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Shoe Addict #1
Shoe Addicts Anonymous
Helene Zaharis's politician husband keeps her on a tight leash and cancels her credit cards as a way of controlling her. Lorna Rafferty is up to her eyeballs in debt and can't stop her addiction to Ebay. Sandra Vanderslice, battling agoraphobia, pays her shoe bills by working as a phone sex operator. And Jocelyn Bowen is a nanny for the family from hell (who barely knows a sole from a heel but who will do anything to get out of the house).
On Tuesday nights, these women meet to trade shoes, and, in the process, form friendships that will help them each triumph over their problems—from secret pasts to blackmail, bankruptcy, and dating. Funny, emotional, and powerful, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is the perfect read for any woman who has ever struggled to find the perfect fit.
On Tuesday nights, these women meet to trade shoes, and, in the process, form friendships that will help them each triumph over their problems—from secret pasts to blackmail, bankruptcy, and dating. Funny, emotional, and powerful, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is the perfect read for any woman who has ever struggled to find the perfect fit.
327 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2007
188 people are currently reading
19666 people want to read
About the author
Beth Harbison
25 books1,705 followersBeth Harbison grew up in Potomac, Maryland, in the shadow of Washington, D.C. Apart from the occasional irritation at being held up in traffic by a presidential motorcade, she has remained fairly uninvolved in the politics that define her home town. Her latest book is CONFESSIONS OF THE OTHER SISTER, William Morrow 10/11/22
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,054 reviews
July 6, 2008
I liked this book a lot. Yes, it's a bit vapid and implausible, but whatever, it's chick lit! I'm glad someone finally showed that women in DC have style and excellent taste in luxury. While I'm not part of the exquisitely elite, I could appreciate a lot of the name brands, political parties, money manners, and behaviorisms of the supporting characters in this book. I DO wish that the author would have gone more into areas where the women could have gotten shoes, mentioning the blossoming U Street Corridor or trendy Arlington, but instead she stuck to the trademark areas of Bethesda, Georgetown, Adams Morgan, and Dupont Circle. #1, I want to know what a WAITRESS is doing with an apartment in Bethesda, $30k in shoe debt, and a car with a car note. All of that TOGETHER does not usually happen. There's only one complex I know of in Bethesda where the rent is less than a G per month (and that's WITHOUT utilities). I think a TRUE shoe addict would move to Gaithersburg or Montgomery Village (since her expensive taste seemed to be limited to her feet) so she could spend MORE money on shoes. I have a friend who lives at home, primarily so she can afford her pseudo-fabulous life because in the real world she'd have to have two jobs, no car, a sugar daddy, and three roommates sharing a two-bedroom in Anacostia to afford her indulgences.
I like the way that all of the women came together, and the crazy antics they got in to. The ending was a little "deus a machina (sp?)" but I wanted something a little vacant to read for the weekend. It's a fun, silly, predictable book that will make any shoe admirer or DC urbanite smile and occasionally LOL.
:)
I like the way that all of the women came together, and the crazy antics they got in to. The ending was a little "deus a machina (sp?)" but I wanted something a little vacant to read for the weekend. It's a fun, silly, predictable book that will make any shoe admirer or DC urbanite smile and occasionally LOL.
:)
July 16, 2008
A fun book about shoes bringing a diverse group of women together. The unlikely group forms a very strong bond. It's interesting to watch the development of the relationships and the addiction to shoes!
May 13, 2020
Aveam nevoie de o carte usurica, așa că povestea asta s-a potrivit la fix. A reușit să mă relaxeze :)
Nu sunt eu mare amatoare de pantofi, haine sau moda in general, așa că am început să citesc povestea asta cu rețineri, dar imediat am realizat ca de fapt cartea este despre cu totul altceva. Sau altfel spus si despre altceva.
Este despre prietenie, devotament, incredere si puterea de a ti schimba viata.
Mi-ar plăcea să fac parte dintr-un astfel de club, recunosc. Fetele astea, si-au influentat viața una alteia, ajutandu-se fara sa isi dea seama, creînd niste legături speciale si de neimaginat.
