You Are Viewing Sophie Kinsella Week

To celebrate Sophie Kinsella week, we’ve been tweeting and Facebook-ing like mad asking why you, Sophie Kinsella fans, love her so much. We had a really good response, so thank you so much to anyone who took the time to send us a tweet, an email or commented on Facebook to tell us why you love Sophie Kinsella so much. Without further ado, here are your comments telling us why you love Sophie!

“I love Sophie because: her books are true to life…we can all imagine ourselves in the precarious situations her ladies get themselves in to. Her books are fantastic reading, and they always cheer me up” - Nicky Russell, via email

“I Love Sophie Kinsella Because … she helped me find my voice as a writer.

When I read Confessions of a Shopaholic, it was like a revelation. I knew I wanted to be a writer and I was pursuing an English degree but, up to that point, I didn’t know where my kind of writing belonged and I didn’t feel like a ‘real’ writer. Sophie made me realize that I didn’t have to change who I was or what I wrote. It was OK to write about characters who are a little crazy and neurotic and who are out there making their way in the world, facing challenges and looking for love. And, just maybe, a new designer handbag with a 50% discount!

Sophie Kinsella made me fall in love with Chick Lit and made me proud to say that I write it!” - Catherine Lavoie, via email

“…all her books are a great way to escape from the real world, they are all so funny with good characters and i could read them again and again and I always look forward to reading her next book.” - Kelly Glenn, via email

“ I love S. Kinsella because reading Can You Keep A Secret? inspired me to start writing my own chick lit novels. )” - @bexstonebridge on Twitter

“I love SK because every single book she writes is a chick lit classic and she wrote the best book ever - Can you Keep a secret” - @new2writinggirl on Twitter

“THE BIT WHERE BECKY SPEAKS FINNISH IN HER JOB INTERVIEW. Anyone who can write that hilariously gets my adoration!” - @katie_khan on Twitter

“I love her ’cause she created Becky Bloomwood! And she’s hilarious!” - @wondrousreads on Twitter

“She is such a true to life writer, the charchters seem so real I actually feel that she based shopaholic on me lol” - @tinkerbell34 on Twitter

“great author, uses current issues in books, great shopaholic series but also writes brilliant standalone books ” - @sbroadhurst on Twitter

“I think I saw more than a bit of myself in Becky Bloomwood. Such a loveable character.” - @dizzydanni84 on Twitter

“ooh i thoroughly enjoyed all Sophies books and i loved the Shopaholic series I thought they were so funny and witty, different from her other books but very enjoyable but everyone is entitled to their own opinions, looking forward to her new book in Sept” - Tara Cunnane Niland on Facebook

“I absolutely love SOPHIE KINSELLA BOOKS cant get enough .They are feel good books with laugh out loud moments and characters that are very likeable and real. I loved CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET,THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS,REMEMBER ME,TWENTIES GIRL….all SOPHIE’S stand alone books .I M not as keen on THE SHOPAHOLIC SERIES but thats not to say they are not good i just prefer the stand alone books” - Louise Marshall on Facebook

“I love Sophie Kinsella because of the style of her writing, as she makes you giggle at every page turn while areas of seriousness such as gigantic debts from university in ‘Shopaholic’.” - Sophie Quenby

“I love Sophie Kinsella because of her commitment. Her commitment to continue the ‘Shopaholic’ series so far and to make us cry with joy whilst reading them and generally produce such brilliant books for us to read.” - Bexx

“I love Sophie Kinsella because her books are so much fun to read. They allow me to enter a world where I don’t have to worry about money. I can spend as much as I want on anything. I can change my life and become a housekeeper. I can loose my memory and my husband! or I can spill my beans on a plane because I am convinced I am going to die, only to survive and find out I told everything to my boss! Her books are fun filled and I am so glad I discovered them!!!!! I can’t wait for Mini Shopaholic to come out in September!” - Michele

“I love Sophie Kinsella because she demonstrates that there is always a way out of the absolute worst situation and narrative mess. Well done!” - Steph

“I love Sophie Kinsella because she reminded me that reading can be fun. After years of nothing but textbooks and required reading, my sister pushed the Shopaholic books on me a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. I’ve been reading everything and anything ever since!” - Alita

“I love Sophie Kinsella because of the style of her writing and the way which she captures each readers hearts with her stories, also because her books never fail to keep me gripped till the end and make me want more after I’ve finished.” - Kat

