Last year I chose my five most anticipated chick lit reads. This year I’ve gone for bigger and better with ten titles I can’t wait to read – there are so many great books coming out in 2012! Some of the later books don’t have much detail yet but I’ll update this post as and when more information becomes available.

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (Bantam February)

After reading all of the Shopaholic books as a blogging challenge a couple of years ago, I’m a big fan of Sophie’s books. I’m looking forward to meeting new characters in her latest standalone novel.

I’ve lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy’s life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she’s lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!

Except the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty (Headline, March)

This sounds like a fun debut and perfect summer read!

From London ….

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer. She’s terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she’s just been dumped – by text message. But things are about to change …

… to Italy

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it’s not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther’s arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther himself is gorgeous, charming and impossible to read. There only seems to be one way to get his attention, and it definitely involves mixing business with pleasure. Alice is out of the office, and into deep trouble …

… with love

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan (Sphere March)

I love the cover for this book and it sounds like a lovely story.

Rosie Hopkins is about to face major upheaval. Her elderly aunt Lilian – feisty, independent Aunt Lily who never talked about her past – needs her help, so Rosie is moving to the depths of the countryside for a few months to look after her. Plus Rosie will be away from Gerard, the man she hopes to settle down with soon, and they’ll miss each other dreadfully . . . won’t they? Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton’s village sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to sell up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets. And the longer Rosie and Lilian spend together, the more they realise they can learn from each other . . .

White Wedding by Milly Johnson (Simon and Schuster, April)

I read my first Milly Johnson book last year and loved it so am very much looking forward to her next offering!

It’s the day they’ve always dreamed about. But will it turn out to be a nightmare …?

Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph?

Bel’s best friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can’t quite say the words, ‘I don’t want to marry you anymore.’ Then, just when she’s about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet?

Their childhood friend Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiance Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what’s really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom?

And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring them happiness – though maybe not quite in the way they expected …

The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill (Hodder, May)

I have a charm bracelet that I add charms to, to mark important events in my life so I love the premise for this story – it sounds like another gripping read from Melissa.

Every charm bracelet tells a story and Holly O’Neill knows this better than most.

Years ago, at a difficult time in her life, a silver bracelet in a pretty wrapped box was delivered anonymously to her, a single charm attached. Some time later, another mysterious charm appeared, and the same thing happened many times over the years. Each charm proved to be significant in her life, as if her unnamed benefactor understood she needed some kind of talisman to help her through challenging times.

Since then, she has added her own charms – special reminders of the most important events in her life. Her bracelet makes memories tangible – spelling out the nuances of cherished moments through the shorthand of each tiny charm. For this reason, Holly’s charm bracelet is her most prized possession.

So when one day, she stumbles across a bracelet that somebody else has lost, she recognises a lifetime spelt out through the very different charms, and knows she must try to reunite it with its owner. In order to try and track this person down, she uses each charm to help discover more about them.

But as Holly gradually begins to piece together the details of this person’s life, her quest leads her somewhere she never expected.

One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon (Simon and Schuster May)

My favourite chick lit author – can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

‘Do you still love him?’ Every second of every minute of every hour of every day…Alice is18 and about to start university while Joe’s life is seemingly going nowhere. A Dorset summer, a chance meeting, and the two of them fall into step as if they have known each other forever. But their idyll is shattered, suddenly, unexpectedly. Alice heads off to Cambridge and slowly picks up the pieces of her broken heart. Joe is gone; she cannot find him. When she catches the attention of Lukas – gorgeous, gifted, rich boy Lukas – she is carried along by his charm, swept up in his ambitious plans for a future together. Then Joe is there, once more, but out of reach in a way that Alice could never have imagined. Life has moved on, the divide between them is now so great. Surely it is far too late to relive those perfect summer days of long ago?

Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews (Sphere, May)

This really appeals to me as someone who is always trying to juggle family, work and a million other things!

