E. J. Noyes

Jana Fleischer loves her life--wonderful family, best sister in the world, awesome soon to be sister-in-law, fabulous job, and a never-ending stream of men to chew through and spit out. So what if everyone says she's too picky and she's never had a real relationship? When a chance meeting with Brooke Donnelly leaves Jana literally and figuratively off-balance, it doesn't take long for her initial annoyance to turn into the first sparks of friendship. Jana always thought she was happy with her life, but the more time she spends with Brooke, the more she realizes something is missing. And maybe not just in the friendship department. But how do you make that leap when you've never even considered kissing a woman, and have spent your whole life avoiding romantic commitments? Being brave, taking the first step, and admitting she wants to try to make things work with Brooke is only the beginning. Whether it's the beginning of a disaster--or everything Jana hadn't realized she wanted--depends on if Brooke can also be brave enough...

If the Shoe Fits

Lucia Correa

5+ Stars for E.J. Noyes’ book If the Shoe Fits

This is the third book Noyes’ series, Ask, Tell. If the Shoe Fits is a lightest of the trilogy. Ask, Tell and Ask Me Again tell the story of the romance between Captain Sabine Fleischer and Colonel Rebecca Keane. Both surgeons, they meet while serving in Afghanistan during the Don't Ask, Don't Tell era and in Ask Me Again, they deal with Sabine’s struggle with PTSD. Do you need to read the first two books before this one? Maybe not. If like me, you don’t normally read romances with angst – make an exception like I did. In my opinion they are both 5+Star books and you will fully be able to appreciate Sab and Bec’s wedding in this book. I doubt you will regret it.

This book, the focus is on Sabine’s straight younger sister, Jana Fleischer. Jana is a "ball-busting" divorce attorney. The type of attorney you want on your side, because she will fight for you and will probably win. This is a friends to lovers romance and I felt the pace was just right. Jana is run into by Brooke Donnelly when both are getting coffee at their building’s coffee shop. Jana breaks her heel in the collision and so begins the rocky start of a friendship. They meet for coffee every morning before work and soon they are spending time outside of their workplace. Jana learns that Brooke is a lesbian and an architect who is expected to take over her father’s architectural firm in the near future. Although Brooke is out, her orientation is not acknowledged by her homophobic father and she is estranged from her mother. Brooke’s true passion is sculpture which she doesn’t discuss with her family.

Jana is a great character. She is a badass lawyer who loves her sister, Sabine and her soon to be sister-in-law Rebecca. She and Sabine are more than just sisters but are BFFs. She would have to be to understand and tolerate Sabine’s anal retentiveness. Which really comes to the forefront as the wedding date nears and with Sab organizing it. In this instance Jana and Sab are opposites. Sabine is relying on Jana for specific wedding tasks which Jana does intend to get done, but not always in the time frame that her sister expects. Often its Jana’s work schedule interfering, along her lack of enthusiasm of shopping, especially for a pre-wedding dress. Brooke steps in to help Jana, for which Sab is grateful. As Brooke and Jana spend more time together, Jana is realizing that perhaps she is not as straight as she once thought.

I thought Noyes did a wonderful job slowly exploring Brooke’s character. In so many ways opposite to Jana and with a family history such that Jana can’t comprehend some of Brooke’s choices.

I can’t recommend this series high enough. In fact now that I’ve finished, I plan on binge re-reading the series in the coming new year.

Jude Silberfeld

I was ready for the Ask, Tell series to stop at two extraordinary books. I am so grateful E. J. Noyes thought a third one was necessary. If the Shoe Fits is the perfect ending (or maybe not? One can always hope) to a trilogy that is so much more than romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love romance novels but these are next level. Way above. There are so many feelings and emotions, so beautifully written, that I had to take breaks in my reading so as not to forget to breathe.

Jana Fleischer is a serial dater trying to find the perfect guy, the one whose little quirks won’t annoy her so much. She’s turned not-committing into an art, blaming her career as a successful divorce lawyer for her lack of time and interest. Falling (literally and figuratively) for a woman has never been her plan, not only because she doesn’t want to walk in her sister Sabine’s footsteps as far as her love life is concerned. Enter Brooke Donnelly, the woman she didn’t know she needed in her life.

If the Shoe Fits can be read as a standalone, but don’t. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favour and read the first two books, they’re some of the best I’ve read in years. Also, even though this is Jana’s story, Sabine and Bec are more than minor characters in this instalment.

Like other readers, I resented Jana a little in Ask Me Again for her misdirected anger at Bec. While I could empathize with her frustration, I didn’t like that she added to Rebecca’s burden. I loved how much she loves her sister, though, and her friendship with Bec, among other things. If the Shoe Fits gives her a starring role, and I didn’t realise how much she deserved it. She’s smart, vivacious, driven. When she begins to understand that she’s not as straight as she thought she was, she’s not bothered. Confused, definitely, but she embraces the situation fully, because, nitpicking about men’s mannerisms aside, that’s how she is. It’s that uncompromising quality that, at first, makes it difficult for her to understand why Brooke, who has been an out and proud lesbian for many years, isn’t as prompt as she is to let the whole world (in particular, her father and employer) know how delightful their relationship is.

E. J. Noyes is one of the smartest and most talented writers I’ve read. She keeps taking her readers to unexpected places. With her string of dates and almost blasé view of life, Jana should be the obvious one to be wary of getting too involved in the relationship, and yet it’s Brooke who tries to slow things down. While the irony doesn’t escape her, Jana doesn’t shy from her quickly growing feelings. She doesn’t worry that Brooke’s quirks, her anxiety, her past, don’t annoy her. She simply goes for it.

There’s so much to love in Noyes’ books that I worry I’ll fall into spoiling territory if I write too much. So in a few words: great (and lighter) way to end the series, fantastic characters as usual, awesome writing, steamy sex scenes. And yes, communication, in and out of the bedroom, is sexy. Very, very sexy.

Agus

Izza

Alex (They/Them)

Renee

Tess

Sorcha Mooney

Jana Fleischer loves her life—wonderful family, best sister in the world, awesome soon to be sister-in-law, fabulous job, and a never-ending stream of men to chew through and spit out. So what if everyone says she’s too picky and she’s never had a real relationship? When a chance meeting with Brooke Donnelly leaves Jana literally and figuratively off-balance, it doesn’t take long for her initial annoyance to turn into the first sparks of friendship. Jana always thought she was happy with her life, but the more time she spends with Brooke, the more she realizes something is missing. And maybe not just in the friendship department. But how do you make that leap when you’ve never even considered kissing a woman, and have spent your whole life avoiding romantic commitments? Being brave, taking the first step, and admitting she wants to try to make things work with Brooke is only the beginning. Whether it’s the beginning of a disaster—or everything Jana hadn’t realized she wanted—depends on if Brooke can also be brave enough…

If the Shoe Fits

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