Sophie Kinsella Books in Order: Shopaholic, Standalones, and More
But there’s much more to Sophie Kinsella’s bibliography than Becky. Kinsella wrote romantic comedies and contemporary fiction as Sophie Kinsella, including Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, The Burnout, and Finding Audrey. She also published seven novels under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, before adopting the Sophie Kinsella pen name.
Her final published work was What Does It Feel Like?, a 2024 novella that was inspired by her own experience with illness. Kinsella died in December 2025.
The good news for new readers is that most Sophie Kinsella books are standalones. The main exception is the Shopaholic series, which is best read in order because Becky Bloomwood’s relationships, family life, career, and circumstances develop from one book to the next.
Sophie Kinsella Books in Order at a Glance
Sophie Kinsella’s books can be divided into several groups:
- Shopaholic series — 9 main novels
- Standalone novels — 12 novels
- Finding Audrey — young adult novel
- Fairy Mom and Me — 4 children’s books
- Madeleine Wickham novels — 7 earlier novels
- What Does It Feel Like? — 2024 novella
- Short stories — including Shopaholic on Honeymoon and Six Geese A-Laying
The author’s official website separates these categories, while Penguin Random House currently lists Shopaholic and Fairy Mom and Me as her principal series.
Shopaholic Books in Order
The Shopaholic books are Sophie Kinsella’s most famous works.
The series follows Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist whose enthusiasm for shopping is considerably greater than her ability to manage money. Over the course of the books, readers follow Becky through romance, marriage, family life, motherhood, career changes, travel, and plenty of financial chaos.
The series began with The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic in the UK, which was published as Confessions of a Shopaholic in the United States and Canada. Likewise, Shopaholic Abroad was published as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan in the US and Canada.
1. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic / Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000)
The first Shopaholic novel introduces Becky Bloomwood, a young financial journalist who has a serious problem with money — although she doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
Becky loves shopping, hates bills, and has an impressive collection of explanations for why her latest purchase was actually a sensible financial decision.
When her spending begins catching up with her, Becky has to confront the consequences of her habits while navigating work and romance.
This is the essential starting point for the series.
Shopaholic: Book 1
2. Shopaholic Abroad / Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (2001)
Becky and Luke head to New York, giving Becky access to one of the world’s greatest shopping destinations.
Unfortunately, a change of location doesn’t change Becky’s relationship with shopping.
The second book continues the story from the first and expands the series beyond Becky’s London life.
Shopaholic: Book 2
3. Shopaholic Ties the Knot (2002)
Becky is getting married to Luke Brandon.
Naturally, a wedding means shopping — and Becky approaches wedding planning with her usual enthusiasm.
The problem is that planning a wedding becomes considerably more complicated when Becky finds herself caught between competing expectations and increasingly expensive possibilities.
Shopaholic: Book 3
4. Shopaholic & Sister (2004)
Becky discovers that she has a long-lost half-sister, Jess.
Becky is thrilled by the idea of finally having a sister to shop with, share clothes with, and enjoy manicures alongside.
Unfortunately, Jess is almost the complete opposite of Becky: she’s serious, frugal, environmentally conscious, and doesn’t share Becky’s enthusiasm for shopping.
The official Sophie Kinsella site describes the Becky-Jess relationship as central to the story.
Shopaholic: Book 4
5. Shopaholic & Baby (2007)
Becky is pregnant, and naturally she wants everything for her baby to be perfect.
That includes the nursery, the stroller, the clothes, and — inevitably — an impressive amount of shopping.
Things become complicated when Becky chooses a celebrity obstetrician and discovers that the doctor has a connection to Luke’s past.
The official book page describes motherhood as Becky’s latest major adventure.
Shopaholic: Book 5
6. Mini Shopaholic (2010)
Becky’s daughter Minnie is growing up — and she’s beginning to show some of her mother’s characteristics.
Becky now has to contend with parenting, money, and a child who has inherited at least some of her shopping instincts.
The result is another chaotic chapter in the Bloomwood-Brandon family story.
Shopaholic: Book 6
7. Shopaholic to the Stars (2014)
Becky heads to Hollywood.
She hopes to help her husband Luke with his new career and gets an opportunity to enter the glamorous world of celebrities.
But Hollywood introduces Becky to an entirely new collection of temptations, personalities, and potential disasters.
Shopaholic: Book 7
8. Shopaholic to the Rescue (2015)
The Hollywood adventure continues.
