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Secret Shopper #3
The Secret Shopper Affair
Best mates Sandie, Emily and Grazia thought they'd be friends forever, but they reckoned without the dividing effects of men and money... Shopping guru Sandie is on a roll, with a baby on the way and Toby, her posh totty partner, proposing every five minutes. But when she realises the legendary Garnett's Department Store is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, she knows she's the only one to save it, even though Toby's mother seems determined to scupper the rescue bid. For Emily, Sandie's apparently perfect life is a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Emily's been banned from having a second child by her boyfriend, Will, who is more interested in saving the planet than her. As the rifts grow, will she learn to stand on her own two feet, or give in to a new temptation? Glamorous Grazia tries to play peace-maker but she's facing her own big decision: whether to develop her new career as an erotic embroidery artist... or give up on her talent for the sake of her new, needy lover? Can the magic of retail bring the secret shoppers back together, or is it time to shut up shop for good?
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2011
16 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Kate Harrison
101 books139 followersKate was born in Wigan, and lived in more than a dozen places when she was growing up, including England, Scotland, and the Netherlands. She trained as a print journalist and then worked for the BBC as a reporter and Education Correspondent, before switching to behind the scenes producing on programmes including Newsround and Panorama. Her final 'proper' job involved coming up with TV programme ideas for the BBC whilst sitting on beanbags. She is a dab hand at writing on white boards.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 10, 2011
Emily, Grazia and Sandie all met when they were secret shoppers, and all in the same boat. Now things have changed dramatically for each of the women, and it’s pushing their friendships to the limit. Sandie is happily engaged to Toby Garnett, heir to the Garnett store throne and is pregnant with their first child. She’s struggling to balance her career, her family and the renovations on her home. Meanwhile, Emily is very jealous of Sandie’s pregnancy, as her partner Will has put a ban on them having any more children. Emily loves her son Freddie dearly but would love a new baby, and is beginning to resent their homemade shop in Heartsease for taking all of Will’s attention. Finally, Grazia has had to say goodbye to the love of her life, and finds solace in a new skill she hasn’t practiced for a long time. Can the ladies mend the rifts that are opening between them, and realise that their friendship is more important than anything else?
The Secret Shopper Affair is the third book in Kate Harrison’s The Secret Shopper series, and it’s one I have been eagerly awaiting for a while now! I really enjoyed the previous 2 outings with the three ladies who are now very familiar tome, so when a hardback copy of this arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. I do like the new cover design, but I find it odd that Orion have changed the design for the series on the third book… what was wrong with the old design?! Either way, I hoped that wouldn’t affect the story inside, which of course it shouldn’t, and sat down to read.
The book picks up a little while after the second book, The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, with Emily and Will living in their homemade shop in Heartsease with her son Freddie, but things aren’t all rosy. Emily is beginning to resent her friends for their lifestyle while it’s all falling apart for her. She’s sure her relationship to Will is on the rocks, and when she’s given the opportunity to win a grant for Heartsease, she suddenly thinks it might be the motivation she needs. Sandie is pregnant and not necessarily enjoying her pregnancy, she’s worrying about her career, that she won’t be a good mother and that her fiancé’s shop Garnett’s is going under. Finally, Grazia is mourning after losing her love, but soon finds herself in a position she never thought she would be.. complete with a ready made family.
I found it very easy to get into, especially after being a fan of the first two novels, and quickly got absorbed into the story. Harrison’s writing style is very easy to read, and I always find it a pleasure to pick up one of her books. She chooses to tell the story in the first person tense, and each of the chapters alternate between the narrators of Grazia, Sandie and Emily, and it’s indicated at the start of each chapter who is narrating. It is easy to tell the difference though and I never struggle with the change, simply because Harrison writes them all very differently. I was surprised at my reaction to Emily in this book though, having loved her in the previous 2 novels, I found her to be quite dislikeable in this one, I just couldn’t warm to her at all and found her very down and whiny all the time, which sounds awful when you think about her circumstances and desperation for another child, but sorry, I just couldn’t bring myself to like her much!
As with the previous books, there is a separate plot lines for each of the characters, but they meet up regularly throughout the book to keep the three of them intertwined with each other’s lives, although this happens perhaps less in this book than the previous one. I really enjoyed Sandie’s journey in this book, I really warmed to her and wanted to read more about her and less about Emily if I am honest! Her story certainly seemed to link more to the previous books for me, perhaps because it brought her previous place of work back but I just found it very enjoyable. Grazia’s story is at the opposite end of the scale to Sandie’s, but again I found it very interesting to read, and I felt Harrison broached the subject of step-parenting and the difficulties that come with all of that very well, it seemed sympathetic yet not too emotional – she seems to have struck the right balance. I also liked Grazia’s jet-setting, it was nice for the book to leave London and Heartsease briefly and added a dash of glamour into the proceedings too!
