Review: Mini Shopaholic

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I like the series!

Description: "Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “Mine!” and she’s even trying to get into eBay! On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there’s a huge financial crisis. With people having to “cut back,” Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source—and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves. Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And . . . most important . . . will Becky’s secret wishes ever come true?"

My thoughts: What is there to say? Fans know what to expect, and we get it. Even though I do often find Becky really annoying and the rest of the characters are getting pretty stock, it's still a fun series. And I suppose part of the reason they feel like stock characters is that we've gotten to know them -Becky's caring but often shrill drama queen mum, her dour eco-freak sister Jess, etc. And Becky has a good heart, that's why I stick with her. She's really shallow in a lot of ways, but she's really caring and when she really puts her mind to things, even if she makes a terrible mess, she follows through. Minnie is cute, if sometimes exasperating like all toddlers, is a chip off the old credit card, in addition to "Miiiiiiiiine!" she also frequently says "Starbucks, muffin" and "Visa?" Becky gets into some rather hilarious scrapes once again and trying to keep the party a secret nearly kills her. But in the end, she might just suprise us all...