Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Published February 2023 by Penguin Publishing Group

12 hours, 21 minutes

Read by Daisy Ridley

Publisher's Summary: 

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope—she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in. 

That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag—she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself. 

Full of Jojo Moyes’ signature humor, brilliant storytelling, and warmth, Someone Else’s Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything.

My Thoughts: 

What I Liked: 

• It's Moyes, so you know that there will be a blend of humor, love, and drama. I've come to learn how I can expect Moyes' books to end, as well; and this was one of those times that I was happy to have that happen. Although I will never forget the gut punch she delivered in Me Before You. I can't help but hope that one day she'll surprise me again like that. 
• The women and their relationships. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I tell you that this book is about the unlikely friendships that often develop between people when circumstances throw them together. 
• The growth we see in these characters. It's slow to develop, as you would expect it would be in real life, and brings out the best in each of the women. 
• Although there was a part of me that felt like Moyes was dropping too much weight onto Sam's shoulders (one of those "if it can go wrong, it will" situations). But then it occurred to me that many of us are dealing with similar situations - caring for older parents, a stressful job, depression taking it's toll on a family, a lack of self-confidence that often comes with middle age. 
• Daisy Ridley's reading. She does a terrific job differentiating the characters and with the accents. 

What I Didn't Like: 

• As much as we see growth in most of the female characters, there's one character that's an a#@ from start to finish. To be fair, not all of us do grow and learn, so it's probably more realistic this way but he did feel fairly one-dimensional. 
• The woman who has stepped into Nisha's place seems destined, in the beginning, to be a driving force in the events that have transpired to this point. But it turns out that she doesn't play much of a role at all, other than to drive Nisha nuts when Nisha sees her out and about in Nisha's designer clothes. 
• Although I wasn't entirely sure how Moyes would bring things to a climax and closure (and some of it was unexpected), it mostly predictable. I know, I know, I said I was happy about that earlier. But it was a bit too predictable. Even though it was what I needed. Yeah, I know it makes no sense, but that's how I'm feeling. 

Overall, Moyes never really disappoints. I enjoy her characters, I enjoy the relationships she builds, I enjoy the balance of emotions she creates. I just wish that one day she would make my heart really hurt again.