I loved the premise of the book, with all the tragedies happening to both her mother and her father. It was pretty clever to connect the shoes with her life, but overall book felt choppy.

A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen is a perfect fit for readers who adore uplifting, lighthearted stories about women's empowerment, second chances, and romance, and are looking for a heartwarming tale of self-discovery and new beginnings.

This book has it all. Humor, charm, love stories for the ages and a depth I was not expecting. Esme is given an impromptu opportunity to step outside of the life and grief she’s been living after the death of her father. Esme finds herself apartment and dog sitting for Catherine who is off in rehab, and it must be for this fabulous shoe addiction!!! While each pair tells a story, each experience Esme has in NY just helps her discover herself and her story. This book is written with so much compassion and heart that I couldn’t put it down.

I really like the journey of the main character in this book which felt almost as important as the romance. She found who she was and while doing that she also found love it’s a good book.

"A Shoe Story" by Jane L. Rosen is a pleasant and lighthearted read that revolves around the world of shoes and the connections they form among people. The novel introduces us to two protagonists, Phil and Meghan, who are intertwined through their shared love for footwear.

The story unfolds with a unique premise, and the author's passion for shoes is evident throughout the narrative. The characters are charming, and their journeys are fascinating to follow. Exploring the vintage shoe store and its impact on the community adds a delightful touch to the plot.

While the book has enjoyable moments and quirky charm, it sometimes falls into predictable patterns. The pacing may feel slow, and certain elements need more depth to engage me fully. Additionally, the romantic subplot, while sweet, could have been developed more to add emotional depth to the story.

Despite these aspects, "A Shoe Story" delivers a feel-good experience, especially for those who appreciate a cozy story centred around unique themes. It's a light read that breaks from heavier narratives, making it suitable for those looking for a relaxing and whimsical literary escape.

I really liked how unique this was and thought immediately that readers of Jojo Moyes and Linda Holmes would enjoy this journey of self discovery and the little ways threads of our life are sewn into our experience at the right moment. This would make a wonderful movie.

Sending my apologies for not being able to provide a review. I am unable to offer a review for this book - I had sent it to my kindle to read and the file did not download properly. Unfortunately the book has been archived and I'm unable to re-send it.

I loved this one! From Cinderella to Sex and the City, what girl doesn’t love a story that centers around great shoes? Esme Nash is one of the best characters I’ve met lately! She has her life all planned out but then tragedy strikes. Her sense of obligation takes her on a detour. Seven years later, she tries to pick up where she left off in NYC when a dog sitting job gives her access to all of her long-buried hopes and dreams—as well as to an epic collection of designer shoes. Esme is ready to step right into the life she thinks is rightfully hers. But the job, the ex, the whole thing doesn’t feel like she thought it would. There’s a new guy now, different friends and she finds that she is different too. I loved having a front row seat to Esme figuring it all out.

This book has everything I love - shoes, NYC and fabulous Jewish rep! It's a beautiful look at finding oneself and unlikely friendships that will tug at your heart and make you laugh. This is my first book by Jane L. Rosen and I can't wait to read her backlist.

Thanks to Berkely and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I loved the synopsis, but I just couldn't get into the story.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of A Shoe Story by Jane L Rosen. {partner} 👠

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 6.8.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

“Every pair of shoes tells a story.”

I most definitely binged this book in 5 hours and 45 minutes! I chose to listen to the audio as I had a lot of things I needed to accomplish, but A Shoe Story gave me just the motivation needed to get it all done (and then some)!

I truly felt like I was listening to a friend tell me her story. I loved Esme, Sy, and Zach. They were all such lovable characters, and I enjoyed getting to know them on a different level. Sy added such a unique aspect to the story - it almost gave it a historical fiction vibe as he recounted his time during the war to Esme.

This story may have centered around the potential for a second chance with the previous love of Esme's life, but it also gave me a front-row seat to watching her friendship with Zach bloom into something more.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a tried and true friends to lovers story, but this was it for me. The purity of their appreciation for one another radiated off the pages.

But, the undertone of the book was undoubtedly Esme taking back control over her life after years of giving everything up for her family. The ending of A Shoe Story was precisely what I wanted for Esme.

