A Shoe Addict's Christmas

Shoe Addict #2.5

by Beth Harbison

From the author of the beloved bestseller Shoe Addicts Anonymous comes a heartwarming twist on a classic tale filled with holiday cheer.

Noelle is not a fan of the holidays and to make matters worse, she is at a crossroads in her life when it seems that love and adventure are no longer possible. When she stays late at her job in a department store on a snowy Christmas Eve she accidentally gets locked in after closing. She isn’t too concerned about the prospect of spending the night in the store...until a woman appears out of nowhere and tells Noelle that she’s her guardian angel.

Soon Noelle finds herself camped out in the shoe department facing several “ghosts” of Christmases past, present, and future...all while surrounded by Manolo Blahniks, Jimmy Choos, Chanel slippers, and Prada riding boots. Will visiting the holidays of yesterday and tomorrow help Noelle see the true spirit of Christmas? And will the love she has longed for all her life be the best surprise gift of all?

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Chick Lit, Holiday, Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2016

About the author

Beth 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

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle is so busy with her work at one of the city's more high end department stores on Christmas Eve that she doesn't notice that the snow has been steadily falling. When ready to leave she finds herself stranded alone in the store since the night security guard had called in. Noelle tries to make the best of things surrounded by all the luxurious items in the store.

However, a woman suddenly appears at the store and tells Noelle that she’s her guardian angel and she is there to help her. Noelle is not sure what to think other than this kind old woman must need help but soon the pair are revisiting different times over Noelle's life.

A Shoe Addict's Christmas was a lovely little novella that is a bit of a modern contemporary version of A Christmas Carol. Noelle is given glances into her life to see what led her to spending the holiday working and alone. A rather cute little read that I enjoyed and would recommend checking out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Lisa Burgos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heart-warming, holiday vibe with a modern twist of the classic A Christmas Carol.

[Sunshine Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Hallmark Channel Original Christmas movies is 'A Shoe Addict's Christmas' starring Candace Cameron Bure and Luke Macfarlane. * Just a disclaimer: the book is nothing like the movie! And there are curse words in the text, a scene with a fortune teller, astrological signs and their meanings (I am a Cancer so thus I act like this...), along with other mature elements (I would give this book a PG-13 rating).

This is my first time reading a book written by Beth Harbison. She mentions the Shoe Addicts Anonymous in the story (I'm assuming it is a reference to her other books). I like that the writing is first-person, told from Noelle's point of view. But when she is replaying her memories from the past, the story shifts to third person as if the main character is a bystander to the happenings around her. The story and writing style reminds me of "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Both books talk about supernatural beings dealing with supernatural aspects... and how the past connects to the future.

"A Shoe Addict's Christmas" centers around Noelle who works in Human Resources and gets stuck in a department store and stays there overnight with a strange woman who claims to be her guardian angel... which I think would be a horror movie if that ever happened to me in real life! Noelle didn't realize the store had closed early due to the blizzard because she was looking for the file of Charlene Pennymar down in storage.

"She was going a bit heavy on the guardian-angel bit, which made me think she'd probably watched a few too many Christmas movies..." (pg. 34)

Noelle and her guardian angel Charlie eat, play checkers and spend the night at Simon's department store. During that time, Noelle tries on different pairs of shoes that blast her into the past, replaying memories and given new opportunities to choose different options for her life (i.e. agreeing to spend time with her cousins even though she wanted to stay at home, going on a dinner cruise with her friend on New Year's Eve instead of with her insensitive boyfriend, enjoying the holiday party instead of dealing with her drunk friend ... and lastly, going with her friend to Rome for Christmas) Each different, better option Noelle chooses from the past takes her out of comfort zone and each time leading her to this mystery man, Jake Marsden.

"How else could I have known it without some divine intervention?" (pg.91)

In the morning, after sleeping in the bedding department, Noelle wakes up and Charlie is gone with no evidence that she ever existed. Her boss, Lex, finds her inside the store and sends her on this wild shopping spree, buying her large amounts of clothes, Jimmy Choos heels and luggage for her last-minute trip to Rome. (Wow! What a generous boss!).

And the twist in the book is that Charlie is none other than: Charlene Pennymar.

