Becky Bloomwood is finally married to Luke Brandon and after a 10-month honeymoon the pair decide it's finally time to head home and Becky decides to not tell anyone they're returning and instead leave it as a surprise. It's Becky that's in for a surprise though when her parents start acting weirdly and best friend Suze reveals she may well have found herself a new best friend. Becky's parents finally admit what is wrong with them and it turns out Becky has a sister named Jess. To Becky that means someone to have girly nights in with and to go shopping with but is shocked to learn that Jess doesn't actually like shopping. Is that really possible? Can Becky Bloomwood's long-lost sister really hate shopping?As you're probably sick of hearing, I'm re-reading the entire Shopaholic series in expectation for the brand new one out in September. I wanted to read them all one after another to see how well they flowed together and to maybe pick up on little tidbits I may have missed the first time around. I've now reached book four in the series, Shopaholic and Sister, which is the book I remember best and I couldn't wait to get stuck in a second time!I suppose you can guess from the title that the books revolve around someone who likes to shop and while that is a huge focus on the first two books, it isn't as in your face with the next two. Shopaholic Ties The Knot was mainly focused on Becky's wedding to Luke and this one, Shopaholic & Sister, is focused on Becky's new-found, long-lost sister Jess and the relationship she envisages the pair of them having. Yes, there's still a lot of shopping to be done, but nowhere near as close as the shopping she does in the first two books. Obviously it would get a bit boring if Becky continually fought debt problems so these new problems and struggles make a welcome change.I quite liked the idea of Becky having a sister. Even more so, when the blurb tells us she's the polar opposite of Becky. Obviously because Becky is Becky Bloomwood she gets all in a tizz about being a sister and begins to imagine how everything will pan out between the pair... girly nights in, fantastic shopping trips, doing each other's make-up etc. so it's a culture shock when Becky learns Jess is a bit of a skinflint. The interactions between the pair is hilarious and I loved just how different they appeared. If Becky was shocked about all of that, she also had to deal with Suze, her best friend since forever, suddenly finding a new friend plus the shock of spending 24/7 with Luke to suddenly barely seeing him. Shopaholic and Sister certainly seemed the most difficult struggles Becky has to face! As always I loved Becky. Having such a tight sister to compare her to does make her seem a bit spoilt but I think we know that now anyway so it's not as if it's a huge surprise. I could totally understand why Becky was so excited to find out she had a sister, who wouldn't want to find out that after years of being an only child, they suddenly have a long-lost sister, it's a dream come true, surely? I was sad with Becky when she realised Jess was nothing like she imagined and after being with her through four books (with at least two more to go), it is as if I really know Becky. Strange, but true. I still think Luke is fantastic, he and Becky have some struggles but you just know it'll all be OK in the end somehow. I missed Suze, I must admit, she was definitely not around as much as I would have liked, obviously so the plot between she and Becky could develop, but I did miss her. The addition of Jess was a master-stroke and I really really loved her. I don't care if she was the total opposite of Becky, I liked her for who she was and, it turns out, she wasn't as bad as I thought she was going to be!The book, like the rest of the series, is told entirely from Becky's point of view in a chatty and conversational style. The letters from banks and shops and what-not are still interspersed between chapters (and are as hilarious as ever). I could wax lyrical for hours and hours about how fantastic Sophie Kinsella is. I mean, four books in and the books aren't tired or getting boring, they haven't jumped the shark in anyway. It's a series like I've never read before. Not many books could get to the fourth book and still be fantastic and enjoyable reads (it even extends past the 5th, since I loved Shopaholic & Baby, too). It will be a sad, sad day when Sophie Kinsella announces there'll be no more Becky Bloomwood. I just hope that day is far far away!
