It's not a secret anymore! (The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: Brown_eyes1984

Product:	The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	04/06/06 (569 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to read, funny, easy to relate to

Disadvantages: not everyone likes chick lit

Sophie Kinsella stormed the book charts with this original, funny if a little too easy to relate to at times – debut novel. Its success sparked off a complete series of shopaholic books and there is now hardly anybody who hasn’t heard of the character ‘Rebecca Bloomwood’.

But is its success deserved and what exactly is all the fuss about? Well, I finally got around to reading the first in the series after reading some of Kinsella’s newer books, and I’d definitely say that its success has been well deserved.

*** The Plot ***

Rebecca Bloomwood is a young, successful finance writer. Earning an OK amount of money, she enjoys nothing more than to go out and spend her hard earned cash. Shopping is everything to her and nothing can beat the thrill of buying a new scarf or a new pair of shoes or in fact – anything. The only problem with Rebecca’s spending is a fairly common problem among women everywhere…She doesn’t know how to stop!

Whenever she sees something – anything - she just has to have it. She treats herself every single day to something new and she spends like she has an endless bag of money. But of course she doesn’t and it’s not long before her bank starts getting in touch about her ever expanding overdraft. Just how long can Rebecca hold them off?

*** My Opinion on… ***

The humour, the length of the book, the characters, Kinsella’s writing style … My opinion on all these and more is here for you to make out whether or not this book is for you. So sit back and enjoy!

1) The plot and its humour

Even though I hadn’t read this debut in the series, I had in fact read another in its series called ‘Shopaholic Ties the Knot’ and I can remember finding that quite funny. I was curious to find out what the first in the series was like though and how it compared to some of Kinsella’s newest efforts so when a work colleague lent me this, I got to reading straight away.

There is hardly anybody who cannot relate to the plot of this book. Thousands of women love shopping and buying new things for themselves. We can all relate to the buzz we get when we come out of a shop with bulging new carrier bags. It’s so hard to say no to the constant sales and there is always something new to try out whether it is new make up, new cosmetics or even a new pair of boots.

Kinsella addresses the issue of overspending in a very fresh, humorous way and it is very hard not to relate to Rebecca all throughout. the book. The plot never loses its way and despite being a typical chick lit, it has a great amount of humour instead of just plain cheesiness which makes it that little bit more readable for a wider audience.

I couldn’t always guess what was going to happen next though it wasn’t exactly rocket science. This isn’t a book full of suspense, though I did want to find out what was going to happen with her bank manager all the way through.

The humour within the book is witty, quick and at times it made me laugh out loud. Kinsella really captured the female spirit and the denial that often comes with spending was quite funny. I suppose what makes the book so funny is the fact that it is true. Rebecca could be a real person and that definitely adds to the books enjoyability.

2) The Characters

As I’ve already mentioned, the character of Rebecca was extremely easy to relate to. Kinsella puts her across in such a real way. Her denial, her excuses for avoiding the bank manager, her reasons behind buying things, they are all real.

The other characters in the book, however small their part may be, also come across really strongly. Her best friend Suze for example, comes across as dependable, a free spirit and an all around nice girl who we would all be proud to have as a best friend. She stars quite a lot in the book and she interacts with Rebecca in a real way.

Rebecca’s parents are quite lovable and quite funny. They are always arguing but in a loving – been together for years – kind of way. I see some of my parents in them and they come across as slightly naïve at times though dependable like most parents are.

Not many people have the talent to make all of their characters shine through just as strongly as the lead, but Kinsella does and it makes the book all the more enjoyable.

3) How does it compare to other books by Kinsella?

I have only read one other book in this series which I mentioned earlier, but I have also read other books by Kinsella such as ‘Do You Know How To Keep A Secret’ and the most recent ‘The Undomestic Goddess’. There is no doubt in my mind that The Undomestic Goddess is my favourite book by her but that doesn’t mean to say that this book isn’t good.

I feel Kinsella’s writing style has changed a little and she’s grown funnier, which I’m sure many people who have read the shopaholic books never thought was possible. After reading this debut I realised it was funny. Funny enough to get the reader interested and wanting to read more, but compared to her newer works it isn’t quite in the same league.

I felt the shopaholic books are addictive and I am quickly moving on to the next one after writing this review, but her other books are slightly more enjoyable I find. I think the shopaholic series is easy to read and as with some TV shows such as friends, it would be easy for Kinsella to make the series last quite a long time.

4) How long is the book and will it take long to read?

This book took me just under a month to finish though that was due to me only reading it on my fifteen minute breaks at work. I know plenty of people who have told me that they have finished this book in one sitting and I can see where they are coming from but I simply don’t have time to do that.

Compared to other books that I have read, this one is quite thin. This is good news to some readers as I know big, thick books can look really daunting.

The amount of time that it will take you to finish it obviously all depends on how often you read. If it is everyday and it is longer than my fifteen minute breaks, then I feel you’ll probably take about a week to read this. It is quite addictive!

5) Price and availability

This book generally retails at around £6.99 depending on where you buy it. It can be found online on sites such as eBay and Amazon for less than that but it all depends on where you shop. Shop around to get the best deals is my advice.

With it being a fairly popular book you should be able to find it almost anywhere and certainly all good bookstores will sell a copy of it.


*** My Overall Opinion ***

I really would recommend this book. I’m not really into overly cheesy, girly books and in my mind this wasn’t one of those. It’s witty, easy to relate to and you finish the book wishing there was more to it. You’ll definitely want to read the rest of the series once you have read this, if only for curiosity if for nothing else!

I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella and I know many other women are too. I can also reveal if you didn’t already know, that Kinsella is currently writing the next instalment in the series and it will be her next book to come out.

Aimee xxx

Summary: easy to read, addictive and enjoyable