Shana R. (LynniePennie) reviewed The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. Sophie Kinsella on + 169 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
Well, I guess I'm the rebel here, but.... I could not get into this book. It wasn't the authors' style of writing that I didn't like; it was the main character Becky that I couldn't bring myself to care about. I stopped at page 170. Hopefully, she got some scruples by the end.
The main character Becky was a very shallow, manipulative, immoral, two-faced person, not to mention a compulsive liar. A few examples from the book: when she sits buy a man on public transportation she comments on his wearing very old 501s and white tennis shoes & how disgusting it is; when she dated a man with religious beliefs about not having premarital sex- he wouldn't take advantage of her and later she makes fun of him to her friend; she lies to most anyone she meets about anything and everything. All through the book she is constantly thinking about herself and whenever anyone else speaks to her she doesn't pay any attention to them and just makes up things to tell them. After reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I found I wasn't the only one who thought this.
The main character Becky was a very shallow, manipulative, immoral, two-faced person, not to mention a compulsive liar. A few examples from the book: when she sits buy a man on public transportation she comments on his wearing very old 501s and white tennis shoes & how disgusting it is; when she dated a man with religious beliefs about not having premarital sex- he wouldn't take advantage of her and later she makes fun of him to her friend; she lies to most anyone she meets about anything and everything. All through the book she is constantly thinking about herself and whenever anyone else speaks to her she doesn't pay any attention to them and just makes up things to tell them. After reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I found I wasn't the only one who thought this.
Kerry S. (displacedheel) reviewed The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. Sophie Kinsella on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
Great pool read--even really fun for teens in a chick-lit way. No vivid sex (although there are some references), very few bad words, and a redeeming message. I am looking forward to the others.
Barb F. (editor) reviewed The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. Sophie Kinsella on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
This book is so reminiscent of "Bridget Jones Diary" and a delight to read. Very light, humorous reading. A great summer read. I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to sit down and forget about their worries.
Becky Bloomwood is an indisputable shopaholic. She is in debt up to her ears, yet keeps refusing to respond to her debtors. While this should not be and doesn't sound funny -- it is! How she gets out of this dilemma is unexpected and surprising. Just when you think she's down for the count, she rises! Unfortunately, being that she is in England, some of the shops she speaks about aren't familiar to me, but any American can picture another high-end shop or brand in its place and come out understanding Becky full well. (I was in England and in London once, but I didn't shop at the stores that are mentioned, except for Marks and Spencer, and I get the feeling Marks and Spencer [which is somewhat like Macy's here]is not "posh" enough for Rebecca Bloomwood.)
Becky Bloomwood is an indisputable shopaholic. She is in debt up to her ears, yet keeps refusing to respond to her debtors. While this should not be and doesn't sound funny -- it is! How she gets out of this dilemma is unexpected and surprising. Just when you think she's down for the count, she rises! Unfortunately, being that she is in England, some of the shops she speaks about aren't familiar to me, but any American can picture another high-end shop or brand in its place and come out understanding Becky full well. (I was in England and in London once, but I didn't shop at the stores that are mentioned, except for Marks and Spencer, and I get the feeling Marks and Spencer [which is somewhat like Macy's here]is not "posh" enough for Rebecca Bloomwood.)
Dayna B. (DaynaAlyson) reviewed The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. Sophie Kinsella on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
This book was ok. The author has good plot development, but the characters are totally unrelatable, at least to me. Obviously someone relates to out of control spending and racking up thousands of dollars in debt, all while throwing out Visa bills and ignoring calls from the bank, or the book wouldn't be so popular. I found myself wanting to shake the main character and scream at her, "What are you thinking?!" I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I know, but I wouldn't discourage someone from reading it if they expressed an interest because there were parts that were funny. Just not really my style. I guess I'm too responsible to enjoy a book like this.
Lucy V. (punkee) reviewed The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. Sophie Kinsella on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Hilarious, quirky and fun to read. You'll love it.
