• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 15.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Chick-lit fave gets a movie tie-in.

Why We Rated This for Ages 15 and Up

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  Becky lies constantly, whether to avoid looking stupid (pretending she knows something she doesn't), to impress someone (saying she likes something she doesn't), or to dodge her bank and bill collectors (a range of inventions from a broken leg to post-dated checks). She tells a man she needs money to buy a gift for her sick aunt when she really plans to buy a scarf. She lies to her parents, boss, friends, and co-workers. Becky goes out with a man because he's rich, and looks through his checkbook while he is gone from the table (she does, at least, resist taking a check he's written to her to donate to a charity). Working at a clothing shop, Becky refuses to let a customer try on a pair of sale pants that she herself covets (she gets fired, but still asks if she can use the employee discount). Before a big date, she doesn't eat anything all day "so I'm nice and thin."

   

• Violence:

  Not an issue.
• Sex:

  Becky breaks up with a man who says he doesn't believe in sex before marriage and tells her roommate what happened on their "crucial third date." They start kissing and she reaches for his trouser zipper. "He actually had to punch me in the face to get me off him. . ." When he asks her if she is prepared to wait for him, she tells him she's sure he won't be able to resist her for long. Her roommate calls her a "man-eater" and makes fun of what she suspects is the small size of the man's penis. When a man kisses Becky for the first time, his hands cup her bottom and fingers under her skirt hem. The next morning she is in his bed, feeling "sated" and noting that "God, he really knows how to . . ." She doesn't share any specific details, noting, "Can't you use your imagination?"

   

• Language:

  Though the British curse words come across as charming ("sodding," "bugger," "shagged," "todger"), there are a few recognized on this side of the Atlantic: "f--k," "s--t," "t-ts," "bitch."
• Consumerism:

  As one might expect, the book is pretty much about shopping. Pages drip with high-end brand names of everything from luggage to clothes to shoes to lotion to perfume. The first thing Becky does is size up what a person is wearing; she comforts herself by shopping. She cares very much about what other people think; "if I buy something from a shop that's a bit uncool, I cut the label out." She compulsively spends a lot of money even when she is deeply in debt. She uses multiple credit cards (mentioned by name, particularly Visa). She tries (sort of) to cut her spending but is unsuccessful. She throws away bills or hides them in a drawer without opening them. She does eventually (sort of) learn to be a bit more responsible, but this is not a didactic tale. She finds an unlikely way to make more money so she can pay her bills; she is not a role model for stay-within-your-budget spending.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  There are multiple references to drinking mixed drinks (gin and tonic), champagne, and wine, sometimes in excess. These are adults, however. Looking over her credit card bill, she deems her three bottles of wine "essential." Becky keeps drinking to force herself to be attracted to a rich man she doesn't really like. Neighbors offer her a sherry in the afternoon -- "Never too early for a sherry!" -- and Becky decides they're alcoholics. A minor character smokes and Becky thinks "even though I don't really smoke anymore, I suddenly feel as though I could do with one myself."

What Parents Need to Know

About Confessions of a Shopaholic

Families Can Talk About