“I love Sophie Kinsella because all her novels allow me a “break”, she doesn’t overcomplicated things, she understands that fun matters” - Emily

“I love Sophie because she’s the reason I started to read in the first place. Growing up, i never read anything other than magazines, but i liked the idea of reading novels. So i would occasionally go to the book store, read the back cover and buy it. But i’d never read them. I had bought a copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic and it stayed on my bookshelf for years. THen i heard that it was being turned into a movie, and i went digging around my collection for it because i ‘thought’ i had a copy. I sat down and for whatever reason, started reading it… and didn’t stop. I finished it and had a warm fuzzy feeling. I picked up the next one, then the next, then the next… before i knew it i owned the whole series, and i found that i became addicted to that warm, fuzzy feeling i get from after reading a Sophie Kinsella novel. Now any books that i pick up, i expect to get that warm, fuzzy feeling… and if i don’t, then it’s not a good book. Any chicklit novels i read, i always seem to compare to the amazingness of Sophie Kinsella. I love her writing style, her humor and the characters that she creates; my bestfriends and loves of my life.” - Nicole

“I love Sophie Kinsella simply because of the shopaholic books! It makes my day/year when a new one comes out and I truely look forward to it! You go girl!” - Charlene

“I love Sophie Kinsella because she is the only reason to buy a book on the day of release nowadays.” - Mo“She is such a true to life writer, the characters seem so real I actually feel that she based Shopaholic on me lol” - Sara

Rebecca Bloomwood has the dream job. She’s a personal shopper, so is able to spend other people’s money all day instead of her own. And she gets paid for doing it. The perfect job, the perfect man - gorgeous Luke Brandon - and now…the perfect wedding. Yes, Luke has proposed and wedding bells are in sight. No excuses are needed to start the shopping trip of all time. And Becky’s parents are just assuming that the wedding will be at home - a marquee in the garden and Becky in her mum’s wedding dress, which she’s been saving specially for the occasion. But Luke’s mother has very different ideas - a huge affair in New York in a forest glade setting - or perhaps a Venetian Ball, or a fin de siecle extravagance? Now Becky’s getting confused. She doesn’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone. The plans are going ahead, and soon it will be too late to turn back - from either wedding…

Leah: Unlike the previous two books, Shopaholic Ties The Knot isn’t focused solely on shopping. There’s no debt in sight, and whilst Becky does still shop (come on, it’s Becky Bloomwood), it isn’t as hectic or as frenetic as in the first two books. Shopaholic Ties The Knot focuses firmly on Becky and Luke’s wedding and I liked the fact that it was different to the first two books. I can’t say that I have a favourite Shopaholic as I love them all for different reasons but they do keep getting better and better and it was nice to see Becky when she’s not completely consumed by shopping (please note that I did say “not completely consumed”). If you’ve read the other books in the series you really ought to pick this one up and if you haven’t yet read any of the books, why haven’t you? The series is great and Shopaholic Ties The Knot is a worthy addition!

Chloe: For me, this is one of my favourite Shopaholic books. We see the lovely Becky Bloomwood finally get married to Luke Brandon, but of course, things certainly don’t go to plan. I love how Becky’s fabulous parents are written more into this book because of the wedding, and I think it was nice to see more of Becky in a family situation rather than just completely shopping for a change. I also liked Luke’s mother being more present in this book - it certainly gives Becky someone to bounce and leaves her with some funny dilemmas too! The little drama of where the wedding will be is the icing on the cake, and it definitely one of my fave books in the series! Brilliant!

Danielle: For me, since I’m still making my way through all of the Shopaholic books and have only two more to go, I can’t definitely say this is my favorite (only because of the two remaining), but it certainly ranks up at the top. I’m a romantic at heart and the story of a girl falling in love and struggling with the details. Most who’ve walked down the aisle know how difficult it can be to satiate your mother’s as well as your soon-to-be mother-in-law’s desires with your own. I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better to illustrate the hilarity of the situation than Becky. Her constant ups and downs with the comedy of it all added to the romance of her and Luke, makes it a very near perfect read. If you love Becky and Luke, you can’t miss this one!

Note: This book is known as ‘Shopaholic Takes Manhattan‘ in the US.

