The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid was a good story about Annie, a personal shopper in an upscale store. Her boss does not like her or her side hustle of selling dresses on eBay. Who hasn't had a boss like this?!? A very relatable story and character in Annie. I had several laugh out loud moments and really enjoyed this book.

I had so much fun reading this book- and I now want Annie as my BBF (primarily so she can take me clothes shopping!). I adored her character - sassy, quick-witted, sharp, dry, yet warm and down-to-earth and with good business sense. Some of the situations she lands herself in are hilarious. She's a force to be reckoned with and I particularly empathised with the way she used clothes and personal grooming as an armour - I've done the same myself in the past.

Although this book does have a lighthearted, almost flighty feel at the start, when you dig deeper into the pages it becomes more serious, as the reasons for Annie's drive when it comes to making sure her children's lives aren't disrupted by a change of school, and why she flips properties and sells on eBay, etc, becomes clear. There is a side to this story that isn't immediately apparent at the start and it endeared Annie to me.

And I'm delighted to see that this is the start of a series, and there are more Annie Valentine books for me to escape into!

Annie is a personal shopper in a very upscale store. Her boss dislikes her and her side job of selling clothes on eBay. Annie is ready to stop endless blind dates and need someone she can settle down with.

I enjoyed this lighthearted book about a mother, widow, and career woman. Annie is all those things and more. The characters Annie works with as a personal shopper are hilarious from the rich wife spending her clothing allowance or the ex-wife with the tired wardrobe. Annie was able to help them feel their best.

There are definitely laugh out loud scenes in this book. If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella, this book is for you.

I started reading this book after a busy couple of weeks which included me starting a new job and learning about two deaths that were close to home. I needed both light entertainment and a distraction. Carmen Reid delivered on both fronts with this witty observation on how opposites can attract.
After the death of her husband, Roddy, Annie Valentine has done a remarkable job, raising their two children, renovating their home, and working as a personal shopper at The Store. Her children attend a prestigious private school and Annie is just about holding on. Her grip starts to slip when she is dismissed from The Store and can’t figure out how to pay her bills and keep her children at their school.
Ed teaches music at the school and is a sartorial nightmare, he’s keen to help Annie’s son develop his musical talent, and he’s also keeping a watchful eye on Annie’s daughter who seems to be mixing with a dodgy crowd. On the other hand, dentist Gray seems like the perfect package. He’s stylish, wealthy and interested in getting to know Annie a little better. Their courtship has hilarious results and leaves Annie wondering what she wants from a partner.
As Annie fights to keep her life together, she finds support from people that she never imagined would help her. Women whom she’d styled and also given advice to, who appreciate her kindness and want to repay her when she most needs it.
The characters are well-developed and thoroughly entertaining. Annie is a wonderfully strong, independent woman who isn’t compromised by her desire to find a new partner. Unless she finds the wrong one…

I received this book via NetGalley and give it my honest opinion.

This was an OK read, a little difficult to get in to and I wasn't too keen on the characters. It was well written but sadly not a great storyline.
I very rarely give such a low rating but it just didn't hold my attention sorry.

This is a reissue from 2007 and I’m pretty sure I read this 15 years ago but it’s always fun to have a refresher. I need a personal shopper like Annie to pick out stunning outfits for me! Her wardrobe was fantastic and, on a side note, I relate to Annie’s mom (a sharp dresser, even when gardening and if I’m not wearing lipstick, you’ll know I’m dead- So true!). I didn’t really connect with Annie and Ed as romantic interests and she used Babes as an endearment too many times.

What I usually expect from a chick-lit is to have a quite unlikely story that makes me mostly laugh, and in which is clear from the beginning who will be the prince charming in the end.
This time I haven't had this impression here. Annie, the personal shopper and main character is somehow someone who the writer would like to be a real person. Someone who has a family to take care of, and in the meanwhile would like to meet the men of her dreams. The result is that the should-be-real character Annie is set in a world soap-opera like, in which she meets the rich dentist, in which her customers are all separate wives whose aim is to spend all their ex husbands money and in which a school teacher turns out to be the landlord of a three storey building in Highgate. Not to mention the fact that she keeps on worry about family budget while she manage to send the children in a 2000£ per month private school, buys expensive clothes, pays a mortgage and buys awful houses to be refurbished.
Terrible the idea to hide the reason why Roddie is not with the family anymore, I still can't help wondering why the author did it.

