Sophie Kinsella

“Emma, your granddad’s on the line,” says Artemis, putting her hand over the receiver. “Something about the night bus and he’ll never trust you again?”

“Now, do you mind telling me what the fuck is going on?”

“You don't need to change one hair. One freckle. One little toe. And if its me thats made you feel you should do this..then there's something wrong with me. -Luke Brandon”

“That's the trouble with having the whole world love you. One day, you wake up and it's flirting with your best friend instead. And you don't know what to do. You're thrown.”

“There's no luck in business. There's only drive, determination, and more drive.”

“People who want to make a million borrow a million first”

“No human on God's earth is a nobody.”

“I need good coffee!" I say in horror. "It's my only luxury!"I can't live with my parents and drink bad coffee. It's not humanly possible.Becky talking about cutting back with her parents.”

“I'm allergic to family occasions. Sometimes I think we'd do better as dandelion seeds-no family, no history, just floating off into the world, each on our own piece of fluff.”

“But you can't stay with people because of guilt. Or because they can drive a speedboat.”

“The trouble with giving yourself a pep talk is, that deep down you know it's all bullshit.”

“My life has changed, and I'm changing with it.”

“Um… yes,” I say desperately. “I was just wondering… could we possible put it off for a little bit? Just a few minutes.” Hilary’s face freezes. “What?” she says at last. I have a dreadful feeling she’s going to explode. “I feel a bit confused. I need more time to think…” I trail off at Hilary’s expression. She comes toward me and brings her face very close to mine. She’s still smiling, but her eyes are snapping and her nostrils flared and white. I take a step back, quailing, but she grabs my shoulders so hard I can feel her nails digging into my flesh. “Samantha,” she hisses. “You will go out there, you will read your statement, and you will say Carter Spink is the best law firm in the world. And if you don’t – I will kill you.” I think she’s serious.”

“Emma, I'm sorry, I can't help you. This is a disaster. You're completely vulnerable. It's like going into battle in a nightie.”

“If you can't be honest with your friends and colleagues and loved ones, then what is life all about?”

“A real relationship is two-way.”

“Relationships are all about trust and equality. If one person shares, then the other person should share, too.”

“It's a GIRL.It's a little girl, with scrunched-up petal lips and a tuft of dark hair and hands in tiny fits, up by her ears. All that time, that's who was in there. And it's weird, but the minute I saw her I just thought: IT'S YOU. Of course it is.”

“You panicked". Venetia's voice is suddenly throbbing, as though she can't control a long-buried anger. "You panicked, Luke, and we lost the best relationship that we had. Everyone was jealous of us at Cambridge, everyone. We were perfect together."We weren't perfect!" He looks at her incredulously. "And I didn't panic---"You did! You couldn't cope with the commitment! It frightened you!"It did not frighten me!" Luke shouts, exasperated. "It made me realize you weren't the person I wanted to have children with. Or spend the rest of my life with. Ever. And that's why I ended it!”

“In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone.”

“Jennifer Aniston and Her New Man'" I read the words aloud uncertainly. "What new man? Why would she need a new man?""Oh yes." Nicole follows my gaze, unconcerned. "You know she split up from Brad Pitt?""Jennifer and Brad split?" I stare up at her, aghast. "You can't be serious! They can't have done!""He went off with Angelina Jolie. They've got a daughter.""No!" I wail. "But Jen and Brad were so perfect together! They looked so good and they had that lovely wedding picture and everything....""They're divorced now." Nicole shrugs, like it's no big deal.I can't get over this. Jennifer and Brad divorced. The world is a different place.”

“Okay. Now my skin is really prickling. I've read all the Harry Potter books, all five of them. I don't remember any half-blood prince."What's this?" Trying to sound casual, I point at the ad, "What's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?""That's the latest book," Garth the other trainee, says. "It came out ages ago."I can't help gasping. "There's a sixth Harry Potter?""There's a seventh out soon!" Diana steps forward eagerly. "And guess what happens at the end of book six-""Shh!" exclaims Nicole, the other nurse. "Don't tell her!”

“You look... amazing!" And I have to say, I agree. I'm wearing all black - but expensive black. The kind of deep, soft black that you fall into. A simple sleeveless dress from Whistles, the highest of Jimmy Choos, a pair of stunning uncut amethyst earrings. And please don't ask how much it all cost, because that's irrelevant. This is investment shopping. The biggest investment of my life. I haven't eaten anything all day so I'm nice and thin and for once my hair has fallen perfectly into shape. I look... well, I've never looked better in my life.But of course, looks are only part of the package, aren't they?”

“My voice is clotted with unshed tears.”

“All this time, I wasn't hungry for success, I was hungry.”

“For years now I've kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer's crop rotation system. Except, instead of wheat, maize, barley, and fallow, mine pretty much goes clothes, makeup shoes, and clothes (I don't bother with fallow). Shopping is actually very similar to farming a field. You can't keep buying the same thing, you have to have a bit of variety. Otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself.”

“sometimes you don't need a goal in life, you don't need to know the big picture. you just need to know what you're going to do next!”