‘Shopaholic’ creator Sophie Kinsella passes away at 55

Madeleine Wickham, the British novelist best known to millions as Sophie Kinsella, has died at the age of 55. Her work, especially the Shopaholic series, became a defining feature of modern romantic comedy, with readers across generations recognising Sophie Kinsella as one of the most influential voices in the genre.

Wickham, who wrote more than 30 books under both her real name and the Sophie Kinsella pseudonym, had announced in 2024 that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2022. She underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, continuing to write as Sophie Kinsella throughout her treatment.

Born in London in 1969, Wickham studied music before switching to PPE at Oxford. She briefly worked as a financial journalist, but long commutes and a steady diet of Mary Wesley and Joanna Trollope novels pushed her toward fiction.

At 24, she published The Tennis Party as Madeleine Wickham, the first of several more serious, ensemble-style novels that predated the lighter, comedic tone of her later Sophie Kinsella work.

Her career changed dramatically when she submitted The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic under the anonymous pen name Sophie Kinsella. The novel introduced Becky Bloomwood, a character whose chaotic charm and financial misadventures resonated worldwide.

The book later appeared internationally as Confessions of a Shopaholic and became the first instalment of a long-running, bestselling series. Two early books from the franchise were adapted into a 2009 film, further cementing Sophie Kinsella’s cultural impact.

Alongside the Shopaholic novels, Kinsella produced popular standalones such as The Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep a Secret?, Remember Me?, and her 2023 release The Burnout, inspired by her own experience of severe exhaustion.

She also wrote children’s titles, including the Mummy Fairy and Me series and the young adult novel Finding Audrey.

Wickham is survived by her husband, Henry, whom she met during her first week at Oxford, and their five children.

Her death marks the loss of a writer whose Sophie Kinsella books became a fixture in homes, airports and book clubs worldwide, continuing to shape the landscape of contemporary romantic fiction.