Will travel broaden the mind…or loosen the purse strings? For Rebecca Bloomwood, life is peachy. She has a job on morning TV, her bank manager is actually being nice to her, and when it comes to spending money, her new motto is Buy Only What You Need - and she’s really (sort of) sticking to it. The icing on the brioche is that she’s been offered a chance to work in New York. New York! The Museum of Modern Art! The Guggenheim! The Metropolitan Opera House! And Becky does mean to go to them all. Honestly. It’s just that it seems silly not to check out a few other places first. Like Saks. And Bloomingdales. And Barneys. And one of those fantastic sample sales where you can get a Prada dress for $10. Or was it $100? Is Becky too dazzled to care? Shopaholic Abroad – for the biggest culture shop of your life.

Leah: My inital thinking of Shopaholic Abroad was that it was Confessions of a Shopaholic set in New York. I really did think it was a re-hash of book one and it was only when I started reading it did it all come back to me and I realised it wasn’t the same at all. Yes, Becky manages to get herself into a lot of pickles, almost identical pickles to the one she finds herself in throughout the first book but the book is still different in a lot of ways. Shopaholic Abroad probably isn’t my favourite of the Shopaholic novels - it would definitely come last if I listed them all in order, but Kinsella manages to easily get us into Becky’s life and gives us another fantastic tale! I really admire her writing style because it isn’t as wordy as some authors, but the chatty style works and makes it easier to get into the books.

Chloe: Soon after reading and loving ‘The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic’, I knew that I wanted to try and read as many more of these books as I could, and quickly got hold of a copy of the second book in the series, Shopaholic Abroad. I was wondering how Becky and her quirkiness would translate over the pond, but it did brilliant, and it was still so funny. I’d actually been to New York by the time I’d read this, and so was able to imagine the places Becky went, and for me that made it even better. I love how Kinsella moves along the relationship of Becky and Luke in this book, you really do have to feel sorry for Luke lol but overall, it is a great read and a fab follow-up to the first book in the series.

Danielle: I have to say, at first I was a bit confused, because in America Shopaholic Abroad is actually Shopaholic Takes Manhattan. Which, as Leah pointed out to me, makes more since because I’m not exactly going abroad by heading to Manhattan. Either way it’s a fantastic read! One of the aspects I really enjoyed was her relationship with her favorite banker Derek Smeath. It was such fun to see him more relaxed and the interaction between the two. Overall, it wasn’t my absolute favourite of the series, but it was so nice to have this story to help develop Becky and Luke’s relationship a little more before Shopaholic Ties the Knot.

As well as finding out why YOU love Sophie Kinsella, we decided to ask some authors and people in the publishing world why they love Sophie Kinsella as well, just to see if she had huge appeal amongst her fellow authors too, so here we go!

Kate Johnson: “She wrote such a lovely hero in Luke that I named my own favourite hero after him!”

Victoria Connelly: “I love Sophie Kinsella because … because she writes the very best romantic comedies around! Her heroines are adorable and totally identifiable, her heroes are always gorgeous (I’m still in love with Nathaniel from The Undomestic Goddess) and she has plenty of laugh out loud moments which never fail to brighten up a reader’s day.”

Clodagh Murphy: “What I love about Sophie Kinsella is that she’s very funny - one of the funniest chick lit writers, in my opinion.”

Jill Mansell: “I love Sophie Kinsella’s books because they’re so feel-good, so funny, so cleverly plotted and so beautifully written. The style is deceptively simple but impossible to replicate. No one else writes like Sophie Kinsella, although many have tried. And her characters are flawed but loveable - traits we all secretly wish we could possess!”

Lynsey Dalladay (Transworld Pubs): “I love Sophie Kinsella because she created Becky Bloomwood! Every time I open a credit card bill with a sense of foreboding I think of Becky and laugh. Sophie Kinsella has the magical touch of making our everyday problems larger than life and intensely funny. There is a little bit of Becky in all of us! “

Polly Andrews (Transworld pubs): I love Sophie Kinsella because she’s a great comic writer. Becky Bloomwood gets in to bottom-clenchingly embarrassing situations and yet you love her for it. I don’t know one girl who hasn’t justified a purchase the way Becky does. Sophie’s comic timing is also impeccable and she’s got an eye for creating hilarious but believable characters that you know you’ll miss once you’ve put that book down. Every time the proof of the new Kinsella arrives at the publishers, there are whispers of excitement through the corridors and all the available copies seem to hop off my shelves and into people’s handbags without me noticing. A new Shopaholic is one of those treats you wish you could savour but you end up gulping down in one and snorting embarrassingly throughout. Sophie Kinsella’s novels are timely, witty and have a big heart – much like the lady herself!

