Customer Reviews

Secrets of a Shoe Addict

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

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.

What happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas. That is what three housewives learn the hard way. Abbey Walsh has the perfect life married to a wonderful clergyman. But during a PTA trip to Las Vegas, she is reacquainted with someone she has tried to forget about for years. Now this man is blackmailing her. If her husband learns the truth about her past, she is ruined, and her husband, too, will be ruined. All she has to do is pay Damon $10,000 for a stolen necklace she kept after he was imprisoned. But how will she get that kind of money? Loreen Murphy is in a similar conundrum. After spending a night of passion with an attractive man, she later discovers that he is a male prostitute. He wants his money -- now. So she pays him $1,000. Depressed, she loses an additional $4,000 at the casinos. If this weren't bad enough, she mistakenly uses the PTA credit card. Now she has to pay $5,000 before the PTA find out. What will this about-to-become a divorcee do? Tiffany Vanderslice has been married since she was very young. Her husband is a total jerk, and becoming a mother to two beautiful children hasn't helped improve things. Charlie is almost meticulous about the spending, and when Tiffany indulges in a silly shopping spree, she later discovers that her over the top purchases are nonrefundable. Now she is stuck with a $5,000 dollar credit card bill. How will she cover such a big expense without employment? These three friends have one big thing in common now, and only one person could save them. In comes Sandra Vanderslice, Tiffany's younger sister, and shoe addict who is making it big with her own shoe business. She shares a big secret to these women, the perfect way to make fast, easy money -- becoming phone sex operators.

Secrets of a Shoe Addict is a continuation of Shoe Addicts Anonymous. Sandra and Tiffany were in the previous installment, and this book continues with their stories. Sandra's story felt unfinished in SAA, which is why I'm glad I got to read about her again in this book. However, I never found out what happened to the cute neighbor who had a thing for Sandra. He completely disappeared from the storyline, it seems. The dates Sandra has after joining match.com are hilarious. The one with the creepy puppet guy made me laugh out loud. Her dates are so outrageous that you cannot help but laugh. The other three characters are great as well. I enjoyed Abbey the most. She seems like the most interesting and complex of the four. I like the back story centered on Loreen and her soon-to-be ex-husband, and I enjoyed that this novel centered on phone sex and the weird phone calls the women get. Secrets of a Shoe Addict, like Shoe Addicts Anonymous, is fun and enjoyable. But this one is a little too nicely wrapped up toward the end for my taste. Happy endings are fine with me, but I would have liked a little more complexity and a little less banality. Oh, well. I still recommend this novel. Beth Harbison is a good author -- not as good as Emily Giffin, but still recommendable.

After devouring Beth Harbison's first novel, Shoe Addicts Anonymous, I was excited to find Secrets of a Shoe Addict at the bookstore and quickly purchased it. This novel is good; but it's definitely not as good a read as the initial Shoe Addict book.

Secrets starts off with three PTA friends and their children on a trip to Vegas. Loreen is separated from her husband and lonely, until a handsome stranger notices her at a hotel bar. Abbey, the preacher's wife, runs into an old acquaintance that believes she owes him money and threatens to out her sordid past to her husband and his congregation. Tiffany, the PTA president, happens upon a store whose clothes seem to fit perfectly and make her feel beautiful, but they come at a hefty price.

Unfortunately for the women- sometimes what happens in Vegas leaves them drowning in a sea of debt that needs to be paid off asap. Loreen, Abbey and Tiffany have nowhere to turn until Tiffany asks her sister Sandra to help them find a way to earn a lot of money quickly.

Sandra (from Shoe Addicts Anonymous) is happy to divulge her secret of having been a phone sex operator in the past and how lucrative it can be. This is where the shenanigans begin and the book gets good.

I would recommend this book if you read Shoe Addicts Anonymous. It's a nice 'sequel' and the author neatly ties in characters from her first novel. Otherwise; I would recommend Shoe Addicts Anonymous over picking up Secrets of a Shoe Addict.

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.

I purchased 'Secrets Of A Shoe Addict' thinking it was simply about another women with a shoe addiction and that it would be a fun easy read. I was half right, it was a fun and easy read but had little to do with shoes.

The story is about 3 women bonded together by some wrong doings in Vegas during a school band field trip. The women find themselves all needing a lot of cash and fast! The hilarious story chronicles how these everyday women come to rely on each other and more importantly themselves as they rectify their situations and reclaim their lives. With sex, stealing and cheating this is a novel that you wont be able to put down!

After reading SHOE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS, I was very excited about this "sequel". I really loved Harbison's first book, but this one left me very disappointed. The first book revolved around four women and their love of shoes and of the men & families in their lives. This book is also about four women, but instead of the focus being shoes, it's what they do to get themselves out of financial trouble they get into while on a school trip to Vegas (and it's got absolutely NOTHING to do with shoes!).

The story felt slow at times and I never really felt like I got to know any of the characters, yet identify with any of them. This is pretty much your typical "chic lit" book, but certainly not of the same quality as say THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA or THE NANNY DIARIES or any of Jennifer Weiner's books. If this same book had been written by another author and/or had a different title, I can't say I'd be all that interested in it.

I had such high hopes after reading the author's first book last year, and I hope she does it again -- I would love the see the characters of the first book return and read of their later adventures. If not the four original characters, then at least give us new characters that we can care about and real situations to identify with. That was what was so great with the first book, readers could identify with at least one of the four main characters and the situation they found themselves in, but with SECRETS, it was just a lot of nonsense and unrealistic stories and situations that would likely never happen in the "real" world. Not to mention that the title is deceiving. Only one of the characters in the book (who was the only returning character from the first book) had any kind of "shoe addiction" and it was rarely mentioned (except when she discussed her fictional Italian shoe line), not to mention of all the great designer shoes referred to in the first book! [...] (an online dating service) was referred to more often that her shoe addiction and those stories were just plain ridiculous!

I'd be willing to give Harbison another try, but unless the next book is an improvement, I can't say that I'd really give future books a chance. Sorry!

You can also read my review here: [...]

It's not very often that I would say a sequel book was better than the first, but this is one exception... I really enjoyed Secrets of a Shoe Addict by Beth Haribson, the follow-up novel to Shoe Addicts Anonymous.

Who could image that one school trip to Las Vegas would result in such a list of 'Oops' events. An evening that starts out so innocent, turns out so wrong... who ever said 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' sure didn't take these ladies into account.

With the re-introduction of Sandra Vanderslice, from the first book, this book was a big hit and anyone who enjoys a good chick-lit novel will love this one.