If you’re a fan of the previous books, then you are most definitely going to want to read this. I found it very enjoyable overall, very easy to read and pick-up but Emily’s story for me let it down a bit. I know that there was a point to it but I found her too negative for my liking and there wasn’t enough positives from her to pick it back up again. There was a bit of a lack of Secret Shopping but after the developments of the story over the 3 books, that was expected, and a few occasions did pop up so I can’t moan too much! Harrison has easily slipped back into these characters, writing them with ease and when I was reading, it didn’t feel like it had a been a year since I’d last read a Secret Shoppers book. You can of course read this as a stand-alone novel, enough of the background is explained for you to get the jist of the previous books but obviously it does work best read as the third in the series. I really enjoyed the book, and do hope that Harrison will be bringing back the Secret Shopping ladies once more!
The Secret Shopper Affair is the third book in Kate Harrison’s The Secret Shopper series, and it’s one I have been eagerly awaiting for a while now! I really enjoyed the previous 2 outings with the three ladies who are now very familiar tome, so when a hardback copy of this arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. I do like the new cover design, but I find it odd that Orion have changed the design for the series on the third book… what was wrong with the old design?! Either way, I hoped that wouldn’t affect the story inside, which of course it shouldn’t, and sat down to read.
The book picks up a little while after the second book, The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, with Emily and Will living in their homemade shop in Heartsease with her son Freddie, but things aren’t all rosy. Emily is beginning to resent her friends for their lifestyle while it’s all falling apart for her. She’s sure her relationship to Will is on the rocks, and when she’s given the opportunity to win a grant for Heartsease, she suddenly thinks it might be the motivation she needs. Sandie is pregnant and not necessarily enjoying her pregnancy, she’s worrying about her career, that she won’t be a good mother and that her fiancé’s shop Garnett’s is going under. Finally, Grazia is mourning after losing her love, but soon finds herself in a position she never thought she would be.. complete with a ready made family.
I found it very easy to get into, especially after being a fan of the first two novels, and quickly got absorbed into the story. Harrison’s writing style is very easy to read, and I always find it a pleasure to pick up one of her books. She chooses to tell the story in the first person tense, and each of the chapters alternate between the narrators of Grazia, Sandie and Emily, and it’s indicated at the start of each chapter who is narrating. It is easy to tell the difference though and I never struggle with the change, simply because Harrison writes them all very differently. I was surprised at my reaction to Emily in this book though, having loved her in the previous 2 novels, I found her to be quite dislikeable in this one, I just couldn’t warm to her at all and found her very down and whiny all the time, which sounds awful when you think about her circumstances and desperation for another child, but sorry, I just couldn’t bring myself to like her much!
As with the previous books, there is a separate plot lines for each of the characters, but they meet up regularly throughout the book to keep the three of them intertwined with each other’s lives, although this happens perhaps less in this book than the previous one. I really enjoyed Sandie’s journey in this book, I really warmed to her and wanted to read more about her and less about Emily if I am honest! Her story certainly seemed to link more to the previous books for me, perhaps because it brought her previous place of work back but I just found it very enjoyable. Grazia’s story is at the opposite end of the scale to Sandie’s, but again I found it very interesting to read, and I felt Harrison broached the subject of step-parenting and the difficulties that come with all of that very well, it seemed sympathetic yet not too emotional – she seems to have struck the right balance. I also liked Grazia’s jet-setting, it was nice for the book to leave London and Heartsease briefly and added a dash of glamour into the proceedings too!
If you’re a fan of the previous books, then you are most definitely going to want to read this. I found it very enjoyable overall, very easy to read and pick-up but Emily’s story for me let it down a bit. I know that there was a point to it but I found her too negative for my liking and there wasn’t enough positives from her to pick it back up again. There was a bit of a lack of Secret Shopping but after the developments of the story over the 3 books, that was expected, and a few occasions did pop up so I can’t moan too much! Harrison has easily slipped back into these characters, writing them with ease and when I was reading, it didn’t feel like it had a been a year since I’d last read a Secret Shoppers book. You can of course read this as a stand-alone novel, enough of the background is explained for you to get the jist of the previous books but obviously it does work best read as the third in the series. I really enjoyed the book, and do hope that Harrison will be bringing back the Secret Shopping ladies once more!
August 26, 2017
A great easy chick flick read. Bit of lighthearted humour. Romance, dilemmas and a bit of viciousness thrown in!
January 11, 2020
Read all the books in this series. I really enjoyed them and love the story of the highs and lows in friendship
August 8, 2022
Warm hearted reading it. Good story telling. I have bought this one more than 5 years ago and just read it and love it.
