am raising my hand high! So when I was offered the opportunity to read A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen with #BerkleyBuddyReads I jumped at the chance.

Each chapter is titled with a specific shoe that relates to what happens in the chapter.

This isn’t just a romance, for shoes or the main couple. It is a book about making the best when life throws you a curve ball, finding yourself, and second chances.

I really enjoyed it!

A SHOE STORY is a modern-day, entertaining story by the author of Nine Women, One Dress, Jane L. Rosen. In her latest, Rosen introduces Esme Nash who is about to move to New York City with her boyfriend, Liam Beck, after they both graduate from Dartmouth. Fate intervenes and Esme spends the next seven years in Honeoye Falls (upstate New York) instead. I enjoyed the references to local color (e.g., shopping at Wegmans, paddle boarding on Lake Ontario or Irondequoit Bay), but Esme's story jumps forward and centers primarily around the month she then spends in New York City as a dog walker for Catherine Wallace who has an amazing shoe collection. With chapter titles like "The Baby-Blue Satin Jimmy Choo Slingback Pumps" or "Brand-New White Converse Chuck Taylors," Rosen sets the mood and moves the story along. Supporting characters, especially Sy Katz, a fellow dog walker and World War II veteran, are wonderful caricatures who add warmth and adventure. Despite its romantic, "fluffy" nature, A SHOE STORY raises questions about how to recognize and become the person each of us was meant to be: "You don't necessarily have to stick to the life plan you started out with. Look at cauliflower... for centuries it was just a vegetable. Now it's rice, pretzels, even pizza. If cauliflower can be pizza, you could be just about anything."

A Shoe Story by Jane Rosen is another book I was drawn to initially because of its adorable and whimsical cover. I loved the shoes scattered across the page and as someone who loves stories set in New York City, just seeing the NYC skyline on the cover was enough to further entice me. I dove in and was immediately captivated by this beautiful story of second chances.

The story centers on Esme Nash, a young woman who dreamed of moving to New York as soon as she graduated from college and securing a job at a prestigious art gallery. Esme’s boyfriend Liam also shares her dream of moving to New York and so they make plans together, until tragedy strikes. Esme’s parents are involved in a car accident that kills her mother and leaves her father paralyzed. Esme knows she has to stay and take care of her dad but she doesn’t want to hold Liam back from his dreams, so she breaks up with him so that he will go on to New York without her. Seven years later, Esme’s dad dies and Esme decides it’s time to get her life back and so, after securing temporary employment as a live-in dog sitter, she heads to New York.

Esme had my heart right away, just seeing how much she was willing to sacrifice to take care of her father. I also loved the resilience she displays when she decides to head to New York to try to get her life back on track. She hopes to cross paths with Liam to see if there are still sparks between them, but she is also very focused on reentering the art world and securing her dream job. I really admired her sense of determination and was immediately hoping she would get all the second chances she was hoping for.

What Esme finds along the way though is what really made this such a special read for me. The first thing she discovers is that the dog owner she is sitting for has an enormous closet filled to the brim with designer shoes that just happen to be in Esme’s size. Esme, a shoe fiend herself, is entranced by this and decides to borrow a new pair of them every day to give her a much needed boost of confidence as she heads out into the city to reclaim her dreams and hopefully find her lost love. Esme’s journey ends up being a special one filled with new friends, new experiences, and she discovers sides to her personality that she never really knew existed. I really enjoyed watching her grow and embrace the second chances she has been given.

While most of the story focuses on Esme’s journey to find those second chances, what really struck me as I was reading was that every new friend she meets is also looking for a second chance of sorts. I enjoyed Esme’s interactions with each of these characters as they helped each other find their way.

A Shoe Story tackles some tough topics like alcoholism, loss and grief, but overall it’s just such a smart and delightful read about finding oneself. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more of Jane Rosen’s novels.