This book just really wasn't for me. I could not connect with the main characters and I found her pretentious, shallow and unlikeable. The whole vibe of this book was off and I just didn't enjoy it at all.

This book started off great I was interested in getting to know the character but then it began to get a little boring and I felt my interest slipping. Unfortunately DNF.


**************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley****************************

definitely not my cup of tea and i did not find the main character likable. unfortunately i couldn't bring myself to finish it.

As the title suggests Annie is a personal shopper and is also a single mum of 2 after her husband died in an accident. Annie works at ' The Store ' and has many rich clients who she advises, she also has her own online business where she buys and sells fashion personally and on behalf of others where she takes a percentage of the sales.
The book takes you through Annies struggles to keep herself and her children going, especially after she loses her job

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Boldwood Books for the advance read of this book.
Fun quirky read with likeable characters. I look forward to the next in series

The story
Annie is a thirty-something widow with a daughter of 15 and a son of 9. Her actor husband Roddy died three years ago. Annie works as a personal shopper in a high end store dressing and styling the rich and famous. She has a side business trading in designer gear and is always hustling to keep her home in London and her kids private school paid for. Annie isn’t done grieving but she tries to be open to meeting someone else, preferably with some money, while she is about it.

My thoughts
In the beginning I found Annie’s shopaholic tendencies to be a bit hectic, but by halfway through the story I appreciated that she is trying to keep going after a sad and shocking time in her life. In her thirties, single parenting with the financial responsibilities that come with her lifestyle isn’t easy. I started to feel more empathy with her. Every day she gets up and puts herself out there into the world, fights for her kids to have a good life and is passionate about helping her clients. I love her energy and drive. And the ending of this story is just the sweetest. ❤️ it’s a goodie for me!

Annie loves to shop, and is managing her way through single parenthood with two Children. She becomes a personal shopper at the store! If your enjoy fashion and clothes definitely one for you.

This is a re-release of The Personal Shopper, a series I started reading many moons ago (pre-children in fact). It's a credit to the brilliant writing of Carmen Reid that there haven't been any significant changes to the original book, aside from one name. I loved The Personal Shopper the first time I read it, and it was a joy to read it again. It's light hearted at times, with some fab laugh-out-loud moments, but that's mixed in with a fair dose of reality. Annie Valentine, the main character, has more than her fair share of family and personal drama to deal with. She may not do that perfectly at times, but that's what makes her so likeable. She's a real person, you can imagine sharing a glass of wine with her. I can't wait to catch up with more of the The Personal Shopper stories!

Definitely not my cup of tea. Way too much detailing about the fashion trends and clothes and accessories. The underlying story was good. But the book struggled to keep my focus. It felt a little dragging at some points. It's not for everyone. Going with a 3 star.

A great book with funny bits in. After lots of Christmas books it made a nice change. Will definitely be looking out for more books by this author. Well done.

Thank you Netgalley for tis ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

A fun read, definitely recommend it.

Annie certainly gains her voice and strength back as she stops living for others such as her customers and knows that her personal gratification needs to come from within. She desperately craved love beyond how she felt for Lauren and Owen and chose a relationship that did not suit her. It was blatantly obvious who she should be with but it felt very needy how she clung to Ed. I did find it odd how late in the book we found out what happened to Roddy. The end of this book was far far better than the beginning.

Annie Valentine is a single mother who is navigating her life with 2 children and the loss of her husband. She is a personal shopper at 'The Store' and throughout the story the clients are intertwined. She also gets back into the dating scene and figures out what she does/doesn't want in multiple aspects of her life.