April 19, 2011
When Emily, Grazia and Sandie first met they had one huge thing in common, their lives had fallen apart. Emily had been left by her husband to struggle with a new born on her own, Sandie had lost her job and been accused of stealing and Grazia had lost her husband, a famous artist and was finding it difficult to be out of the shadows where she had spent most of her years. Secret shopping brought them together and three women who would not have necessarily been friends under normal circumstances soon found they could not exist without each other.
Picking up shortly after the second book in the series ended, Secret Shopper unwrapped, The Secret Shopper Affair dives back into the lives of these three very different women. Sandie, a career woman is expecting her first child and is not let us say, at ease with the pregnancy. Emily is finding her relationship with Will is on the rocks and Grazia finds herself in a position she thought she was way too old for. This third book in the series shows Grazia and Sandie in a very different light, which seems to even surprise the characters themselves, as we have learned before Emily has a tendency to feel sorry for herself and this is turned all the way up in the third book to the point you just want to slap her and tell her to stop being so stupid.
As with the other two books each character has their own story their lives intertwining at certain points to keep the characters together but there is a definite change in this book. Each character is shown more as an individual, the three ladies seem to be growing apart and going their separate ways. That is one thing I missed about this book, it had a more serious tone each of the women were finally getting their lives on track and stopped needing each other as much as they once did. While of course that is good for the characters I missed the mischief the three women used to get up to together and the fun they used to have.
Kate Harrison has done herself proud with The Secret Shopper Affair she has let the characters develop and she has shown how much they have grown with the help of each other. If you haven’t read any of the Secret Shopper series you can read this one as a standalone as it gives enough of a background history for you to be able to follow it but I would recommend you read them all. Each book is well worth the read and by the time you get to the third you will be dying for the fourth just like me.
Picking up shortly after the second book in the series ended, Secret Shopper unwrapped, The Secret Shopper Affair dives back into the lives of these three very different women. Sandie, a career woman is expecting her first child and is not let us say, at ease with the pregnancy. Emily is finding her relationship with Will is on the rocks and Grazia finds herself in a position she thought she was way too old for. This third book in the series shows Grazia and Sandie in a very different light, which seems to even surprise the characters themselves, as we have learned before Emily has a tendency to feel sorry for herself and this is turned all the way up in the third book to the point you just want to slap her and tell her to stop being so stupid.
As with the other two books each character has their own story their lives intertwining at certain points to keep the characters together but there is a definite change in this book. Each character is shown more as an individual, the three ladies seem to be growing apart and going their separate ways. That is one thing I missed about this book, it had a more serious tone each of the women were finally getting their lives on track and stopped needing each other as much as they once did. While of course that is good for the characters I missed the mischief the three women used to get up to together and the fun they used to have.
Kate Harrison has done herself proud with The Secret Shopper Affair she has let the characters develop and she has shown how much they have grown with the help of each other. If you haven’t read any of the Secret Shopper series you can read this one as a standalone as it gives enough of a background history for you to be able to follow it but I would recommend you read them all. Each book is well worth the read and by the time you get to the third you will be dying for the fourth just like me.
September 8, 2013
Secret Shopper's Revenge (and the two sequels, Secret Shopper Unwrapped and Secret Shopper Affair) is another perfect example of chick lit. Kate Harrison, once a former secret shopper herself, writes about her three 'angels' as they each find themselves at a new stage in their lives. Emily is recently divorced with a toddler, Sandie has been falsely accused of theft and forced to leave her dream job, and Grazia is mourning the death of her famous husband. Each is looking for a new direction, a new dream, and they find them together in stores across London.
As they get into the swing of secret shopping, the very different women become friends and slowly begin to overcome their problems.
While this book isn't vastly different to the basic structure of any chick lit book, the characters are so well written that you can easily identify with them, and cheer them on. Also, each character is very different, allowing different readers to identify with their different personalities. There's enough detail for the books to be page-turners, but not so much that you're constantly flipping back through the book to remind yourself what has happened. As the series progresses, so do the characters and their friendship matures along with them.
I am not one of those people who looks down on chick lit as low-brow, second rate literature. I recognise that an easy read about women who face the same dramas as many of us do in everyday life can be relaxing after a hard day at the office, when picking up a 400-page book about a Russian espionage scandal seems a little too hard. I would definitely recommend this book to women out there who are looking for a fun, easy read - and to those who love to shop. If you love Annie Valentine, you'll love Secret Shopper even more!
As they get into the swing of secret shopping, the very different women become friends and slowly begin to overcome their problems.