“She knew he and the head of the museum had sent along stellar references, but she couldn’t help but feel that her roommate’s killer pair of Balenciaga boots was the actual reason that she had aced the interview. Her confidence had sprung from her feet.” 👠

Esme Nash has her life planned out. She is about to graduate from college and has just scored her dream job at a gallery in NYC, where she and her perfect boyfriend Liam are going to move. But then tragedy strikes and Esme’s life is halted when she has to give up all of her dreams to care for her severely injured father. 👠

To start, every chapter title is a unique pair of shoes (Ex. One-The Red Bottomed Shoes. Fifteen-The Fishnet Louboutins with Iridescent Jewels and One-Hundred-Millimeter Heels). If you have ever loved shoes and, I mean, who hasn’t, then you will adore this fun little addition. And ode to shoes if you will. How very Carrie Bradshaw. 👠

This was a super cute romance parallel to another romance that will have you falling head over (high) heels in love with these characters. Two simultaneous stories about lost love and finding yourself and those difficult decisions the lead us to where we end up. There are also some heavier aspects like alcoholism and PTSD from war, but overall this is a lighthearted story about love. And shoes. And dogs. A perfect combo! 👠

“A pair of SJP Tuscan-leather pumps inscribed with the words Hello and Lover on the toe box of each. If you know, you know; if you don’t, you may not be worthy of entering the closet.” IYKYK indeed. ❤️👠

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 * for A Shoe Story by @janelrosen
Massive thanks to @janelrosen, @netgalley,
@berkleypub, & @letstalkbookspromo for allowing
me to read A Shoe Story.
Shoe lover extraordinaire, Esme Nash was on the
brink of starting her adult life in her new Louboutins
when tragedy struck. Seven years later, she is on the
cusp of starting all over again, but not sure where to
begin. She takes a job dog sitting for the month of
August in New York City & happens to move near the
place in her white converse sneakers where she was
supposed to wind up 7 years earlier with her now ex.
She befriends a kindly old man, a bar tender, & the
woman that she is dog sitting for. She also runs into
her ex & contemplates reigniting those old flames,
but his current gf is standing there. Can she move
past the past & see a new future for herself? Or will
Esme be always looking over her shoulder?
This was a sweet read. I liked watching Esme grow,
with the help of her new friends, & seeing how she
now sees herself. The premise of the shoes was a
fun secondary storyline. I loved how the titles of the
chapters reflected the shoe choices. Esme was a
great character & I loved all the secondary
characters. For a while, I wasn't even sure Who I was
rooting for her to wind up with, the old flame or the
new one. This was a fun read that I would
recommend.

Wonderful story. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a cute story about a woman who gets the chance to wear some fabulous shoes. It is that, and so much more. I do wish that novels would have photo sections so we the reader could have seen all of the wonderful shoes. I am not a huge shoe person myself, but I was jealous that the heroine got to wear such cool shoes. But I loved that it was a story about surviving and overcoming a dysfunctional childhood that you didn't even realize was dysfunctional. I think that the story gives a lot of hope to people from dysfunctional homes. You don't need great shoes, you need friends.

A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen is so much more than just a shoe story! Don’t get me wrong though, I’m a shoe lover and the shoes were fabulous!

Esme couldn’t wait to leave her small town and move to New York City with her boyfriend, but all of her plans changed after a tragic accident. Esme gave up her dream job at a NYC art gallery to stay home and care for her ailing father. After her father passes away 7 years later, Esme takes a dog-sitting job in Greenwich Village and discovers her employer has an extensive designer shoe collection and just happens to be the same shoe size as Esme. Will Esme finally get the chance to live the life she always envisioned for herself?

I wasn’t expecting this to be such an emotional story! There were obviously detailed descriptions of envy inducing shoes woven throughout the book, but the shoes were a small part of Esme’s journey. Esme was instantly likable and relatable, and my heart went out to her. She was supposed to pursue her dreams but instead suffered a horrible loss and gave up the life she wanted to take care of her father. After he passed, she had to start all over again, this time on her own. While it was a difficult journey for Esme to take, it made me think that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. I also really loved the friendships Esme formed with Sy and Zach, though I was partial to Sy and his wisdom. This was a beautiful and hopeful novel about loss, grief, regret, self-discovery, and moving on!

I must say I really loved this story. I really liked Esme relationships with Zach and Sy and their banter.
This story focused on Esme reconnecting and finding out who she is now. Long lost love, overcoming your past, and coming to terms with life made this a wonderful story to read. Esme was a well developed character and the side characters were awesome too.
Highly recommend this one! It is a nice little romcom with a little heavy at the start. Trust me, it adds to the amazing story and helps us understand who Esme is and why.

