I reach gaily into the envelope, but my fingers don’t quite pull out the bill. They remain clutched around it while my mind is seized – as it is every month – by my secret dream. The modern day fairy tale ending for could happen. Debt paid off, get the job you want, they guy, the clothes, the romance, the money, the fame..... It grasps on the the romantic notion of what life should be, and could be. It seem to encourage that there is nothing wrong with lying to yourself and others. The saddest part about this is just how many people have read this pile of offal. It always amazes me who we allow to speak in this culture, and by “allow” I mean by our tacit acquiescence to whatever crap the corporate powers force-feed us. I have written about this elsewhere in more detail, but the only aspect of our popular culture that runs strictly on merit is sports. Everywhere else fame and fortune is handed out mostly through cronyism, nepotism, or the decision is made in a boardroom somewhere. Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

In the novel, Suze and Tarquin are cousins who gradually date and eventually marry. In the film, they're unrelated and are actually lovers. It's likely that Tarquin took Suze's last name in marriage as a form of respect to her family, rather than have her take his own. Ok. don’t panic. Don’t panic. It’s only a VISA bill. It’s a piece of paper; a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be? However, just in time, shopaholic Rebecca starts to grow in a surprisingly believable way. And because all the growth she experienced was in keeping with her self-centered character, it felt real, plausible, making her likable and somehow relatable. She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season's must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time ... shopping. Take me, for example. When I am confronted by a cute pair of shoes or some colorful household item, I get kind of...well...impulsive, spendy, and irresponsible. Sometimes, my willpower can overrule that temptation, though passing through the Times Square and the Fifth Ave area multiple times during the week for work really weakens my resolve.It has to be said and there’s no nice way to say it: Rebecca, the protagonist of this book, is shallow and a fluff-head (as her head is always full of recently bought clothes, it couldn’t be otherwise). However, this novel has several weaknesses. The first is a plot that is inconsistent in describing the situation in a narrative that is too long, and sometimes the explanation is too short. The second is a story that is not clear in the end. With these strengths and weaknesses, The Secret Dreamworld of Shopaholic is still a book that is recommended for readers to read. This novel is entertaining, very light, full of joy, and consist of rich content. The Secret Dreamworld of Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella can teach readers to think before they do something, especially about spending money. I've been wanting to read this series for forever but was waiting for my library to finally add it. They did, then there was a crazy wait list for it... yes, in 2018 lol. I guess I wasn't the only one waiting to read it. I think that if Rebecca had grown into a miraculously responsible woman, totally transformed, changing her expending ways into frugality, I would have been bored. Instead, as she growths just enough to save her skin for the collectors and find herself a handsome guy, I was entertained. Honestly, is this kind of stuff supposed to be funny? I have a great sense of humor, and usually find many things funny that I probably shouldn't, but this wasn't funny to me. I find idiotic people like Rebecca Bloomwood's type to be frustrating and annoying, not funny. Plus, did I mention that she gives me a bad name?

No. This isn't Angela's Ashes, people. Anyone who believes that a maxed out credit-card is the definition of strife deserves this book. These are the superfluous qualms of the privileged. If I ever read another review of a book like this on how "sad it was beneath the surface" all I have to say is how sad you are beneath the surface. The Shopaholic series always puts me in a good mood. Really all of Sophie Kinsella's books put me in a good mood. They are just so light, fluffy and fun. Sophie Kinsella's writing is like ice cream on hot July day.If there is a male equivalent to women’s mindless and completely uncool pursuit of name-brand (read: expensive) fashion, it would be a dude with a mullet peeling out in a Trans Am in the parking lot of a strip club blaring a Ted Nugent anthem. Maybe that previous sentence doesn't make much sense, but it was fun to write and the imagery is worth a lot more than a thousand words. I suppose that what I'm trying to say to female compulsive shoppers and the mullet guy is just stop, please. It's for your own good.

I reread The Shopaholic series every couple of years and I always like it. It's a sweet harmless little book that I can read with my brain turned off. And that's not a bad thing. Until her neighbors get in a bit of a financial mess by Rebecca's advice, and she turns out to have a little brain.

The Secret Dreamworld of A Shopaholic

The very first novel of the series ‘The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic’ was published in 2000. It is also known as ‘Confessions Of A Shopaholic’ and with this name it was released in 2001. It was followed by the second novel in the series ‘Shopaholic Abroad’ published in 2001 and this part was also released with the name ‘Shopaholic Takes Manhattan’ in 2002. The Secret Dreamworld of A Shopaholic

I feel my smile disappear. Oh, bugger. Of course. The blue anorak for Michael. The blue sodding anorak from Millets. This book was a waste of my time. And I spent far too much time on this book that I really didn't like.

Movie Release

Five solid stars for one of my favorite novels by a favorite author, Sophie Kinsella. I read this around the time of original publication; sometime in 2000, and that started my auto-buy of the subsequent books that continue this series.