As an avid shopper, I just had to read this book. I had not previously read anything written by Ms. Kinsella. Reader Be aware! This author plants you firmly in New York City from the first sentence. You have to catch a breath when you can because this book has a typically New York talking speed. Even the thoughts projected are tossed like kites in a high wind! The central characters are so well described and stay true to form throughout the book that you think they are your lifelong friends. It is disappointing to come to the end of the book with its final period and I guarantee you won't want to pick up another book for at least ten minutes while you catch your breath and have a private chuckle at the wonderfully told story.
Sophie Kinsella's sequel novel, "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," is a stark reminder that if a pop culture formula works once- Helen Fielding's triumph on both sides of the Atlantic with "Bridget Jones's Diary,"- the knock-offs will keep coming until nary a book, movie, or TV show can be sold. In Kinsella's sequel to her bestselling "Confessions of a Shopaholic," Becky Bloomwood, a personal finance "expert" with her own TV show, is more of a financial mess than ever. She's assigned her roommate, Suze, to monitor her spending, but to no avail. The cute rationalizations- "Foreign money doesn't count, so you can spend as much as you like"- come more frequently than Becky's credit card bills. Her work-obsessed boyfriend, Luke, who runs a financial PR agency, wants to open an office in New York City and brings Becky along. Upon her arrival in the Big Apple, she euphorically discovers Barney's, Saks, Sephora, et al and sample sales. When an enemy of Luke's decides to leak Becky's bad habits to the British press, she becomes persona non grata, but, predictably, Becky manages to save the day, with plenty of comic moments along the way. "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" is tongue-in-cheek and all in good fun, but the excessive shopping hijinks will wear thin for anyone who has read "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Kinsella creates some winning characters- recycling most from the original book, but- with the exception of an interesting vocational twist for Becky toward the end- the credit card and shopping bag action is becoming threadbare.Read full review
The shopaholic hits the jackpot when she ends up on 5th avenue in NYC. It's like a kid in the candy store. Her shopping/spending habbit goes into a free fall. Again, Kinsella makes it fun to read, but over-the-top fake to believe. Also her English speaking applies to all the NYers, which is a bit of a bother. She should have hired an American to coach her the American way of saying things. I am also troubled about the ending. Kinsella didn't get into how the character got out of her debts with no job in London and before she got a job in NY and before her estate sale. She is just magically debt-free at the end of the story. Also her character always turns into a hero at the end. In Confession, she saved her parents' neighbors from a mutual fund scam, here she single handedly saves her boyfriend's mega PR company from bankruptcy. Yeah right. Still fun for a chick lit.Read full review
So now Becky is sad and life stinks. She thinks Luke hates her and her shopping and helpful comments. To Becky's surprise she has a sister after she returns from her around the world honeymoon, the trip of a lifetime. She wants to make up for all the years she and her sister have missed. It turns out her sister is the complete opposite of Becky. That is just the begining of the trouble. Of course shopping is huge part of all Becky's trouble. although this time good will prevail from it at some point. Okay anymore I will ruin it for you. I cannot say enough about this amazing author and series. I am in love. I had not been reading for years. Now thanks to Sophie I am a book worm. A book takes just a week. I suggest the tapes for the first read. That way you get the cute british voice in your head for when you read later. You need to read these in order. I cannot believe how easy she is to read. It is better than Grey's Anatomy. Read this one after all the books before it. Otherwise you will be sad when you realize it goes in order. Each book leaves off from the one before. Don't forget to vote for me. Anytime you want to chat about this author, I am always ready :)Read full review
This sequel to Sophie Kinsella's first Shopaholic book is just as good as it's predacessor. Funny and witty, this book keeps you entertained from the get go. Watching our heroine in NY (she's a Brit), brings a new dimension to this series, but never fear, she is still addicted to shopping and still loves to write letters. The responses she gets to the letters she writes to various financial institutions and companies are laugh-out-loud funny. If you are lost in this review because you have not read the first book, I would suggest reading it before you read Shopaholic Takes Manhattan. The author seems to assume you have read the first book because not a lot of history into the characters is covered. If you have read the first book, then dive right in. It is a treat!
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