Big thanks to @berittalksbooks @berkleypub and @netgalley for the #gifted copy for review.

I REALLY enjoyed this story about Esme, a young college grad who dreams of living in NYC with her boyfriend Liam, only to have her life turned upside down when her parents are in a terrible car crash. Leaving everything behind to care for her quadriplegic and mute father, it's not until he dies seven years later that Esme gets a second chance to follow her dreams.

When she finds a month-long dog-sitting job in the city, Esme rekindles her love of New York while also reconnecting with her ex. The mental health rep in this book was excellent! Esme suffers from depression after working as a caregiver for her father and watching everyone else around her living their lives. She has to figure out what will make her happy and also digs into the past, learning some disturbing things about her parent's relationship.

Full of heart and perfect for fans of Sex and the city. The story is full of pretty shoes and big-hearted secondary characters who help Esme find her own path to happiness. A new to me author, I can't wait to read more by Jane L. Rosen. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital review copy!

CW: alcoholism, car crash, death of a parent(s), depression

Her life took a left turn after college, but seven years later, she is back in NYC and has a month to take back the life she wanted. She is Esme Nash, and author Jane Rosen has written her story in a very charming way. Even if you’re like me and expensive designer shoes are not your jam, you can still appreciate that chapters are titled after shoes as you delve deeper into the story.

A dog named Elvis and a dog-sitting gig brings Esme back to New York. It’s not the life she imagined for herself, but it is an easy get away for a month. The phrase “clothes make the man” must apply to Esme and shoes. Donning the shoes left in Elvis’ owner’s apartment, Esme begins her journey to take back her life very stylishly.

The city exploration, light romance and Esme blossoming are great, but my favorite part of A Shoe Story was Esme’s friendship with Sy, a retired fish monger, and the subplot of the elderly gentleman’s love story. Their friendship adds significantly to the storyline.

A Shoe Story is a lovely story about friendship, regret, and second chances. I enjoyed Esme’s objectivity and openness through her journey to self-discovery and as she discovers the next path in her life.

Are you looking for that fun summer read - this is it! Esme Nash heads to NYC to dog sit, but it is the city that alluded her years ago when family took priority. She has three weeks to live in the city and decide what is next for her life while holding on to a special pair of shoes that her mother gave her at her college graduation.

First, let me say that I LOVED how each chapter started with a pair of shoes and looking up the shoes and thinking about where the story may go with Esme in these shoes made my read so much more fun. Esme has access to some fantastic shoes and she loves picking the right ones for the right occasion. With a little bit of a love triangle, Esme has a new guy that came into her life while she is also reconnecting with a guy from the past - I loved this. I also loved the other people that came into her life through her adventures in New York City, just a fun book.

As this is a fiction book, there were a few times I had to stop myself from an eye roll as the character made some decisions or things happened that seemed beyond reality! BUT that is why we read fiction!!

With two books in her backlist, both sound so good and after loving this one, I want to pick them up quickly!

Jane Rosen is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! When loss shakes Esme's world just as she's about to move to NYC post college graduation and begin her life she doesn't expect that life will stop for seven years but it does and she retreats to her childhood home to help her family. Seven years later she finds herself in NYC trying to reinvent herself. Having landed a job as a dog sitter for a woman with a dream shoe collection, Esme has a month to reinvent herself and the life she's always dreamed of. What could possibly go wrong?!

A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen is a light, fun read. I related so much to Esme that I immediately fell in love with this book. Esme is relatable and a sympathetic character. I enjoyed seeing her thought process when it came to the major decisions that she had to make. Thank you to @berkleypub for having me on their Berkley Bestie team!

Oh I loved this one! Despite the sad start and heavy theme of Esme dealing with the loss of her mother, caring for her father, and then his death, this was so uplifting. Esme goes to NYC for a month to dog sit a dog named Elvis. She has given up her life for the last 7 years to care for her father and is slowly starting to find herself. She makes two amazing friends, a bartender named Zack and an older man named Cy. I loved both of these friendships and how they developed. Esme is also hoping to run into her old college boyfriend, Liam, who she hasn’t seen since she broke up with him after her parents’ accident. I could feel the sparks with Zack from the beginning, but particularly loved her friendship with Cy. This bad so much depth too it but it also made me laugh and smile. I ended up purchasing the audiobook as well and did a mix of audiobook and ebook. The narrator’s performance was one of my favorite parts. Thank you Berkeley and Let’stalkbookspromo for my gifted copy. This is one that will stay with me for awhile!

