Review: 'The Second Chance Shoe Shop' by Marcie Steele (2016)

All Riley Flynn wants is to meet someone who makes her happy. But attracting the right kind of man is not easy, and with her heart still hurting from her last break-up, Riley believes she’ll never find love again.
A year ago, Sadie Stewart’s whole world was shattered when her husband, Ross, died. She has struggled to keep herself together for the sake of their young daughter, but with the anniversary of his death approaching, Sadie finds herself overwhelmed by grief.
Sadie and Riley work at Chandlers shoe shop, in the charming town of Hedworth. But when Chandlers is threatened with closure, the friends are confronted with the loss of not only their jobs, but also their support network - the glue that holds them together when they are close to breaking.
As they put together a plan to save their beloved shop, Sadie realises that she might just be learning to live again. Could it be that new beginnings are just round the corner? The campaign also finds Riley unexpectedly crossing paths with charming photographer, Ethan. Maybe her second chance at love is right under her feet …
Last year publisher Bookouture released a novel by author Marcie Steele, 'Stirred with Love', which was a great chick lit read (click here to read my review). The aspect of the novel that was most talked about, though, was the author, because who was hidden behind the name Marcie Steele? This turned out to be author Mel Sherratt, mostly known for her crime thrilers. However, Mel definitely has a good dose of romance inside of her, because she has treated us to another novel, 'The Second Chance Shoe Shop'! I couldn't wait to read this new title, which was released on April 8th, and want to thank both Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy!
Riley, Sadie and Dan have been working together at Chandlers, a shoe store in the small town of Hedworth for several years. They support each other through thick and thin, whether it's trouble with their love lives or at home. When Chandlers is suddenly threatened with closure, Riley knows she and Sadie and Dan will have to work as a team in order to come up with some great ideas to save their jobs. The troubling times ahead stir up things quite a bit, including a touch of romance in Riley's life. But will the three friends really be able to save Chandlers from closure while also dealing with everything that's going on in their own lives at the same time...?
I don't know how author Mel Sheratt manages to write both crime thrillers and romantic comedy novels, but I'm immensely glad she decided to also release novels in that last genre because 'The Second Chance Shoe Shop' is a simply wonderful read which I enjoyed a lot! The book has a great pace and plotline and I really just wanted to keep on reading, discovering what would happen next and see whether Riley and her friends would be able to save Chandlers shoe shop. I loved Riley; she had such motivation and brilliant ideas and I was definitely rooting for her to get a happy ending. The same counts for the other characters, especially Sadie and Dan, who both had their own stories that were focused on as well.
The author's writing style fit the novel really well; she managed to describe the scene setting perfectly and I definitely connected with the characters. I loved the fact there were three characters and storylines, resulting in me not getting even a bit bored. Also a small thing, but I really liked the use of social media in the book; Twitter, Facebook... It made the story relatable and it fit in with the world we live in today. Overall, I thought 'The Second Chance Shoe Shop' was a thoroughly entertaining, fun and well-written read about a group of friends, supporting each other through everything; a read that left me with a smile on my face and one that is undoubtedly worth picking up!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.