The Designer Shoe Shop By The Sea

by Amanda Montague

Cara is in her mid-20's and lives in Poole, on the South coast of the UK. She has recently had her heart broken after finding out her boyfriend has been having an affair with her boss. They had just bought their first house together and were happy, or so Cara thought. Cara is trying to rebuild her life and needs to find a new job if she is going to keep her house by herself, now she has thrown Jake out. She also must deal with the added pressure of her best friend's wedding coming up this Christmas. Cara is maid of honour and her now ex-boyfriend, Jake, is the best man, her life isn't as straight forward as she'd like. Cara secures her dream job in a brand-new designer shoe shop in the wealthy town of Sandbanks, Poole, and works to rebuild her life. After making a promise to herself to stay single, she certainly hadn't planned on being swept off her feet.

Lucca is in his early 30's and had to flee his hometown of Messina in Sicily after a messy divorce. He comes from a high-profile and very wealthy family who run a successful lady's fashion business in Italy. He feels he need to break away from the family that has become poisoned by his ex-wife, moves to the UK and quietly begins designing shoes.

Meeting a gorgeous new mystery man was certainly not part of Cara's new plan. Caras brief first encounter with Lucca, as he is making some money as a courier at this point, has her flustered, but Lucca isn't who he seems. After getting over the divorce, he has secrets that he preferers not to share.

Cara and Lucca start a passionate relationship but knowing everyone has a past they both have a fear of getting hurt. Will Lucca bare all and share his secrets with Cara before she finds out what he is hiding. Can they both learn to trust each other with their fragile hearts?

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2026

Reviews

[Isla Rowe]

The Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is an absolute delight of a romance novel that has everything you could want from the genre. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Dorset coast and the glamorous world of high fashion, this is a story full of warmth, passion, friendship and second chances.

At its heart, this is Cara’s story. Picking herself up after devastating betrayal, she rebuilds her life in the most gorgeous way, landing her dream job in a designer shoe boutique in the wealthy enclave of Sandbanks. But life has other plans, and the mysterious, dark-eyed Lucca is very hard to resist.

The characters feel genuinely real and relatable. Cara is the kind of heroine you root for from the very first page, and Lucca is exactly the kind of romantic lead you hope she deserves. The will-they-won’t-they tension is perfectly pitched, and the secrets woven through the story keep the pages turning.

Think Carrie Bradshaw meets The Devil Wears Prada, with a very British seaside twist. Glamorous, fun, emotionally satisfying and genuinely romantic. A wonderful read that will leave you smiling long after the final page.

[Char]

The Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is a charming cosy read. It's quite short and fast paced to say it has a lot of plot. It's a good book to read when you need something quick and easy to get through.
I liked the setting, the characters, and the MMC's profession.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen some scenes and plots expanded upon, and for the dialogue to have less tags as this made some bits robotic and hindered the narrative flow in places.
Neverless, it was a good read.

[Samantha Lark]

What a charming novel! The descriptions of England and Italy are so wonderful, I seriously felt like I had visited both countries! This story had me rooting for the couple, and I loved that the MFC had a great support system, and didn't waffle in her standards. A really great read!

[Steph]

This is a little gem of a story. A charming romance about learning to trust again. I loved Cara, she was very relatable and I was rooting for her from very early on and enjoyed how her and Lucca's story unfolded. Throw into the mix, friends and fashion and you have yourself a book that leaves you not just smiling but content.

[Lilac Rivers]

The Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is exactly the kind of feel-good romance I love to escape into. From the opening chapters, I was invested in Cara's journey as she rebuilt her confidence after such a painful betrayal. Her determination to create a new life for herself made her incredibly easy to connect with, and watching her slowly open her heart again felt natural and rewarding.

The Dorset seaside setting is wonderfully atmospheric, and the designer shoe boutique adds a fresh, glamorous touch without overshadowing the emotional heart of the story. It was easy to picture the beautiful coastal locations while getting caught up in Cara's new career and the friendships she forms along the way.

Lucca is a fantastic romantic lead. He's charming, thoughtful, and carries just enough mystery to keep you wondering about his past. The chemistry between him and Cara develops at a comfortable pace, making their relationship feel believable rather than rushed. I especially enjoyed how the story explored trust, healing, and finding the courage to love again after heartbreak.

The supporting cast also deserves a mention, bringing warmth, humour, and plenty of memorable moments, especially with the wedding preparations adding an extra layer of drama and anticipation.

Overall, this is a heartwarming, uplifting romance filled with lovable characters, beautiful scenery, and just the right balance of emotion and romance. If you're looking for a comforting contemporary love story with a seaside backdrop and plenty of charm, this is well worth picking up. I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

[J. Frances]

The Designer Shoe Shop By The Sea is a sweet debut novel from Amanda Montague that is a beautiful, light-hearted read that will sweep you away into its pages from the very first chapter.
When we first meet Cara, she's reeling from a bad break up with her boyfriend, Jake, after stumbling upon him cheating on her with none other than her boss, Diane!
After being together for 7 years, this understandably comes as a huge shock to Cara but she deals with it in the best possible way. She throws him out, quits her job and sets about getting her life back in order by giving her house a full on makeover whilst finding herself a new job. Shoe obsessed Cara can't believe her luck when a brand new shoe boutique is about to throw open its doors in the village, and with her dad being friends with the owner, who better to recommend Cara than her own father!
With the arrival of the gorgeous Italian stallion, Lucca, who literally sweeps Cara right off her feet, we are then pulled into a whirlwind romance that picks up pace fairly quickly. Cara is all in with Lucca pretty much from the get go, but is he all that he seems?
This fast paced novel takes you all the way from Poole to Italy, with a few other treasured places thrown in towards the end of the story. The romance is both sweet and tender, with a splash of spice along the way - which I truly appreciated! I do love my spice!
If you're looking for a light, happy read with adorable characters, sparkling locations, fabulous designer shoes and a guaranteed happy ever after, then pick up this book.

