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Confessions of A Shopaholic
Confessions of A Shopaholic
Confessions of A Shopaholic
Audiobook11 hours

Confessions of A Shopaholic

Written by Sophie Kinsella

Narrated by Emily Gray

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Sophie Kinsella's debut is a rollicking romp through the perils of shopping and spending, spending, spending! Becky can't resist a sale, and she's only a little overdrawn on her VISA. Besides, that new scarf is just too cute to pass up. Readers will laugh aloud at Becky's retail adventures as she finds new and creative ways to relieve her increasingly burdensome credit card debt. Emily Gray's narration bounces along with Becky and her buying whims, while delivering a humorous account of what happens when credit goes bad.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 22, 2003
ISBN9781436100731
Confessions of A Shopaholic
Author

Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella has written a number of bestsellers, including the Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, Remember Me?, The Undomestic Goddess, and Can You Keep a Secret? Confessions of a Shopaholic was made into a major motion picture starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. Born in London, she studied at New College, Oxford. She lives in London with her husband and family.

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Reviews for Confessions of A Shopaholic

Rating: 3.5862564913743533 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

3,478 ratings139 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved the voice! It was exactly how I imagined, with exactly the right amount of emotion
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Spoiled shopaholic doesn't learn anything and everything works out for her ?

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I’m only half way through and this book is awful. The main character is a compulsive liar, spends way more than she makes and doesn’t seem to be bothered by it and blames others for her misfortunes. This character really upsets me. I honestly hope she gets hit by a bus in the end.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the book that started my obsession with Becky Bloomwood and Luke Brandon. I've loaned this book out more than any other. Hilarious! And I do NOT like shopping.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story is about a girl who likes to shop. And shop, and shop, and shop! Only problem is that she can't afford any of it. And girl is not about the cheap stuff either! She wants the beautiful and name brand. She wants people to look at her and notice the things she has. In a way, the first part of this book is very sad. She is drowning in debt, she has no real focus in life, she has debt collectors hunting her down, and she is just generally missing something in life. That is where shopping comes in. She shops to fill that void in her life. She tries to quit cold turkey. She tries making more money. Nothing seems to work out for her. It's only after she discovers something important, and that means something to her, does she start to really grow up and make some changes in her life. I hate to admit that I saw a lot of this character in myself. We do a lot of the same kind of things like shopping to cheer ourselves up, or flipping from one thing to another to another that we want to do with our lives, or even just the fact that she makes all these plans and figures out how the whole rest of her life will play out because of this new plan just to either change her mind or something not work out and then it is time for an entirely new life plan.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I usually love all of Sophie Kinsella's books but I had already seen the movie of this and its just very slow and repetitive. The best part was the ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’m glad that this was not the first book I read by Sophie Kinsella. Although it was enjoyable, I do not think it was her best work. I will probably continue the series as I am curious about the characters, but I definitely enjoy her newer books better. I know I’m extremely late coming in on the series but I think that’s beneficial since I’ve been able to read more stuff by her and I know she writes better books-Without the whiny, spoiled characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A hilarious start to the Shopaholic series; I am good and hooked now. Kinsella's usual wit and storytelling skills shine through this book as usual - I can't wait to pick up the second book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I almost didn't finish this book. I kept hoping the story would feel more realistic so the protagonist would be more relatable. The premise of Rebecca working as a financial "expert" with no actual education seemed incredulous. Although the story is meant to be humorous, I honestly couldn't find humor with her extreme financial difficulties until I was over half way through the book. I felt like some one should be providing an intervention for her! The ending of this novel did pave the way for the other books in the series. I am looking forward to reading more about Rebecca as her character developed more "dimension" for me towards the end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At first I thought I would hate the book, it seemed to be so repeatative of the type of story line of the Devil Wears Prada. But I actually liked the book, and am willing to read more of the serious. It made me think about how I don't want to get into the troubles that Becky Bloomwood got into with her shopaholic ways. Boy, could i really do that, but thank goodness there is a person such as Matt in my house.

    But, I also learned that Becky when she does hit rock bottom bounces to so much of a higher level that it is all good in the end and makes you want to live more of your life not just being stagnant but reaching to your best potential. Hummm,I wonder what that is!?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars for it's occasional fun and wit, as I couldn't help but laugh at the character's outrageous excuses to go shopping at times. The voiceover for the audiobook was especially great, a perfect choice for the character. The storyline, however, lost its momentum in places ... things just a bit too monotonous. I did find pleasure in the ending and would have enjoyed hearing more about the hunk she ended up with.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Re-read this for the zillionth time. While some of Kinsella's later books are more nuanced, the throwback appeal of this, the first of her books that I read, is very strong.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was hilarious and absolutely adorable! Sophie Kinsella is a great author.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Confessions of a Shopaholic was certainly a charming and entertaining book to read. In this first installment in the popular series, Rebecca Bloomwood, a finance journalist for a respectable magazine, has a keen eye for fashion and a strong attraction to sales. She is a shopaholic in every sense of the word; whether she is celebrating or trying to drown her sorrows, Rebecca finds comfort and relaxation in shopping. With the bank and credit card companies hot on her heels, Rebecca tries a variety of methods to resolve her growing financial woes, fumbling and falling back into old habits each step of the way. Rebecca is a fun and interesting character but her imagination and creative solutions all too often get her into deeper trouble. I found myself slapping my forehead in disbelief at Rebecca's antics and laughing out loud at the same time. I actually thought the book had a good lesson to be learned underneath the lightness of the entire story; however, the fairy tale ending dampened any deeper meaning that might have been there to begin with. This was an enjoyable reading experience overall.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really liked book. It was funny and serious. Best of both worlds.
    I have yet to see the film, so I can't compare the two.

