Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Two women are working out in a London gym one day and they each inadvertently take the other's lookalike bag. Nisha Cantor is left with Sam Kemp's non nonsense practical shoes and economical clothes; and Sam is left with Nisha's sky-high Christian Louboutin heels and tight designer jacket. Sounds like a recipe for a fun romp of a novel amirite? This is that and a lot more.

Clothes do make the woman. Faced with a wardrobe each would never choose themselves and are slightly horrified by, they each reluctantly make short-term use of what the other bag holds.

Sam is exhausted working an unrewarding job with an awful boss to support her family and pay her mortgage. Her husband Phil is going through a hard time: his dad has recently died and he has been laid off at work. He sits around the house all day in sweatpants without seeming to be able to break out of his funk and Sam is exasperated with him and her life.

Contrarily, Nisha is a New York socialite who is in London with her filthy rich husband. Deep down Nisha know her husband is a snake but she enjoys the freedom his money allows her. Soon after she is left with Sam's bag, Nisha's husband shows just what a snake he is: he completely cuts her off including access to their hotel room, its contents and any of their accounts.

Fleshed out by a group of supporting characters that move the plot along with heart, the two women each navigate their rocky paths. It is when those paths cross that the story really comes alive with how they ultimately show their sisterhood and represent all of sisterhood. As Nisha contemplates at one point, everything can so easily be stripped away. All anyone truly is left with are their own resources and whatever it is that keeps one standing upright.

This clever, warm novel is like cuddling up on the sofa with a warm cup of cocoa. An easy, feel-good, enjoyable read that practically turns its own pages: what's not to love?