Sophie Kinsella

Her 2003 standalone novel Can You Keep a Secret? Was adapted into a film of the same name in 2019.

Sophie Kinsella studied at New College, Putney High School and St Mary's School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is economy, politics and philosophy. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are chick lit, romance novel and children's. Works named in the authority record are Shopaholic, Shopaholic Abroad, Can You Keep a Secret?, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl and I've Got Your Number. Distinctions recorded are Glamour Award.

• Name — Sophie Kinsella • Birth Name — Madeleine Sophie Townley • Born — 12 December 1969 • Birthplace — Roehampton, London, England • Died — 10 December 2025 • Place of death — Dorset, England • Occupation — Novelist • Period — 1991–2025 • Genre — Romantic comedy • Notable Works — The Shopaholic series • Website — http: sophiekinsella.co.uk • Children — 5

Madeleine Sophie Townley was born on 12 December 1969 in Roehampton, South West London to parents David Townley and Patricia (née Kinsella), a teacher and a lecturer respectively. She had maternal Irish heritage. She was the eldest of three daughters. She was educated at Putney High School, St Mary's School, Shaftesbury, Sherborne School for Girls, and New College, Oxford, where she initially studied Music, but after a year switched to Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), graduating with a BA. She worked as a financial journalist (including for Pensions World) before turning to writing fiction.

At the age of 24, Kinsella wrote her first novel, which was published in 1995 when she was 26. The Tennis Party (later republished as 40 Love in 2011) was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top-ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence (1996), Swimming Pool Sunday (1997), The Gatecrasher (1998), The Wedding Girl (1999), Cocktails for Three (2000), and Sleeping Arrangements (2001). These were all published before she adopted a pseudonym. Wickham's first novel under the pseudonym Sophie Kinsella (taken from her middle name and her mother's maiden name) was submitted to her publishers anonymously and was enthusiastically received. She revealed her real identity for the first time when her fourth pseudonymous novel Can You Keep a Secret? (her seventh novel overall) was published in December 2003. Kinsella is best known for having written the Shopaholic series of chick lit novels, which concern the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. Becky is also known for her relationship with Luke. A theme of the series is her obsession with shopping and its resulting complications for her life. The first two Shopaholic books were adapted into the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, released in February 2009. Shopaholic to the Rescue was released on 22 October 2015; "Christmas Shopaholic" was released in October 2019. Her most recent standalone novels are My Not So Perfect Life (2017), Surprise Me (2018), I Owe You One (Feb 2019), Love Your Life (2020), The Party Crasher (2021), The Burnout (2023), and What Does It Feel Like? (2024). In 2015, she branched into Young Adult writing with her first YA book, Finding Audrey, published in June 2015. A musical adaptation of Kinsella's novel Sleeping Arrangements by Chris Burgess was premiered on 17 April 2013 in London at the Landor Theatre. By the time of her death, her books had sold over 50 million copies in more than 60 countries and had been translated into over 40 languages.

Kinsella's work is the subject of academic analyses that highlight her linguistic and stylistic profile within contemporary literature and the chick-lit genre. Linguistic studies point out that the author predominantly uses first-person narratives, combined with rhetorical questions and interpersonal insertions, which shortens the distance between the narrator and the reader, creating a strong effect of immersion. Humor and irony are prominent features in her writing. Kinsella frequently uses parentheses to introduce humorous and intimate comments from the characters. In specific works, such as I've Got Your Number, footnotes assume a narrative function similar to that of parentheses, revealing additional thoughts and conferring authenticity and immersion to the plot. Aiming for semantic emphasis and realism, the writer employs various graphic devices, such as italics, capitalization, and font formatting changes to simulate the reading of e-mails or text messages. In terms of vocabulary, one of her trademarks is the creation of neologisms (occasionalisms) by joining several words with hyphens, forming everything from short expressions to entire sentences. The author frequently incorporates terms in foreign languages, reflecting her educational background, with a focus on Latin, French, German, and Italian. Scholars observe that the emotional language of Kinsella's characters subverts traditional gender stereotypes. The use of interjections and obscene vocabulary by the protagonists breaks with the expectation of passive and restrained female characters, aligning with post-feminist ideals where women have the right to express themselves with authentic emotions.

In 1991, Kinsella married Henry Wickham, whom she had met at Oxford. A schoolmaster, he became head of Lockers Park School and managed her business affairs. They lived in Dorset and London, with their four sons and one daughter. In 2024, Kinsella revealed she had glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, with which she was diagnosed in late 2022. She underwent neurosurgery. Kinsella died at her home in Dorset on 10 December 2025.

In 2024, Kinsella's novel What Does It Feel Like? was selected as one of The New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year. The book was also listed among "five of the best romance books" of the year by The Guardian. In 2025, Kinsella was shortlisted for "Author of the Year" in the British Book Awards.

• The Tennis Party (1995) (re-released as 40 Love in 2011) • A Desirable Residence (1996) • Swimming Pool Sunday (1997) • The Gatecrasher (1998) • The Wedding Girl (1999) • Cocktails for Three (2000) • Sleeping Arrangements (2001)

The Shopaholic series • The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also titled Confessions of a Shopaholic) (2000) • Shopaholic Abroad (also titled Shopaholic Takes Manhattan) (2001) • Shopaholic Ties The Knot (2001) • Shopaholic & Sister (2004) • Shopaholic & Baby (2007) • Mini Shopaholic (2010) • Shopaholic to the Stars (2014) • Shopaholic on Honeymoon (2014) — short story • Shopaholic to the Rescue (2015) • Christmas Shopaholic (2019)

• Can You Keep a Secret? (2003) • The Undomestic Goddess (2005) • Remember Me? (2008) • Twenties Girl (2009) • I've Got Your Number (2011) • Wedding Night (2013) • My Not So Perfect Life (2017) • Surprise Me (2018) • I Owe You One (2019) • Love Your Life (2020) • The Party Crasher (2021) • The Burnout (2023) • What Does It Feel Like? (2024)

• Girls Night In (2004) (an omnibus of novels, along with many authors including Meg Cabot and Jennifer Weiner) • Finding Audrey (2015) (a young adult novel) • Mummy Fairy and Me (2018) (an illustrated series for young readers)

Sophie Kinsella was recorded at birth as Madeleine Sophie Townley. She also worked under the name Sophie Kinsella. The authorities additionally record the headings Madeleine Sophie Wickham and Kinsella, Sophie. Her recorded language was English. She married Henry Wickham.