Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

Published: 22nd October 2015

Publisher: Bantam Press (Transworld)

Pages: 320

Available in Hardback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

To Las Vegas . . . and beyond!

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is on a major rescue mission! Hollywood was full of surprises, and now she's on a road trip to Las Vegas to help her friends and family.

She's determined to get to the bottom of why her dad has mysteriously disappeared, help her best friend Suze and even bond with long-time enemy Alicia Bitch Long-legs (maybe...).

As Becky discovers just how much her friends and family need help, she comes up with her biggest, boldest, most brilliant plan yet! So can she save the day just when they need her most?

Review

Shopaholic to the Rescue is the much anticipated next book from Sophie Kinsella, a direct follow on from Shopaholic to the Stars ( I believe, I have to confess I have not read this one yet…its somewhere in my book pile) which sees Becky and the gang head off to Vegas in search of Becky’s missing dad, Tarquin and Bryce. Can Becky save the day and find her missing dad as well as patching things up with best friend Suze?

As this book follows on from a cliff-hanger ending from the last book it took me a few chapters to work out exactly what had gone on in the previous book, although it didn’t take long to feel the familiarity of the main characters once again. I loved been back in amongst one of Becky’s madcap plans and this one is probably one of the more extreme, chasing round America looking for her dad’s old friends in order to find her dad and gain justice for Brent (one of the old friends).

As with previous Shopaholic books there are some extremely funny moments, my favourite from this book was Minnie riding round the rodeo ring on a sheep, I loved it!

 I did feel however that this doesn’t have that Becky magic from earlier books. Becky seems to have grown a little in maturity in her thinking and actions, especially towards shopping, which was good for her but took her away from the Becky I know and love.

Shopaholic to the Rescue has tied up all the loose ends from the previous book and for me it feels like a natural place for the Shopaholic series to come to an end. I will treasure the Shopaholic books for a long time but I would love to see Sophie Kinsella write more stand-alone novels as The Un-domestic Goddess and I’ve Got Your Number? are a couple of my all-time favourite books and I’d love more like them.

I don’t think this is the best Shopaholic book and if you’re new to the series I don’t think it’s the easiest one to start with as there are a lot of characters to get your head round, once you do however you will love them. It’s an enjoyable book which made me laugh all the way through and it’s the prefect light hearted read.

I like to give Shopaholic to the Rescue 4 out of 5 stars and would like to thank the team at Transworld for sending me a copy to review.

Book Review - Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

 

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Published: 27th February 2014

Publisher: Black Swan

Pages: 460

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

 

 

Blurb

What do you do when you think your sister's about to marry the wrong man?

 

It's all gone wrong with the man Lottie thought was Mr Right. Then out of the blue she gets a call from her first love. She decides it must be Fate, and rushes off to marry him and rekindle their sizzling Greek island romance.

Lottie's older sister can't believe she's doing something so crazy. No more Ms Nice Sister, she's stopping this marriage. Right away! And she'll go to any lengths to do so...

 

 

Review

 

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella is a book which has sat on my shelf for just over a year, I find her books hugely enjoyable and so was saving this one for something special, I chose to read this post honeymoon to extend that loved up glow I’ve got inside but sadly this book let me down a little. It is a good story with some very funny moments but I didn’t feel to truly engage with either of the two main characters Fliss and Lottie which left me struggling with this book at times.

Fliss and Lottie Graveney are sisters who couldn’t be in more different places on the romantic front. Lottie is loved up with Richard and is convinced he’s on the verge of proposing. While sister Fliss is very bitter from her impending divorce with husband Daniel. When Lottie’s dream proposal goes horribly wrong, she ends up splitting from Richard as he embarks on a three month job in San Francisco, leaving Lottie on the edge of a meltdown. Having being here before Fliss readies herself for her sisters next big “Unfortunate Choice”, however this time even she is unprepared for Lottie’s actions…she’s only got an married her teenage sweetheart Ben and is planning sizzling honeymoon back where they met on the Greek isle of Ikonos. Can Fliss save Lottie from herself and how far will she actually go to do so?

