Mini Shopaholc

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (n??e Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Beckyƒ??s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would beƒ??Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlersƒ??adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is ƒ??MINE!ƒ? and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shopƒ??not Beckyƒ??s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, itƒ??s time for Becky to step inƒ??with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyoneƒ??s woes. At first.

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Lukeƒ??s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.