Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Delilah Sampson knows she suffers from obsessive compulsive behavior; just ask William Shakespeare when you meet him in the after life. She cannot help herself when her mind fixates on something. Her current desire is to buy a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes having first read about them in some chick lit tale. However, she does not have the money or the prospects as window washing pays so much to purchase the expensive name brand at $450 per shoe. Still never one to throw in the towel or in this case the shoes, Delilah begs her father to teach her the tricks of his trade, professional gambling. Her plan is simple earn enough to buy the shoes and quit gambling as she would never be consumed on something like betting, that's daddy's preoccupation. However, though she believes her plan is a shoe in, nothing goes according to Hoyle or at least by her bible Blackjack Winning Basics by Tony Casino; as she meets someone she likes and her father withdraws his help just when she needs him the most. Still Delilah can taste the shoes on her feet so she keeps playing while obsessing over Chris and wondering if it is all or nothing for her Delilah makes for a refreshing chick lit tale as readers obtain a deep but humorous look at someone suffering from OCB; once she fixates on something, she cannot let go. The support cast is eccentric as they are her posse ready to rescue her when they cannot save themselves while Chris is a perfect foil to the heroine and her female horde. Fans will applaud Lauren Baratz-Logsted for her intelligent use of the sub-genre to inform readers on a psychological problem while enjoying the insightful character driven "Sin City debacle". Meanwhile the audience will wonder whether Delilah will become addicted to name brand shoes or become "The Old Woman in a Shoe". Harriet Klausner

I have to say that I love the Red Dress Ink series and this book will definitely qualify as chick lit. I have read Lauren's other books - including her YA. Needless to say, I was dying to read this one. This hysterical book is a joy to read. Yes, there is a huge amount of shoe talk, but more importantly, there is a tender story of friendship - between women of various ages. Our main character Delilah is a window washer - and although she knows she should be doing more with her life - she just can't seem to get the motivation to do anything. In the meantime, she is living with her school friend Hillary Clinton and she washes windows, along with her friends Conchita and Rivera for her boss Stella. Along the way, she meets up with a fading and elderly movie star who claims to have slept with half the men in Hollywood. Yes, if this seems to be a rowdy group of main characters, you are absolutely right. The one thing all of these women have in common is their love of shoes - actually Choooooosssss.... On a rare shopping outing, Delilah, Hillary and Elizabeth Hepburn end up at a Jimmy Choos boutique - Delilah is determined to buy her very own pair of shoes - until she sees the price! Desperate and determined, she confers with her dad - who just happens to be a blackjack Pro. Armed with all of his best tips, Delilah hits the casino in order to win enough money for the shoes and although she does win big, its not enough - but she does met the love of her life - or is he? I loved this story. Nobody in this book takes themselves too seriously, yet, you can feel the love these characters have for each other. There are some tender and sweet moments between Delilah and Hillary and between Delilah and Elizabeth. I also liked the fact that there is no judgment being passed here - Delilah may be under performing, but her friends love her anyway, Elizabeth may be lying about the men she has slept with - but nobody gives her a hard time about it. As always Lauren writes in a breezy and entertaining way - the humour is a cornerstone of the book and this book made me seriously want to buy a pair of shoes or Choos..... A great read - I loved it.