Wedding Night is told from a dual perspective of both sisters, this I did enjoy as it gave more insight into the events which were happening and we also saw both sisters’ weaknesses through the eyes of the other. However I just couldn’t seem to connect with either sister. I found Lottie to be impulsive and living in some kind of dream world where being married  and having amazing sex is the only thing that counts and to be honest a just wanted to slap her. Fliss I liked slightly better as its obvious Daniel has wrecked her heart and she doesn’t want her younger sister to feel the same pain. However I felt the measures she went to keep Ben and Lottie apart were extreme and bordering on lunacy. I wanted her to get a grip and just let Lottie get on with making her own mess.

This book does have some funny moments which I enjoyed, mostly centred on Fliss’s son Noah and his misunderstanding of the adult conversations. My favourite part is when Fliss has to produce a model balloon for Noah’s school out of the contents of her handbag and end up using condoms as the balloon! Loved it!

Despite finding the plotline of this novel a bit ridiculous and far-fetched I did enjoy it, however I wasn’t as hooked as I normally am with a Sophie Kinsella novel as usually I’m hooked from the first page, with this one it was about half way through when I began to enjoy it.  If you looking for a light-hearted fun read then this could be for you, if you’re a Kinsella fan you may feel a little disappointed as I feels it lacks the Kinsella magic in many of her other books.

I’d give this book a rating of 3/5.



Release Day Round Up #4

Today is super exiting for me as there are so many great books published today it was hard to narrow to down to the six I'm most looking forward to reading.

 

Saving Grace by Jane Green

Published: 25th September 2014

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 400

Available in: Kindle and Hardback

Order from Amazon here

 

Grace and Ted Chapman are widely regarded as the perfect literary power couple. Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker. But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted’s rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted’s longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to…until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue.  To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it’s clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity.  With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late.

Saving Grace is the new Jane Green novel and its a little darker and deeper than some of her early work and although personally I don't think it was her best its still pretty good and definitely worth a read, take a look at my review here for all my thoughts.

 

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

Published: 25th September 2014

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 400

Available on Kindle and Hardback

Order your copy here.

 

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is in Hollywood! It's as if all her life has been leading to this moment. She's hanging out with the stars . or at least she will be, when she finally gets to meet movie superstar Sage Seymour, whom husband Luke is now managing.

There's so much to see and do! And getting Minnie through the hurdles for her A-list Hollywood pre-school will require some.er.help.

Becky sets her heart on a new career - she's going to be a celebrity stylist. Red carpet, here she comes! But Becky soon finds it's tough in Tinseltown. Luckily her best friend Suze comes over to keep her company, and together they embark on the Hollywood insider trail. But somehow...things aren't quite working out as they'd hoped.

Then Becky's big chance comes, and it's an opportunity that money can't buy. But will it cost her too much?

The wait is over folks, Becky is back and has hit Hollywood. I love this series and cannot wait to get a copy to find out Becky gets herself into this time. I was hoping to re-read the whole series before I read the one but I haven't made it past book one yet, so this could be one that appears on my Christmas list.

 

One Step Closer to You by Alice Peterson

Published: 25th September 2014

Publisher: Quercus

Pages: 403

Available in Paperback and Kindle

Order your copy here.

 

After Polly ends her relationship with the father of her young son, Louis, she is determined to move on. All she wants is to focus on her job, her friends and to be a good mum. No more looking over her shoulder. No more complications…

Then Polly meets Ben.

Ben is guardian of his niece, Emily. They become close, with Polly teaching Ben how to plait Emily’s hair, and Ben playing football with Louis. Their friendship is unexpected. Polly’s never been happier.

But when Louis’s dad reappears in their life, all Polly’s mistakes come back to haunt her and her resolve weakens when he swears he has changed.

Will she give herself a second chance to love?

