas. But one way or another she's on to Vegas, apparently which...I don't know, I think there's horrible genius in choosing Vegas for the next book. That's perfect, right? Y'all can see how perfect it is with the seedy "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" reputation.
I for one look forward to Shopaholic on the Strip, which will no doubt be followed by Shopaholic Does Dallas and Shopaholic and the Prize Winning Cow at the Ohio State Fair.
megan_mlr's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
There is a lot of negative comments coming out about this book, I mean yeah its not that intellectual but it's light hearted and fun and I think it was great!
I do agree I wish there was maybe more romance in it between Becky and Luke, like Luke was there but I didn't feel the romance like in previous books,
I do get why people are saying for her to stop writing them but personally I WANT A BOOK #8 + #9
!!!!
There is a lot of negative comments coming out about this book, I mean yeah its not that intellectual but it's light hearted and fun and I think it was great!
I do agree I wish there was maybe more romance in it between Becky and Luke, like Luke was there but I didn't feel the romance like in previous books,
I do get why people are saying for her to stop writing them but personally I WANT A BOOK #8 + #9
!!!!
bookish_mrs_w's review against another edition
4.0
I am apparently among the minority of people who enjoyed this installment of Shopaholic. I’m not sure how people expected the plot to go when a Shopaholic-wannabe-stylist gets dropped into LA?!? lol! I thought it was a fun ride!! And a lovely pallet cleanse from some of the contemporary romance out there! I found myself laughing through the entire book. The scenes with Becky & Suze on the red carpet and being extras on a movie were hilarious! I think, when a series goes on this many books, people forget that character growth doesn’t always happen in the arc of one book. With that given…Becky is an addict…Becky behaves like an addict and addicts don’t suddenly “get better” and change their behavior. To have her change over night would not be true to her character or any addict who battles a lifetime illness, especially one who hasn’t fully admitted to having a problem. I do think that people are missing the small ways in which Becky is growing throughout the series, there have been many nuanced side plots that have shown this.
ewilliams197's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0