
Contemporary fiction
Someone Else’s Shoes
Jojo Moyes is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Still Me and The Giver of Stars.
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Join now.Jojo Moyes is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Still Me and The Giver of Stars.
An accidental gym bag swap jolts two women whose lives are on the rocks into realizing it’s time to seize their fates.
400+ pages
Multiple viewpoints
Quirky
Marriage issues
Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?
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 makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.
Sam stares up at the slowly lightening ceiling and practices her breathing, like the doctor advised her, as she tries to stop her 5 a.m. thoughts congealing into one enormous dark cloud above her head.
In for six, hold for three, out for seven.
I am healthy, she recites silently. My family is healthy. The dog has stopped that weeing-in-the-hall thing. There is food in the fridge and I still have a job. She slightly regrets putting in that still because the thought of her job makes her stomach clench again.
In for six, hold for three, out for seven.
Her parents are still alive. Although admittedly it can be hard to justify including that in a mental gratitude diary. Oh, Jesus. Her mother is going to make some pointed comment on Sunday about how they always visit Phil’s mother, isn’t she? It will come at some point between the small sherry and the over-heavy pudding, as inevitable as death, taxes and these random chin hairs. She imagines fending her off with a polite smile: Well, Mum, Nancy has just lost her husband of fifty years. She’s a bit lonely just now.
But you visited her all the time when he was still alive, didn’t you? she hears her mother’s response.
Yes, but her husband was dying. Phil wanted to see his dad as much as possible before he shuffled off this mortal coil. We weren’t having a bloody knees‐up.
I’m always on the lookout for books that can make me laugh, cry, and feel like I’ve been wrapped in a warm hug. With Someone Else’s Shoes, beloved author Jojo Moyes delivers on all fronts. Taking a deceptively simple premise—what if two women literally had to walk in each other’s shoes?—Moyes spins out her story in unexpected ways that had me flipping pages long past my bedtime.
Someone Else’s Shoes centers on two very different middle-aged women who accidentally swap gym bags. Suddenly, the globetrotting and glamorous Nisha is stuck with nothing but a pair of drab black pumps when her ruthless husband drops a divorce bombshell. Meanwhile, the overworked, underappreciated Sam finds that the world sees her differently when she puts on the sky-high Louboutins now in her possession. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, an ode to female friendship, and so much more.
At times, the novel buzzes with the fizzy energy of a caper. In other moments, it threatens to break your heart with its clear-eyed acknowledgment of life’s hardships. Ultimately, reading Someone Else’s Shoes made me feel like I was curling up for a rewatch of one of my favorite comfort movies. Moyes has created a group of flawed but loveable women who grow stronger when they work together. What a satisfying, heartwarming gift it is to spend some time in their shoes.
Jennifer B.
Winder, GA
I really enjoyed this book so much! I loved getting to know all the wonderful characters and their different personalities throughout the story. I really didn’t want this book to end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Melissa M.
Minneapolis, MN
These woman were worth rooting for until the end. I want to fist bump Nisha, hug Jasmine and say “ you got this girl” to Sam. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting this story to be so feminist, what a treat.
Stefanie P.
bronx, NY
This is literally the best story I’ve read in forever ❤️. Very woman forward, outstanding undertones about resiliency in the Face of life- and the real meaning of GIRL POWER. I loved, loved LOVED it
Halie S.
Bloomfield Hills, MI
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time— all of the characters were thoughtfully written and developed so well. The plot twist on the shoes was a little foreseeable, but still all in all great!
Amanda K.
Virginia Beach, VA
A delightful story of friendship! If you’re a middle-aged woman, you’ll find glimpses of yourself somewhere in these gals. A great reminder of what challenges we can overcome when we help each other.