Christmas Shopaholic

August 26, 2019
Kinsella’s popular heroine, Becky Bloomwood Brandon, is back for a delightful ode to shopping, in the engaging eighth Shopaholic novel, this time with a Christmas theme. These days, Becky is in lovely, leafy suburbia and living happily ever after with her husband, Luke, and young daughter, Minnie. When her parents take an apartment in the trendy Shoreditch neighborhood in London, Becky is stuck with planning Christmas festivities for friends and family alike. While running her best friend’s gift shop at grand Letherby Hall, Becky encounters an old boyfriend, who’s now a musician, and his obnoxious girlfriend, who is determined to go into business with Luke. The villainess of this tale and her devious actions are a teeny bit far-fetched, but Becky is as whimsical and wonderful as ever. With hilarious scrapes only Becky could get into—including being locked into a pet store while buying a last-minute hamster for Minnie, integrating an all-male billiards club, and using a permanent Sharpie to mark names of new aftershaves on Luke’s skin as he sleeps—Kinsella delivers a solid and laugh-out-loud funny installment that longtime readers and new fans alike will gleefully devour. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, Inkwell Management.

Starred review from October 1, 2019

Becky Brandon is anticipating Christmas the best way she knows, by making a (shopping) list and checking it often, and working at her friend Suze's shop in her stately home. But when her parents, who usually host a Christmas party, decide to move to trendy Shoreditch in East London, they ask Becky to take over this year. Becky's feeling a little anxious about it, especially when family members pile on the picky requests and an old boyfriend appears on the scene--can she manage her stress without hitting "buy now" on every shopping cart she fills? VERDICT The return of Kinsella's quirky and lovable characters who show genuine connection is reason enough to enjoy this story, but watching Becky overcome obstacles, self-imposed or otherwise, is inspirational. Readers might come for the laughs, but they'll leave with a warm heart.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
Kinsella's (I Owe You One, 2019, etc.) much-loved Shopaholic is back--and this time, it's Christmas. Becky Brandon is looking forward to spending Christmas with her husband and daughter at her parents' house, just like always. It's cozy and warm and, other than her favorite Christmas tradition (shopping), Becky doesn't have to do much of anything. But then her parents drop a huge surprise--they're moving to an apartment in the superhip London neighborhood of Shoreditch. Now, instead of Christmas sweaters and carols, they're into unicycles and avocado toast. Her parents' transformation into hipsters means that Becky has to host Christmas at her home in Letherby. Becky has no idea how to host a holiday dinner for her entire family and extended network of family friends, but she's never met a problem she couldn't shop her way out of. As usual, however, Becky finds herself stuck with a ton of problems. First, she needs to find the perfect gift for her husband, Luke, but in order to get it she just might have to petition an all-male billiards club to accept female members (Becky, of course, doesn't play billiards). She might be in trouble with the entire country of Norway after creating her own (fictional) version of hygge, "sprygge." Her environmentally conscious sister wants Becky to decorate a broom instead of a Christmas tree and have a vegan turkey on the table. And then there's her musician ex-boyfriend who unexpectedly shows up in town with his new girlfriend. With everything on Becky's plate, will she be able to create the picture-perfect Christmas she dreams of? Becky is still a hardworking, eminently lovable character who just wants to do the right thing, even if she usually screws everything up and finds herself in hilariously awful situations (like, for example, storing 30 pounds of smoked salmon on her front lawn under a duvet). A laugh-out-loud funny book that will delight longtime Kinsella fans and those looking for a cozy holiday story.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2019
It's been four long years since Becky Brandon, n�e Bloomwood, graced readers with a lighthearted adventure full of humor, warmth, and shopping. Kinsella's popular character?who first appeared almost 20 years ago in Confessions of a Shopaholic?continues her hunt for bargains with her husband Luke, her best friend Suze, and her daughter Minnie along for the ride. Working at a village gift shop, far from her old fast-paced city life, Becky continues to rally her blind optimism when asked to host Christmas for the first time while her parents try out a more hipster lifestyle in a trendy London neighborhood. Naturally the holiday season is full of shopping expeditions, family drama, and a school Christmas pageant to boot. Then an old flame arrives in town, equipped with a beautiful girlfriend with eyes on Luke, and a fellow school mother's marriage is in distress. Longtime fans will welcome Becky's return, but even readers new to the Shopaholic world will connect with the themes of the sandwich generation, marriage woes, and holiday spectacles that can threaten any family gathering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)