I enjoyed this one! I thought it was cute and I liked that it handled some heavier topics in a lighter way, so the book wasn't overly heavy or draining. I did feel it was a little unevenly paced - the first half was a bit slow and I found myself skimming parts of it to just keep the plot moving, but the last 25% or so was excellent. As much as I love high end products (I'm more of a bag person myself over shoes though) I found that the shoe talk was a bit too much. I would lose interest in the descriptions and just skim those sections as well, especially in the first half of the book when I felt like it dragged on a bit too much.

I loved Sy's character and his relationship with Esme, as well as his backstory with Lena. I loved the growth in Esme as she figured out that perhaps changing her idea of what her life should look like would suit her best. Overall I enjoyed this one - 3.5 rounded up to 4!

Another good story from Rosen. Loved the relating each chapter to a pair of shoes (would love to have just one day in that shoe closet). I enjoyed Esme’s journey to find her new path after having to give up her dreams to take care of her father for so long. Sy was such a great character and I enjoyed his love story. A good book club discussion title - would you make the same choices Esme did.

I really liked the premise of this book but somehow the book still fell a little short for me. Right before Esme is set to graduate from college and start the life she’s dreamed about in New York City she gets a call that her parents have been in a car crash. She is devastated to learn her mother has died and her father is paralyzed. She places her life on hold to care for her father until he passes away years later. She takes a job as a dog sitter in New York City and tries o figure out where she is going and what she plans on doing next. The story is told of chapters paired with a shoes as Esme is super into high priced shoes. The story was sweet and pretty cute.

I have been on a Five Star roll and I’m loving it!
I adored this friends to lovers story. It’s good, it’s sad, it’s got the feels. The author takes you along Esme’s journey of a devastating loss that changed her plans and the course of her life. When she finally, after a few years gets a job in NYC. During this time she has a closet full of shoes at her disposal and lots to figure out about who she is and what she wants, making lovely friendships on the way to becoming her.
This book snuck up on me, I had no clue I’d love it this much!

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7088023113476246830?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

My first novel from Jane L. Rosen was a delightful fast-paced and smart read.

Esme Nash is forced to put her exciting future in New York City on hold when her parents are in a tragic car crash. After her mother’s death, she must return home to care for her ailing father. Seven years later, she is able to pursue her initial dream when offered a month-long dog sitting job in Manhattan. Much to her delight, the apartment includes a closet full of amazing shoes and the owner gives her permission to “dive into the stash”. Trying to find herself again, Esme makes new friends and reconnects with her old boyfriend all while wearing one pair of fabulous shoes at a time.

I loved the New York City setting and the fun use of different designer shoes to reflect the events in each chapter. This romance has added depth with the relationships between Esme and her new older friend, Sy. Her own journey to rediscover herself is told with honesty and realism. The result is a captivating tale that’s hard to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for ARC in return for an honest review.

A Shoe Story by Jane Rosen

Oh I’m so torn here! I love shoes, so I enjoyed the aspect of the MC, Esme, wearing fabulous shoes for all of the different occasions/events in her life. I also loved the setting of Manhattan and a New York lifestyle. I’ve never been, but want to visit badly! Lastly, I loved the crap out of Sy and his love story 🥰 Best part of the book in my opinion.

What I didn’t like…Esme is obviously going through the process of trying to find herself again after putting her life on hold and being the caretaker of her father for seven years, and her mother’s passing, which was a very important topic to focus on. However, Esme went about this by flip-flopping between trying to win over a married man she just met, and her ex-boyfriend she dropped when she went to take care of her father, who is in a committed relationship now. WHY? That made me dislike her so much even though she had other redeeming qualities. Watching her REPEATEDLY, and I mean within the span of five minutes sometimes, deciding she was going to go for one over the other for different reasons…those typically being that they were already taken. Good reason, Esme…but then you immediately change your mind!! I hated that aspect of the book so much.

Overall, I would say read this for the other attributes of this book, but don’t if you dislike cheating tropes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Elin Hilderbrand for the rec (she never misses!) and NetGalley for the advance e-copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick but smart read. I was thoroughly invested in Esme's story and the cast of characters was delightful. Will definitely recommend widely.

A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen was a really cute read!

This book follows Esme as she starts a new chapter in her life and goes off on her own following the death of her father. Ready for a new perspective, Esme takes a job dog sitting for a shoe-aholic in New York City to get a glimpse of the life she was supposed to have fresh out of college (while also wearing some pretty amazing shoes).

Esme does have a couple of love interests in this book, Liam, her college boyfriend who had a new, wealthy girlfriend and Zach, married bartender who steps in to be her fake boyfriend.

I have to say I’m a sucker for second-chance romance, so I was a little disappointed when the story didn’t go that route, but given the characters, I was with satisfied with how things turned out.

Esme also does befriend an older gentleman named Sy, who has his own second chance love story, so I was appreciative of that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and admired Esme’s personal growth and opportunity to find herself and embrace her new dreams.

shockingly, I did not connect with the main character and I had high expectations after the author's last book.

I loved it, and bought another book by this author five minutes after finishing.

The structure of the story, around the different shoes, the way the back story is revealed, were all very well executed. The characters were engaging - especially Sy - and I felt as if I had visited New York myself.

A very satisfying read, well contructed and difficult to put down.

