This book is told from the points of view of two best friends as they go through life from decade to decade. The chapters are short, and often left me wishing for more depth before abruptly moving on. One of the characters is way more likeable than the other.

Ugh, where do I even start?

So, this book had some nice inspiring quotes. Those were great. Then there were the abhorrent things that were randomly sprinkled throughout this book that I did not want to see, hear or think at all. Seriously, the characters had no filter or shame whatsover!

And after awhile, I really couldn't stand how the elderly were referred to as old this that and the other by one character. In her desire to never age, she often brutally disrespected those who you should learn the most from.

No one is perfect, but I'd far rather learn from the mistakes of others than to stumble through them myself if it can be avoided.

The cover was quite pretty, but sad to say, I can't recommend this book due to the sexual content it contained. Just saying, I don't do smut in the books I read.

I recieved a complimentary e-book from the publisher and author theough Netgalley as part of a launch team. I was not required to write a positive review and the thoughts and beliefs above are my own.

What a funny read as we walk through the years of friendship between two ladies. Some of us can relate to those stages of life that are mentioned in the book. The women's personalities are so polar opposite, yet they bring out the best of each other.

Love this debut book and the humor brought through its pages as we all deal with aging - might as well have a giggle or two.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book with no expectation in return. The thoughts and comments above are my own and I voluntarily gave them.

I requested to read “Not Your Shoe Size” because both the title and premise were intriguing. I recently lost my closest friend whom I thought I’d grow old with so I was anxious to read a story about friendship.

Julia and Colette met when they were young girls. Yet, the story takes them through their adulthood, into middle age, and finally, their senior years. Because the book takes them through such a large span of time, I felt as if the reader was yanked through certain moments versus giving us the chance to enjoy who these characters were. I also felt the writer focused too much on hitting high points without giving the reader a chance to savor the friendship. Overall, I found this to be a good, but not great, story.

Three stars.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to the publisher and the author.

This was not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting a novel for younger adults, but it was definitely not. This novel races through childhood, adulthood, and ultimately old age. All of these stages were represented with humor and a multi-POV plot. I think it would be a great book club pick.

I don't think I was really the target demographic for this novel, but I enjoyed it overall. Thanks to NetGalley, the publiher, and author for an e-ARC of this novel. Review will be posted on Instagram (@ellie.reads.a.lot) by the publication date.

What I appreciate about this book is the relatability of the characters for people of all ages. Since it follows Julia and Colette through their lives, beginning at ten years old, then almost anyone can read and relate to their experiences. The topics covered in the book, such as life-long friendship, struggles at different ages, choices to be made, cultural differences, ageism, and more are true to real life experience. Switching the point of view between the two main characters also enhances the life experiences brought out in the novel.

Not Your Shoe Size
A Novel About Acting Your Age (or not!)
by Jennifer DiVita
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author of this book. I am afraid this one was not a hit for me. I tried with an open mind, and being of the 60s. It felt the witty was just ok, the ae thing seemed everyone over 70 is dead or nearly.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author of this book for giving me a chance to read this book. However, I was not able to finish the book as it may not be for me. I like the premise as it talks about 2 women going through teens and old age. I also like the fact that it showed different perspective of each other who experience different things in life while having completely different personalities. Still, it did not give me that certain excitement in continuing reading it. Just to make a comment on the technicalities of the ARC, the kindle version of it has many typographical errors which, I think, should be corrected as the PDF copy was just okay.

As a professional in the world of aging, I loved the premise of this book. Two women, friends from childhood, stick together through every decade of life, up to age 100, experiencing all the ups and downs of aging. Julia and Colette balanced each other well, and their love for each other shone through.

There were some nice moments in this book, but I think the author tried to cover too much ground and wasn’t able to develop anything with much depth. Several events seemed to come out of nowhere. I found myself wishing some events and relationships had been developed more fully.

This novel is a bit on the preachy side, and the dialogue often seems like the characters are reading off a brochure or aging organization website. This is especially true for Julia in the first part of the book and both protagonists later in the book. On the flip side, at times Colette is so blatantly ageist, I was cringing to read her sections.