Becky’s world becomes increasingly complicated, and she finds herself having to deal with problems involving her family and Luke.
The book continues directly from the events of Shopaholic to the Stars, making the two books particularly important to read consecutively.
Shopaholic: Book 8
9. Christmas Shopaholic (2019)
Becky is back for another festive adventure.
This time, Becky has been asked to host Christmas, which means she needs to organize gifts, food, family, decorations, and all the other details associated with the holiday.
Naturally, Becky approaches the task in her own spectacular fashion.
The official synopsis places Becky back in England, where her parents have moved to Shoreditch and Becky is responsible for Christmas.
Shopaholic: Book 9
Shopaholic Books in Reading Order
For a quick reference, read the series like this:
- The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic / Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000)
- Shopaholic Abroad / Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (2001)
- Shopaholic Ties the Knot (2002)
- Shopaholic & Sister (2004)
- Shopaholic & Baby (2007)
- Mini Shopaholic (2010)
- Shopaholic to the Stars (2014)
- Shopaholic to the Rescue (2015)
- Christmas Shopaholic (2019)
Penguin Random House currently identifies Christmas Shopaholic as Shopaholic Book 9.
Where Does Shopaholic on Honeymoon Fit?
Shopaholic on Honeymoon is not a separate full-length Shopaholic novel.
It is a short story about Becky and Luke’s honeymoon in Venice and takes place after Shopaholic Ties the Knot.
Sophie Kinsella’s official website specifically describes it as a short story about Becky and Luke’s honeymoon.
For the smoothest experience, read it after Book 3, Shopaholic Ties the Knot.
Sophie Kinsella Standalone Books in Order
Unlike the Shopaholic novels, Sophie Kinsella’s standalone books do not need to be read in publication order.
Each tells a separate story with its own characters and romantic plot.
The author herself describes her standalone novels as opportunities to create new heroines, new situations, new relationships, and new comedic disasters.
Here they are in publication order.
1. Can You Keep a Secret? (2003)
Emma Corrigan accidentally reveals her deepest secrets to a complete stranger on a plane.
The problem?
The stranger isn’t actually as random as she thinks.
The novel combines romance, embarrassment, secrets, workplace comedy, and Kinsella’s trademark humor.
2. The Undomestic Goddess (2005)
Samantha Sweeting is a brilliant lawyer whose life revolves around work.
Then everything falls apart.
In an attempt to escape her disastrous professional life, Samantha ends up in an entirely unexpected new role: working as a housekeeper.
The contrast between her professional competence and her domestic incompetence provides much of the book’s comedy.
3. Remember Me? (2008)
Lexi Smart wakes up in a hospital and discovers that her life has changed dramatically.
She has a successful career, a beautiful home, an impressive husband, and a seemingly perfect life.
There’s just one problem: she doesn’t remember any of it.
4. Twenties Girl (2009)
Lara’s life is already complicated when the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie appears.
Sadie isn’t interested in quietly passing into the afterlife.
She has unfinished business — and Lara is going to help her resolve it.
The result is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist.
5. I’ve Got Your Number (2011)
Poppy Wyatt loses both her engagement ring and her phone.
Then she finds another phone.
Soon, she becomes entangled in the life of the phone’s owner, Sam Roxton.
What begins as a desperate attempt to solve one problem quickly creates several more.
Kinsella’s official website describes the book as beginning with Poppy’s discovery of an abandoned phone and the messages that pull her into Sam’s life.
6. Wedding Night (2013)
Lottie is convinced that her old boyfriend Ben is the love of her life.
When he suddenly reappears, they make an impulsive decision that leads to marriage.
Her sister Fliss, however, isn’t convinced this is a good idea.
The result is a romantic comedy involving family, relationships, weddings, and plenty of interference.
7. My Not So Perfect Life (2017)
Katie Brenner works in London and appears to have an enviable life on social media.
The reality is rather different.
When Katie loses her job, she returns to her father’s farm in Somerset.
Then her glamorous boss appears in her new life, forcing Katie to reconsider the difference between a perfect-looking life and a genuinely happy one.
The official site describes the book as exploring Katie’s London-versus-country life and her complicated relationship with her boss, Demeter.
8. Surprise Me (2018)
Sylvie and Dan have been happily married for years.
When they discover that they could potentially have decades more together, they decide to inject some excitement into their marriage.
Their attempts at surprising one another, however, don’t quite go according to plan.
