Aloha to Sophie Kinsella and SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS - Book Review

Sophie Kinsella returns to her beloved Shopaholic series with Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) newly arrived in Hollywood and starry-eyed. She and her two-year-old daughter, Minnie, have relocated to L.A. to join Becky’s husband, Luke, who is there to handle PR for famous actress Sage Seymour. Becky can’t wait to start living the A-list lifestyle, complete with celebrity sightings, yoga retreats, and shopping trips to Rodeo Drive. But she really hopes to become a personal stylist—Sage’s personal stylist—if only Luke would set up an introduction. Then, unexpectedly, Becky is offered the chance to dress Sage’s archrival, and though things become a bit more complicated, it’s a dream come true!

Red carpet premieres, velvet ropes, paparazzi clamoring for attention—suddenly Becky has everything she’s ever wanted.

Or does she?

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. - William Shakespeare

I rediscovered the Shopaholic series during our summer vacation.  I read MINI SHOPAHOLIC, Book 6, and posted my review at this link.  MINI SHOPAHOLIC ends with the Brandon family moving to LA.  SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS opens in LA with Becky enjoying her rented home in the Hollywood Hills.  The laughs begin as Becky is invited to join "Team Sage" in a charity 10K run.  Although she is only capable of running from the shoe department to the handbag display, Becky embraces the opportunity to shop for the best athletic wear money can buy.  She spots a shoplifter helping herself to cheap socks only to discover the thief is a young starlet and chief rival of Sage Seymour.  Becky's chance encounter become comedic fodder later in the story.  

Meanwhile, Becky gets caught up in the glamorous life of LA. Hobnobbing with celebrities eclipses her shopping addition, giving Kinsella the opportunity to poke fun at celebrity worship, reality TV, and heath food fads.  But as she gains famous friends, Becky looses touch with long time gal pal Suze. Following the predictable pattern of the previous books, Becky comes to grip with what's important in her life.  Once Becky recognizes her own self worth, she rises above the chaos she created to save the day.

SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS hits the spot with laugh out loud action and over the top antics - Becky is clearly a modern day Lucy Ricardo ala I LOVE LUCY.  I particularly enjoyed how Kinsella incorporates pop culture in the storyline. The creme de la creme are the "letters" in between chapters, including Danny's memos to his adoring fans during his "charity" treks (Danny is a rising fashion designer who often gets caught up in Becky's misadventures).

Recommended read for fans of Brit Chick Lit.

I checked out SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS from the Safety Harbor Public Library.

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about celebrities - have you met anyone famous?  I spotted Jessica Simpson, pregnant with her second child, at Turtle Bay on Oahu.  As she passed my table, I reached out to her and said she looked radiant.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 12, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 13.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Turtle Bay, North Shore of Oahu

Aloha to Sophie Kinsella and MINI SHOPAHOLIC - Book Review

 

Sophie Kinsella has dazzled readers with her irresistible Shopaholic novels--sensational international bestsellers that have garnered millions of devoted fans and catapulted her into the first rank of contemporary storytellers. Now her beloved heroine Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) returns in a hilarious tale of married life, toddlerhood, and the perils of trying to give a fabulous surprise party--on a budget! 

Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it's trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. 

Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is "Mine!" and she's even trying to get into eBay! On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there's a huge financial crisis. 

With people having to "cut back," Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source--and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves. 

Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And . . . most important . . . will Becky's secret wishes ever come true?

Shopping at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet ...

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 am giving away a book choice from convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about shopping - do you battle the crowds at a sale or shop online?  Do you prefer outlet malls, flea markets, or swap meets?  I loved the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 29, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 30.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City