The other thing that was odd was how this novel isn’t really grounded in real time. Julia gets a gerontology degree in her 20s, which places them in their 20s in the 1970s at the earliest. That means the book is ending sometime in the 2050s? Or maybe none of this was considered? It’s hard to tell.

I did find this to be a quick read with relatable characters. If you’re interested in aging and want to learn some stats while reading a novel, this is for you.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC given in exchange for an honest review.

***Not Your Shoe Size is a story about a lifelong friendship between two very different women and follows them through some of life’s milestones until they reach their 100th year. Written in dual first person accounts, the author defines what each considers the most important thing about the highlighted milestones. The writing is clever and interesting as each matures and grapples with age as well as the good and bad times in life. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Not Your Shoe Size by Jennifer DiVita is about a life-long friendship (90 years!) between Julia and Collette. Their lives and friendship are played out in snippets that had me laughing out loud at certain points, and then crying in other spots.

Ms. DiVita’s characters drew me in and made me want to be their friend, as it was so easy to relate to each of their personalities. I’ve used the phrase “Act your age, not your shoe size” numerous times and that just made me relate to them more. We went through both the good times and the bad times with Julia and Collette and every experience and issue made them closer.

As a woman in her mid-fifties, I can absolutely understand how life-long friendships are crucial and this book made me realize how blessed I am to have this type of friendship with friends from my own childhood that are still in my life. (Side note: I’m buying them this book when it comes out and hugging the heck out of them all the next time we get together.)

This novel didn’t feel like fiction, but as if I were reading a true life story of friendship. That’s amazing.

I was given this book as an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Book Review 📚
Not Your Shoe Size by Jennifer DeVita - 4/5 ⭐

As with all books I read, I was sold by the cover. The title gave me an inclination to what I was expecting but I couldn't of been more wrong.

Not Your Shoe Size is a beautiful story about 2 lifelong best friends, Colette and Julia. We follow their story and friendship all the way up to when they reach 100. They both have a POV which really shows you the differences and similarities to their lives.

DeVita truly captured the meaning of friendship. Not only the happy and amazing moments, but the heartache and sad moments too. There are moments where you will need tissues. The entire thing feels as though this was all "true life" and the two women got together and tell their story. Amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

I loved the cover and description of Not Your Shoe Size and must say, I was not disappointed. Colette and Julia's friendship over 100 years gave me all the feels. I have two besties from childhood and I could see so much of my friendships in here. DiVita capture the essence of true friendship: the good the bad and the ugly perfection.

I think the author really portrayed friendships through the ages from childhood to adulthood and into old age. It was a well written, fast paced story that I will read again at another point.

If you like stories of women and friendship - this is the book for you!

I definitely suggest reading this book!

This is a book about two lifelong best friends: Colette and Julia. They are best friends since childhood and we follow their lives until they both reach 100. We get glimpses of their lives at various ages, told from their point of view.
I liked the concept of the book but I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. For one I didn't like that we got spotlights of things that are important in their lives and then those things are barely mentioned again. Also when those two woman were 100 years now, they would have been born in the 1920s and the book gives the impression that Julia and Colette were definitely born later (they drive cars at a very young age, go to highschool and attend college and of course both have a job throughout their lives) - it just doesn't feel like the life of a person born in the 1920s.
I still liked the concept of lifelong friendship the book described but the story just didn't wow me.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Cute concept of a novel, telling the stories of lifelong friends Julia and Collette, with chapters dedicated to each decade from childhood to old age. The tales are told in the first person, in conversational, casual, colloquial language. It’s cliché packed, rather forgettable and not going to challenge any reader, but an easy and heartwarming read nonetheless.

I chose to read Not Your Shoe Size based on its description, and I have to say it did NOT disappoint! I adored this book that details Colette and Julia at different stages in their lives. It begins at age ten and goes all the way up until age one hundred.

I feel like Jennifer DeVita truly captures each age in an honest way. Parts of it echoed some of my concerns with getting older. However, the ideas of living each day to the fullest and that age is just a number truly resonate with me at this stage in my life.

I definitely suggest reading this book!