Kinsella described the book as exploring marriage, love, surprises, family, misunderstandings, and bravery.
9. I Owe You One (2019)
Fixie Farr has a habit of fixing things for everyone around her.
One day, she does a favor for a stranger named Seb.
He tells her, “I owe you one.”
Soon, the favors begin going back and forth — and the relationship becomes much more complicated.
Kinsella’s official site explains that the idea came from the simple concept of two strangers doing favors for each other.
10. Love Your Life (2020)
Ava is tired of the pressures of everyday life.
She decides to try something completely different and goes on a retreat where participants aren’t supposed to reveal their real identities.
There, she meets a man she knows only as “Dutch.”
The romance works beautifully until they return to real life.
11. The Party Crasher (2021)
Effie has fallen out with her father and his new girlfriend.
Then she discovers that her old family home is being sold.
She decides to sneak back into the house to retrieve something important — but ends up hiding there during a family party.
The situation quickly becomes much more complicated than she anticipated.
12. The Burnout (2023)
Sasha has reached her breaking point.
She retreats to a Devon seaside resort where she once spent childhood holidays, hoping to recover from burnout.
Unfortunately, the hotel is nowhere near as idyllic as she remembers.
Kinsella described The Burnout as a romantic comedy that takes a serious subject and looks for the funny and ridiculous side of it.
Finding Audrey (2015)
Finding Audrey is Sophie Kinsella’s first young adult novel.
It follows Audrey, a teenage girl who has experienced bullying and is struggling with social anxiety.
Her life begins to change when she meets Linus, a friend of her brother.
The novel combines humor, romance, family chaos, and Audrey’s journey toward recovery.
Kinsella’s official website identifies Finding Audrey as her first YA novel and describes it as a funny and romantic story about Audrey’s journey.
Category: Young adult
Reading order: Standalone
You can read Finding Audrey without reading any other Sophie Kinsella book.
Fairy Mom and Me Books in Order
Sophie Kinsella also wrote a children’s series originally called Mummy Fairy and Me in the UK and Fairy Mom and Me in the United States and Canada.
The series follows Ella and her magical mother and was inspired by stories Kinsella created for her children.
The official website identifies four books in the series.
1. Fairy Mom and Me (2018)
The first book introduces Ella and her mother, who happens to be a fairy.
Ella’s mother isn’t always the most successful fairy, creating plenty of magical problems for the family.
2. Fairy in Waiting (2019)
Ella continues learning about the magical world while dealing with the unpredictable consequences of having a fairy for a mother.
3. Unicorn Wishes (2020)
The third book adds unicorn-related adventures to Ella’s magical life.
4. Fairy Mermaid Magic (2020)
The fourth book continues Ella’s adventures with another magical creature and more family-centered fantasy.
Fairy Mom and Me Reading Order
- Fairy Mom and Me (2018)
- Fairy in Waiting (2019)
- Unicorn Wishes (2020)
- Fairy Mermaid Magic (2020)
Madeleine Wickham Books in Order
Before she became internationally famous as Sophie Kinsella, the author wrote under her real name, Madeleine Wickham.
The seven novels written under this name are somewhat different from the later Sophie Kinsella books.
According to Kinsella’s official biography, these earlier novels are darker, more serious ensemble stories in which multiple characters’ lives intersect.
1. The Tennis Party (1995)
Also published as 40 Love.
Four couples gather at a country-house tennis weekend, where relationships, rivalries, secrets, and social tensions begin to emerge.
This was Wickham’s first novel.
2. A Desirable Residence (1996)
A financially troubled couple discovers that renting out their home might provide the solution to their money problems.
But the arrangement creates complications that affect everyone involved.
3. Swimming Pool Sunday (1997)
A swimming pool becomes the center of a complicated set of relationships and conflicts as different people’s lives intersect.
4. The Gatecrasher (1998)
Fleur Dax is charming, confident, and completely without the boundaries most people would expect.
When she begins inserting herself into other people’s lives, the consequences become increasingly uncomfortable.
5. The Wedding Girl (1999)
A wedding brings together characters with complicated relationships, hidden tensions, and very different expectations.
Like Wickham’s other early novels, the story focuses on an ensemble rather than a single heroine.
6. Cocktails for Three (2000)
Three women meet regularly for cocktails and friendship.
Their apparently stable lives begin to unravel when secrets and unexpected changes enter the picture.
7. Sleeping Arrangements (2001)
Two families unexpectedly find themselves sharing a holiday villa.