Go ahead and make room in your beach bag now. You’re going to want to add this one to your summer reading list!

This book opens with heartbreaking circumstances. While I wasn’t prepared for the sadness, it’s definitely an important part of the storyline so we can see Esme’s growth. After putting her life on hold, this is her second chance. Ready to return to the city, she’s going to attempt to reclaim the life she left behind and she’s going to do it in fabulous shoes.

Some of my favorite parts: each chapter opens with the name of a specific designer shoe. You better believe I googled each one so I could have that beautiful 😍 image in mind as I read. My absolute favorite: the character Sy. He absolutely stole the show and I can’t wait for you to meet him.

Sometimes in life, our path changes from where we thought it was supposed to go to how it really ends up. I totally empathize with Esme in this regard, even if my divergence from the expected path wasn't due to loss, but to the break up of a marriage. It shows us stuck in our ways we can get, how also how resilient we are as people to (want) and make a change.

I found it entirely entertaining that each chapter was inspired by a set of shoes and how something so small, can make a huge difference in our attitudes, our confidence, and how those around us view as well (but that's not the most important)

The book tackled some hard topics but in a more gentle way. Alcoholism has many sides, faces, and can be presented in a multitude of ways. I felt that this story handled it all well, and provided hope within the grief.

Well, as a shoe lover, A Shoe Story by @janelrosen was truly a delight to read. It is the story of Esme, a woman suffering the tragic loss of her parents, who takes a temporary dog sitting gig in Manhattan to try and get back on her feet and move forward. And there is a closet full of fancy shoes in the apartment, with different pairs of shoes having a little side story in each chapter.

Oh my heart. This book starts with a gut wrenching bang but don’t let that fool you. It is a heartwarming, funny, soul-searching and emotional journey as Esme starts to find herself, rebuild her life, let herself connect with people and find peace and love in her life. All the feels. I loved every minute of it.

On the day Esme's life should have started, her college graduation, her plans were ripped from her.

Her new trajectory is to be a caretaker to her father as her family was in a horrific accident.

Seven years later she has an opportunity to make a move to NYC and start her life plan again.

She takes on her new path, one pair of borrowed shoes at a time!

This book is full of heartache, redemption, and second chances, and SHOES!

Thank you @berkleypub @netgalley @letstalkbookspromo for allowing me an opportunity to read this one and buddy read with the best of the best!

I really enjoyed this one! There was so much involved…a timeless love story (involving a sweet little old man and his lost love), addiction, alcoholism, new beginnings, “which one will she choose”, and so much more. I felt that once I got into the second half, things really started to unpack even more and I got so into it!

Esme is leaving her real life behind to dog sit for a stranger in NYC for a month. She not only runs into her ex that she never really got over, but she meets a new guy too. I actually did not know which one she would choose for the longest time, and I found that so refreshing! Most romcoms follow a very clear formula and you automatically know who the love interest will be. I loved not knowing.

There is quite a lot about shoes (duh Janine, look at the cover…and the title…) and I know nothing about shoes, so all of that went right over my head. But it wasn’t annoying or too much or anything like that. If you’re a shoe lover, it’ll just make you appreciate it more!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for my gifted copy! This review is posted on my Goodreads and my Bookstagram account (@janinesbookcorner).

An emotional and wonderful read! Esme Nash puts her entire life on hold when her parents are in a car accident on the day of her college graduation. She had plans to move to the city with her boyfriend and start a career in an art gallery like she always dreamed of, but instead she finds herself starting over seven years later after a long journey of caring for her father.

On impulse, Esme decides to take a month long dog-sitting job in the city which leads to reminiscing about the life she could have had and the start of many unlikely friendships. The place she is staying at has a drool-worthy collection of designer shoes that Esme borrows as she tries new things and finds confidence in herself along the way. This was such a great story about friendship, finding yourself and not giving up on your dreams because it’s never too late to try.

I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.