While this book isn't vastly different to the basic structure of any chick lit book, the characters are so well written that you can easily identify with them, and cheer them on. Also, each character is very different, allowing different readers to identify with their different personalities. There's enough detail for the books to be page-turners, but not so much that you're constantly flipping back through the book to remind yourself what has happened. As the series progresses, so do the characters and their friendship matures along with them.
I am not one of those people who looks down on chick lit as low-brow, second rate literature. I recognise that an easy read about women who face the same dramas as many of us do in everyday life can be relaxing after a hard day at the office, when picking up a 400-page book about a Russian espionage scandal seems a little too hard. I would definitely recommend this book to women out there who are looking for a fun, easy read - and to those who love to shop. If you love Annie Valentine, you'll love Secret Shopper even more!
September 7, 2012
I liked this book, although expect it would be much more enjoyable if you had already read the previous books - I didn't realise it was the third in a series when I started it. Perhaps because of this, I often felt that I was missing something, such as the reference to secret shopping which happened very rarely and somewhat randomly in this book (which also meant that the quote on the cover "Who said that sex was better than shopping" didn't make sense to me). There also seemed to be little in the way of a bond between Sandie and Grazia with Emily, as there were many negative references to Emily and not much to indicate otherwise (she was actually a rather unlikable character).The one thing that I would have liked most though was more noticeable differences in the characters' dialogue - to me, it almost felt as if the book was written in a single voice, and I sometimes had to check who was who for this reason.
October 20, 2014
I think it would have been wise to have read the previous books in this series before this one because I didn't really feel I got to like the characters until the end. Then the book was over and it no longer mattered. Not a bad story. I did feel that Emily and Grazia both needed another chapter - Sandie summarized their situation but summaries don't paint good pictures. All in all not bad - it did take me a long time to read because I kept falling asleep. That may or may not reflect on the writing as much as not caring for the narrators.
August 25, 2016
Liked the story. Things have changed for the better for Grazia, Sandie, and Emily. Grazia has the family she never expected, Sandie's mellowed out slightly, and Emily's managed to grow up even if she was being rude and selfish among the way. Even after reading this book I still don't care much for Grazia, and while I did like Emily initially from the first book she was almost unlikeable before the end. As for Sandie I've grown to like her more she was alright in the first book, somewhat ok in the second, but in this book she's finally become a much better character.
November 3, 2013
Really enjoyed this book! Surprisingly I didn't feel lost or confused, seeing as I hadn't read the other two. However, it didn't matter because as a reader you completely understand the position and background of Sandie, Emily and Grazia. Most of all I really enjoyed how cleverly written it was - it was nice reading 3 perspectives on very similar issues/problems.
October 21, 2013
I was interested to see how the author would continue with this saga, but to be honest I was a bit disappointed after the last 2 stories. Some parts of this book felt like wading through treacle, and the stereotypes of the 'upper class' mummies are just a bit overdone to make the book enjoyable. It may be time for some new plot ideas from this author!
March 18, 2011
To follow this book you have to read the previous books from the series.
I found it hard to get into this book, and feel I didn’t enjoy it as
much as the other books in the series, it was a good book, but for me
there is something missing, I would probably recommend.
I found it hard to get into this book, and feel I didn’t enjoy it as
much as the other books in the series, it was a good book, but for me
there is something missing, I would probably recommend.
February 21, 2016
Leuk om het vervolg op het vorige boek te lezen. Alhoewel het vorige deel meer veranderingen in het verhaal had wat het leuker maakte om die te lezen.
Na even tussendoor wat Nederlandse boeken te hebben gelezen was het tijd om dit Engelse boek uit te lezen. Is wel een verhaal dat vlot weg leest.
Na even tussendoor wat Nederlandse boeken te hebben gelezen was het tijd om dit Engelse boek uit te lezen. Is wel een verhaal dat vlot weg leest.
May 21, 2011
awesome!
December 12, 2011
Have read the first of these books. A good chick lit book.
December 18, 2011
This was an easy read. None of the characters were really annoying; instead, they were believable. I wanted to find out what happened to them so it was an ok book.
January 11, 2013
a good entertaining story
August 14, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read the others in this series, but it didn't seem to hurt. I liked seeing the 3 different perspectives. It was a good summer read.
March 21, 2015
Fun, heartwarming, funny, wonderful read. Light and easy to read. Just what every woman needs. Great book
Want to read
June 18, 2014I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12735476
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12735476
August 16, 2015
didn't like it
may-borrow-again
November 14, 2015Will borrow this again once I've found and read the "Secret Shopper Unwrapped"
June 18, 2016
Sorry it was an okay read. Have read better chick lit books to be honest.
Quite dull in parts not for me really.
Quite dull in parts not for me really.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews