Skipped book two, because it sadly wasn't available at the library, but it hardly mattered - it didn't feel like there was much information I was missing.

A lovely novel in any case - Becky, the main character, is as talented as ever at getting herself into a world of trouble - and then subsequently getting out of it by sheer luck, boldness and a clever trick. Plus points for the romance between Becky and Luke, her husband to be - it's lovely that they've got such a stable relationship and that there are hardly any problems between them - and it's STILL a well-written romance!

A light-hearted, funny and enjoyable read!

My least favourite so far; it dragged on and on. The marriage of the main couple in a chick-lit should, in my opinion, be fun and magical and exciting. In this book it was almost depressing.

This third book in the series was just as funny and in some ways more hilarious than the first book. This book has Becky and Luke moving forward in their relationship. The problems begin when Becky can't say no, to totally different plans for the same event.

The cast of characters is fun and full bodied. They have their own personalities which fill this book with a lot of conflict and humor.

Well written and fun, I was glad I read this book.

I think this is my favourite of the series so far. Still not that impressed with these books but it's a light easy read and sometimes you need that to escape the daily rutines.
Becky and Luke are still living in Manhattan and after Luke proposes (a very romantic way to propose, btw), Becky starts planning her wedding. And as always, being incapable of saying no - she ends up with two weddings, one back home in England and one in Manhattan. Two different dreams that she is unable to choose from. I liked that it wasn't just about shopping anymore but that the things that make her continue to shop and shop, here makes her suddenly realize wake up with two wedding - and a lot of explaining to do to get out of that. Quite funny.

*3.75 stars

my mom would not want to plan my wedding. anyway I want to be engaged

I'm continuously surprised at how much I enjoy these books. For one, they're chick-lit, which I don't read much of and generally find insipid and insulting. They're about a woman who is obsessed with shopping, something we really don't have in common. Whenever she buys something (which is often, and usually something she really doesn't need), I cringe. Her debts make me anxious. Her silly lies and cover-ups give me acid burn. The situations she gets herself into, the many times she lets people steamroll her, frustrate me. And yet, and yet...

Becky Bloomwood is an engaging character, perhaps because of her flaws. She's oddly vulnerable, and genuinely nice. She's way more polite than I am, the way she always finds something nice to say to people so as not to hurt their feelings instead of being brutally honest - I admire her for that, since it's a skill I've never been good at. The downside is that it puts her in situations she can't politely get out of. In this case, it's two weddings. Now engaged to Luke, both her mother and Luke's mother are planning weddings - for the same day, in different countries. Becky can't seem to say no to either woman; one because it would break her heart, the other because she'd just be ignored.

The wedding Luke's mother, Elinor, is planning is a huge, hugely expensive and over-the-top affair at the Plaza in New York. Everyone's talking about it. The wedding planner, Robyn, is an unstoppable force, and even though Elinor is paying, Becky learns that to pull out she'd have to pay Robyn $100,000.

On top of that, when she finally summons the courage to tell Luke her problem, he has a mid-life crisis over his mother and career and Becky is left to figure out a miracle. How to make Luke better, and go through two weddings without anyone realising another wedding ever existed?

I didn't think Becky would be able to solve this one, I really didn't. Well, I learnt to have more faith in her. She does that, you know. Makes things an even bigger mess than they ever needed to be, and then at the last minute, finds a way to fix it all.

These books power along with barely a moment to catch your breath; along the way there's laughter and some subtle digs - in this case, at the wedding industry. It also pokes fun at the daggy home wedding, and it's this irreverent British humour that appeals to me. I'm much more comfortable with it than the American kind, to be honest. I understood it. The Becky Bloomwood novels are similar to Bridget Jones' Diary, which I loved - book and movie. They both have the same flaw though: the male love interest is too much a side-dish. I believe Becky and Luke love each other, and in this book especially we get to understand Luke better. But it seems sometimes like he doesn't really know Becky. At times he clearly knows her very well and reads behind her silly assertions, and I like that he gets more amused than pissed off by her frivolous spending habits. But it bothered me that he was so absent. I don't care for men who leave the planning of their own wedding entirely in the hands of the bride - it's inconsiderate, and a man who takes no interest in the wedding, no matter how small, seems like a man disinterested in being married. BUT, I believe Luke wanted to marry Becky, and I understood that he has issues with his mother that took over. So I'm willing to forgive. I just don't like that Becky couldn't talk to him, didn't want to burden him with her own problems, and had no one to turn to. Communication is so important in a relationship, and I hated all her cover-ups and denials. Sometimes I just want to shake her!