 

 

This sounds really good, I've never read anything by Alice Peterson some when I pick this up I'm hoping to find another author I really enjoy.

 

 

Pieces of You by Ella Harper

Published: 25th September 2014 (paperback)

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 400

Available in Paperback and Kindle

Order from here.

 

Lucy. I don’t even know how to start this letter.
Something happened. Something terrible . . .

Lucy was always sure of one thing – her future with husband and soulmate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes.
When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted.

Then a woman arrives with a shocking secret that will force Lucy to make the hardest decision of her life. 

 

This book  had a brilliant marketing campaign when it came out on the Kindle and I was very tempted to buy it then as I wanted to find out what all the mystery and secrets are that seemed to be hinted at in the blurb. I've held off for the paperback copy but know this book will be on my next buying splurge.

 

 

No Safe House by Linwood Barclay

Published: 25th September 2014

Publisher: Orion

Pages: 464

Available in Hardback and Kindle

Order a copy from here.

 

 

Seven years ago, Terry Archer and his family experienced a horrific ordeal that nearly cost them their lives. Today, the echoes of that fateful night are still audible. Terry's wife, Cynthia, is living separate from her husband and daughter after her own personal demons threatened to ruin her relationship with them permanently. Their daughter, Grace, is rebelling against her parents' seemingly needless overprotection. Terry is just trying to keep his family together. And the entire town is reeling from the senseless murder of two elderly locals.

But when Grace foolishly follows her delinquent boyfriend into a strange house, the Archers must do more than stay together. They must stay alive. Because now they have all been unwillingly drawn into the shadowy depths of their seemingly idyllic hometown.

For there, they will be reconnected with the man who saved their lives seven years ago, but who still remains a ruthless, unrepentant criminal. They will encounter killers for hire working all sides. And they will learn that there are some things people value much more than money, and will do anything to get it.

Caught in a labyrinth between family loyalty and ultimate betrayal, Terry must find a way to extricate his family from a lethal situation he still doesn't fully comprehend. All he knows is that to live, he may have to do the unthinkable....

 

 

Linwood Barclay is an author that keeps cropping up in blogging land and one that I think I need to read. this book looks really good and one which has been added to my wishlist, along with its prequel No Time For Goodbye.

 

 

It Must Have Been the Mistletoe by Judy Astley

Published: 25th September 2014

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 352

Available in Hardcover and Kindle

Order a copy from here

 

Thea's parents decide to host a big family Christmas in a house by the sea. even though they are, in fact, about to split up. Thea herself is newly single - her sister and brother are both settled, with children, homes and a future. But Thea's boyfriend has ditched her in favour of his pedigree dogs, and Thea can't decide whether or not she minds.

There will be copious food and drink, holly and mistletoe, lots of bracing walks and a wintry barbecue on the beach. If it seems an odd way to celebrate the final break-up of a marriage and the Moving On to new partners, no- one is saying so. But then no-one had anticipated that the new partners might actually turn up to complicate the sleeping arrangements.

As Cornwall experiences the biggest snowstorm in living memory, the festive atmosphere comes under some strain. Will Thea manage to find some happiness for herself? Will the mistletoe work its magic on them all?

I couldn't end todays list without a Christmas book as its exactly three months till Christmas, so this is my choice, again not read anything by this author but she has written an awful lot of books which all look good so go check her out like I intend to very soon.

 

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

 

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where booklovers showcase which book they are eagerly awaiting for publication. This week my pick is:

 

 



 

 

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Publisher: Black Swan

Release Date: 25th September

Format: Kindle and Hardcover

Pre-Order from Amazon here.

 

Taken From Goodreads:

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is in Hollywood! It's as if all her life has been leading to this moment. She's hanging out with the stars . or at least she will be, when she finally gets to meet movie superstar Sage Seymour, whom husband Luke is now managing.