[D.A. Lascelles]

The Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is a cosy romance tale set in the UK. This isn't my normal sort of read and I do not think I am the intended audience for this work but there are some good aspects to this that I enjoyed.

For example, the FMC is feisty and not afraid to say what she means. She has agency and drives the story. She breaks off one relationship cold after an indiscretion is revealed in a scene that is wonderfully acerbic.

However, there are some issue which, if fixed, would make this perfect. For example, the whole thing really needs a developmental edit. It is a short book and I think the reason why it is short is because a lot of story is crammed into a short space. Some of it needs to be allowed to breathe. For example, in chapter one, we have so much going on and some of that could be eased out into longer scenes and even whole chapters but it feels like the author was in a hurry to get through her FMCs break up and onto the main romance. The other reason it is so short is because there is a lot of telling not showing, we are told how the FMC feels a lot of the time but don't feel this ourselves. More time to develop the plot and character arcs would have made this a lot better.

Overall, a good story with some room for improvement.

[V. Montgomery]

This book is a gentle, cozy romance with a warm seaside setting and a strong focus on relationships, fashion, and everyday moments. I did not realize how little I knew about shoes until I read this book 😂 Readers who enjoy character-driven stories, descriptive prose, low-conflict romance, and a slower, more reflective pace will likely find a lot to love here.

This wasn't quite the right fit for my reading preferences. I tend to enjoy contemporary romance with more subtle dialogue, scene-by-scene immersion, and a stronger sense of mystery or tension.

Cara was a genuinely sweet and easy-to-root-for protagonist, and I found myself wishing I could spend a little more time with her in the moment rather than hearing about events after they happened. I think experiencing more of those key conversations and emotional moments alongside Cara would have helped me connect with her even more.

While this one wasn't the right fit for me, I appreciate Amanda's passion for storytelling and would happily see what she writes next.

[jessi_reading_corner]

I loved this. The plot was wonderful, the characters were easy to love. Amanda really wrote this beautifully. I loved Gino, his character really pulled me in, he kinda reminded me of my dad the way he took Cara under his wing, as did his husband (spin off of those two on their retired travels?🤞🏽)

The love between the two main characters, Lucca and Cara are adorable. Her obsession with shoes, and Luccas job as the mail man, which is how they met was just too cute man. I must admit I did have to shout at Lucca over that revelation. He should have just been honest, alas, I get it. Lucca had no nasty bone in his body and literally did anything for Cara, it was just so sweet. Best friend Molly was a whirlwind of chaos and I loved that. She brought a bit of air to the book when it was needed.

I would absolutely love a book two... where are Cara and Lucca now?

[Velrith Rose]

A cosy, gentle romance.
Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is a light, easy-going read with a charming setting and a very straightforward storytelling style. Lucca is charming. (Well, in my opinion, most Italian/Sicilians are... gush gush)
Cara has been hurt and her taking time to give her heart out again was very relatable.
I did, however, find myself wishing I could experience some of those emotions a little more deeply rather than being told what the characters were feeling.
This is a slower-paced story that takes its time developing the characters and their relationships, so I think it will appeal particularly to readers who enjoy cosy romances, quieter storytelling and getting to spend plenty of time in the characters' everyday world.
But. If you're looking for something light and relaxing, you could definitely give this a read.

[Liz]

I received this book for an honest review.

The idea was great. However everything seemed so rushed, the writing was rushed which exhausted me. There were a lot of inconsistencies and inaccuracies that annoyed me and I am usually quite forgiving.
How can Cara afford all these designer shoes and labels? The most part of the book reads with over simplification of what people did, how they did it, reasons why they did it. The last few chapters read like a travel journal, but the writing style changed.

I think with a good editor this book would improve a great deal.

[CorrieGM]

I got this book as an Early Reviewer, in exchange for a review.

The idea in itself is nice: cheated girl meets a nice man who does not tell her important things about himself. It is understandable why he does not, but he waits a bit too long.

I had more difficulties with the book itself. The sentences are often too stilted. And the author does not have to say every time: ‘said she’, ‘he said’ and things like ‘Good morning, how are you?’
Sometimes things are just too unbelievable.

But, notwithstanding my objections, in the end I liked the book. The writing gets better and it gets exiting when Jake decides he does not want to give up on Cara.
Cara is independent, Luca is nice and it is good hearing about earlier relation troubles in their own past. And of course I liked the friendship between Cara and Molly.
And Jake coming back gives the book an eery spell.

[J.C. Ward]

The Designer Shoe Shop by the Sea is a romance I enjoyed. From the beginning, I was invested in Cara's story as she attempted to rebuild her life. Her determination and watching her slowly become confident helped me connect with the FMC. This was a good story of second chances.

[Carrie Ward]

What a cute read! Cara was sweet and Lucca was every girls dream. And OH the shoes!!!!
This was a great, cozy read to snuggle up with.