Charlie tells a parable of a man who was drowning and prayed to God to save him. Boats came along and offered to help but the man said, "No. I am waiting for God to save me." The man died and went to heaven asking God... why He didn't save him?... and God said, "I sent the boats, and you refused them all." (This is a similar parable that Charlie tells in the movie version). ---> This is one of the messages in the book. Look out... God is sending signs, and we are just not seeing them. God is sending boats, but we are just not getting on one or not jumping at opportunities when they come around.

"You never know where magic is going to come from" (pg. 57)

Is the Book "A Shoe Addict's Christmas" better than the Movie version?
Find out on my Blog Series titled: Book Vs Movie -> http://www.sunshinerodgers.com/movie-...

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Harbison has written a modern day "Christmas Carol." Noelle is the main protagonist, and Christmas is not her favorite time of the year.

Noelle works in the shoe department at a major Department Store. She was working in the storeroom late in the day, and ended up being locked in the store for the night. After a while Charlie manages to appear telling Noelle that Charlie is her guarding angel. Noelle assumes that Charlie is not who she seems.

Charlie convinces Noelle to start trying on various high heels that will transport her back in time to see Noelle's past.

This was a light hearted story well suited for the holiday spirit or the lack there of.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. How cool to be locked in a department store overnight!

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In exchange for winning this novella in a giveaway by St. Martin's Press, here is my fair and honest review:

Cute, modern-day retelling of A Christmas Carol. Noelle, an HR employee of an upscale department store, finds herself trapped inside the store on Christmas Eve. With the help of her "guardian angel" Charlie, Noelle learns a valuable lesson in taking chances.

This was my first time reading anything by Beth Harbison. I look forward to checking out her other works in the hopes they are as sweet and good-humored as this one.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very cheesy, but I can forgive Christmas cheesy.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars

Beth Harbison returns following (2016) One Less Problem Without You, with a heartwarming contemporary holiday "time-travel"— A SHOE ADDICT’S CHRISTMAS. A guardian angel, and ghosts of Christmas' past, with a modern day twist.

It was a picture-perfect, Christmas Eve, with snow falling at almost two inches an hour swirling down in front of the Simon’s Department Store window displays- on Massachusetts Avenue, like flakes in a snow globe.

Noelle works in human resources at the store, and her friend Lorna Rafferty and her business partners at Shoe Addicts Anonymous were among the best shoe designers around. Simon’s was the company’s only distributors.

Each display in the store told a story and everyone loves to buy a great story.

However, even though she worked at the store, she seldom had time for shopping. Lorna had asked her to accompany her on a trip to Rome, leaving Christmas Day and she balked. It sounded good on paper, but it would end up becoming more of a challenge.

Even her boss, Lex tried to persuade her to take a trip between Christmas and New Years, since it would be the perfect time for some R&R by a crackling fire with a man by her side. She was at a crossroads in her life. Love and adventure did not seem to be in her cards, and she is not a fan of the Christmas holidays.

With the heavy snow coming down, the door was locked tight. She was stuck in the store. There was nothing to panic about. The store had closed at six and it was currently seven forty. What place more comfortable than Simon’s and what else did she have to do? There were worse places to be trapped in the snow on Christmas Eve. She was locked in a beautiful fortress.

She could shop, try on clothes, shoes, sleep on the beds, and eat fine cheeses – top end! With the cheerful holiday music playing, it was hard to feel anything but festive.

Suddenly she hears a loud crash in the shoe department. An old lady with two thousand mismatched shoes. She says her name is Charlie. A guardian angel (or working to be one) she is her first. Maybe the old lady had watched too many Christmas movies and found this the perfect way to occupy herself on an otherwise lonely Christmas Eve.

Noelle found herself somewhat enjoying the experience. Charlie says she is here to help her get over her troubles. When Noelle explains she is not troubled, Charlie wants to know why she is stuck here on a beautiful Christmas Eve? Avoiding life.

Going through shoes, Charlie takes her back in time with each pair of shoes. Her experience, her feelings, the what ifs? Memories. It apparently was the guardian angel’s job to come here and remind Noelle that she has choices in her life.

She keeps making choices that keep her from living the life she is supposed to live. The safe road? Regrets. Sad times could have been happy times.

From the shoe department to the toy department- they have enough Christmas music, tea, luxury beds, food, and a beautiful fallen blanket of snow. Dreams. Manolo Blahniks. Magic. Enchantment. She has a guardian angel!

