Book Review #68: Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Hey Guys x

I haven't done a book review in a few months, so I thought I'd start back with the first book I've read this year - Christmas Shopaholic. I am such a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella and the whole Shopaholic series, so I was really excited to read this book!

Becky is back - but she's in more of a panic than ever. Because this year, she's hosting Christmas for the first time, which she thought would be easy. But with her sister demanding a vegan turkey, buying the perfect present for husband Luke and working out the ulterior motives of a pushy ex-boyfriend, Christmas will be anything but easy.

To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the Shopaholic book that came before this one, 'Shopaholic To The Rescue', so while I was looking forward to this one, I was also a bit wary about it before I started reading.

It's safe to say that I enjoyed this one a lot more than I enjoyed the previous one. But with this book, I only started liking it in the last maybe 100 pages, and I'll explain why.

The Shopaholic books basically follow the same formula, and Becky as a character hasn't really changed that much as the books have gone on (things change around her, but she herself isn't that different), but I think as someone who has been reading these books since I was really young, I've grown out of her.

The problems that she had in this book didn't feel funny or entertaining, they felt like first world problems. And it's becoming easier and easier to notice that a lot of the problems Becky gets herself into are because she makes stupid decisions. And of course she always manages to get herself out of these situations, but I couldn't feel sorry for her. In fact, one of the most prevalent things that I felt throughout reading the book was second-hand embarrassment.

Now, that's not the say that the book isn't funny, because there's definitely some funny moments - one or two even made me laugh out loud. But the question is whether I'm laughing with Becky or laughing at her.

One of my absolute favourite things about the book was the character of Luke, Becky's husband. Because to be honest, I didn't really see him as a real character until the book before this. In 'Shopaholic and Baby', he had a moment at the end when he felt like a real person, and a good husband. But overall, Luke Brandon is not someone that I would want to be married to because he is entirely passive about every single situation, never really helps or supports Becky, and is working 24/7. Reading Becky trying to have a conversation with him is like trying to get blood from a stone, and I personally can't be bothered with it.

But in the last 100-or-so pages of the book, Luke really stepped up and became a proper husband, and I really appreciated that.

And then there's just the fact that, like Christmas movies, there's always something to relate to with the Christmas theme, especially when you have a protagonist who definitely doesn't have her shit together. It's really fun to read.

What was good?
This time around, a lot of the characters were really interesting and likeable, and I loved going back into their individual lives, whether that's Jess, Suze, Becky's parents or Janice. They all felt really fleshed out, and I really got a sense of who they are separately from Becky (if I hadn't before).

What was bad?
It felt like there were a lot of story-lines and small details packed into a small space. Some of the story-lines were really essential and necessary, and some were just a bit of fun. But one or two of the story-lines were neither, and just felt like they weighed the book down.

Overall
I'm a sucker for Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood), and when the next Shopaholic book comes out (because there has to be another one), I'll be first in line to buy it, but I'm not a huge fan of this one.

2.5/5 Stars

Lou