Series: None
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Published April 24th 2018 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Synopsis
A summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.
Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…
Goodreads
Review
I've heard so much about this author ever since I joined the book blogging community, but for some reason had never read one of her books. When this book was announced, I decided I would try it, and I'm definitely glad that I did. In Stay Sweet, Amelia is now the 'Head Girl' at the local ice cream parlour. That means she is in charge for the summer, and she's been waiting for this opportunity since she started working there. She's ready to take charge, but when the owner, Molly, dies, taking the secret recipes with her, Amelia doesn't know if the store will stay afloat. When Grady, Molly's relative, arrives, Amelia and he work together to try to recreate the recipes, and use one of Molly's old diaries, from the time when she founded the store, to discover more about just why the Creamery was such a local institution.
This book was a mix of cutesy and mystery. Amelia sometimes made some tough decisions, which impacted on her friendships, but the love she had for the store, and also for Molly, showed throughout the book. I did like Amelia, and her interactions with Grady, but the most important part of the book was the diary entries about Molly's young life. Seeing how she overcame heartbreak and difficulty through her own love of ice cream and her own self worth. She was so strong to be living during the Second World War and dealing with the loss of family members, missing her sweetheart, and struggling with what was happening in the world. As important as Amelia's story was, Molly's, to me, was much more worthwhile, and I could've happily read a book that was just about her.
Dates Read:
December 28, 2018Rating
4 Stars
