Shopaholic Ties the Knot (Shopaholic, #3)

by Sophie Kinsella

[Leah]

Becky Bloomwood's life has been running fairly smoothly recently, she is a personal shopper at Barney's, she and boyfriend Luke are living together and they've even opened a joint bank account. At best friend Suze's wedding Luke proposes and suddenly Becky's life has been flung upside down. Her mum wants her to get married in Oxshott whereas Luke's mother Elinor wants her to get married in New York - at the Plaza no less! As both women begin to plan their respective weddings Becky knows that eventually, sooner rather than later, she will have to make a decision and cancel one of her weddings. But once she gets around to dress shopping and cake tasting, the thought of cancelling one of her weddings becomes near impossible and Becky finds herself in trouble yet again.

With Mini Shopaholic less than a month away I've decided to re-read the entire Shopaholic series in preparation for the new book. I think it's the first time I've re-read all of the books back-to-back and it's so exciting picking out the details I remember and learning details I've forgotten particularly with the books I've only read once. Because I didn't get much reading done whilst I was in England, I only got the chance to re-read Shopaholic Ties The Knot once I was on the plane back to Tenerife. Four hours later and I had finished the book!

Shopaholic Ties The Knot is the third Shopaholic book and follows Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad. I'd already read the first two books a couple of times but if I remember correctly, this is only the second time I've gotten the chance to read Shopaholic Ties The Knot. Unlike the previous two books, Shopaholic Ties The Knot isn't focused solely on shopping. There's no debt in sight, and whilst Becky does still shop (come on, it's Becky Bloomwood), it isn't as hectic or as frenetic as in the first two books. Shopaholic Ties The Knot focuses firmly on Becky and Luke's wedding and I liked the fact that it was different to the first two books.

Becky has dealt with a lot of things throughout the first two books but having to pick between two weddings is certainly the most difficult. I mean, either disappoint your mother who wants you to wear her wedding dress or give up a Plaza wedding. I've never been to the Plaza but I can imagine how beautiful it is and I'm well aware how much people would give to marry there. That is Becky's dilemma and although her flakiness and lack of commitment to one wedding was mildly irritating, it was an understandable dilemma. How it all sorts itself out is one of my favourite Shopaholic scenes ever, it was a stunning twist and it's the one scene that always sticks in my mind.

As ever, the characters are just as fantastic. Becky does seem to grow up a bit more as the books progress but her sunny, sparkly nature remains throughout. I have three more books to review and I'm running out of ways to say I love Becky Bloomwood. Honestly, I feel as if I'm beginning to sound like a broken record (I do apologise for that). I would also like to say, for the record, that I love Luke Brandon too. I've loved him since book one and if he weren't Becky Bloomwood's... No, I joke, I love Becky and Luke and if Kinsella ever broke them up I would cry. We get to know Luke so much more during Shopaholic Ties The Knot and it seems as if he has some unresolved issues, particularly where his mother Elinor is concerned (whom I don't like, for the record). It's refreshing to see Luke open up a bit more and I definitely felt as if I got to know him more. Suze, Becky's best friend is still around and Becky's parents are hilarious as ever (Becky's mum in particular is funny and made me laugh out loud). We also meet Danny, a new friend Becky makes in New York.

Again, like the previous two, the book is written in a chatty, recognisable way and I was surprised to find that I had managed to finish it in under four hours (even the lady on the plane mentioned how quick I read the book). I can't say that I have a favourite Shopaholic as I love them all for different reasons but they do keep getting better and better and it was nice to see Becky when she's not completely consumed by shopping (please note that I did say "not completely consumed"). If you've read the other books in the series you really ought to pick this one up and if you haven't yet read any of the books, why haven't you? The series is great and Shopaholic Ties The Knot is a worthy addition!