Author: Sophie Kinsella
Narrator: Josephine Bailey
Published: September 28, 2004
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 10 discs, approx. 12 hours
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): What’s a round-the-world honeymoon if you can’t buy the odd souvenir to ship back home? Like the twenty silk dressing gowns Becky found in Hong Kong…the hand-carved dining table (and ten chairs) from Sri Lanka…the, um, huge wooden giraffes from Malawi (that her husband Luke expressly forbade her to buy)… Only now Becky and Luke have returned home to London and Luke is furious. Two truckloads of those souvenirs have cluttered up their loft, and the bills for them are outrageous. Luke insists Becky go on a budget. And worse: her beloved best friend Suze has found a new best friend while Becky was away. Becky’s feeling rather blue—when her parents deliver some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister! Becky is thrilled! She’s convinced her sister will be a true soulmate. They’ll go shopping together, have manicures together.…Until she meets Jessica for the first time and gets the shock of her life. Surely Becky Bloomwood’s sister can’t…hate shopping?
My Thoughts: As you may (or may not) have realized by now, I love Sophie Kinsella's audiobooks. They are light and funny and easy to get through during my commute to and from work. So, I was anxious to read this fourth book in her Shopaholic series. The description of the novel left me nervous that this wouldn't be the Becky Bloomwood I was used to and that it might not live up to those other novels. I should have listened to by instincts more because about a third of the way through the book, I realized that I was right. This one is unlike the other books in the series, and I don't mean that in a good way. Discovering she has a long lost half sister, Becky decides that they will be great friends and do everything together, even before they have met. It's obvious that everything will not work out as Becky has envisioned, but of course, Becky never realizes that.
I've always liked Becky and how she was written. However, this story is a huge departure for her as a character. She seems to be regressing, going backwards in her development. When returning from her honeymoon and realizing that she doesn't have a job, she just decides to work for her husband, Luke. She's shocked when he says no and pouts because she is upset by his decision. It was just too childish! Actually, all of Becky's behavior through this book was childish, from the way she spent her money to get the "it" bag of the moment, to her climbing a mountain in kitten heels. It was just too much fluff and not enough story. Becky just became dumber as the novel went on, which was frustrating for someone who has enjoyed the other novels in this series.
Now, it was still a funny read. I mean, Becky taking Jess shopping for the first time was pretty funny. And her discovery of eBay was also a good laugh. There were redeeming qualities in this book, but it's definitely my least favorite one in the series (so far). But, now that Becky is pregnant, I can't wait to see what trouble she gets into.
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