Sunday, November 7, 2010

MINI-SHOPOHOLIC: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
MINI SHOPAHOLIC
BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The world's favourite economically challenged heroine is back... with a small friend in tow...

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) 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 as two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.

She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is Mine, and she's even started bidding for designer bags on eBay.

On top of everything else, there s a big financial crisis. People are having to Cut Back including all of Becky's personal shopping clients and she and Luke are still living with Becky's Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party on a budget but then things become really complicated.

Who will end up on the naughty step, who will get a gold star and will Becky's secret wishes come true?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sophie Kinsella is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as ,The Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep a Secret? and Remember Me? She lives in England. 

Go HERE to read more about author Sophie Kinsella

MY REVIEW:

These economic times are tough for everyone and that even includes Becky Bloomwood Brandon, her serious minded husband Luke, and even their little princess, two-year-old Minnie. In Sophie Kinsella’s latest entry in the Shopoholic Series, MINI SHOPOHOLIC, things are so bad that they have even had to move in with Becky’s parents while they look for a new home of their own. Poor Becky has been forced to use her parents’ dining room to store her makeup and her designer boots have to make do in the garage. Thank goodness there is room in the house for her more formal dresses in her father’s den!

Becky was so happy when she gave birth to Minnie, thinking what fun this would be, and that having a daughter would make for an instant shopping soul mate! She finds out that being a mother is not all fun and shopping. Two-year-old Minnie has her own approach to becoming a shopoholic. As long as she gets what she wants, things couldn‘t be better and Minnie creates chaos everywhere she goes. In fact, as MINI SHOPOHOLIC opens it is Christmas Eve and the Brandon girls are, where else, at a mall. Minnie has a tantrum when she sees a toy pony she wants that Becky doesn’t agree that she needs…at first. What follows creates such a commotion, that Becky and Minnie are basically kicked out of Santa Land!

Minnie’s favorite word is MINE and she already knows how to bid for expensive items on eBay, making most of us question how advanced can a two-year-old really be? This major part of the story reveals what most would agree is not the best or most realistic way to raise a child. Chasing off a nanny after only one day, having no luck with even the famous TV Nanny Sue, should be treated serious but this is Chick-lit, folks! If you can’t let your imagination run wild, and if you can’t laugh at the master of these hilarious stories, Sophie Kinsella, then perhaps this isn’t the genre for you to choose. However, I find all of Kinsella’s work to be escapism at its best. And, as already mentioned, in times like these, we can all use a little of that.    
 

As Becky plans a elaborate surprise party for Luke and Minnie continues her outrageous antics, it seems for a while that everything will come crashing down around our favorite shopper! But, as always, Becky will come out on top leaving readers waiting to see what happens next for Becky and her little Minnie. The end of the book does give a possible hint of what is coming next but you have to read the book and find out for yourself. I am sure you won’t mind as MINI SHOPOHOLIC is one fast read and a fun time indeed! 
GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO DEBORAH AND THE
WONDERFUL PEOPLE AT RANDOM
HOUSE PUBLISHING, I HAVE 3 COPIES
OF THIS FUN BOOK TO GIVE AWAY
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY:
READ "ABOUT THE BOOK", "ABOUT THE AUTHOR", AND "MY REVIEW" ABOVE AND COMMENT ON WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: VISIT SOPHIE KINSELLA'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE AND READ ABOUT HER AND HER BOOKS. COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING THERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: GO TO THE "WE'RE ON THE FENCE" BUTTON IN THE RIGHT SIDEBAR AND CLICK ON IT TO VOTE FOR MY BLOG. YOU CAN DO THIS DAILY. BE SURE AND COMMENT EACH TIME YOU DO.THANK YOU FOR THE VOTE!

+1 MORE ENTRY:
BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, ENTER EACH SEPARATELY FOR AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 21
GOOD LUCK!