Pentru asta sunt prietenii?!
Ideea cărți deși e un pic cliseica si face parte dintr-o serie ce se vrea amuzanta, nu e chiar atât de amuzantă. Adică, am zâmbit pe ici pe colo, dar n-am ras cum am facut-o la Poti sa tii un secret a lu' Kinsella. Pe alocuri este si putin plictisitoare, dar merge de weekend asa... pt ca nu solicită niciun neuron. Zero. :)))
Cartea are un subiect des intalnit (moda, haine, pantofi, fete care-si dau si ultimii bani pe haine/pantofi pe care nu și le permit), dar e destul de binisor scrisă. Poate că au mai fost faze pe care autoarea ar fi putut să le scoată, dar nu au fost atat de deranjante pt ca se citesc usor.
Toate cele 4 fete au personalitate, sunt diferite, dar un comun un lucru: pantofii. Asta mi-a amintit putin de Sex and the city (Am iubit serialul ala), unde tot asa 4 femei total diferite, erau cele mai bune prietene.
Are finalul mult așteptat (se stie deja că-mi plac finalurile fericite), si totul e bine cand se termina cu bine.
Ii dau 3 stele. Mi-a plăcut, dar nu e vreo carte de citit pe nerăsuflate sau cu vreun mare impact. Cel mai probabil până mâine o să uit personajele :)
Nu sunt eu mare amatoare de pantofi, haine sau moda in general, așa că am început să citesc povestea asta cu rețineri, dar imediat am realizat ca de fapt cartea este despre cu totul altceva. Sau altfel spus si despre altceva.
Este despre prietenie, devotament, incredere si puterea de a ti schimba viata.
Mi-ar plăcea să fac parte dintr-un astfel de club, recunosc. Fetele astea, si-au influentat viața una alteia, ajutandu-se fara sa isi dea seama, creînd niste legături speciale si de neimaginat.
Pentru asta sunt prietenii?!
Ideea cărți deși e un pic cliseica si face parte dintr-o serie ce se vrea amuzanta, nu e chiar atât de amuzantă. Adică, am zâmbit pe ici pe colo, dar n-am ras cum am facut-o la Poti sa tii un secret a lu' Kinsella. Pe alocuri este si putin plictisitoare, dar merge de weekend asa... pt ca nu solicită niciun neuron. Zero. :)))
Cartea are un subiect des intalnit (moda, haine, pantofi, fete care-si dau si ultimii bani pe haine/pantofi pe care nu și le permit), dar e destul de binisor scrisă. Poate că au mai fost faze pe care autoarea ar fi putut să le scoată, dar nu au fost atat de deranjante pt ca se citesc usor.
Toate cele 4 fete au personalitate, sunt diferite, dar un comun un lucru: pantofii. Asta mi-a amintit putin de Sex and the city (Am iubit serialul ala), unde tot asa 4 femei total diferite, erau cele mai bune prietene.
Are finalul mult așteptat (se stie deja că-mi plac finalurile fericite), si totul e bine cand se termina cu bine.
Ii dau 3 stele. Mi-a plăcut, dar nu e vreo carte de citit pe nerăsuflate sau cu vreun mare impact. Cel mai probabil până mâine o să uit personajele :)
August 7, 2008
This wasn't a bad book, but I found at least the first hundred or so pages to be fairly depressing. The book is equally about four female characters, and the beginning chapters are devoted to learning about them and their problems. Each of the characters is facing some large issue, making the book start off heavy and dreary. As the characters meet and get to know one another, the tone does lighten up some. The issues were all dealt with, and the book ended on a much happier note than that on which it began.
Helene Zaharis is the unhappy trophy wife of a controlling senator. When he finds out that Helene is thwarting his effort to begin a family, he retaliates by cancelling all of her credit cards and cutting her off financially. This is devestating to Helene, since shoe shopping is the one bright activity in her life that helps her cope with the rest.
