Love Your Life like Sophie

Earlier this week, I stopped by the library to pick up a few books. As I was walking through the stacks, the long row of books by Sophie Kinsella caught my eye. I stopped to scan the titles, in case I had somehow missed the release of a new book. I had not.  

Sophie’s last book, What Does it Feel Like?, published in 2024, was a semi-autobiographical story that walked through her experience of dealing with a brain tumor, her diagnosis of brain cancer, and how it shaped her outlook on life. 

It was a difficult read and a departure from her usual story, which followed the life of a very likable, often quirky yet relatable character who frequently found themselves in ridiculous, laugh-out-loud situations. These were stories filled with so many memorable, silly moments, as well as tearful ones that hit you squarely in the heart when you least expected them.

I had not followed Sophie’s personal story too closely, but felt assured it would end happily, as she always wrote. The day after I visited the library, my newsfeed was flooded with the announcement that Sophie had died (Sophie Kinsella was her pen name; her actual name was Madeleine Wickham). 

Although completely illogical, my first thought was, “This can’t be right. This isn’t the ending she would have written.”

Even though I only know Sophie through the characters of her books, it was a gut punch. It was hard to believe that it was true. Some authors put so much of themselves into their characters that you genuinely feel that you know them so well, that they are your friend in life. 

Her most iconic character, Becky Bloomwood, was featured in ten novels in the Confessions of a Shopaholic series. This series spanned 19 years and ten books. The first book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, was published in 2000.  At the time, I was 23 and easily related to Becky's often flighty, financially challenged storyline. I grew up alongside Becky (and Sophie) as she matured, married, advanced in her career, and had children.   

A couple of years ago, I distinctly remember feeling the magic of the Christmas season as I listened to the audiobook version of Christmas Shopaholic while making a batch of cookies for a holiday gathering, and the surprise of tearing up AGAIN at the story's pivotal conclusion. It had been years since I had read/listened to a Shopaholic book, and Becky’s return was comparable to catching up with an old friend, where you pick up as if you had just spoken to them yesterday.  

There is something just magical in general when you read a Sophie Kinsella novel. There is a comfort in her writing that, in the end, everything will be okay. The hopeful nature of her stories offers a reassurance that, at their core, people are good. And everything will sort itself out in the end. 

Sophie could find the humor in any situation, even when her own fate was in question. I caught a clip from a Good Morning America interview with Sophie after her brain surgery, and she joked that, since it was in Britain, she could go home from the hospital once they could see she could make a proper cup of tea.  

During her interview, she was asked, “What is your happy ending?”

Sophie said, “My happy ending is, whatever happens to me, my family is okay. I don’t know what my own ending will be. On my good days, I kind of think my happy ending is the fantasy cure arrives, and then another version of that is that a cure is not found and things don’t go so well, but nevertheless, my family is okay; that is what I care about.”

Isn’t that what we all care about? Sophie’s books have always centered around the characters’ love for those in their life, accepting and loving themselves, and appreciating their life, as one of my favorite books was titled, Love Your Life.

For over three decades, Sophie Kinsella has given millions of readers around the world the gift of laughter and an appreciation for life and those they love. She will be missed by so many but forever remembered as her books reach new readers. Her joy will live on.

"If I've learned one lesson from all that's happened to me, it's that there is no such thing as the biggest mistake of your existence. There's no such thing as ruining your life. Life's a pretty resilient thing, it turns out." 

~ Sophie Kinsella, The Undomestic Goddess