    I think I related to her a lot. That's why I got attached to the main character.

    I'm glad everything started to work out in the end, makes it seem like you could get your own life back on track after drowning in so much debt.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Lightweight, breezy (although tedious in the endless shopping, bank statements, & finance details)mix of over-spending, high and low finance, champagne, fun foods, and off-beat romance.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I understood how she felt, the author described the shopping frenzy so well, but I couldn't like Rebecca Bloomwood! And Luke seems like an asshole throughout the book. I prefer the movie actually!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is so great and so funny! Too bad I didn't know about these books before. More mindless entertainment, and British mindless entertainment to boot.
    I thought I would just add a word of caution. If you are anything like me, you may begin to go around saying things you don't normally say upon reading this book, like "Do excuse me, but I need to go to the loo", and your family will think you have gone mad.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When I first noticed this book in bookstores around 2003, I was such a newbie to Chick Lit, I actually thought it might be Self-Help :o) I had somehow passed over Chick Lit up till then, and Confessions of a Shopaholic was the first one I read.I won't summarize the plot again, as Becky has a lot of reviews here & I think we all know her story by now.Although Becky as a character is one of the most slap-worthy chick-lit heroines I've ever read about, I have to admit I enjoyed the book and read it 4 or 5 times before "releasing" it on BookCrossing, where I was a member at the time. I bought a replacement copy just this January, and must admit that, 10 years later, Becky drove me mad even faster than she did the first time.Tells whoppers all day long. Can't do her job properly to save her life. Tells her parents her long-suffering bank manager is a stalker (I think that's too serious an accusation to use in a "fun" way even in a book as ridiculous as this). Gets angry when she thinks everyone treats her like a joke. Hey, Becky! If you don't want people to think you're a joke, stop telling incredible lies, get serious about your career, and stop engineering the idiotic self-inflicted dramas that keep backfiring on you. Open your bank statements and bills. Stop thinking you don't have to pay them if you drop them behind your desk or throw them in a dumpster.But if Becky did all that, this book wouldn't be the breezy champagne bubble read that it is. Just take it as you find it, try not to scream, and read something else if girls like Becky make you want to commit mayhem!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Very cute! I love Becky and her character development in this book. I'm excited to read more of the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loving it so far! It makes me laugh out loud.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Funny easy read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not looking for deep? This book is just good fun, It's pure escapism. I have read the whole series and I am currently reading her latest addition to the series, "Shopaholic to the Stars". The series is great to read before bed. Long day? Read this and have happy thoughts and dreams.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Becky is a financial reporter, but is bored by her job. It also doesn't pay well. But, she loves to shop, so is in over her head when she can't pay the bills and ignores the letters from the bank and from Visa. I'm not much of a shopper myself, so I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this book. I ended up really enjoying it! I went back and forth on whether or not I liked Becky. I think it was more that I didn't like some (or many!) of the things she did. But, I still really enjoyed the story. Lucky for me, it was also quick to read. I already have the second book in the series, and considering how much I enjoyed it, I will definitely continue on.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although I've enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's standalone books, Remember Me? and Twenties Girl, I've been reluctant to try her Shopaholic series. The thing is, I'm not into shopping, fashion, designers or big name brands, and reading a series about a twenty-something who is, just sounded tedious. But, a Twitter friend recommended the book to me and I respect the recommendations of friends above my own knee jerk reaction.I chose to listen to Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella as read by Emily Gray (the same narrator as Twenties Girl. It opens with a number of dire but cheerfully polite letters from the bank to Miss Rebecca Bloomwood. Although she's a financial reporter, she's completely clueless with her own personal finances. She's also too embarrassed to admit that she needs help both with her overdraft and with her addiction to shopping.Rebecca needs to either spend less or make more. Ideally she needs to do both. The book humorously tracks her as she tries different schemes (including dating a billionaire). Nothing works out as planned but Rebecca does grow as a character and there is a happy ending.It was a fun book, fun enough, that I went on to read the second book, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Light and easy but well-written.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Solid chick-lit. A guilty pleasure, but so fun.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was a quick read, and I enjoyed the style of writing. I never felt like putting it down, and even though I had a few issues with the main character, it was fun to read.

    However, I could not stand the complete idiocy of the main character. I hated her mindset that she was going to win the lottery, and that everything would fall into place. I mean, I can understand wanting to win the lotto, but to genuinely believe it, and to be truly distraught when you don't win? Ridiculous. She is so stupid. I dislike the fact that she never truly confronted her problems, and did not have to own up to her many, MANY lies. Plus, she doesn't ever learn to "Cut Back." She just happens to "Make More Money" so she's not really solving her problem(s).

    While I can't relate to the shopping addiction, I can relate to the overwhelming feeling she gets when she realizes she can't hide from her problems, and I must say, this book did not make me feel any better about the finals I've been putting off studying by reading it. In fact, it stressed me out even more. Becky Bloomwood, you are not an inspiration to me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a book wherein the heroine is someone I despise or at least disliked. She's impulsive and a compulsive liar. HAHA! She spends and spends and I just want to tell her to stop her senseless buying. I'm not this girl. I'm frugal. I can't connect with her. I love shopping but not to Becky Bloomwood's level. I'm just glad that she was able to at least redeem herself in the end. She 's very lucky that things work out in her favor. One thing is for sure, this girl needs HELP. If you want a funny and irritating (in a way) and you love shopping then this is for you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A quick, fun read about a young Brit who loves the material in life but, although she works as a financial writer, chooses the ostrich approach to her personal finances. How she gets into -- and how she tries to flounder OUT of -- her debt black hole is shared in a confiding, best-friendish manner. And yes, there's love too.