From ghosts of Christmas’s past, she soon realizes she was too busy working to realize for other people life had taken a turn. For her, life never took a turn. Charlie’s examples. Fate. Parables. She was sent boats (opportunities), and she had refused them. She never gets out of her house long enough to get on the boat.

Turns out it was one of the best Christmas Eve’s ever. Had she imagined the entire experience? A time-travel. A dream? However, she decides to make the trip to Rome, Jimmy Choos and all! A special woman, an unforgettable one. A Godsend. A Christmas in Italy. She was finally taking the road not taken.

Risks. Chances. Unexpected surprises, await when you least expect and open your heart to the endless possibilities.

An entertaining, witty, and emotional chick-lit holiday story, with a contemporary modern day twist! For fans of Harbison’s Shoe Addicts Anonymous series, a perfect holiday tale for any woman who has ever struggled to find the perfect fit.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Elizabeth Nordquest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

3.5 - 4

First off, if Hallmark or Lifetime doesn't scoop up the rights to this story they're doing it wrong. It's your classic lonely girl/works too hard/hates the holidays story with a guardian angle. I thought it'd be a direct A Christmas Carol rip-off, but there was a twist to the flashbacks that I enjoyed. Definitely predictable and obviously written very quickly (lots of typos, some inconsistencies), but some scenes were really great that you can tell Harbison is a good writer.

You don't need to read the Shoe Addicts series to get into this book (I haven't read them and it seems like those characters are on the sideline here).

One complaint and maybe a teeny tiny spoiler when did she go back to her apartment and get her passport?!?! Did someone pick it up for her! It really bothered me after it's location was mentioned. Yep, silly complaint.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, any novel where someone gets locked in a shoe store and meets their Christmas guardian angel is a novel for me! This is a modern twist on A Christmas Carol and I loved every minute! It's not a long book, and moves very fast! Sometimes I felt a little lost, but as I kept reading I quickly caught up! This novel was a GREAT way to start my Christmas Book kick for 2019!

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Christmas Eve, and at Simon’s Department Store, Noelle is hard at work. So intent is she that she doesn’t realize that the store has closed early because of the snow storm and she is locked in the store, alone. But not one to panic at this unexpected event, she calls her boss to explain, and then settles down for a not unhappy evening alone in the store. A loner in life, she has no plans and no one to share the holidays. But soon Noelle discovers that she is not alone in the store. With her is a most eccentric older lady who claims to be her guardian angel. She shows Noelle some scenes from her past, and then what might have been, if Noelle had only made different choices. Was it a dream? Or did Noelle experience a “ghost” encounter? Author Beth Harbison has written a lovely Christmas tale that illustrates that no matter how unfair and unkind life can be, the choice to be happy or to be miserable is just that: a choice. And that sometimes you do get a second, a third, or even a fourth chance to fulfill your destiny.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! It's the most fun I've had reading in a while. A cute story reminisce of The Christmas Carol, but with a fun modern day twist. A woman named Noelle gets trapped in a department store on Christmas Eve, so she has visions of a major shopping spree, trying on all the clothes and shoes she wants and looks forward to sleeping on one of the huge comfortable beds in the store. A quirky older woman shows up out of nowhere and takes her on an unforgettable trip through her life, dreaming of moments that could have been, if she would have taken more chances in life, instead of always staying home, feeling sorry for herself. It's a wonderful story, full of thought-provoking events, and the young woman gets another chance at a fulfilling life and love as the night ends at the department store. It's a great story, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to the author and goodreads for providing the complimentary copy in exchange for the honest review.

[Christine (Tina) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this from 7:30-9:15am!! A very sweet Christmas read - fun in a Christmas Carol kind of way, mixed with a little It's a Wonderful Life. Quick & festive - pick it up at the library for a nice, fits the short time we may indulge kind of read!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I love cute Christmas stories! This was a fun story that was perfect to read during the holiday season!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little Christmas read I got from a friend.

A shy introvert meets a guardian angel, much like Clarence in "It's a Wonderful Life."

Unlike in "It's a Wonderful Life," the angel doesn't show the good, valued things of the past, but instead shows the missed opportunities. She associates these memories with different styles of shoes. One reviewer phrased it well when she related it to the road not taken.

That's a little sad, but Noelle does have the opportunity to change, more along the lines of Scrooge in Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." Noelle, however, already starts out a much better person than Scrooge, helping her friend.

