Christmas Shopaholic: A Novel Hardcover – October 15, 2019

I started reading the Shopaholic series back in 2005. I was 19 years old. I immediately fell in love with Sophie Kinsella’s humor and of course her heroine, Becky Bloomwood. I own all of the Shopaholic books and some of her stand alone books, except for the last two ones (To The Stars and To The Rescue). I am now 42 years old and I was looking last week for a Christmas book and saw this. I finished this book in one sitting. I laughed, I teared up, I laughed again. It was such a joy reading this, a must have for the holiday season!

Becky and Luke have volunteered to have Christmas at their home for family and friends. Following the missive, “Anything the Grinch can steal is not Christmas,” Becky starts her planning and runs into one problem after another. She always has a humorous answer for life’s roadblocks, however, and the result is the best Christmas book I have ever read. This is the ninth book in the shopaholic series, and I really hope there will be more.

I was really pleased with this Shopaholic book, especially after being disappointed by her adventures in Hollywood. I agree with other reviewers that Becky's back and this book felt more in line with her original books up to Shopaholic and Baby, before they went a little off the rails. It was an easy read and fun for the holiday season. Becky's hijinks were more believable and Suze was back to her funny, friendly characteristic self - as was Luke. I didn't like the storyline with her parents as it felt forced and a little out of place with how they've been in previous books, and Jess was very robotic and out of character for 90% of the book. Jess can be reserved but she'd lightened up over previous books and seemed to have a real relationship with Becky and Suze but now she's all closed up and super demanding, almost to a ridiculous extreme, which I also didn't like. The subplot of Becky's ex-boyfriend seemed a bit forced as well, but it did provide some humor and worked out in the end. Overall, I enjoyed Becky at Christmas and like the trend of her getting back to her roots and being back in England. If you loved the first few Shopaholic books you'll recognize the old Bex in this one.

Get ready to make a cup of hot cocoa, put on your comfiest PJs, and read the night away with Sophie Kinsella's latest installment in her Shopaholic series that began with Confessions of a Shopaholic 16 years ago. Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is back in England and finds herself host to the family Christmas gathering. The fun begins as she tries her best to meet the request of the 8 people plus 4 kids who will be descending on her house for the holiday.What I Love About Christmas ShopaholicThe characters are deceptively well-developed. When you think of this series, you probably first think about the comedic antics that drive the plot. But what I first think about is what a complex character Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is. She appears very superficial, at first, until you begin to glean the motivation behind her antics. She has a heart of gold and would do anything to help those around her, from her determination to procure the perfect gift to her giving a child in need a costume she has slaved over for her own daughter and the myriad of good deeds in between. She always leads with her heart. It is what fuels her determination, which inevitably creates the fun we all know and love.Luke, her foil of a husband, appears to be almost a father-like person in her life. He is successful and wise and makes decisions that are well thought out and logical. AND, Luke loves Becky, not despite her antics but because of them. He understands her as few people do, seeing how she leads with her heart and protecting it whenever it needs protecting. She adds spontaneity and unabashed love to his life, which is something unknown to him before she arrived."And then I can't speak, because Luke has enveloped me in a tight hug. In fact, so tight I can hardly breathe.'There's no one like you, Becky,' he says against my neck, his voice husky. 'No one in the whole wide world.'This is something Luke says to me quite a lot. And sometimes I'm not sure if he means it in a good way or a bad way. But right now, I'm fairly sure it's in a good way."The Lucille Ball style antics keep me turning the pages and literally laughing out loud. They are antics the reader can totally relate to – such as finding more to buy so that you get free shipping, even though they are not objects that you want or need. But, of course, Becky takes it one or two steps further. As when she ends up with a pair of grotesque statues that are very large and very scary but that she can't return because they were made by a group in need.Becky has to host Christmas this year, and all that she goes through to make it happen totally put me in a holiday mood. I'm ready to get everyone words for their Xmas presents and watch hours of Hallmark movies.What I WishI can't imagine anything that would make this series better than it already is.To Read or Not to ReadYou must read it. If you appreciate a bit of tongue in cheek fun and need some holiday spirit, this book will be a welcome addition to your holiday preparations.

I've always been a big Sophie Kinsella fan, basically any book she writes I will read. I loved the original Shopaholic book and the next few in the series. I am still giving this book a positive review because it was another heartwarming, easy Christmas read...BUT. As much as I love her, I think it's time for Becky Brandon and the series to be finished. This book was still funny and enjoyable, but the whole Becky-gets-herself-into-some-marginal-amount-of-trouble-and-has-to-get-herself-out-of-it-way-more-difficultly-than-possible storyline is getting old. Becky is a grown woman by now and some of the albeit comedic moments in the book just made me want to cringe a bit - I could see the build up to them from a mile away and they just seemed so unlikely a situation for a regular, responsible woman to get herself into. I guess that's the premise of the series though - Becky and her shopaholic tendencies never have been very responsible to begin with. I still enjoy the characters in the book: Luke, Becky's Mom and Dad, Suze, Janice, etc. and I liked the overall message of the book: at the end of the day it's none of the minor details that matter during the holiday's - it's only about spending time with loved ones and family. All in all though, while this was a cute and quick read, Becky's charm and humor are beginning to fade for me and I think this is the last Shopaholic book I will read - better to quit while you are ahead!

I enjoyed this book there were many pitfalls ups and downs with wrong assumptions. Things do get worked out and everything goes good for Christmas.

Absolutely loved this book. There were moments where I laughed so hard I cried. I really like seeing the continued development of Becky's and Luke's relationship as well - they are great together.Hoping Sophie Kinsella will write another book in this series. Such fun!

I think this is one of the top 3 shopaholic books. I LOVED this book, I will totally read it again. It is one of those books to enjoy during christmas time. I hope Becky Bloomwood is back soon!!!!!!!

I read mostly non-fiction; memoirs. Sometimes these can be intense, so it's nice to have a fun, easy read for a change, and this really does fit the bill. I've read more in this series quite a few years ago, and enjoyed revisiting it. A nice, light, amusing book.I bought this book quite a while back, and thought I'd be fun to read AT Christmas. Every time I remembered it, it wasn't around Christmas, so I thought, I’ll read it next Christmas then. This year I started it on 23rd December, so perfect timing, and I really got into the spirit of it, relaxing and chuckling. She's so funny, there are laughs galore.I can remember laughing out loud at one of her other books, ‘I've Got Your Number’, a few years ago. When I was reading this, there were some light, chuckly moments - but would it get funnier? Would it be as good? It certainly did build up to some hilarious events in the last third of the book. Pure enjoyment, and a perfect book for Christmas. For any time really! Don't hang on until Christmas!

Comprei o livro para poder exercitar o meu inglês, muitas pessoas no youtube indicavam esse livro, mal comecei a ler e ja estou adorando! Chegou dentro do prazo e muito bem embalado, o livro é bem molinho comparado a outros livros com capa simples, mas ainda é bem feito! Eu amei a compra!!

I just love these books!!! Can't wait for the next one.