Under normal circumstances, Izzie and Maddy would never have met. Their lives are a million miles apart - Izzie is bohemian and skint, Maddy is Gucci-clad and loaded. But, thanks to their respective husbands’ careers, both have been dumped into the English countryside, fish out of water with five young children between them.

Thrown together at a ghastly women’s lunch, they quickly discover a shared longing for mucky London streets and the residents’ parking permits they’ve left behind. When tragedy hits and Maddy’s world collapses, they have to make money fast.

A chance discovery leads this unlikely partnership to launch a natural cosmetics company from the kitchen table, with consequences beyond their wildest imaginings. Then the media spotlight turns on them, and Maddy and Izzie have to give up all they hold dear to embrace a lifestyle they hate. But just how far are they prepared to go?

Goodbye, Jimmy Choo was Annie Sanders’ first novel but the third I’ve read (after Warnings of Gales and Busy Woman Seeks Wife - both of which I loved). It tells the story of Izzie and Maddy, two women who end up in the countryside but yearn for London life. After a tragedy and a surprise discovery, the girls end up in a whole new direction…

While I enjoyed Goodbye, Jimmy Choo, I don’t think it was as good as Warnings of Gales and Busy Woman Seeks Wife. It took me quite a while to get into the novel - it seemed to be slow going until after the tragedy. However the chance discovery and everything that happened after that had me hooked. It seemed to slow again towards the end as well.

I loved Maddy and Izzie’s characters and loved how they complemented one another. I liked how eager Izzie was to help Maddy after her tragedy (which came completely out of left-field even though tragedy is mentioned on the back of the book - I didn’t expect it so quick) even though she’d only known Maddy a few days. It definitely set the foundations of their friendship.

I thought Maddy was really great and I was so sad for her when the tragedy occured. I felt Izzie seemed a bit too try-hard when it came to her husband Marcus but apart from that I liked her. Izzie and Maddy were the two main characters but there were plenty of background characters - family, friends, children etc. who all added to the story!

The surprise discovery and subsequent events were my favourite part of the book. I hoped so much that Izzie and Maddy could make it work and was so happy for them when it all seemed to come together.

I can’t say what I disliked about the book because the answer would be “not much”. I just found it slow-going and I just didn’t find I could get into it as quickly as the previous two I’ve read.

I also found Izzie’s husband Marcus irritating. I just couldn’t warm to him at all and found him very selfish and very unwelcoming when Izzie and Maddy became friends. I have to admit I was rooting for Izzie to tell him to get lost. Even when he seemed to become nicer I still couldn’t warm to him!

Overall it was an enjoyable enough read, just a bit slow-going for me and I found that it didn’t really hold my attention.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: annie sanders

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