How many novels did Sophie Kinsella write? Career explored as author dies at 56

Sophie Kinsella, the bestselling author best known for her Shopaholic series has died at 56. Her family announced that she died peacefully at her home in Dorset on 10 December 2025 after a two year fight with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer.

Her death has been met with tributes from readers, fellow writers and the wider literary community who have hailed her warmth, humour and exceptional storytelling skills.

Kinsella wrote more than 40 books over a career that spanned three decades including novels she published under both her pen name and her real name, Madeleine Wickham.

Breaking News: Madeleine Wickham, who wrote the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” novel series under the pen name Sophie Kinsella, becoming an international sensation, died at 55.

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— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 10, 2025

Sophie Kinsella wrote 11 Shopaholic series titles more than a dozen stand alone novels, one young adult book and one illustrated children’s series. As Madeleine Wickham, she wrote another seven novels starting with her first book, The Tennis Party when she was 24.

Her breakthrough came in 2000 when she published The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic in the United States, where it was titled Confessions of a Shopaholic, introducing readers to Becky Bloomwood, that funny, big-hearted financial journalist with money problems.

The book went on to become a worldwide sensation, the first in a series that sold millions and was turned into the 2009 film of the same name which featured Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

A look into Sophie Kinsella's other early works

In addition to Shopaholic, Kinsella was known for her approachable, character first romantic comedies. Among her standalone bestsellers were Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, I’ve Got Your Number, My Not So Perfect Life and The Party Crasher.

Her novella What Does It Feel Like?, a book that is a candid, funny and moving meditation on her being diagnosed with cancer became an instant best seller. The book was also widely lauded for its honesty and emotional impact.

Kinsella had published seven novels under her birth name before she began using her pseudonym in 1995 and became known as Sophie Kinsella.

These novels included A Desirable Residence, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements and confirmed her place as a writer of wise, witty narratives of modern life. Later, she said that she used the pen name “Sophie Kinsella” to anonymously send in a manuscript, not wanting her reputation to get in the way of having her work considered.

Tributes from other writers stressed the generosity and warmth that shaped both her life and her fiction. Novelists such as Jodi Picoult, Adele Parks and Jenny Colgan remembered her as an author whose work gave millions pleasure while maintaining emotional depth.