The resulting combination of old relationships, new attractions, children, secrets, and misunderstandings creates a classic Wickham ensemble comedy.
Kinsella’s official biography confirms these seven novels as the complete group she published under the Madeleine Wickham name.
What Does It Feel Like? (2024)
What Does It Feel Like? is Sophie Kinsella’s final published book.
Unlike her traditional romantic comedies, this is a short, deeply personal novella.
It follows Eve, a successful novelist who is navigating a serious illness and the uncertainty surrounding her future.
The official book page describes it as fiction but also Kinsella’s most autobiographical work, with Eve’s story closely reflecting her own experience. It is structured around brief anecdotes and explores love, illness, fear, grief, family, and hope.
Publication: 2024
Format: Novella
Reading order: Standalone
It can be read at any point in Kinsella’s bibliography, although readers familiar with her career may find its autobiographical dimension especially meaningful.
Sophie Kinsella Short Stories
Sophie Kinsella also wrote shorter works outside her novels.
Shopaholic on Honeymoon
A short Shopaholic story following Becky and Luke during their honeymoon in Venice.
Best placement: After Shopaholic Ties the Knot.
Six Geese A-Laying
A Christmas short story with a twist.
It is unrelated to the main Shopaholic storyline.
Kinsella’s official website places both stories in her short-fiction section.
Sophie Kinsella Books in Chronological Order
If you want to read Sophie Kinsella’s books in publication order, including her Madeleine Wickham books, the sequence is:
- The Tennis Party / 40 Love — 1995
- A Desirable Residence — 1996
- Swimming Pool Sunday — 1997
- The Gatecrasher — 1998
- The Wedding Girl — 1999
- Cocktails for Three — 2000
- The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic / Confessions of a Shopaholic — 2000
- Sleeping Arrangements — 2001
- Shopaholic Abroad / Shopaholic Takes Manhattan — 2001
- Shopaholic Ties the Knot — 2002
- Can You Keep a Secret? — 2003
- Shopaholic & Sister — 2004
- The Undomestic Goddess — 2005
- Shopaholic & Baby — 2007
- Remember Me? — 2008
- Twenties Girl — 2009
- Mini Shopaholic — 2010
- I’ve Got Your Number — 2011
- Wedding Night — 2013
- Shopaholic to the Stars — 2014
- Shopaholic to the Rescue — 2015
- Finding Audrey — 2015
- The Burnout — 2023
- Christmas Shopaholic — 2019
- I Owe You One — 2019
- Love Your Life — 2020
- The Party Crasher — 2021
- The Burnout — 2023
- What Does It Feel Like? — 2024
Because several categories overlap and the children’s books and short fiction have separate publication dates, this chronological list is best treated as a guide rather than the preferred reading order.
For most readers, series-by-series order is much more useful.
Do You Need to Read Sophie Kinsella Books in Order?
No — except for the Shopaholic and Fairy Mom and Me series.
Most of Kinsella’s adult novels are standalone stories. You can pick up Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, The Burnout, or any of the other standalone novels without knowing anything about her previous books.
Read the Shopaholic books in order
The Becky Bloomwood books should be read chronologically because Becky, Luke, Jess, Minnie, Suze, and the other recurring characters develop across the series.
Read Fairy Mom and Me in order
The four children’s books are best read from Book 1 onward.
Madeleine Wickham books can be read independently
The seven Madeleine Wickham novels are separate stories. Publication order isn’t necessary, although it is a good way to experience her development as a writer.
Finding Audrey is standalone
You can read it independently of the adult novels.
What Does It Feel Like? is standalone
It does not require any previous Kinsella book.
What Sophie Kinsella Book Should You Read First?
Best overall starting point: Confessions of a Shopaholic
If you’ve never read Kinsella before, Confessions of a Shopaholic is the obvious starting point.
It introduces Becky Bloomwood and demonstrates the humor, romantic comedy, financial disasters, and larger-than-life character voice that made Kinsella famous.
Remember that the UK title is The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. The US and Canadian edition uses Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Best standalone: Can You Keep a Secret?
If you don’t want to commit to a series, try Can You Keep a Secret?
It captures Kinsella’s trademark combination of romance, comedy, embarrassment, and escalating misunderstandings.
Best for something more emotional: The Undomestic Goddess
The Undomestic Goddess is another excellent standalone starting point, especially if you enjoy stories about career pressure, identity, and starting over.
