Reviews

If the Shoe Fits by E.J. Noyes

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andelock's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. Warm, sweet, funny. I love books that really let you see the romantic relationship grow over time, not just build up tension of will they won’t they only to get them together at the very end and then cut to epilogue. Also, for what it’s worth, I don’t know if I enjoyed this book even more because I read it right after the much more tense and emotionally draining Book #2 in the series. That book was good in its own way, but it dealt with some heavy (though important) themes

hammer0761's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lurker_stalker's review

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5.0

4.5 rounded up

Once again, E. J. Noyes solidifies her spot on my list of go-to authors. Yes, I realize this book came out in 2019 and it is now 2024. You know I'm not the queen of timely ARC reviews so this should come as no shock to you. At all. I think what happened is I requested the book after reading the blurb and then once it was in my ereader and I scrolled through my ARCs, the cover didn't appeal to me so I kept on moving. I guess I was finally ready. I think it helps that Noyes is now a favorite of mine and I was ready for more of her style.

If the Shoe Fits focuses on Jana and Brooke and the story comes solely from Jana (Yah-nah). I tend to enjoy dual perspective romance novels but I have to admit that Noyes is absolutely fabulous at providing enough detail that I don't really miss that second POV. In this particular book, we're really looking at two couples because Sabine and Rebecca figure heavily in the story. Which, by the way, has me wanting to read the second and third book in the Ask, Tell series.

I loved the pace of the development of Jana and Brooke's relationship. A lovely friends-to-lovers story with some good angst to keep my emotions on edge. And plenty of good lovin', too. Much of If the Shoe Fits deals with being in the closet which was sort of surprising to me while reading. I didn't expect it. Of course, I've not read the blurb since I requested the book - back in 2019... So maybe that's part of what I should have known. Either way, the fear and insecurity expressed about coming out felt genuine. And frustrating. But that's how real life is.

If you haven't yet read If the Shoe Fits, let this be your reminder. It's a lovely story of love, family, and finding happiness.

Thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for the lovely book and for bearing with me as I work on my backlog of ARCs.

mischievous_monkey's review against another edition

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3.0

I was very into this book in the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the “getting to know you” phase of the main character’s relationship. The remainder of the book was a little bit higher angst than I enjoy. I did like getting more of Jana’s story and appreciated the interactions with Sabine and Bec.
This audiobook was performed well by Kelsey Navarro.

leymag's review

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2.0

2.75 stars ---
(Audio)

This was both a necessary AND unnecessary addition to this series.

I didn't think I wanted it. I thought I could do without Jana's story. I wanted to focus on Rebecca and Sabine more than I wanted to know about Jana's life.

But, as Brooke was introduced and her confusion unfolded and her attraction became something Jana couldn't ignore anymore, I found myself more invested than I thought.

Brooke is extremely likable. Even if her and Jana hadn't of made it work I would have liked to know more about Brooke's character. She was well developed and her background made her acknowledged in the face of her adversity.

I will say, I became tiresome of the back and forth between Jana and Brooke in regards of their decision to make their relationship long-term. Jana became too persuasive at some points and came off whiny and picky. I don't know why Jana needed an answer so bad, their relationship was so new and I feel like there is plenty of time for them to have been able to figure out something (I understand the permanency with Brooke's promotion, but even then I wasn't a fan of the pressure.) I was happy to hear Sabine's and Rebecca's opinion on the whole thing and their suggestion for Jana to have patience.

I do understand the purpose of Jana's worries for the story though. It made Brooke's decision to defy her father and stand up for the relationship that much more sweet. I just wish the plot had the potential to drive everything out a little longer, but I understand the decision Noyes made to keep the story this way.

Overall, I resonated with Jana's struggles. I found that the sexuality turmoil was properly executed and I loved how Jana's confusions reflected on me as a reader. And Brooke having to overcome the judgement and ridicule for her sexuality from her family is unfortunately something the LGBTQ+ can resonate with as well. It made everything seem more human and I will forever be grateful for this series for highlighting those struggles.