She is just grieving, and introverted, relieved when social engagements don't come to pass.

I already turned down one party recently because I just didn't feel like it, just didn't want to be out that late in the cold and the dark. So I can identify with Noelle.

But I did truly want to connect with these people - they are honestly good people - so I have already decided to attend the next party. Not that I expect anything of such gigantic proportions. Sometimes it's just nice to connect.

One reviewer noted that the boss is very generous, perhaps unrealistically so.

This book says that one can always revisit a choice and make a different one. Realistically, that's not always true. Some opportunities pass away.

The most common words reviewers uses to describe this book include sweet, light, and cheesy, although I agree with the reviewer who said that it's ok for Christmas stories to be a little cheesy.

Favorite Quote:

"Baby, you have been sad long enough. We all have been. And we will be again, don't you worry.You have yourself some fun whenever you can. Never give up a chance to smile."

While I like that quote, it was said only two months after Noelle's mom had passed away. Grieving usually takes longer than two months, especially when you are grieving someone close. I think it would've been perfectly fine if Noelle were too sad to go, and that choice should've been respected.

On the other hand, the opposite is also true. If Noelle had wanted to go have a good time, she should be able to do that guilt-free.

Each person can write their own grief stories and choices, and life often does mingle sadness and happiness together.

A little side note is that although this is a cute little story, like "A Wonderful Life," it doesn't have the best theology. The angel is ditsy instead of fearsome and her message doesn't seem to be about giving glory to God, or turning to God, etc, as a Biblical angel would.

If Dickens' original Christmas Carol and the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, both dealt more with good works, maybe even an implied salvation by works, this Christmas story is more about having a good time and finding romance, more about feeling good than doing good.

[Carlymor · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I told dear, I’m your guardian angel. It’s my job to come here and remind you that you have many choices in your life, and unfortunately, well…you keep making the choices that keep you from living the life you’re supposed to live.”

What a sweet little Christmas story. I haven’t read any other books in the shoe addicts series but this is fine as a stand alone. Noelle always makes safe choices which really limit her life experiences. Guardian angel Charlie shows Noelle that she’s been missing out and then shows her alternative endings, if she’d just taken that opportunity to experience life. It’s a good message for all of us. This short little novella was a pleasure to read and definitely put me in the Christmas spirit.

[Angela Pineda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good if you’re in the mood for a short, predictable, short story. I enjoyed the first Shoe Addicts Anonymous and haven’t read the second yet - I skipped to this one since it’s Christmas time and I wanted to read something festive. It’s not groundbreaking by any means but it was a quick, decent read.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute

[Melissa Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute with a great Christmas message.

[Erin :bookshelvesandbubbly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and quick read, and it was exactly what I needed to read at exactly the right time.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modernised A Christmas Carol but shoes are the vehicle instead of ghosts. Cute story reminding us to take chances and not be afraid of living.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very feel good, heart felt Christmas story with a twist of unexpected romance

[Sue Slade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and quick Christmas book! Perfect for getting you in the mood for the holidays.

[Brittany Steenhoek]

THIS is what I'm talking about! Christmas! super quick read, cute stories, reminder to always accept the fun and interesting and life-filling opportunities that come your way!

[Janette · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A Shoe Addict’s Christmas” is a short and pleasant read, almost like spending a quiet night in your favorite department store with a touch of holiday magic. It has a hint of A Christmas Carol in its feel, but with a modern twist. A cute Christmas story with a gentle, uplifting message.

[Dee Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. What would have happened if making a different decision. Cute story.

[Amy Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick, fun story! Noelle works for a department store and has lost her Christmas spirit ever since her mom died. She is working on Christmas Eve when she leaves her office and finds the store desserted. Everyone has gone home early and she’s locked in the store.

At first, she’s panicked, then decides to have fun trying on clothes. She hears a crash in the shoe department and finds a woman claiming to be her guardian angel. Charlie shows Noelle some memories but in them, Noelle made a different choice. Will Noelle learn to take chances in her life?

Cute story that was made into a Hallmark movie, one of my favorite movies. Same premise, but the movie was very different.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story with a twist on a classic holiday tale.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final story in the Shoe Addicts trilogy. A quick read with a shoe-oriented nod to It’s a Wonderful Life.

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute light read, quick read.