"I LOVED THIS BOOK ! ...s mart, sensitive and incredibly satisfying." —Elin Hilderbrand "Jane L. Rosen has a forever fan in me."— Emily Henry A young woman has one month and a closetful of shoes to discover the future she thought she'd lost in this captivating new novel from the author of Eliza Starts a Rumor and Nine Women, One Dress. Esme Nash is eager to leave her small town and begin her carefully planned post-grad life: a move to New York City, an apartment with her loving college boyfriend, and a fancy job at an art gallery. But when tragedy strikes, instead of heading to Manhattan, she returns home to care for her ailing father, leaving every bit of her dream behind.   Seven trying years later, Esme is offered a dog-sitting job in Greenwich Village by a mysterious stranger, giving her access to all of her long-buried hopes and dreams—as well as to an epic collection of designer shoes. Esme jumps at a second chance to step into the future she's sure was meant to be hers.   As she retraces her steps, one pair of borrowed shoes at a time, making new friends and reconnecting with her old love, Esme tries on versions of herself she didn’t know existed. But the hazy August days and warm summer nights pass too quickly, and Esme must decide how much of the life she imagined still fits, and what—and who—is on the road ahead of her. “I'm tempted to write this blurb in all-caps bold face: I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is a smart, sensitive and incredibly satisfying romantic comedy, studded with fun insider tidbits about New York City. Count me as Jane L. Rosen's biggest fan—and make your summer sweeter by reading A Shoe Story ." — Elin Hilderbrand , # 1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 Summers "Read A Shoe Story and fall in love—with its heroine Esme Nash, with its big-hearted cast of characters and with New York City, whether for the first time or all over again.” — Katie Couric “ Beach Read meets The Notebook in this utterly absorbing Greenwich Village tale of first loves and second chances.” — Jo Piazza , New York Times bestselling author of We are Not Like Them "This is Jane L. Rosen's best book yet… Her sense of humor, excellent character depictions, fabulous dialogue and strong sense of place make this story extra sole-ful (can't help myself)." — Zibby Owens , author of Moms Don’t Have Time to Have Kids “Readers will identify with A Shoe Story’s heroine Esme Nash as she grapples with figuring out if what she once desired is still the life for her in this charming, clever and irresistible tale. Trust me, you’ll want to walk a mile or more in Esme’s shoes.” — Elyssa Friedlund , author of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel "Perfect for fans of Rosen’s Nine Women, One Dress , A Shoe Story shows us the power of the right shoe to change our mood, or even our lives.” — Brenda Janowitz , author of The Liz Taylor Ring Jane L. Rosen is an author and screenwriter whose critically acclaimed first novel, Nine Women, One Dress , has been translated into ten languages. She lives in New York City and on Fire Island with her husband and three daughters. one   The Red-Bottomed Shoes   Esme Nash strolled across the Dartmouth Green, committing each sight, sound, and smell to memory. Set to graduate the next day, she had approached every moment of her last weeks of college with this sense of impending nostalgia. She'd savored her last scoop of Morano Gelato on Main Street, her last latte at the library coffee shop, and her final grade (an A+ on her senior thesis in art history titled "The Seven Muses of Gustav Klimt").   As she breathed in the scent of fresh-cut grass, Esme wondered if she would soon start feeling just as sentimental about the smells of NYC. She was pretty sure that New Hampshire would win the olfactory contest but thought New York might take the lead with her other senses.   Esme reached her destination, the Hinman Mail Center, to pick up the package that her mom had now asked her about at least six times. The last package, she noted sentimentally, of her college career. She was also hoping to purchase a poster tube large enough to safely transport the life-size replica of her favorite Klimt painting, The Kiss, which had hung on her walls since first-year student move-in day. The golden masterpiece had followed her throughout her four years on campus, and she wasn't about to leave it behind as she started her next big adventure.   Though Esme Nash grew up in a small town in upstate New York, she had always yearned to live in a big city, specifically Manhattan. In a few days' time her dream of doing so would become reality, and she was still pinching herself.   She handed the package notification to the mail clerk and pulled out her to-do list while she waited. Esme loved a good to-do list, or more specifically crossing things off one gave her a sense of control, however out of hand things were.   The frazzled mail clerk returned carrying a shoebox-size package wrapp