Sweet Life (Hardcover) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

What can be more sweet and uplifting than revival of an ice cream shop on Cape Cod by a mother-daughter duo trying to escape grief and disappointment? Suzanne Woods Fisher delivers just that read through Marnie the mom, a cancer survivor and recent widow, and Dawn the daughter, a jilted bride. The backdrop of Cape Cod is gorgeous and I felt like I was far away from the daily grind of suburban living while getting to know them. Marnie is a passionate, fanciful, and sometimes flighty dreamer mired in grief from suddenly losing her husband and receiving a cancer diagnosis. Her refusal to face fear and reality gets in the way of deepening her relationships. Dawn is a straight-laced accountant who stays inside the box and plans for everything and anything; her need for control of every situation clashes with her mom's free way but they learn more about each other and about God as they work together to revive the ice cream shop. I really liked the two supporting male characters Lincoln and Kevin. Lincoln provided wisdom from regret having turned to purpose and Kevin showed what happens when one comes back into the fold of God's will and plan. I also enjoyed the mentions of Paul and Maeve from Three Sisters Island series, which I didn't expect. I received the book via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

"Never ask a woman who is eating ice cream straight from the carton how she's doing." Warning—Reading of this novel may cause uncontrollable, spontaneous ice cream cravings and sudden weight gain. Best to read book quickly! ;) What a delightfully, sweet (literally) story, set on beautiful Cape Cod—with all of its small hometown feels and the sound of the surf in the distance. Whew! I'll never again take for granted the work it takes to run a small business from the ground up—NOR the next cone I get from an ice cream shop! When Marnie Dixon, unbeknownst to her daughter, Dawn, buys a run-down ice cream shop, I was flabbergasted by all the elbow grease it takes to even try to restore one. Not to mention experimenting with all fresh ingredients to make the best ice cream available. I was worn out by the end of the book and I just sat here! Marnie is a wonderful "more mature" character with tremendous energy, albeit a bit flighty and apt to fly by the seat of her pants. I tried really hard to extend grace to her daughter, Dawn, as her fiancé had just broken off their engagement, but she was not one of my favorite characters to start with. I understood her predicament, but I felt she was very disrespectful to her mother at times. The male characters were pretty heroic in my opinion! The romance that I wanted to happen so badly was skimmed over pretty quickly—lacking passion—and the conclusion was rather abrupt, but I'm totally looking forward to reading Book 2 in the Cape Cod Creamery series! *I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.*