Lorna Rafferty hasn't been able to find a realistic use for her degree in English, so she works as a waitress. Her love of shoes seems to have gone past rational and become a real addiction. She has run up over thirty thousand dollars of credit card debt and is unable to pay her bills because of her shoe habit. Obviously, she has to find a way to stop this unreasonable spending, but how will she survive without new shoes?
Sandra Vanderslice has spent her life being cruelly teased about being overweight. She is so self-conscious that she hates to be in public. It has gotten to the point that she rarely leaves her apartment, and she knows that she is battling agoraphobia. She is trying to get help, but that is difficult when she has to talk to her therapist on the phone instead of going to the office in person. She spends her days in her apartment as a phone sex operator, and her one joy is internet shopping, especially for shoes.
Jocelyn Bower is an innocent young woman who comes to the city and finds employment as a live-in nanny. Jocelyn loves children, but her two wards are difficult, and their mother is impossible. Jocelyn is expected to perform all sorts of household duties that are not in her contract. She is rarely free of her duties at the 8pm listed on her contract, and her employer tries to wrangle her out of her two days off per week. Jocelyn realizes that in order to have any time off, she must leave the house, but she doesn't have anywhere to go.
Lorna's desire to find a way to obtain shoes even in her difficult financial situation leads her to write an online ad inviting other shoe addicts who wear a size 7 1/2 to meet and trade designer shoes. This ad intrigues lonely Helene and brings her to Lorna's apartment. Sandra sees the ad while she is trying to bolster herself into leaving her apartment, and she decides this looks like somewhere she could go. The three women bond quickly, and begin to meet each Tuesday night. A few weeks later, Jocelyn, who wears size six shoes and is just looking for somewhere to go, joins the group. Since the Tuesday meeting is a time for shoe addicts to trade shoes, Jocelyn pretends to love shoes and shops secondhand stores so that she can swap designer shoes with the others. Eventually, the four women feel comfortable enough with one another to share their troubles. As the bond between the friends grows, they work together to face and solve the issues that trouble them.
The title and description of this book lead me to believe that it would be a somewhat light chick-lit type of book. Since quite a few chapters of the book were nothing but learning of the problems of the characters, it made the book a much heavier read than I expected. I was satisfied by the way the issues were resolved, and I will read the sequel.
Helene Zaharis is the unhappy trophy wife of a controlling senator. When he finds out that Helene is thwarting his effort to begin a family, he retaliates by cancelling all of her credit cards and cutting her off financially. This is devestating to Helene, since shoe shopping is the one bright activity in her life that helps her cope with the rest.
Lorna Rafferty hasn't been able to find a realistic use for her degree in English, so she works as a waitress. Her love of shoes seems to have gone past rational and become a real addiction. She has run up over thirty thousand dollars of credit card debt and is unable to pay her bills because of her shoe habit. Obviously, she has to find a way to stop this unreasonable spending, but how will she survive without new shoes?
Sandra Vanderslice has spent her life being cruelly teased about being overweight. She is so self-conscious that she hates to be in public. It has gotten to the point that she rarely leaves her apartment, and she knows that she is battling agoraphobia. She is trying to get help, but that is difficult when she has to talk to her therapist on the phone instead of going to the office in person. She spends her days in her apartment as a phone sex operator, and her one joy is internet shopping, especially for shoes.
Jocelyn Bower is an innocent young woman who comes to the city and finds employment as a live-in nanny. Jocelyn loves children, but her two wards are difficult, and their mother is impossible. Jocelyn is expected to perform all sorts of household duties that are not in her contract. She is rarely free of her duties at the 8pm listed on her contract, and her employer tries to wrangle her out of her two days off per week. Jocelyn realizes that in order to have any time off, she must leave the house, but she doesn't have anywhere to go.
