A pregnant shopaholic, not a good combination! (Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: kiwiii85

Product:	Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	26/01/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy read, hilarious, catchy storyline. strong characters

Disadvantages: Can't put it down once you start!

Another of Sophie Kinsellas' fantastic books that you just can't put down. It's the fifth in the series but that doesn't mean you need to read the others first if you don't want to - the plot isn't affected by any other storyline and you don't find yourself feeling lost halfway through.

The Plot
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Becky married Luke a year and a half ago and they're now expecting their first baby. The problem? Becky can't seem to hold Luke's attention for more than two minutes at a time. Luke is snowed under at work with his new big client and Becky's feeling vulnerable and hormonal.

Her cure for everything? Shopping! So it's on one of her shopping trips that she hears a couple discussing obstetricians and the name Venetia Carter comes up. She's famous for delivering a lot of celebrity babies so Becky jumps at the idea. Even more so when she hears they give out free goody bags and throw tea parties!

Her husband doesn't approve but he gives it a go to keep Becky happy, however, Becky is soon wishing she hadn't. Venetia is Luke's ex-girlfriend from Cambridge and they soon start spending a lot of time together and worse still, Venetia hires Luke to do her PR!

Becky finds all of this hard to deal with, sure that Luke has fallen for Venetia and is going to leave her as a single mother. Is she right? Will Venetia rock the boat enough to break their marriage and leave Becky bringing up the baby on her own?

My Opinion
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The storyline is very easy to follow and it doesn't really matter if you haven't read the previous books as everything is explained throughout. It is probably an idea to read them in the right order, but that's never quite as fun.

The storyline is mainly about relationships and the stresses and strains of everyday life. Kinsella does this in such a clever way, that it takes a while to understand because you'll be laughing out loud before you know it. Becky's need for shopping and everything good isn't helped as her mother and friend encourage her to shop. I must admit that when i was pregnant, there was nothing nicer than looking at everything you could buy your baby and spoil them rotton, even if you knew they didn't actually need it and you'd probably never take it out of the packaging! I think every pregnant woman feels insecure at some point and there are real occasions where you want to give Becky and Luke a good shake and encourage them to share their feelings about what's happening.

The humour in the book isn't as obvious as in some of Kinsellas' books, but it's still just as enjoyable.

Becky is a true shopaholic and shapes her character throughout the book. Her cure for everything is shopping, so imagine the extremes she goes to when she thinks her husband is having an affair! She used to be in financial journalim, but her idea of financial advice is what the bank will give you to join them! She loves her banks abroad because they give you big overdrafts and she can't wait for Luke to make them squillionaires.

She has no idea of the concept of money, budgeting or real life. She has a fantastic imagination causing her to create ideas that noone else would think of. She's loving, caring but very hormonal!

Luke, Becky's husband, looks like a bit of a flirt that doesn't quite realise it. He makes people fall in love with him but doesn't necessarily understand it, or does he? He has a lot on his mind but he doesn't understand Becky's insecurities enough to share his problems with her and instead watches her mind run riot.

Venetia (or cruella de venetia as Becky prefers) is as two faced as they come. She's nice as pie when Luke is around, but is sneakily making Becky feel more and more unsecure about herself and her relationship. She thinks that she's better than Becky and her and Luke belong together. Can she woo the man she loves away from his wife?

My verdict
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I don't think this is one of Kinsellas' best books, but it's still a real page turner. I finished the book in less than a day and most of the time i didn't want to put it down. It covers most decisions couples need to make when they find out they are expecting a baby and i could really sympathise with her on occasions because we had to make the same decisions!


Extra Bits
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I bought this for around £3.50 but books vary in price so greatly you could find this cheaper or a lot more expensive. It's available from all major book stores and the likes of Asda and Tesco.

Just incase anyone is interested in the order of the books:

~ The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
~ Shopaholic Abroad
~ Shopaholic Ties the Knot
~ Shopaholic and Sister

Summary: A must buy for anyone with a sense of humour!