This is a keeper! The layers of the story are well organized. I loved reading about the different pasts and choices that the characters revealed. Felt like I didn't want it to end. Thanks for letting me read it! Will definitely recommend!

I enjoyed both Nine Women, One Dress and Eliza Starts a Rumor so was very excited to read A Shoe Story! Jane Rosen has been added to my must read list now after 3 wonderful books!

A few days before she graduates from college Esme is ready to take on the world. She is moving to NYC with her boyfriend and dream job at an art gallery. Until tragedy strikes and her mom is killed in a car accident and her dad is paralyzed. She moves back home to take care of her father for 7 years until he passes away. While she questions what to do with her life, she decides to dog sit in NYC for a month hoping that her dreams still fit. Will her month in NYC lead her on a path to her old dreams or will she surprise herself?

I'm not the biggest shoe person but I loved that each chapter was around a pair of shoes. I loved Sy and his dog Elvis. He was my favorite character in the book! While this can be a little heavier of a book at times I really enjoyed seeing Esme grow and the scenes with her ex-boyfriend were funny!

If you haven't read this yet add it to your TBR. It's out now and is perfect for any shoe lover!

I have never read from Jane L Rosen before so I was a bit curious when I started reading A Shoe Story. Just from reading the book summary, this book has the potential of being a good read.

I was in good spirits when I started reading A Show Story. But the longer I read this book, the more I got a bit bored with it. I’m not trying to be negative about it. It just felt too long for my taste in women's fiction reads. There are some parts of the book that just dragged on more than it should be. Just saying.

But if you like reading about slow paced women's fiction books set in New York City settings, then you should give it a try. You will get to read about Esme finding herself again after leaving her hometown for a short time. There are a lot of things that have changed in Esme's life. She may not have known it yet, but she soon will when she returns to NYC.

Esme returns to NYC, after being derailed from her post-college plans by an unthinkable tragedy. She's hoping to reclaim the life she lost, including a position in the art world and her lost college love. First, however, she has to work up courage to confront her past and the extensive designer shoe collection, courtesy of the woman she's dog sitting for during her stay, is hopefully going to give her the boost of confidence she needs to find a new future. Will she be able to finally experience the life she lost or will she find a new life entirely unexpected?

Jane Rosen writes characters with great insight and heart and has a way of subtlely crafting the perfect elements of a romance. A Shoe Story is a modern twist on a Cinderella tale that still manages to be wholly original, fresh, and fun.

Readers who love a great romance and eager to embrace a modern fairytale should definitely take note!

Esme Nash wants to move away from her small town. It took me awhile to like Esme, but she grew on me. This is a character driven story.

This one is for the Carrie Bradshaw in all of us, the ones who look for the perfect shoe to fit in every circumstance. For Esme, the perfect shoe is a Louboutin Pigalles, a gift from her mother on her graduation day before life takes an unexpected turn, and Esme's life changes forever. Fast forward to seven years later when Esme has to decide whether to try to recreate her past dreams or does try to create a new life for herself? She takes a job as a dog-sitter for a month in the city of her dreams, NYC giving herself time to decide what the future holds. Meanwhile, she meets some interesting people in her quest to become a real New Yorker, some of whom may see a future with her too....

This is a lovely story about a woman, Esme, who gave up 7 years of her life taking care of her invalid father, and finally decides to take steps to get her life back and find herself. It’s also a series of very different love stories that all made me smile.
Esme had her future planned out in NYC, down to the designer shoes she’d be wearing for different occasions and how her life with her longtime boyfriend, Liam, would look. She gets a call that her parents were in an accident, and has to take care of her father after her mother dies in the accident.

After her father’s death, 7 years later, she goes back to NYC for a month as a dog sitter. She meets Sy Katz (Katz’ Deli) at the dog park, and he gives her grandfatherly advice. She also meets a cute guy named Zach, who takes her around NYC. He’s married but his wife is in Cuba, and he rarely talks about her. When she finally sees her ex, Liam, he’s grown up since his college days. Their old attraction comes right back, but he’s got a girlfriend who’s his boss’ daughter.
Esme discovers parts of herself she’d forgotten. Will she end up back in the city, and will there be a guy to greet her?
This was an excellent read, 4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

A book that talks about shoes, Klimt and New York City, three of my favorite things, what is there not to like? I binged read this book in one sitting, loved the way the author used different brands of shoes to introduced each chapter and tied the subject and plot of each one.

The story flowed seamlessly and used NYC as not only the background of the story but as one of the main characters in it.

And oh, forgot to mentioned food, and specifically what one can referred as "jewish food" such as herring, which also takes center stage in the story.

This isn't one rom-com book but a story that brings front and center the importance of second chances in life and in love.

I truly enjoyed reading this book.

I binge read this in one sitting and haven’t stopped thinking about it!

A SHOE STORY follows Esme Nash as she navigates the life she thought she was supposed to have after graduating and living in NYC, versus the life she ends up having, when she makes the decision to give up her dream of working in a New York City art gallery after her Mom dies in a tragic car accident that her parents are involved in.

Years later, Esme takes a job working as a dog sitter in NYC, and the owner just so happens to have a shoe obsession.

I connected with Esme right away and loved that each chapter featured a different shoe that connects to Esme’s life, whether past or present. I loved how open and vulnerable she was, and the theme of friendship and found family woven throughout.

It left me with all the feels when I finished reading, and I loved it so much.

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review