Lorna's desire to find a way to obtain shoes even in her difficult financial situation leads her to write an online ad inviting other shoe addicts who wear a size 7 1/2 to meet and trade designer shoes. This ad intrigues lonely Helene and brings her to Lorna's apartment. Sandra sees the ad while she is trying to bolster herself into leaving her apartment, and she decides this looks like somewhere she could go. The three women bond quickly, and begin to meet each Tuesday night. A few weeks later, Jocelyn, who wears size six shoes and is just looking for somewhere to go, joins the group. Since the Tuesday meeting is a time for shoe addicts to trade shoes, Jocelyn pretends to love shoes and shops secondhand stores so that she can swap designer shoes with the others. Eventually, the four women feel comfortable enough with one another to share their troubles. As the bond between the friends grows, they work together to face and solve the issues that trouble them.
The title and description of this book lead me to believe that it would be a somewhat light chick-lit type of book. Since quite a few chapters of the book were nothing but learning of the problems of the characters, it made the book a much heavier read than I expected. I was satisfied by the way the issues were resolved, and I will read the sequel.
October 20, 2018
I needed something fun to read and this book fit the bill. A group of women who are addicted to shoe shopping. They end up becoming friends while trading shoes but also each of these women have an issue that need to be fixed. This was a fun book to read. Helene is a bit nuts with shoes and definitely an addict but she was also my favorite character. I love shoes like anyone else but wow this was an overload and OMG the debt!
May 31, 2022
3.5. It was ok but not great
August 30, 2025
5 Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be cheesy. As the characters were introduced they came alive, and I found each one to be real and flawed, having their own battles…they were amusing and charming. I chuckled quite a bit and found my emotions rising. Who hasn’t been in debt at some point in their life? These woman definitely had spending addictions on shoes!
Helene who loved her name brand shoes was married to a cheating, Philanthropist Politician. She was an over spender running up credit cards to the limit. Wait till her politician husband finds out she was caught stealing.
Lorna, a waitress, is deep in credit cards debt to EBay purchases, mainly on expensive shoes. Bankruptcy is lurking.
Sandra an agoraphobic works as a phone sex operator to cover her over extended bills on shoes. Need I paint a picture?
Jocelyn is a nanny for a family from hell. She needs a friend.
All of these women are seriously addicted to buying expensive shoes. They are initially strangers, unlikely to ever know each other until Lorna forms a club. They come together regularly under the group name of “Shoe Addicts Anonymous “. They borrow and trade high end shoes at their meetings and develop friendships that go deep. Sharing secrets, such as blackmail,stealing, bankruptcy. It’s quite entertaining! They turn a corner and find success on conquering problems they have. Very cute read and I recommend it!
When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be cheesy. As the characters were introduced they came alive, and I found each one to be real and flawed, having their own battles…they were amusing and charming. I chuckled quite a bit and found my emotions rising. Who hasn’t been in debt at some point in their life? These woman definitely had spending addictions on shoes!
Helene who loved her name brand shoes was married to a cheating, Philanthropist Politician. She was an over spender running up credit cards to the limit. Wait till her politician husband finds out she was caught stealing.
Lorna, a waitress, is deep in credit cards debt to EBay purchases, mainly on expensive shoes. Bankruptcy is lurking.
Sandra an agoraphobic works as a phone sex operator to cover her over extended bills on shoes. Need I paint a picture?
Jocelyn is a nanny for a family from hell. She needs a friend.
All of these women are seriously addicted to buying expensive shoes. They are initially strangers, unlikely to ever know each other until Lorna forms a club. They come together regularly under the group name of “Shoe Addicts Anonymous “. They borrow and trade high end shoes at their meetings and develop friendships that go deep. Sharing secrets, such as blackmail,stealing, bankruptcy. It’s quite entertaining! They turn a corner and find success on conquering problems they have. Very cute read and I recommend it!
March 25, 2009
Finished it this morning. Really enjoyed it. Just a fun read. yes it was bit how do you say that, where those things do not happen in real life, but I had fun non the less.
Might want to get my hands on the other book by this author.
Might want to get my hands on the other book by this author.
October 10, 2012
I felt that there were a few threads left undone and a few plot lines that were under developed. I was anxious for the end of the book so I could move on to the next book on my night stand.
