Besides being sisters, Martha and Eliza don't seem to have anything in common. Martha has always worried about Eliza, who seems to flit between relationships and flats and jobs without any thought of the future. Eliza is envious of her sister's loving marriage, beautiful children and perfect dream home. Even though the sisters are close, and Eliza stops by to visit Martha several times a week, neither of the sisters is prepared for how their lives are about to change.

At 30, Eliza is finally tired of setting the pace for the trendy and rebellious party-girl lifestyle. She's been staying at her musician boyfriend's apartment for the past four years, but clubbing, drugs and take-away food have become monotonous. Eliza is dreaming about health insurance, dinner parties and motherhood when she decides to leave her boyfriend in search of a grown-up life.

Martha is exhausted from taking care of two young children and making a pleasant home for her husband. She keeps things clean and organized and reassures herself that she has many things for which to be grateful. When her husband announces that he doesn't love her anymore and abruptly moves out of the house, Martha's world falls apart.

With sisterhood triumphing over failed romantic relationships, Eliza moves in to Martha's house and both women attempt to put their lives back together. As they try to reenter the dating scene, the sisters discover that spending some time in the other woman's shoes may be the answer to finding happiness.

This novel was originally published in the UK and retains a fun Bridget Jones-feel in the language and setting. I enjoyed the double romance storylines, and I always love a happy ending! Adele Parks adeptly captures the strong feelings of protective love, awkward envy and gut- wrenching sympathy in the unbreakable bonds between sisters. Eliza and Martha remind me of the wonderful sister relationship in Jennifer Weiner's novel IN HER SHOES, which is now also a movie. Boyfriends and husbands are great, but both Eliza and Martha first need to discover a LUST FOR LIFE.

Book Summary

If the shoe fits...

Here's what the Evergreen sisters have in common: jealousy. Eliza longs for the stability of Martha's picture-perfect marriage; Martha craves the spontaneity of Eliza's life with her sexy musician boyfriend. Now one of the sisters has dumped her mate, and the other one just got dumped. Suddenly single-minded, they are about to get what they think they've always wanted -- a chance to walk in the other woman's shoes.

...buy a pair in every color.

Here's what the Evergreen sisters found out: trading placescan be a complicated affair. With new lovers in their lives, Eliza's partaking in sensible discourse at upscale dinner parties, while Martha's having great, no-strings- attached sex. But love is full of surprises...and dream lovers can be full of hot air. No longer green with envy, can the Evergreen sisters each find a perfectly imperfect man to make their lives -- their real lives -- truly satisfying?