Ruth Saberton: “I think the reason I love Sophie Kinsella’s writing so much is because although it’s laugh out loud funny and so easy to read she deals with really relevant and serious issues by tempering them with humour. I remember the first time I read “The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic” and although I was laughing at all the things Becky does to try and solve her financial problems I also recognised that there was an awful lot of truth in the humour. It’s so easy to get into debt and many times I’ve used Becky’s flawed logic to justify buying the same shoes in different colours (They’re in the sale so it’s saving money!) and who hasn’t bought a lottery ticket and convinced themselves that they’re bound to win that night and solve all their problems? I think Kinsella’s gift is that she manages to tune into the zeitgeist but in such a fresh and light hearted way that the reader doesn’t mind laughing at herself as well as at Becky’s antics. Her novels also make the reader think and examine their own lives and relationships.

Sasha Wagstaff: I love Sophie Kinsella because I think she’s one of the key players when it comes to writers of classic ‘chick lit’. Her characters are instantly likeable as well as relatable and we’re rooting for them from the first couple of pages. Kinsella writes stories that flow easily…ones that can be devoured in one sitting and that’s a sign of a great writer, in my opinion. ‘Easy reading’ doesn’t mean ‘easy writing’…it’s a tricky thing to pull off and not every writer manages it. I loved the ‘Shopaholic’ series and I am catching up with the stand alone books at the moment. They are great fun, hugely enjoyable and a pleasure to read…here’s hoping there are plenty more in the pipeline!

Note: This book is also published under the title of ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time …shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something - just a little something …Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card? Confessions of a Shopaholic …the perfect pick me up for when it’s all hanging in the (bank) balance.

Leah: Despite there being five other Shopaholic books, I’m firmly in the mind that the original is undoubtedly the best. Because as much as I’ve loved the continuing adventures of Becky Bloomwood, you just can’t beat getting to meet her that first time as she worries about opening her bank statement. Or how she borrows £20 from Luke for a scarf. There’s just something about Becky that makes me whiz through the book, despite her often flighty ways and inability to stop spending! It’s an absolute must-read for all Chick Lit fans and I assure you that Becky will keep you coming back for more.

Chloe: I didn’t actually read this book until around 2004 when I went to University. I was given some money by my family to buy some bit with, and I knew I wanted to take some books, and this was one of my choices simply based on the synopsis… it sounded hilarious and I knew I needed something funny to get me through the lonely nights! Becky Bloomwood was the perfect companion for my evening reads, and I found Kinsella’s writing style so funny and natural that I knew she would become one of my favourite authors after reading this book. It genuinely is laugh-out-loud funny, has the perfect heroine and is an absolutely brilliant start to one of the most readable book series of all time.

On behalf of myself, Chloe and Danielle, I would like to officially welcome you all to Sophie Kinsella week. For the next seven days we will be reviewing ALL six Shopaholic books (including the brand new one Mini Shopaholic), we will be interviewing Sophie herself and we’ll be discussing why it is we love Sophie Kinsella. Not to mention we have a fantastic competition where one lucky reader can win a full set of Shopaholic novels. Here is the full schedule for the week:

Sunday (today): Welcome to Sophie Kinsella week & the start of the Shopaholic competition.

Monday: Review of Confessions of a Shopaholic, ‘Why I love Sophie Kinsella… by authors and publicists & review of Shopaholic Abroad.

Tuesday: Review of Shopahlic Ties The Knot & Confessions of a Shopaholic is our Chick Flick Tuesday!

Wednesday: Review of Shopaholic and Sister, Interview with Sophie Kinsella, ‘Why I love Sophie Kinsella…’ by the fans.

Thursday: The entire Shopaholic series is our Chick Lit Classic this week & review of Shopaholic and Baby.

Friday: Review of Mini Shopaholic and ‘Why I love Sophie Kinsella…’ by myself, Chloe and Danielle.

Saturday: A round up of the week & the winner of the Shopaholic competition is announced!

So sit back, enjoy, and remember to check back every day for brand new Sophie/Shopaholic-themed posts!