Sister or soulmate? (Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: candyfloss89

Product:	Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	02/07/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to read, funny, light hearted, addition of new characters keeps the series interesting

Disadvantages: contrived and a little bit predictable in places, Becky's sister is almost as annoying as she is!

After being somewhat disapointed with Shopaholic ties the not, I was eager to move onto to the next book in the Shopaholic series. At the end of the last book we left Becky and Luke planning a round the world trip which I thought would take up the majority of the book. So where does the sister angle come into it?

SYNOPSIS
Becky Brandon (ne Bloomwood) has traveled the globe on her honeymoon with her husband Luke. He's learned the art of yoga and relaxtion but Becky remains a shameless shopaholic, whose global trip was more like a global shopping spree!
Becky gets homesick when she recieves a christianing invitation from her best friend back in London, Suze. So the couple decide to return to London, Becky anticipating to be welcomed back with open arms. However, her joy is short lived as it appears Suze has a new best friend in the form of snobby Lulu and that her dad has secretly fathered another daughter, her half sister Jess. Becky is convinced that in her long lost sister she will find a soulmate, what will happen when the sisters meet?
Meanwhile, Becky and Lukes new marriage is put under strain yet again when items she's shipped from all over the world begin to arrive at her and Lukes London penthouse and Luke sees the extent of his shopaholic wifes purchases!

ADVANTAGES

The same obvious advantages apply for this book as they do for the previous books in the series. It's funny, uncomplex and therefore easy to ready and lighthearted.

I don't really like the character of Jess (Becky's long lost sister) because I find she's quite a boring character. However after getting so irritated with Becky's behaviour in previous books, Jess makes Becky a far more likeable character in comparision. It's Becky who makes all the effort to form a bond with her sister and Jess who rebuffs her every attempt. This meant I sympathised with Becky in a way that I had struggled to do in previous books. She's still over the top and irresponsible in this book but the majority of that behaviour seems less selfish as it is directed at trying to win over her sister. I regained some of my affection for her as a character as I found this an endearing side of Becky and it gave her something else to do rather than having the majority of the book focussing on her shopping habits.

Jess is just as extreme as Becky but in a different way. Whilst Becky is obsessed with spending money, Jess is obsessed with saving it. This contrast makes for some hilarious situations like Jess educating Becky on the value of potatoes and an ill fated sisterly shopping trip. When Jess snaps and confronts Becky about her excessive shopping and spending, it's a relief that Becky's finally facing some criticisms for her actions! It's also heartening when Becky begs for her sisters help on how to be more frugal. She inevitably fails but at least it finaly feels like some character development for Becky at last as she throws herself into the lifestyle of an enviromentalist.

Unlike previous books, I didn't find this story quite so predictable and I liked the fact that I wasn't able to see everything that was going to happen before it did happen!

DISADVANTAGES

Becky comes across as very insecure, which some would argue is a loveable character trait. It also means that the minute her and Luke argue, she immediatley assumes that he's going to leave her and doubts his love for her even though it's clear to the reader that Luke does love Becky alot and will never leave her. This happens in several of the books and so becomes a tedious cycle of Becky and Luke argueing, Becky doubts their relationship, Luke reassures Becky. It also makes Becky come come across as selfish as Luke is actually incredibly understanding and restrained when dealing with Becky's spending habits. There is no tension for the reader over whether the couple will split because you know they wont, which is unfortunate as the couples marriage problems take up a large proporsion of the book.

Jess and Lulu are the two main character adittions in this book and they are both quite irritating. Jess has her advantages, as stated above but Lulu serves little purpose but to be an annoying snob.

Once again, chosing to end on a happy ending is contrived and predictable but I suposse I cant complain too much about this as it sets up the next book in the series.

Summary: A good follow on to the dissapointing Shopaholic ties the knot