May 2, 2019
oooh....3 1/2. Ya gotta skip the scene where they introduce Sandra, because they give her conversations (as a 1-900 number worker), but after that not bad, it does show a couple of husbands cheating, that isn't super savory either I guess. I hate admitting I read this maybe...But the author nails the conversations between the friends so well, and it was funny. I love the funny. I was sad when it was done. Great narrator too.
July 13, 2024
Cute little story of the triumphs of friendship :)
February 4, 2021
I couldn't even give this two stars, since I just didn't like it. By the end, I was racing through the pages just to finish. Don't get me wrong: I love chicklit. I'm more than gracious with light & fluffy chick-lit, since I go into it knowing that it's not meant to be a heavy read. I love an easy, happy novel. This was just a great disappointment. I love shoes, and I loved the character profiles I read about on the book jacket. I thought "fun, quirky, light chicklit about shoes! score!" Past their initial introductions, characters are fairly dull. In fact, Helene's story is one of the few aspects of the book that really worked me over - her story could be an entire novel by itself. I got tired of the overly stereotyped gay characters. And the author has clearly never met 10- or 12 -year-old boys. Bart, the 10year old, behaved more like a 5 or 6 year old. He wouldn't need an email read to him by his older brother - a 10 year old is perfectly capable of reading himself. That inaccurate characterization bothered me and was the icing on the cake. Dialogue and plot were just cliche. Sadly, this is not a chick-lit worth picking up.
April 25, 2024
A pesar de comenzar el libro con un poco de recelo ya que no conocía a la autora y la sipnosis se me hacía algo aburrida, debo decir que mi prejuicio fue equivocado y la verdad es que lo disfruté mucho.
La historia es entretenida, liviana, con personajes que se hacen creíbles debido a su manera de vivir y la lectura es rápida.
La autora crea a cuatro personajes fabulosos, cada una de ellas con diferentes realidades y problemas personales, pero que con el tiempo logran superar sus dificultades y por medio de una adicción se conocen logrando una red de apoyo además de que con el tiempo logran volverse amigas.
El unico pero que tengo con la novela, es que el final se desarrolla muy rápido y fue un poco abrupto.
A un así, me gustó lo refrescante y diferente que fue la historia.
La historia es entretenida, liviana, con personajes que se hacen creíbles debido a su manera de vivir y la lectura es rápida.
La autora crea a cuatro personajes fabulosos, cada una de ellas con diferentes realidades y problemas personales, pero que con el tiempo logran superar sus dificultades y por medio de una adicción se conocen logrando una red de apoyo además de que con el tiempo logran volverse amigas.
El unico pero que tengo con la novela, es que el final se desarrolla muy rápido y fue un poco abrupto.
A un así, me gustó lo refrescante y diferente que fue la historia.
December 10, 2011
This book is hilarious! I laughed pretty hard a couple times. These are characters we can all relate to! They're slightly down on their luck, they're working crappy jobs, they're putting up with cheating and slimy men, and they're shy and overweight. They each have a trait or characteristic that makes this book personable and humorous.
A coworker recommended this book, so I was all over it. After finishing it, it didn't seem like a book she would have read and enjoyed, but she really did. We both did, so this book can really reach and touch many an audience. It's a feel-good, funny book, and the narrator does a fabulous job!
A coworker recommended this book, so I was all over it. After finishing it, it didn't seem like a book she would have read and enjoyed, but she really did. We both did, so this book can really reach and touch many an audience. It's a feel-good, funny book, and the narrator does a fabulous job!
January 4, 2025
Първия чиклит който издържах до края и като цяло не е никак лош, ако го погледнеш от правилната страна.
Цялата книга се чете малко като женски вариант на Американски психар, макар убийства да няма - четири жени от средната класа, по-скоро богати, отколкото бедни (освен едната), чийто живот, съзнание и ежедневие са абсолютно изпразнени от всякакъв смисъл, действие, мечти, стремежи, възвишени пориви и дори човечност.