🗽NYC setting
🫶🏼 Second Chance with Friends to Lovers
❤️ Sy
💯 Audiobook
🥰 Feel good story

I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the author, Jane L Rosen, for sending me an autographed (and personalized) copy of A Shoe Story along with some incredible treats from NYC. 😘

This sweet book is about second chances and found family and I think it will resonate with a lot of people. Just when she is graduating from college, Esme gets a call that her parents have been in a car accident. Her mother dies and her father is seriously injured, so she puts her life on hold for 7 years in order to care for him. But now, Esme is finally going to NYC, the place her college boyfriend and she were going to move to all those years ago.

Esme gets a month-long dog-sitting gig in Greenwich Village and the woman who hired her is shoe crazy. So is Esme, who goes about wearing some of the very pricey shoes as she discovers the city she always wanted to be a part of.

Esme meets people in the neighborhood, including 90-year-old-plus Sy from the dog park, and she starts to rethink her dreams and choices. The characters were well thought out and had depth. I liked seeing things through Esme's eyes. And I loved that she got a second chance at happiness.

I liked the cute chapter names - each one is a shoe and sets the tone for the chapter. Gotta say, though, I'm not crazy about the title of the book. If I hadn't read other books by this author and read the synopsis of this book, I wouldn't have picked it up.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed the MC development and growth in the story, with the backdrop of NYC. Yes, please!

This was a really fun read! Not necessarily a first purchase, it's a little clumsy to get into. A solid purchase if requested

A Shoe Story - Jane L. Rosen
A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen introduces us to Esme Nash. Esme is excited to be graduating college, a new job at an art gallery, and living with her boyfriend in New York City. A tragedy occurs which throws all of that out the window. Fast forward to seven years later and Esme finds herself as a dog sitter in New York City for a woman who has an amazing designer shoe collection that just so happens to be the size Esme wears. Every day, Esme tries on a different pair of shoes, which guides her into rediscovering herself and what she wants out of life—a story of self-discovery. I love shoes, but not designer (more sneaker/hiking book/flip-flop kinda girl) but this story was still pretty good, and I found myself routing for Esme big time.

After reading Eliza Starts a Rumor, I was so excited to read this. It did not let me down. I am always cheering for the underdog and loved how Esme takes advantage of a second chance. The shoe collection had me ready to get shopping. Esme was relatable and had a lot to work through. I can't wait for Jane L. Rosen's next book.

This will be a wonderful summer read, definitely can see this being something I would enjoy while laying in the sun. As a shoe lover, I was intrigued by the premise of this story, and I really did enjoy it. The execution could have been a bit more, it's all tell and no show, and I felt like there could be a little more delving into the decisions our MC makes along the way. All in all, I really did enjoy this story and can see myself recommending to my fashion and shoe loving friends - they should get a kick out of this. 3.5 rounded up.

This book is a delight! It is light and fun, but also serious and handles heavy topics well. The writing is great and the story is fresh!

Esme Nash just spent the last seven years taking care of her father who became an invalid after a car accident that took her mother’s life. She gave up a job at an art gallery and a serious relationship to care for her dead. Now, she is headed to NYC to a dog sitting job where she figures out her next move.

Just before Esme’s graduation, her mom sent her a new pair of Louboutins. But they are still in the box untouched. She ends up dog sitting at the home of a woman who has a closet full of designer shoes and she’s allowed to use them. Each chapter starts with a new designer shoe.

This story is truly a work of romantic art!!!!!!!!!! I fell right into Esme's story of her journey of re-finding herself and it is a beautiful one.

So I loved the fake dating troupe moments between Esme and Zach. I absolutely LOVED Sy. He was definitely the best part of the novel as a grandfather figure who had the best advice ever.

I felt like the shoes were a disjointed connection that didn’t vibe with the rest of the story and Esme’s obsession with her ex, even though he just kept being ICKY. Just didn’t quite work for me. I wish he would have faded into the back and Zach would have had more of a prominent stage rather than just “the fake boyfriend to win back the old boyfriend from 7 years ago”.

Sy was such an integral part of about 70% of the novel, then he just disappeared- it was quite disjointed and I missed him so much!

I actually would like to read ANOTHER novel with more insight into Zach and Esme. Now THAT would have been great- of course with a LOT of Sy in the midst.