Sophie Kinsella showed that ‘light’ fiction can speak to women’s real lives |
The bestselling British author Sophie Kinsella “peacefully” died two days before her 56th birthday on December 10, 2025. Across more than 30 books published between 1995 and 2024, Kinsella became one of the most commercially successful writers of popular women’s fiction. Her novels were the books readers packed for holidays, lent to friends and read on commutes – stories that created a sense of connection through shared experience.
Born Madeleine Wickham, she was one of Britain’s most successful novelist. She has sold more than 50 million books in more than sixty countries. Since her death, fellow contemporary writers Jennifer Weiner and Jenny Colgan, have shared tributes celebrating her impact.
Her death comes only three months after that of Jilly Cooper, described as the queen of the bonkbuster – popular novels featuring explicit sexual encounters and wild storylines. If Cooper defined the sexy, sensational bestsellers of the late 20th century, Kinsella did the same for the early 21st-century romantic comedy novel.
Although she preferred to describe her work as romantic comedies, she is frequently situated within chick lit: satirical, confessional stories about women by women.
Controversy surrounds the term “chick lit” which has often been used pejoratively,........