There's so much to see and do! And getting Minnie through the hurdles for her A-list Hollywood pre-school will require some.er.help.
Becky sets her heart on a new career - she's going to be a celebrity stylist. Red carpet, here she comes! But Becky soon finds it's tough in Tinseltown. Luckily her best friend Suze comes over to keep her company, and together they embark on the Hollywood insider trail. But somehow...things aren't quite working out as they'd hoped.
Then Becky's big chance comes, and it's an opportunity that money can't buy. But will it cost her too much?

 

Cannot wait for Becky's story to continue and this book looks just as good if not better than the rest of the series. What is your pick for this week? Take a look at everyone else's list here.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'd Recommend to People Who Haven't Read Chick Lit

This week at The Broke and the Bookish the Top Ten was books you would recommend to someone who had never read....so I chose Chick Lit , here is my list, in no particular order:

 

 

1. Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes

I love this book, it was one of the first adult books which I bought and I have re-read it many times. It tells the story of Lisa who moves over to Dublin from London to be the editor of the newly launching Colleen magazine, Ashling who applies to be assistant editor and her best friend Clodagh who is seems to have the domestic dream of house, husband and child. Its just a brilliant read about being female and dealing with life.

 

 

2. Bookends by Jane Green

Bookends tells the story of four university friends Cat, Lucy, Josh and Si and what happens when Portia comes back into their lives. Bookends is the name of the café which Cat and Lucy start together, this is my idea of a dream place a bookshop with a café. A brilliant story of what can happen when you start to assume things about people.

 

 

3. Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

Perfect Christmas read. Holly Brown doesn't like Christmas, she agrees to house sit a remote manor in the moors of Lancashire, perfect as she just wants to be alone. When she arrives she finds she is not alone and the family have all arrived expecting a full on family Christmas. Even though the ending to this book is very predictable it is the perfect Christmas book for me as I love all the descriptions of the meals and the decorating which happens, best read by a lovely log fire with hot chocolate.

 

 
 

4. Simply Divine by Wendy Holden

 Socialite Champagne D'Vyne wants to write a magazine column so drags in journalist Jane to write it for her. Jane is also trying to help best friend Tally save a crumbling family home. This is a quick easy read which will make you laugh, although Champagne is probably one of the most annoying characters ever written.

 
 


5. Amanda's Wedding by Jenny Colgan
Fran and Mel have been invited to Amanda's wedding to Laird Fraser. They feel sorry for him marrying social-climbing Amanda who is only interested in his title. So the pair enlist Fraser's brother Angus to help sabotage the wedding. This is hilariously funny and I just love the schemes that the girls come up with to stop the wedding. 
 


6. The Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Samantha Sweeting is a hotshot lawyer, until she makes a huge mistake. She packs her bags and heads out into the countryside where she is mistaken for a interviewee for a house-keeping job. She accepts the job but is completely clueless about anything found in a kitchen. As she finds her way round the kitchen she also finds love. But will her old life catch up with her? Another light-hearted funny read.
 

 
7. In Her Shoes by Adele Parks
Eliza and Martha are sisters. Each sister envy's the other Martha has the family and house and wants her freedom and Eliza longs for Martha's stability.
 


8. White Wedding by Milly Johnson
Bel, Max and Violet are all  planning their weddings and they each meet in the White Wedding shop. AS the story unfold each of their planned wedding goes slightly wrong. This is Milly Johnson at her best with a story of friendship, betrayal and a little romance.
 


9. Heiresses by Lulu Taylor
Three sisters Jemima, Tara and Poppy inherit their fathers failing perfume business, instead of selling it off they decide to try and make a go of it themselves. This is a story about wealth, lust and families and is gripping from the first page.
 

 
10. Daddy's Girls by Tasmina Perry
Four sisters Serena, Cate, Venetia and Camilla, one of them may have killed her father Sir Oswald Balcon. This is a dip into the lives of the rich and famous with an element of who done it mystery. It's perfect for pure escapism. 
 
So that's my list of beginner chick lit, what is on your list this week? Check out everyone else's list here.