Jojo Moyes is a writer of remarkable range and talent. She first burst on the scene in the United States with the emotional tear-jerker ME BEFORE YOU, but she also excels at romances like AFTER YOU and STILL ME. And most recently she penned the historical novel THE GIVER OF STARS, set in Depression-era Appalachia. No matter the scope, Moyes knows how to capture readers with her storytelling skills, which are on full display in her latest effort, SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES.

As the title suggests, the plot starts with a mix-up --- of two nearly identical bags belonging to two very different women, both living in London. Sam, in her mid-40s, is just about at the end of her rope. She's struggling at work --- a sales job she used to enjoy and knows she's good at --- now that she has a new boss who consistently undervalues her. She gets virtually no help at home. Her husband, Phil, has been battling debilitating depression since losing his own job and his father months earlier, and her aging parents have become increasingly demanding and critical.

"The book is indeed funny at times...but it also deals with more sober issues of mental health, class and emotional abuse. Moyes' countless fans would expect nothing less --- and they won't be disappointed with what they find when they discover SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES."

In short, "Sam is at that age, the age where all the wrong things seem somehow to stick, fat, the groove between her eyebrows, anxiety, while everything else --- job security, marital happiness, dreams --- seem to slip effortlessly away."

So when Sam dashes out of the gym, late for an appointment, she realizes that instead of taking her own knockoff Marc Jacobs bag, she has grabbed an actual Marc Jacobs bag, complete with a Chanel jacket and a pair of red crocodile-skin Christian Louboutin high heels. She can't wear the gym flip-flops to her sales meeting, so she replaces them with the Louboutins --- and nails one of the biggest deals of her life.

But whose Louboutins are they? We soon learn that they belong to Nisha, an American who is married to a tremendously wealthy man and whose job is primarily to look stunning next to him. She is dismayed to find Sam's tired black flats and cheap clothing in the gym bag she thought was hers --- and more so when she comes back to the hotel where she's living. There she discovers that her husband has revoked access to their penthouse, frozen her assets --- basically cut her off entirely, and without warning. Nisha never dreamed she'd have to return to her working-class roots, but that's exactly what happens when she takes a job cleaning hotel rooms in an attempt to regain access to the penthouse --- all while scheming how to find the woman who stole her valuable shoes.

As you might predict, Sam and Nisha's paths do eventually cross, but perhaps not how you would have imagined it. Their journeys, both separately and together, take surprising turns and result in richer, more profound relationships for both women. Nisha, in particular, undergoes a real transformation, from her initial apparent entitlement to acknowledging her continued vulnerabilities and loneliness, especially her separation from her teenage son, who is at a boarding school in the States. The narrative shifts back and forth between Sam and Nisha, as well as to some secondary characters. Once the two women join forces, the plot moves at a brisk and often hilarious pace.

The book is indeed funny at times, even with moments of slapstick, but it also deals with more sober issues of mental health, class and emotional abuse. Moyes' countless fans would expect nothing less --- and they won't be disappointed with what they find when they discover SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES.