Secrets of a Shoe Addict [Hardcover]

Beth Harbison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

Every woman has a secret. The question is: How far will she go to make sure it stays secret?

Abbey Walsh never wanted anyone to find out about her shady past. After all, she’s the wife of a minister now, living an exemplary life. That is, until someone shows up from her past with blackmail in mind . . .

Tiffany Vanderslice Dreyer never dreamed that she’d find herself up to her new designer sunglasses in credit card debt from one mad moment of a shopping spree. She’s an upstanding wife and mother with the perfect marriage . . . right?

Loreen Murphy hadn’t meant to hire a male prostitute in Las Vegas. It was all just a big, stupid, and expensive misunderstanding. . . .

Abbey, Tiffany, and Loreen are each in need of thousands of dollars and fast. Tiffany’s sister, Sandra, has the perfect idea. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s legal, and it’s the secret that kept her shoe addiction alive. It’s the perfect plan. . . .

In this deliciously sassy novel, three very different women bond when they find themselves in more than one kind of trouble. It’s the story of how sometimes you have a secret that can get you in---and out---of dire straits. It’s about romance, friendship, kids, revenge, affairs, and, most of all, a love of the well-heeled things in life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Harbison's witty, fast-paced follow-up to last year's Shoe Addicts Anonymous chronicles the foibles of four women brought together by—in this case—not shoes but debt. During a fateful trip to Las Vegas as chaperones of a school band trip, Loreen Murphy accidentally hires a male prostitute on the PTA credit card; pastor's-wife-with-a-past Abbey Walsh gets blackmailed by an ex-con ex-boyfriend; and usually restrained PTA president Tiffany Dreyer purchases thousands of dollars worth of clothes that she can't return. Enter the zaftig Sandra Vanderslice, who, before she started her shoe-importing business, made a living as a phone sex operator. She suggests her sister, Tiffany, hop on that gravy train to pay down her credit card bills. Loreen and Abbey join up, and soon the ladies are raking in dough and trying to hide their new source of income from husbands, kids and their snoopy nemesis, the cartoonishly judgmental Deb Leventer, who wants to take over the PTA. Harbison's writing is zingy and funny, and her light touch allows her to get away with the ridiculous situations in this nutty beach read. (June)
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Review

“This tale of four housewives who run up unexpected debt and become phone-sex operators to pay it off is a perfect fit for audio. Orlagh Cassidy milks the comedy to the hilt… [Her] timing and delivery are perfect, making this audio even more fun than the print version.”--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

 

Rave reviews for Shoe Addicts Anonymous:

"Kick off your Keds (unless you're driving) and meet a motley group of D.C. women who bond over designer shoes.  It's chick lit with heart and sole."

--People Magazine

 

"I was hooked from the first page and read it in one sitting--I couldn't put it down...Shoe Addicts Anonymous was a pleasure from start to finish."

--Marian Keyes, bestselling author of Anybody Out There?

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312348266
• ISBN-13: 978-0312348267
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beth Harbison is the New York Times bestselling author of "Shoe Addicts Anonymous", "Hope in a Jar", and more. Her latest book is "Always Something There to Remind Me", a poignant look at first love and the eternal question "what if...?" She currently splits her time between Washington, DC and New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Secrets worth sharing, July 13, 2008

By 

Beth E. Settje (CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of a Shoe Addict (Hardcover)

This book is not a straight sequel in that only one of the characters from the first book is in it for any significant portion. As I read Shoe Addicts Anonymous quite a while ago, and all the characters didn't stick in my mind, the direction if this book was not a problem. The characters don't revolve around shoes at all, except to discuss how one's shoes can help a woman feel good about herself! Seriously the story gets into more depth about mistakes women may make, choices they live with, and the decisions they face as a result. Though some of the scenarios were not typical (sleeping with a male prostitute, blackmail due to a sordid past, becoming a phone sex operator, outlandishly weird dates), all in all, readers will be able to identify with the feelings the characters expressed. From low self confidence to fear of failure or rejection to achievement at doing something well, we all have been there at one time or another.

This book is an easy read and can stand on its own or read as a sequel. It is an enjoyable way to spend some time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the last one!, July 2, 2008

By 

Books R I "BooksRI" (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of a Shoe Addict (Hardcover)

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!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No where near as good as the first one, August 19, 2008

By 

G. Vermette "Anniehow" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of a Shoe Addict (Hardcover)

After reading the first book and really enjoying it, I ran out to get the second one.
This one is no where near as entertaining as the first one. The characters in both books have flaws, but the ones in this book are not really that likeable. This story was slow and unlike the first one I had no problem putting it down.
In the first book the plight of the main characters were more believable to me, (stuggling with finances, bad marriages, bad work environment etc.) but in this book the character's problems started with really unrelatable situations. ("accidentally" hiring a male prostitute, "accidentally" gambling away 5000$, "accidentally" spending 5000$ in a store) I can relate to the problems the woman had in the first book, but the woman in this book did things that were so out there it couldn't relate.
That said it was entertaining enough that I gave it 3 stars. It's worth reading if you've got nothing else to read.