If Not 4 U and Some Shoes by Laurie Nenson is an endearing young adult romance novel that takes you on a journey both geographically and emotionally. It’s a book that will feel familiar to young readers and reminiscent to the readers that are young at heart.
Don’t let the title of If Not 4 U and Some Shoes be off-putting and discourage you from reading this novel. The use of text language in the title makes you think of the novel ttyl by Lauren Myracle, which is written entirely in text message language. Just to set the record straight, there is no text language in If Not 4 U and Some Shoes what-so-ever. To be honest, as a reader, I’m not sure why If Not 4 U and Some Shoes is the title.
The book tells the story of Francie Lanoo and her quest to find the perfect “Francie” shoe. The book spans 10 years from high school, through college, to the beginning of her career. The book is centered around Francie’s two loves: shoes and Berkeley aka her first love, and high school boyfriend. Berkeley is the one who pushed Francie to find her perfect “Francie” shoe, and to follow her dreams, no matter where in the world they took her.
The book does a few time jumps, but the reader never feels lost or that there is something missing in the plot line. As the plot develops, the reader sees Francie’s character develop. The novel starts in an immature voice of a love struck 15 year-old and gradually grows into a mature adult. Ergo, it’s worth it to power through the obnoxious love struck phase (about the first 40 pages) to get to the more emotionally meaningful text.
Additionally, Francie's love of shoes makes the (female) reader want to go out and buy a new pair of pumps.
Anyone who loves any young adult romance novels by Meg Cabot would fall in love with If Not 4 U and Some Shoes.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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