I'm not a big chick lit fan, but find Sophie Kinsella's work to be a real guilty pleasure-- slight but fun. However, Shopaholic Ties the Knot is definitely not her best.

In the other Shopaholic books, protagonist Becky Bloomwood, is ditzy and self-indulgent, but basically a fun and sweet girl that you can sort of identify with. In this book, that mostly goes out the window. Here, Becky gets engaged and is torn between having the simple English wedding her mother is planning and the big society wedding at The Plaza that her future stepmother desires. Becky's inability to make a decision and be a grown up reaches new heights and gets pretty darn annoying.

In the end, Kinsella never does force Becky to get herself together and make a choice. She gets the best of both worlds, guilt free. That's sloppy writing, in my opinion. Becky doesn't really learn anything or become a better person in any way. So why did I need to take this journey with her, then? This book was definitely subpar, even for chick lit.

Lo ricordavo come il mio preferito della saga e rileggendolo, a distanza di anni e con un'altra maturità, posso confermare che si tratta del migliore fino a questo momento.
Sicuramente la chiave della comicità e della "tensione" è data dall'assurdo e preannunciato guaio da cui Becky si lascia travolgere e "trascinare" fino a pochi giorni dalla data del suo matrimonio. Ritroviamo in lei quei difetti/limiti che abbiamo già appurato nei primi due: la sua goffaggine, la paura di deludere le aspettative altrui, l'eccessiva importanza data alle sue fantasticherie e alle apparenze, l'eterna indecisione e il ricorso, nei casi più ardui, a sotterfugi, bugie strampalate e segreti. A ciò si aggiungono anche fattori esterni contrari alla sua volontà e una buona dose di sfortuna.
Non si tratta, tuttavia, soltanto di questo.
Se nel secondo libro è stata introdotta Elinor, in questo - tra le vicende tragicomiche di Becky - si scava più a fondo nel suo rapporto complesso e problematico con Luke, del modo in cui quest'ultimo sia stato condizionato dalla sua mancanza durante la crescita, fino al suo personale climax che lo mette in seria difficoltà, ma gli consente poi di prendere una nuova risoluzione. Vedere finalmente Luke Brandon nella sua fragilità, non solo lo ha reso più "umano" come personaggio, ma ha consentito di vedere che tra lui e Becky - malgrado la diversità di carattere - vi è un legame solido nel quale l'uno cerca di incoraggiare l'altro, contenerne le ossessioni (lo shopping per lei e il lavoro per lui) e ricordarsi il reciproco valore.
Alla fine dell'intreccio, non si potrà che sorridere bonariamente a Becky che, malgrado tutto, riesce a ottenere ciò che desiderava. Riesce comunque a farsi sempre perdonare per l'incondizionato e profondo amore che mostra verso la sua famiglia. Credo sia molto simbolica, infatti, la decisione di lasciare - nelle ultime pagine - guidare docilmente dai suoi genitori e da tutto ciò che hanno pensato e progettato per lei. Via da parte fantasticherie, lussi ed eccessi, per qualcosa di nettamente più semplice, genuino ma intriso di quell'amore che le ha permesso di diventare la donna che è.

Het heeft weer even geduurd voor ik dit boek uit had maar het was weer een ouderwets goede. Weer heerlijk gelachen om de onhandigheid van Becky en de situaties waar ze zich in werkt. Nu even een pauze in de shopaholic serie tijdens de resterende tijd van m'n vakantie en daarna weer vrolijk verder! Het blijft een leuke serie om te lezen.

I've decided that, since I'm pretty preoccupied with wedding stuff as it is, what could be more fun that going through the adventure with an old friend? Hence, some of my joys and stresses will be meshed with Becky's--and I'm grateful for the companionship! :-)

Becky Bloomwood's life has been running fairly smoothly recently, she is a personal shopper at Barney's, she and boyfriend Luke are living together and they've even opened a joint bank account. At best friend Suze's wedding Luke proposes and suddenly Becky's life has been flung upside down. Her mum wants her to get married in Oxshott whereas Luke's mother Elinor wants her to get married in New York - at the Plaza no less! As both women begin to plan their respective weddings Becky knows that eventually, sooner rather than later, she will have to make a decision and cancel one of her weddings. But once she gets around to dress shopping and cake tasting, the thought of cancelling one of her weddings becomes near impossible and Becky finds herself in trouble yet again.

With Mini Shopaholic less than a month away I've decided to re-read the entire Shopaholic series in preparation for the new book. I think it's the first time I've re-read all of the books back-to-back and it's so exciting picking out the details I remember and learning details I've forgotten particularly with the books I've only read once. Because I didn't get much reading done whilst I was in England, I only got the chance to re-read Shopaholic Ties The Knot once I was on the plane back to Tenerife. Four hours later and I had finished the book!

Shopaholic Ties The Knot is the third Shopaholic book and follows Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad. I'd already read the first two books a couple of times but if I remember correctly, this is only the second time I've gotten the chance to read Shopaholic Ties The Knot. Unlike the previous two books, Shopaholic Ties The Knot isn't focused solely on shopping. There's no debt in sight, and whilst Becky does still shop (come on, it's Becky Bloomwood), it isn't as hectic or as frenetic as in the first two books. Shopaholic Ties The Knot focuses firmly on Becky and Luke's wedding and I liked the fact that it was different to the first two books.

Becky has dealt with a lot of things throughout the first two books but having to pick between two weddings is certainly the most difficult. I mean, either disappoint your mother who wants you to wear her wedding dress or give up a Plaza wedding. I've never been to the Plaza but I can imagine how beautiful it is and I'm well aware how much people would give to marry there. That is Becky's dilemma and although her flakiness and lack of commitment to one wedding was mildly irritating, it was an understandable dilemma. How it all sorts itself out is one of my favourite Shopaholic scenes ever, it was a stunning twist and it's the one scene that always sticks in my mind.

As ever, the characters are just as fantastic. Becky does seem to grow up a bit more as the books progress but her sunny, sparkly nature remains throughout. I have three more books to review and I'm running out of ways to say I love Becky Bloomwood. Honestly, I feel as if I'm beginning to sound like a broken record (I do apologise for that). I would also like to say, for the record, that I love Luke Brandon too. I've loved him since book one and if he weren't Becky Bloomwood's... No, I joke, I love Becky and Luke and if Kinsella ever broke them up I would cry. We get to know Luke so much more during Shopaholic Ties The Knot and it seems as if he has some unresolved issues, particularly where his mother Elinor is concerned (whom I don't like, for the record). It's refreshing to see Luke open up a bit more and I definitely felt as if I got to know him more. Suze, Becky's best friend is still around and Becky's parents are hilarious as ever (Becky's mum in particular is funny and made me laugh out loud). We also meet Danny, a new friend Becky makes in New York.

Again, like the previous two, the book is written in a chatty, recognisable way and I was surprised to find that I had managed to finish it in under four hours (even the lady on the plane mentioned how quick I read the book). I can't say that I have a favourite Shopaholic as I love them all for different reasons but they do keep getting better and better and it was nice to see Becky when she's not completely consumed by shopping (please note that I did say "not completely consumed"). If you've read the other books in the series you really ought to pick this one up and if you haven't yet read any of the books, why haven't you? The series is great and Shopaholic Ties The Knot is a worthy addition!

3.5 stars

Becky Bloomwood is about to get married! Only there is one BIG dilemma. Where is she going to have her wedding? In her hometown Oxshott with family and friends, planned by her loving mother or in Manhattan at the extravagant Plaza Hotel organised by Luke's mother Elinor?

Becky's indecisiveness and lies return in this installment of the Shopaholic series. I was quite frustrated by her actions throughout the book as she ran away from her problems and escaped by lying. I didn't grow to hate her but I just really wished she learnt a lesson from her past experiences!! The book was prolonged quite a bit as Becky makes (failed) attempts to turn down a wedding and go ahead with the other arrangement all whilst keeping Luke in the dark on the final decision. This was fortunately made up for by the time with the secondary characters such as Danny her next door neighbour, her Barney's workmates and clients, and Michael. I could really see how Becky really cared about these people even though her own wedding plans were a mess! The way her wedding eventuated was a comical surprise. I just hope in one of the future books, Rebecca would solve her problems in a better way. It always seems to me that lucky things happen so that Rebecca doesn't actually have to confront her dilemma head on. Overall, an entertaining read but be prepared for some silliness from Becky.