Secrets of a Shoe Addict

I loved this one just as much as the first one. At first, with it not really being the same women I was unsure, but it was a quick read.

I was puzzled by the disparity of reviews here and, after reading Secrets of a Shoe Addict, I think maybe for some people it depends which book they read first. True, this book has little to do with shoes. I think the point is that one of teh shoe addicts from the last book is revealing her "secrets" to help a new group of women. So if you're looking for a big shoe book, this might not fit the bill. But if you're looking for a really fun read, and some slightly deeper characters, Secrets of a Shoe Addict is really satisfying. Some of the subject matter is darker (one of the characters had a terrible accident when she was young and has been trying to atone for her sins ever since) butthe laughs are better too. In my other life, I review women's fiction and "chick lit" and I would say this book delves deeper into women's issues, and, for me, that raises it above the easily-dismissed "chick lit" level.

Secrets of a Shoe Addict (7 CDs, 9 hours) is an beautifully recorded unabridged audiobook by Beth Harbison about three female friends who become bosom buddies when tragicomic (well, mostly comic) events threaten their formerly stable lives. One accidentally hired a male prostitute; another, a minister's wife, is being blackmailed; the third is a wife and mother teetering on the edge of a bottomless pit of credit card debt. A lighthearted novel of romance, friendship, struggling to raise kids, revenge, and the many dimensions of love that is superbly narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, Secrets of a Shoe Addict is a wonderfully engaging audiobook experience, especially recommended to fans of the popular television series and movie "Sex and the City" as a spiritual offshoot of the genre.

I remember the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover" but it also applies to Beth Harbison book Secrets of a shoe addict. I have to tell you I am usually disappointed with sequels but not in this case. We follow 3 new characters and a character from "shoe addicts Anonymous", Sandra, as they navigate their world in high heeled stiletto pumps although now well fitting high heeled stiletto pumps which seems to be a contradiction in terms. It is obvious also from this piece that the author is a "shoe connoisseur" with her detailed description of probably her favorite shoes. But this book wasn't just about shoes it dealt with heartbreak, infidelity, and aging and human responses to these events and did so with comedy and respect. It was a great read and was also very entertaining. Will definitely recommend and will look for other works by this author.

This book doesn't have quite as much to do with shoes as the last one, but that's clear from the description and the back of the book so I was okay with that. How many books can you have about the same characters doing the same thing? That said, I am glad my favorite character from the first book, Sandra, makes a return to this book. Her misadventures in dating were hilarious and all too familiar. It was also fun to see her relationship with her sister deepen and heal. Mostly I liked the screwball comedy of this book. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd look for Oprah's recs. What I want is to have a good time reading about somethin that will hopefully never really happen to me. Somehow the author pulled it off and made the characters seem real even when they were in larger than life situations. For me that makes a great weekend or beach read. I can't wait for the next one to come out!