What if you had always dreamed of something more…? Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the centre of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her. Inspired by what she can achieve – and encouraged by the best friends a girl can have – Nell is determined to try something new and starts making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves! It seems Nell’s dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn’t come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it’s really possible to have it all… Full of fun, love and laughter, soak up the sunshine with Summer Daydreams.

I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk (Harper, June)

The fifth in the I Heart Series sees Angela back in London!

Angela’s visa has expired and it looks as though she’s going to have to set foot again on home turf where further romantic trouble awaits. She has to face the ex-boyfriend she ran out on, her best friend’s new baby, and her mum. Is she now a New York girl through and through or can London win her heart again?

When I Fall in Love by Miranda Dickinson (Avon, November)

No synopsis for this one yet but I’ve loved all of Miranda’s book so far and am eagerly anticipating this one!

From Notting Hill to New York… Actually by Ali McNamara (Sphere, November)

Scarlett goes to New York – yay!!

Are your favourite authors on my list? Which books are you looking forward to reading this year?

I’ve been settling down by the Christmas tree with some festive short stories this week. If you don’t want to read a full on Christmas novel or don’t have the time, there are a some great e-book Christmas short stories out now. Here are my favourites:

Tinseltown by Victoria Fox

Dom Judd is the hottest man in Hollywood. He’ll do anything to get out of being a sexy Santa in Hollywood’s famous Tinseltown parade…but can he persuade his brother to take the reins? Waitress Clare has just been dumped. Playing Rudolph is hardly going to help her single status – until she sees how drop-dead gorgeous Father Christmas is! Laney Allen has shot to fame, but hates the limelight – and it seems only Santa can help her overcome her stage-fright… As the snow falls and sleigh bells ring, whose Tinseltown dreams will come true?

I loved Victoria’s debut Hollywood Sinners when it came out earlier this year and Tinseltown is a fun Christmas treat with plenty of Hollywood scandal. Add this one to your list if you want to experience the festivities LA style with a hot Santa and a superstar who is scared of Christmas! This ebook also includes an extract from Victoria’s next book Temptation Island and is free to download from Amazon.

A Cornish Christmas by Nell Dixon

Adam wants Meg to be more than a friend but Meg has her reasons for not wanting to move their relationship forward. It takes a stray dog, an emergency at sea and a touch of Christmas to show Meg her true feelings.

This is a really sweet short romantic read and I didn’t want it to end. Despite only having a short time to get to know them, I thought the characters were excellent and the will they/won’t they aspect to Meg and Adam’s relationship had me gripped. The story takes place during the New Bay Winter Carnival weekend and the festive descriptions are lovely making this a gem to cosy up with and a quick read to get you in the Christmas spirit. A Cornish Christmas is the third in the series of ‘Short and Sweet’ New Bay stories following on from Making Waves and September Song. You don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this story but I had to download them after enjoying A Cornish Christmas so much!

Christmas the Following Year by Carole Matthews

When I finish a book, I always wonder what happened next and Carole Matthews has provided a lovely treat for fans of her latest book Wrapped up in You with a short story that takes place at the Christmas after Wrapped up in You ends. I loved reading what happened next to Janie, Dominic, Mike, Nina and the residents of Nashley. To get your hands on this free download just sign up to Carole’s newsletter on her website: http://www.carolematthews.com/sign-up-to-my-newsletter/

Santa, Maybe by Scarlett Bailey

When 31 year old Amy Tucker wakes up on Christmas Eve to find an attractive man dressed in a Santa suit in her bedroom the shock is nothing compared to her disbelief when he tells her he is actually Santa, produces an Elf outfit and tells her that if she wants her Christmas wish to come true, she must become his ‘little-ish’ helper for the night. Certain she must be dreaming, Amy agrees and sets off on the adventure of a life time, taking her on a magical journey and showing her the secret to making her dreams comes true is more incredible than she could have imagined..

I posted about this short story a couple of weeks ago; Scarlett Bailey is releasing part of it each day until December 24th as an advent calendar but I just had to mention it again here as it just so much fun! Scarlett did a little Twitter competition last week to win the chance to have a character named after you in one of the episodes and I won! My star appearance was yesterday and totally made my day. Catch up with the story so far at: http://adventcalendr.com/scarlettbailey/

Six Geese A-Laying by Sophie Kinsella

Christmas is approaching, and Ginny is looking forward to the birth of her first baby. It’s a pity her partner Dan is so useless, and she has to keep reminding him where he’s going wrong. Luckily she’s enrolled into the most exclusive antenatal class going – all the highest achieving, smartest mothers-to-be aspire to be taught by the legendary Petal Harmon. Like the other five women in the class, Ginny already knows exactly what she wants, and how she’s going to handle motherhood.But when they turn up for the final class it isn’t quite what they expect. As Ginny discovers what parenthood is really going to be like, she begins to realize the things that really matter…

This mini-short story is a quick fun read which gives a nod to the Christmas classic A Christmas Carol. The download also includes the first chapter of Sophie’s next book I’ve Got Your Number. It’s free to download from Amazon

The 25 titles for World Book Night 2012 were announced on Monday and there are some brilliant reads amongst them. The full list is below but I thought I’d highlight five of my favourites (synopses taken from Amazon)

Pride and Prejudice

My favourite Jane Austen novel – you can’t beat Elizabeth and Darcy as the ultimate romantic couple. One of the few books I’ve read more than once and I love it every time!

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I’m really pleased to see a chick lit novel on the list! I confessed that I’d never read a Sophie Kinsella novel last year but made up for it by running a Shopaholic challenge on the blog and have now read the entire series so far. Becky Bloomwood is such a fun character and the Shopaholic novels great escapist reads – needless to say, I’m a fan! You can read my review here.

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood.  She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money.
She spends her leisure time … shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something… Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card? The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic … the perfect pick me up for when it’s all hanging in the (bank) balance.

Small Island by Andrea Levy

I’ve read all of Levy’s books but this is still my favourite and also one of my favourite historical fiction novels of recent years.

It is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh’s neighbours do not approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but Queenie doesn’t know when her husband will return, or if he will come back at all. What else can she do? Gilbert Joseph was one of the several thousand Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight against Hitler. Returning to England as a civilian he finds himself treated very differently. It’s desperation that makes him remember a wartime friendship with Queenie and knock at her door. Gilbert’s wife Hortense, too, had longed to leave Jamaica and start a better life in England. But when she joins him she is shocked to find London shabby, decrepit, and far from the golden city of her dreams. Even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I loved this time-travelling paranormal romance. A beautiful and heartbreaking story that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare’s struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell

Another of my favourite authors. A really gripping and haunting tale of past and present colliding mixing historical fiction with modern day mystery and drama.

Esme was a woman edited out of her family’s history, and when, sixty years later, she is released from care, a young woman, Iris, discovers the great aunt she never knew she had. The mystery that unfolds is the heartbreaking tale of two sisters in colonial India and 1930s Edinburgh – of the loneliness that binds them together and the rivalries that drive them apart, and lead one of them to a shocking betrayal - but above all it is the story of Esme, a fiercely intelligent,  unconventional young woman, and of the terrible price she is made to pay for her family’s unhappiness …

The full list is below and there are a lot of books that I haven’t read so I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the selection. Will you be applying to be a ‘giver’ this year? Are your favourites on the list?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Vintage)
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks (Little, Brown)
Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown)
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (Transworld)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Harper Collins)
The Take by Martina Cole (Headline)
Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell (Harper Collins)
Someone Like You by Roald Dahl (Penguin)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Penguin)
Room by Emma Donoghue (Pan Macmillan)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Little, Brown)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber)
Misery by Stephen King (Hodder)
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Transworld)
Small Island by Andrea Levy (Headline)
Let the Right One In by John Ajvde Lindqvist (Quercus)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Macmillan)
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell (Headline)
The Damned Utd by David Peace (Faber)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Transworld)
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Penguin)
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (Vintage)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Vintage)
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (Transworld)