Best for young readers: Finding Audrey
For YA readers, Finding Audrey is the natural entry point.
Best for her later work: The Burnout
If you want one of Kinsella’s later romantic comedies, The Burnout combines romance with the serious subject of workplace burnout.
How Many Books Did Sophie Kinsella Write?
The total depends on what you count.
Her official biography identifies:
- 9 Shopaholic novels
- 12 standalone novels
- 1 young adult novel, Finding Audrey
- 4 Fairy Mom and Me children’s books
- 7 Madeleine Wickham novels
- 1 final novella, What Does It Feel Like?
There are also short stories and other editions/collections.
This is why different websites may report different totals. Some count What Does It Feel Like? with the novels, some separate it as a novella, and some databases include different editions or titles.
Kinsella’s official biography confirms that she wrote seven novels as Madeleine Wickham, twelve standalone novels as Sophie Kinsella, one YA novel, and the Shopaholic series.
Sophie Kinsella’s Writing Names
One important detail when searching for Sophie Kinsella books in order is that Sophie Kinsella is a pen name.
Her real name was Madeleine Wickham.
She began publishing under Madeleine Wickham in 1995 with The Tennis Party. In 2000, she introduced Becky Bloomwood in The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and adopted the Sophie Kinsella name for the series and her subsequent books.
This means books such as:
- The Tennis Party
- A Desirable Residence
- Swimming Pool Sunday
- The Gatecrasher
- The Wedding Girl
- Cocktails for Three
- Sleeping Arrangements
are not by a different author. They are Sophie Kinsella’s earlier novels published under her real name.
Sophie Kinsella Books by Genre
Romantic Comedy
- Confessions of a Shopaholic
- Can You Keep a Secret?
- The Undomestic Goddess
- Remember Me?
- I’ve Got Your Number
- Wedding Night
- My Not So Perfect Life
- Surprise Me
- I Owe You One
- Love Your Life
- The Party Crasher
- The Burnout
Contemporary Fiction
- Can You Keep a Secret?
- The Undomestic Goddess
- Remember Me?
- My Not So Perfect Life
- The Party Crasher
- The Burnout
Young Adult
- Finding Audrey
Children’s Fiction
- Fairy Mom and Me
- Fairy in Waiting
- Unicorn Wishes
- Fairy Mermaid Magic
Supernatural / Paranormal Romance
- Twenties Girl
Personal / Autobiographical Fiction
- What Does It Feel Like?
Earlier Madeleine Wickham Fiction
- The Tennis Party
- A Desirable Residence
- Swimming Pool Sunday
- The Gatecrasher
- The Wedding Girl
- Cocktails for Three
- Sleeping Arrangements
Final Sophie Kinsella Reading Order
For readers who simply want to know where to start, here’s the easiest answer:
Shopaholic:
- The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic / Confessions of a Shopaholic
- Shopaholic Abroad / Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
- Shopaholic Ties the Knot
- Shopaholic & Sister
- Shopaholic & Baby
- Mini Shopaholic
- Shopaholic to the Stars
- Shopaholic to the Rescue
- Christmas Shopaholic
Fairy Mom and Me:
- Fairy Mom and Me
- Fairy in Waiting
- Unicorn Wishes
- Fairy Mermaid Magic
Standalone Sophie Kinsella novels:
- Can You Keep a Secret?
- The Undomestic Goddess
- Remember Me?
- Twenties Girl
- I’ve Got Your Number
- Wedding Night
- My Not So Perfect Life
- Surprise Me
- I Owe You One
- Love Your Life
- The Party Crasher
- The Burnout
Young adult:
- Finding Audrey
Madeleine Wickham:
- The Tennis Party / 40 Love
- A Desirable Residence
- Swimming Pool Sunday
- The Gatecrasher
- The Wedding Girl
- Cocktails for Three
- Sleeping Arrangements
Final published work:
- What Does It Feel Like? (2024)
The author’s official website confirms the separate Shopaholic, standalone, children’s, short-story, and Madeleine Wickham categories, while current publisher information confirms Christmas Shopaholic as Book 9 of the Shopaholic series.
Sophie Kinsella leaves behind a bibliography that ranges from hilarious romantic comedy to children’s fiction, YA, darker ensemble novels under Madeleine Wickham, and finally an intensely personal novella. For a first-time reader, however, there is still one particularly easy recommendation: start with Confessions of a Shopaholic, then continue through the Shopaholic series in order.
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