Frivolous, monied and funny – if you’re looking for a book to tide you over while you endure a quick weekend flight to the Gold Coast then this is your go-to.
Shopaholic to the Rescue, is the latest novel in Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Shopaholic Series’. This time, Rebecca and a cast of friends, worst enemies (!?), and their mothers are on a mission to find an AWOL father and her best friend’s hubby. Their missionfield: the deserts of Nevada and Arizona.
So ensues a series of lighthearted ‘hijinks’ – think middle aged ladies living it up on the Vegas Strip, an overprotective mother worrying about whether her daughter will survive riding a sheep at a country fair and a visit to a spiritual health resort amongst the red rocks in Sedona. The story even culminates in an Oceans Eleven style plot to save the day. Oh yes!
Of course amongst all this action there are cocktails, expensive hotels, fancy meals, limousines and shopping trips galore – enjoyed by characters who can all drop their work at a moment’s notice. But this book also asks all the big questions like, ‘Should I buy these pink cowboy boots? Or the tan coloured ones with rhinestones?’
Seriously though. This book is fluff but it is enjoyable, well-written fluff. The dialogue is witty, the plot is fast-paced and the characters are believable and somewhat likeable (despite being a tad superficial). There were touching moments towards the end and although this book hasn’t changed my life, it did make for a few hours of enjoyable escapism.
REVIEWER: Libby Brickell
TITLE: Shopaholic to the Rescue
AUTHOR(S): Sophie Kinsella
PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House
RRP: $37.00