Превърнати в роби на страстите си (по-точно пазаруването) те пренебрегват всичко останало за да се докарат до банкрут, депресии и нервни кризи които се опитват да укротят с покупка на поредния чифт обувки, пари за които нямат.
Краят е тъп де но кво пък.
Цялата книга се чете малко като женски вариант на Американски психар, макар убийства да няма - четири жени от средната класа, по-скоро богати, отколкото бедни (освен едната), чийто живот, съзнание и ежедневие са абсолютно изпразнени от всякакъв смисъл, действие, мечти, стремежи, възвишени пориви и дори човечност.
Превърнати в роби на страстите си (по-точно пазаруването) те пренебрегват всичко останало за да се докарат до банкрут, депресии и нервни кризи които се опитват да укротят с покупка на поредния чифт обувки, пари за които нямат.
Краят е тъп де но кво пък.
March 13, 2022
I had a really good time reading this book.
The characters and the story were so fun and entertaining! The writing was also good.
I really liked to read about these girls and their friendship even if they were all so different and the only thing they all had in common was the love for shoes.
▬ 𝐭𝐰: cheating, abuse, disability
The characters and the story were so fun and entertaining! The writing was also good.
I really liked to read about these girls and their friendship even if they were all so different and the only thing they all had in common was the love for shoes.
▬ 𝐭𝐰: cheating, abuse, disability
December 5, 2011
Cute and funny story. I enjoyed reading through the 4 different ladies lives who were brought together by the forming of a club. Otherwise they probably would have never met and been able to impact one another's lives.
June 29, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and loved how the girls found friends with strangers. It reminds me of my book club we started as strangers but have become really great friends from a mutual interest. This book was great, it was light and entertaining. A perfect summer pool read.
August 18, 2015
This is a great book. I loved the characters. The four women start out trying to find their ways in the world, and through good friendships head down strong roads. Not sure where the rest of the series will go from here, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
October 18, 2017
I've never heard of Beth Harbison ...but I was suck into this world and loved every moment. hilarious read. I love all these ladies. I am picking a fave character, going with Helene. But all those characters will have ya curious where this read will go??! i love shoes, not that i am an addict ...but they sure are gorgeous. i can appreciate their beauty and style! I was totally pulled in my the cover and the fact that I found a new author and it was only $3 bucks at Dollar General! Score! I will be checking out more from Beth very very soon. Suggestions please. Must read. If you are looking for a read that is not heavy, will make ya laugh. ( ;
February 12, 2019
This was a quick, but enjoyable read! I liked reading how the main characters all came together. I think the loose ends were tied up a little too quickly, but that is my only complaint. I would recommend this to other readers!
April 12, 2019
I loved this book! This book is about 3 ladies who are so addicted to purchasing expensive shoes, that it causes problems in their lives. One has racked up a lot of debt and starts the group Shoe Addicts Anonymous to trade shoes in an effort to help regain control of her life. One lady is in a bad marriage and joins as a way to get shoes. Another is battling agoraphobia and joins to help. A fourth is in a bad job/living situation and needs to be out of her home. Their conversations and escapades are hilarious. I loved every minute of it.
#abookaboutahobby
#abookaboutahobby
November 2, 2017
This was okay. An easy chick-lit read. Not a lot of substance.
February 13, 2021
A quick read that made me laugh.
March 6, 2023
Very fun read
March 12, 2024
2.5 maybe 3 stars. Neither here nor there, kinda felt like I was watching Confessions of a Shopaholic. This would’ve ate if it was a movie made in the 2000s
July 18, 2023
4.5 🌟 This was super cute!! I loved the characters new found friendships, woman supporting each other and of course…the shoes!!!! This was such a happy and light read for me!!
September 16, 2023
Total “chick lit” but such a fun and easy read. Definitely a fun “escape” read. ☺️
June 3, 2022
Easy simple book. Good "beach" book. Kept my attention. Some plot lines I didn't feel were completly tied up at the end. I am not a shoe person, so some of the names and the infatuation with shoes was lost on me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,054 reviews