Becky and Luke have been married for ten months and are on honeymoon in Asia when the book opens. Though they have been enjoying themselves, they decide it is time to return to England. Luke immediately goes back into businessman-mode, cutting his hair and donning suits once more. Before returning home, they stop for a brief trip in Milan, where Luke is meeting a potential client. After totaling up the large number of purchases they have accrued during their trip, not to mention the cost of hotel stays, Becky agrees that she will not buy anything in Milan. But the chance of a lifetime comes along - an Angel bag, the It bag of the season which Becky simply has to have. A businessman helps Becky jump to the head of the waiting list, and Becky promises to pay him back somehow.Once back in England, Becky and Luke stop to visit the Bloomwood family and surprise them with their early return, but the Bloomwoods seem to be hiding something. Not only that, but they are not impressed with Becky's gifts and don't seem as excited as Becky had hoped. The next day, they go to the christening of Suze's twins. Unfortunately, Suze has befriended a local woman and mother of four, to whom she can relate to more than Becky. Becky's troubles become worse when two trucks full of her souvenirs arrive. With her new job not due to start for several months, Luke orders Becky to sort things out around the house with her spare time.Becky's parents arrive with big news - they didn't want to tell Becky initially, but she has a half-sister from a previous relationship of her father's. Becky is ecstatic - she claims that she has felt a hole in her life and has always wanted a sister. She imagines shopping, girls' nights in, and a new best friend to replace Suze. Once she meets her half-sister Jess, she is disappointed: Jess is studious, thrifty, and a bit standoffish. Jess tries to encourage Becky to save money; Becky can't comprehend why Jess doesn't want to do anything fun. Becky overhears Luke saying that she is hard to live with, and thinks that her marriage is over.After a falling-out with Jess, Becky decides to go to her home in northern England to learn to be thrifty. Jess has departed on a mountain climb on a gloomy day, and Becky follows to try to catch up. She ends up off the trail and falls. Luckily Jess watches over her and the two girls discover that though their interests are different, they have the same level of passion. The book ends with Becky helping Jess organize a protest against a new shopping mall (which turns out to be one of Luke's new clients) and Becky discovering that she is pregnant.
What do You think about Shopaholic And Sister (2006)?
So far I hate this book. This is the most selfish, most shallow character I have ever read about. This Becky Whatever is why the world is an awful place - because she is self absorbed and doesn't care about anyone else but herself. I will finish this book in the hopes that it has any redeeming message. But it is not worth the paper wasted on it. It is telling that this character exists in the the era of lots of credit card abuse and these types of people are the reason why the world is in a near economic depression today. Update: 10/6/09 This book is a piece of crap. I could not finish it; it is so awful. I threw it away. I don't even plan to take it to the resale book store. No one should read this book.
—Dolores
Another great addition to the Shopaholic series - Sophie Kinsella once again brings Becky, a quirky but lovable character back into the fray with a wonderful mix of weary world traveling, sisterhood and of course, more shopping!!We pick Becky up at the end of a 10-month honeymoon with her new hubbie Luke – they’ve been all over the world and Becky’s got a lot of shopping to show for it – but it’s easy – she just buys and has it all shipped home – she’ll worry about where to put it all later! Becky decides to surprise her parents and her best friend Suze – by arriving in England unexpectedly. Becky’s in for a rude surprise – she seems to have been forgotten by her best friend Suze, who’s had twins since Becky left for her honeymoon and along with the twins, she’s got a brand new buddy that doesn’t seemed too thrilled about Becky’s return. Even her parents don’t seem too thrilled to see her and there’s some girl lurking in the background – who can she be? Well, Becky finds out that she’s got a sister. It seems that before her parents met, Becky’s dad had a romance with a flight attendant and never knew that she’d had a baby girl that she named Jessica. Becky is thrilled to hear about her sister and decides that the best way to bond is by…what else? Shopping!! She quickly learns that Jess doesn’t like shopping (Gasp!) and basically finds Becky to be irresponsible and shallow. Becky is determined to change her sisters’ mind and travels to the English countryside where Jess lives in order to bridge the gap and find her way into her sisters’ heart. Will Becky and Jess become soul mates? Will Jess learn to love shopping? Sophie Kinsella delights her readers once again as she takes us on adventure to find out! During all the action, we get the story from Luke’s perspective a little more – we see why he loves Becky so much and in seeing her through his eyes, we learn to love her just a little bit more!I read a few books between the last book (…Ties the Knot) and this one, but I found myself falling back into the story easily - It was nice to hear about Becky again! This was a fun story and the ending leads you right into the next book in the series – that’s right, I think it might be time for our Shopaholic to have a Baby!!
—Norabee
Stop the presses! I actually--liked this--as a book! I thought it was funny and sweet. After hating Shopaholic Ties the Knot so much, this was a shock, but it's by far my favorite Shopaholic book, even more so than the first. I'm glad I got this one out of the library at the same time at "Knot" or I would have probably stopped after that clunker. Adding a super-frugal character to the mix was a brilliant move on Sophie Kinsella's part. Jess provides much-needed balance to Becky, and I like that she's not just a voice of reason, but comically obsessive in the opposite direction. I laughed in recognition and affection at her frugal jerk ways. Interestingly, the structure of this book is classic romance, complete with initial dislike, separation and reunion, and even hurt/comfort. By centering it on a long-lost-sister relationship, Kinsella manages to provide the satisfaction of a romance without busting up Becky's marriage. Jess is even a romantic hero archetype--gruff, didactic, not particularly tactful, but responsible to a fault. She's basically Mr. Knightley.
—Laura Hughes
