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A review by lenorayoder
Shopaholic And Sister by Sophie Kinsella
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is probably the last shopaholic book I'll be reading. I'm tired of plots that rely so heavily on miscommunication. It's disappointing to see Becky repeat the same mistakes book after book - she always seems to forget the lessons she just learned. It's tiring to watch her create disasters because of her own delusions, and then have those disasters solved because of luck or other characters bailing her out.
These books are just so disappointing. In some aspects Becky incrementally improves from book to book, but her main character traits stay exactly the same instead of developing, and it really cripples the series. It also has the side effect of making Luke's character worse as time goes on, and making Suze look stupid for not noticing what's really going on with Becky. The premise of the first book is so good, and continuing into a series could have been great, but instead we just got more of the same. There's so much potential in Kinsella's fun writing. If I could believe that Becky would actually develop I'd keep reading, but four books tell me otherwise.
As for this book, I loved Jess and her confrontations with Becky (if I thought it would have real consequences I would read the next book!). I love the ways she differs from Becky, but what's even better is what they have in common. We get so much insight into both characters by comparing them - the way they both have such a head for numbers when it comes to shopping but use that skill for opposite purposes is brilliant. On the other hand, the benevolent prejudice on display during the honeymoon chapters and a little throughout the rest of the book is wild - it's in all of the books but it's especially on display here. After reading Bridget Jones' diary, I'm wondering if this is a 2000s British way of thinking. Do not like it.
These books are just so disappointing. In some aspects Becky incrementally improves from book to book, but her main character traits stay exactly the same instead of developing, and it really cripples the series. It also has the side effect of making Luke's character worse as time goes on, and making Suze look stupid for not noticing what's really going on with Becky. The premise of the first book is so good, and continuing into a series could have been great, but instead we just got more of the same. There's so much potential in Kinsella's fun writing. If I could believe that Becky would actually develop I'd keep reading, but four books tell me otherwise.
As for this book, I loved Jess and her confrontations with Becky (if I thought it would have real consequences I would read the next book!). I love the ways she differs from Becky, but what's even better is what they have in common. We get so much insight into both characters by comparing them - the way they both have such a head for numbers when it comes to shopping but use that skill for opposite purposes is brilliant. On the other hand, the benevolent prejudice on display during the honeymoon chapters and a little throughout the rest of the book is wild - it's in all of the books but it's especially on display here. After reading Bridget Jones' diary, I'm wondering if this is a 2000s British way of thinking. Do not like it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Racism