Shopaholic & Sister (Shopaholic, #4)

by Sophie Kinsella

[Leah]

Becky Bloomwood is finally married to Luke Brandon and after a 10-month honeymoon the pair decide it's finally time to head home and Becky decides to not tell anyone they're returning and instead leave it as a surprise. It's Becky that's in for a surprise though when her parents start acting weirdly and best friend Suze reveals she may well have found herself a new best friend. Becky's parents finally admit what is wrong with them and it turns out Becky has a sister named Jess. To Becky that means someone to have girly nights in with and to go shopping with but is shocked to learn that Jess doesn't actually like shopping. Is that really possible? Can Becky Bloomwood's long-lost sister really hate shopping?

As you're probably sick of hearing, I'm re-reading the entire Shopaholic series in expectation for the brand new one out in September. I wanted to read them all one after another to see how well they flowed together and to maybe pick up on little tidbits I may have missed the first time around. I've now reached book four in the series, Shopaholic and Sister, which is the book I remember best and I couldn't wait to get stuck in a second time!

I suppose you can guess from the title that the books revolve around someone who likes to shop and while that is a huge focus on the first two books, it isn't as in your face with the next two. Shopaholic Ties The Knot was mainly focused on Becky's wedding to Luke and this one, Shopaholic & Sister, is focused on Becky's new-found, long-lost sister Jess and the relationship she envisages the pair of them having. Yes, there's still a lot of shopping to be done, but nowhere near as close as the shopping she does in the first two books. Obviously it would get a bit boring if Becky continually fought debt problems so these new problems and struggles make a welcome change.

I quite liked the idea of Becky having a sister. Even more so, when the blurb tells us she's the polar opposite of Becky. Obviously because Becky is Becky Bloomwood she gets all in a tizz about being a sister and begins to imagine how everything will pan out between the pair... girly nights in, fantastic shopping trips, doing each other's make-up etc. so it's a culture shock when Becky learns Jess is a bit of a skinflint. The interactions between the pair is hilarious and I loved just how different they appeared. If Becky was shocked about all of that, she also had to deal with Suze, her best friend since forever, suddenly finding a new friend plus the shock of spending 24/7 with Luke to suddenly barely seeing him. Shopaholic and Sister certainly seemed the most difficult struggles Becky has to face!

As always I loved Becky. Having such a tight sister to compare her to does make her seem a bit spoilt but I think we know that now anyway so it's not as if it's a huge surprise. I could totally understand why Becky was so excited to find out she had a sister, who wouldn't want to find out that after years of being an only child, they suddenly have a long-lost sister, it's a dream come true, surely? I was sad with Becky when she realised Jess was nothing like she imagined and after being with her through four books (with at least two more to go), it is as if I really know Becky. Strange, but true. I still think Luke is fantastic, he and Becky have some struggles but you just know it'll all be OK in the end somehow. I missed Suze, I must admit, she was definitely not around as much as I would have liked, obviously so the plot between she and Becky could develop, but I did miss her. The addition of Jess was a master-stroke and I really really loved her. I don't care if she was the total opposite of Becky, I liked her for who she was and, it turns out, she wasn't as bad as I thought she was going to be!

The book, like the rest of the series, is told entirely from Becky's point of view in a chatty and conversational style. The letters from banks and shops and what-not are still interspersed between chapters (and are as hilarious as ever). I could wax lyrical for hours and hours about how fantastic Sophie Kinsella is. I mean, four books in and the books aren't tired or getting boring, they haven't jumped the shark in anyway. It's a series like I've never read before. Not many books could get to the fourth book and still be fantastic and enjoyable reads (it even extends past the 5th, since I loved Shopaholic & Baby, too). It will be a sad, sad day when Sophie Kinsella announces there'll be no more Becky Bloomwood. I just hope that day is far far away!