The literary world is saying goodbye to a beloved figure.
Sophie Kinsella—the pen name for author Madeleine Sophie Wickham, known for her Shopaholics series—died following a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer, her family confirmed on her social media accounts. She was 55.
“She died peacefully,” the Dec. 10 note read, “with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”
Her loved ones continued, “We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life. Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed - to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career.”
Sophie, her family noted, took nothing for granted and was immensely grateful for the love she received throughout her career.
“She will be missed so much,” the message concluded. “Our hearts are breaking.”
Sophie’s passing comes just over a year and a half after she shared her glioblastoma diagnosis with fans in April 2024, noting at the time she’d “been waiting for the strength to do so,” having been diagnosed in late 2022.
Sophie added that, in part, she’d wanted to give her and husband Henry Wickham’s five kids time to “process the news in privacy and adapt” to their “new normal.”
The writer—whose penultimate novel The Burnout had been published months earlier—also thanked her village.
"I am so grateful to my family and close friends who have been an incredible support to me, and to the wonderful doctors and nurses who have treated me," she added. "I am also so grateful to my readers for your constant support. The wonderful response to The Burnout has really buoyed me up, during a difficult time."
Throughout her career, Sophie had published over 30 novels—mostly under the pseudonym Sophie Kinsella, as well as a number under her birth name Madeleine Wickham—which had reached 60 countries and been translated into more than 40 languages.
Her original Shopaholic series even found its way onto the big screen with 2009’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.
And as of July 2025, her books had sold over 50 million copies—an accomplishment Sophie celebrated with balloons, a message of gratitude to her fans and publishing teams plus a reflection on how far she’d come.
“This career of mine has been a crazy rollercoaster,” she captioned her July 24 Instagram post, “and I am full of love for everyone who has been, and continues to be, a part of it with me.”
She continued, “How incredible to discover 50 million of my books are out there in the world… Wow. Thank you. XX.”