I read 74 books this year but as I didn’t start this blog until June, I only reviewed 45 of them on here. I’ve decided to pick my favourites from books released this year and have linked reviews where I posted them. I couldn’t pick an absolute favourite as I loved all of these books for different reasons so, in release date order, my books of the year are:

The Blue Bloods Series (published throughout 2010 by Atom)

Actually a bit of a cheat as I read all five of the books in the series when they were released this year plus the companion book Keys to the Repository. This is my absolute favourite vampire series at the moment and I can’t wait for the next installment Bloody Valentine: A Blue Bloods Novella which is released in January 2011.

The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne (published in May 2010 by Hodder)

 I loved this story of a very modern finishing school. Hester Browne was a new author for me this year and I’m hoping to read her previous novels in 2011 and am already looking forward to her new book Swept off her Feet which is released in March 2011.

Pictures of Lily by Paige Toon (published in July 2010 by Simon and Schuster)

I’m a huge fan of Paige Toon’s books and have read them all. Pictures of Lily was the perfect summer love story and I’m already counting the days to the release of her next book Baby be Mine a much awaited sequel to Johnny be Good.

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk (published by Harper in July 2010)

Angela’s adventures in the ‘I Heart…’ series never fail to make me smile and her jaunt through Paris was another brilliant summer read.  I Heart Paris is also on the Romantic Novelists’ Association longlist for the Pure Passion Romantic Novel of the Year Award so good luck Lindsey when the shortlist is announced in February!

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur (published by Greenwillow books in August 2010)

A brilliant debut and start to a new college based series following Callie Andrews as she starts her first year at Harvard University. The next book in the series, Secrets is out in May 2011.

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (published by Transworld in September 2010)
In July I set myself a Shopaholic Challenge after confessing that I hadn’t read any of Sophie Kinsella’s books. The challenge was to read and review all of the Shopaholic series before the publication of Mini Shopaholic in September. I had an amazing response to the challenge and really enjoyed it. Mini Shopaholic is a fab addition to the series and I hope we see more of Becky and the gang soon.

 Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (published by Bloomsbury in October 2010)

The sories of Andi (modern day New Yorker) and Alex (occupant of Paris during the French Revolution)  collide in this brilliant historical fiction novel. It’s an absolutely gripping read.

Welcome to my World by Miranda Dickinson (published by Avon in November 2010)

One of my favourite reads this winter, Miranda Dickinson’s second novel sees protagonist Harri locked in the loo for the majority of the book as she ponders the events that have brought her to her hiding place. A lovely warm, romantic winter read.

From Notting Hill with Love … Actually by Ali McNamara (published by Sphere in November 2010) 

My favourite ending in a book this year, this book tells the story of film obsessed Scarlett as she tries to live her life like the movies whilst house sitting in Notting Hill.  A wonderful debut from Ali McNamara and I’m looking forward to reading more from her in 2011.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (published by Atom in December 2010)

A late addition to my favourite books of the year, Nightshade was released earlier this week and is set to be a huge hit in 2011. Also my favourite cover of the year and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Wolfsbane.

So, that’s my list of favourite reads this year. What do you think? What was your favourite book of 2010?

Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don’t get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara’s great aunt Sadie – in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl – has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can’t rest without. Lara’s got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she’s just been dumped by the love of her life. But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie’s ghost be the answer to Lara’s problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?

This review should have gone up yesterday but when I tried to publish via my parent’s computer, the whole thing died! Eeek! So I’m home now and trying again!

This is the first of Sophie Kinsella’s standalone novels that I’ve read. It tells the story of Lara, a girl in her twenties living in London. I warmed to Lara straight away - at the start of the book she reminded me a little of Becky Bloomwood (without the shopping). Things aren’t going so well for Lara; her boyfriend has dumped her, her business partner went on holiday and hasn’t returned and she has to attend the funeral of a great aunt that she didn’t even know. Lara reminded me of Becky because she’s in denial about all of these things, hiding the truth from her family. Little does she know that all of her problems are about to become even more complicated with the arrival of an unexpected guest! I liked that this book got straight into the story, with Sadie, the 23 year old ghost of Lara’s great aunt making an appearance in chapter two.

Sadie is a fantastic character. It’s not often that you encounter a ghost in a chick lit book and Sadie is the most stylish, funny and fabulous ghost I’ve ever come across! Although Lara’s great aunt Sadie lived to be 105, she comes back to haunt Lara as her 23year old flapper girl self. Sadie can’t be at rest until she has her prized dragonfly necklace back in her possession and enlists Lara to help her find it. Sadie doesn’t stop there though – she decides that she wants a little fun along the way and amongst other things leads Lara on a 1920′s inspired adventure involving cocktails, Charleston dancing and a tall, dark handsome man! Sadie and Lara’s conversations really made the book stand out for me – Sadie takes on the role of a very demanding fairy godmother and Lara’s reactions to Sadie’s demands make for some very funny reading.

This book has a little bit of everything; family drama, romance and mystery. I loved the outcome to Lara and Sadie’s hunt for the dragonfly necklace and the  feelgood ending. I also loved the perspective this book gave on age and growing older. Having read the whole Shopaholic series over the summer, I realised that Sophie Kinsella is an author I can turn to if I need a smile and Twenties Girl actually made me laugh out loud on my train journey last week. I haven’t read any of Sophie’s other standalone books but will certainly be tracking down copies now. Highly recommended!

5/5

You can find out more about Sophie Kinsella and her books at: http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/

I thought I’d celebrate Halloween on the blog by going against the trend and reviewing some lovely girly chick lit books!  I’ve raided the ‘to read’ pile and chosen three books that have magical theme to them and maybe the odd ghost thrown in. I’ll be reviewing them through the week starting tomorrow and ending on Sunday. I’ve even created myself a little banner to go with my theme – complete with bookaholic pink witch!

The books I’ve chosen are:

• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• Could it be Magic by Melanie Rose
• Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Please stop by during the week to check out the reviews and let me know what your magical Halloween recommendations are.

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 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?

I’m sure it will come as no surprise when I say I loved this book. Having completed my Shopaholic Challenge by reading all of the Shopaholic series, I was very excited to get my hands on the latest installment and I have to say, of the six books so far it is one of my favourites (the other being Shopaholic Ties the Knot).

Mini Shopaholic is set two years after Shopaholic and Baby and finds Becky, Luke and Minnie living with Becky’s Mum and Dad. Things are just beginning to look up for family Brandon when a number of setbacks crop up and Becky has to do her best to deal with them. Luke has been having a tough time so Becky decides to cheer him up by throwing a surprise birthday party for him. In typical Becky fashion, the whole thing gets out of hand as she tries to stick to a minimal budget and goes to increasing lengths to keep the party a secret.

Sophie Kinsella is one of the funniest writers I know and this book made me laugh out loud more than once. I’ve said before that although Becky is a larger than life exaggeration of a character, there is a lot in her that I can identify with and this is why I love the Shopaholic series so much.  As a Mum to an increasingly assertive two year old boy, I could really identify with some of the scenes that took place and loved Becky’s description of ‘the Mummy Onceover’. I also found Becky’s approach to pocket money inspired!

All of the gang are back for this book and I love the fact that Sophie Kinsella has created a whole community of brilliant  characters that I really care about. I enjoy reading updates on the lives of Suze, Tarkie, Danny, Jess, Janice, Tom and Becky’s parents as much as following the latest adventures of Becky, Luke and now Minnie. Interestingly, the book doesn’t feature as much Minnie as I thought it would. I was expecting a tale of the ups and downs of being Mum to a feisty toddler and although there are some very funny Minnnie centric moments, they are more of a side story than the main event. So don’t be put off if you’re not really a fan of children

I always love the endings to the Shopaholic books and I think Sophie Kinsella has outdone herself this time! I’ll say no more as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but it was my favourite ending to a book so far this year and clearly leaves a hook for the next book. I can’t wait for another installment and I hope to be following Becky’s adventures for many years to come!

I’d like to thank Transworld for sending me a copy of this book to review.

You can find out more about Sophie Kinsella and her books at: http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/

5/5

In My Mailbox is hosted by the Story Siren to highlight new books bought or received each week and is a great way to find lots of new ideas for books to read.

Bit late with my IMM this week – I’ve had a very hectic weekend but I got some brilliant books so better late than never!

For Review:

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (from Transworld)

As those of you who were following my Shopaholic Challenge will know, this is the latest in the series. It was released on Thursday and I’m very grateful to Transworld for sending me a copy. It’s at the top of my ‘to read’ pile and I can’t wait to get started!

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 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?

Spoilt by Joanne Ellis (From Night Publishing)

Passion turns to envy. Love to murder. One way or another, everyone is spoilt.

A sadistic killer is stalking the streets, carving his hatred into the bodies of beautiful, young women.

The murders are stirring up bad memories for Detective Lucas Huson, as he struggles to remain focused – juggling the horrors of today with horrors from the past.

When Chelsea Summerville’s best friend goes missing, she’s unwillingly dragged into the race to stop the killer.

As Lucas and Chelsea find happiness together, Chelsea becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.

Can Lucas shake off his demons and save the woman he loves, or will everything he holds dear be spoilt?

Bought:

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rita Onur

I read this in a day yesterday and it is such a fab book – will hopefully get my review posted tomorrow.

Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with—

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate

Evan
the guy she’d love to forget

Clint
the guy she’d love to love

and Matt
the guy she really should love

—all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

A Weekend With Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

This book wasn’t due for release until 16th September but Amazon have it in stock already so I snapped a copy up!

Dr Katherine Roberts is a lecturer at Oxford University and an expert on all things Austen. But she has a guilty secret; a love of racy Regency novels by Lorna Warwick. She’s even struck up a long-distance friendship with the novelist and the two of them have been sharing their closest confidences.

When Katherine gets her yearly invite to a Jane Austen Conference at the magnificent Purley Hall in Hampshire, she sincerely hopes that Lorna will be in attendance as well. She can hardly wait to meet her new friend, but it seems that Lorna may not have been completely honest with her…

Meanwhile, hopeless romantic Robyn Love is at her happiest when her head is stuck in one of Jane Austen’s novels – if only her boyfriend Jace Collins could be more like Colin Firth.

The weekend retreat is the perfect opportunity for Robyn to escape from reality for a few days – especially when she meets handsome stablehand Dan. But Jace isn’t going to be so easy to shrug off.

With misunderstandings, muddles and a few shocking revelations, the weekend proves to be even more than they bargained for. Like all true Jane Austen heroines, Katherine and Robyn will discover that finding their own Mr Darcy is far from easy…

Now I just need to find some time to read them all!

Technically, two of these are published today but as they are US publications, by the time I get my hands on them it will be September!

I’ve limited it to four this month as my ‘to read’ pile is getting out of hand and I need to catch up on some of the great books I got last month … I have no willpower so I’ll probably end up buying more than these but you’ll have to check my mailbox posts to see

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Published by Transworld Books on 2nd September

This one goes without saying really, given the outcome of my Shopaholic Challenge. I can’t wait to read about the adventures of Minnie Brandon!

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 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?

A Weekend With Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Published in the UK by Avon, HarperCollins on 16th September

I love Jane Austen – the original Chick lit author so this is a must have for me! And isn’t the cover gorgeous?!

Dr Katherine Roberts is a lecturer at Oxford University and an expert on all things Austen. But she has a guilty secret; a love of racy Regency novels by Lorna Warwick. She’s even struck up a long-distance friendship with the novelist and the two of them have been sharing their closest confidences.

When Katherine gets her yearly invite to a Jane Austen Conference at the magnificent Purley Hall in Hampshire, she sincerely hopes that Lorna will be in attendance as well. She can hardly wait to meet her new friend, but it seems that Lorna may not have been completely honest with her…

Meanwhile, hopeless romantic Robyn Love is at her happiest when her head is stuck in one of Jane Austen’s novels – if only her boyfriend Jace Collins could be more like Colin Firth.

The weekend retreat is the perfect opportunity for Robyn to escape from reality for a few days – especially when she meets handsome stablehand Dan. But Jace isn’t going to be so easy to shrug off.

With misunderstandings, muddles and a few shocking revelations, the weekend proves to be even more than they bargained for. Like all true Jane Austen heroines, Katherine and Robyn will discover that finding their own Mr Darcy is far from easy…

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Published by Harper Teen on 31st August (US Publication)

I’ve seen so many tweets about how good this is that I really want to get my hands on it now … it doesn’t come out in the UK ’till January though!

When your world is paranormal, be glad that you’re human! Sixteen-year-old Evie has always taken comfort in the fact that she is normal, even though her best friend is a mermaid and her ex-boyfriend is a lunatic — and a faery. In a world where paranormals are monitored and controlled, Evie works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency because of her unique ability to see through glamours. But someone — or something — starts killing vampires, werewolves and other paranormals, and Evie must figure out what’s happening before they all disappear. Then a shapeshifter named Lend breaks into the agency, and Evie is irresistibly drawn to him, even though he makes her aware that the IPCA is not as noble as she once thought. With everything Evie believes suddenly called into question, the IPCA is attacked and she must choose who she can really trust. And when Evie discovers she’s part of a faerie prophecy of death and destruction! so much for normal.

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Published by Greenwillow Books on 31st August

I love university/college stories and this new series sounds brilliant!

Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with—

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate

Evan
the guy she’d love to forget

Clint
the guy she’d love to love

and Matt
the guy she really should love

—all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

So, what are you looking forward to in September?

Becky’s life is blooming! She’s working at London’s newest fashion store The Look, house-hunting with husband Luke (her secret wish is a Shoe Room)…and she’s pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed – especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery…to the latest, coolest pram…to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician. But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky’s perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two…but are there three in her marriage?

Two years ago this week I was heavily pregnant and approaching my due date. I really wish I’d read this book then – it would have cheered me up no end! Becky Brandon (Bloomwood) approaches impending motherhood in the same way as she approaches life – head on with plenty of opportunities for shopping and this book really made me laugh out loud!

Book five in the Shopaholic series picks up shortly after the end of the previous book. As you may have guessed from the title, the book focuses in the main part on on Becky’s pregnancy and the preparations for the birth of Baby Brandon. As is now par for the course with our favourite Shopaholic, not everything goes according to plan; there is quite a lot of drama and plenty to keep those who aren’t particularly interested in the latest Bugaboo, entertained, including a suspected affair, Becky’s fight to save the store she works for and Luke’s business problems with his latest big client.

With all this going on, Shopaholic and Baby is a real page turner and I was pleased to see that all of my favourite characters from the previous books make an appearance at some point, including Danny!

I probably don’t need to tell you how good this book is, as if you’ve read this far in the series, you will no doubt already be a fan like me!

This review marks the completion of my Shopaholic challenge just in time for the release of Mini Shopaholic next week. As I’ve said before – I can’t believe it took me so long to read this series but now I have, I’m sure they will be books that I go back to again and again. I’m now really looking forward to reading Sophie Kinsella’s other novels.

5/5

You can find out more about Sophie and her books at: http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/