When life gives you lemons you buy an ice cream. A great story of starting over when life does not go as expected.

A wonderful book with such real life characters. They could have been describing my family, such an encouragement to keep seeking God in all situations and listening to his voice.

What do you do when your world is turned upside down? Why you start over of course and make ice cream! Ice cream you ask. Yes. Dawn thought she had her life all planned out. She was marrying the man of her dreams and they would have a great life. She was going to make partner in her firm. Everything was perfect or so she thought. The one draw back is that Dawn's dad had passed away and he would not get to walk her down the aisle.
But there is no wedding and Dawn and her mother go on her honeymoon together. And this is where their life takes a turn. Dawn's mother finds a broken down building that use to be an ice cream shop. So she buys the building without Dawn knowing it and starts cleaning up. Of course Dawn is not happy. What happens next you will have to read and find out for yourself. I can't wait until the next book comes out.

4.5 stars!
A wonderful and sweet book! I love ice cream so I already knew I would enjoy reading this book and it certainly didn’t disappoint! I loved the different personalities of Dawn and Marnie. While I am a planner (maybe not to Dawn’s extent) I believe being spontaneous in life sometimes is a good thing, especially in following one’s dreams. I fell in love with Cape Cod through the book and look forward to visiting it. I felt that The Sweet Life dealt with the difficult topics of loss and illness in a very relatable way.
Overall I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait for the next one.
* Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for sharing an ARC copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Sweet Life is a lovely novel with a lot of elements that make it as good as it is. First, ice cream. You can't go wrong with ice cream, and the reader gets to read about it in basically every chapter. Second, a unique mother daughter relationship that features an impulsive mother and a daughter in desperate need of an escape. This creates a lot of good storytelling. And third, a faith-based aspect that adds a lot to the story. Honest prayers and redemption themes, it just can't miss. Fiction readers will really enjoy reading The Sweet Life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Revell for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

Everything’s better with ice cream! This is a delightful read! A small town setting, some humor, some romance, a great mother-daughter story, and ice cream - it’s a sweet book that will make you smile.

I received a copy from Revell and Net Galley in exchange for a review.

A book about ice cream, the Cape, life, and a mother and daughter adventure, what is not to like. I will admit, that I didn't like Dawn at the beginning of this story and I felt that I could relate more to Marnie's way of looking at life. The way Dawn wanted to control everything in her professional life and how she realized toward the end of the book how she was controlling more than her life, it was the point in the book where I felt Dawn was growing and I started to like her more. I also felt that Marine had some of her own demons and it was with the help and friendship with Linc that Marine was able to see things in a different light. The relationship struggles both women have in the book and the progress both of them make, it makes this a very good read....plus there is ice cream.


Thank you, NetGalley, Revell, and the author for this advance read. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own
#TheSweetLife #NetGalley

This was such a sweet Christian romance novel. It is set in a sweet and unique beach town called Chatham in Cape cod. This book makes me want to get an ice cream and go sit on a beach. Marnie and Dawn are mother and daughter who set out on a vacation and end up buying and fixing a run down ice cream shop. Read to find out all the hurdles they face and if they even can make their dream a reality.
The only thing that I didn't like was that this book ended so hopefully we get to revisit Chatham again.

"The Sweet Life" by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Start - Re-start - Repeat
I really liked this story. It spoke to me in so many ways. Dawn and Marnie, Keven, and Linc, fear and anticipation, in-grown habits and change, all the bits and pieces coming together to weave life into today, tomorrow and the future. I hope you have someone to discuss this story with because there are just so many things to contemplate. But even if you do not have a book discussion group. This is still a great read; and, it even has some discussion question at the end. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley
This review expresses my honest opinion.

Dawn's fiance just ended things with her, but when she shows up to her mom's house to break the news the following day, things only get worse from there: it turns out her mother, Marnie, had cancer, and didn't tell her until today-- after the biopsy, the diagnosis, and the surgery. So when Kevin calls and says he wants Dawn to go on their nonrefundable honeymoon, it seems like a no-brainer to take her mother. Of course, her mother has always been impulsive, and the two have never seen eye-to-eye, so maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that Marnie bought an ice cream store.
Dawn, in damage-control mode, makes a deal with her mother: she'll stay to help get the shop settled, but if they can't turn a profit by labor day, Marnie has to sell the store and move back home with Dawn.
What follows is a beautiful journey of two people who matter a lot to each other learning how to get along, how to honor each other's strengths, and how to face the hard truths they've each been trying their best to avoid.

There's a religious element to the book that, though I'm not really religious at all, I found beautiful and moving-- it's something that is there in the background, and that matters in a quiet sort of way, and that never felt preachy for a moment. It reminded me of everything I miss about the days I used to go to church without ever making me feel bad that I stopped going.

The Sweet Life is a beautiful book and I'm grateful that it brought me to Suzanne Woods Fisher's work. I can't wait to read more.

The Sweet Life
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Pub Date:May 3, 2022
Fleming H. Revell
Thanks to the author, Revell, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. #1 in the Cape Cod Creamery series.
* contemporary *Romance *Christian
Our readers at our library really enjoy the contemporary fiction of Suzanne Woods Fisher. This is a
sweet tale of mother and daughter and lots of ice cream. Interesting growth of all the characters. For so many who have dealt with cancer that part also rings true. Short and sweet faith-based story. I recommend this book.
4 stars

A really enjoyable book, set on Cape Cod in the spring time, Dawn and her mother Marnie are coming to terms with the death of a spouse and father, breast cancer, and a broken engagement. On the coast they begin to heal and to develop an understanding of each other as well as themselves. Marnie is impatient and impetuous, while daughter Dawn doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body. Impulsively Marnie purchases a dilapidated ice cream parlor and together they work toward creating a viable business. Quickly they get entrenched into the community and meet a delightful bunch of characters. The author creates a warm relationship with the characters and for me, the book was hard to put down. There are a few references to faith and spirituality in the book, but never in a preachy or holier than thou manner. The characters are quite normal and certainly full of flaws which make them very relatable. I look forward to more books in this series. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy. I highly recommend.

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a delightful read about mother and daughter relationships. The book is set in a small coastal town and is full of colorful characters. Also, it’s about having faith. Marnie takes a leap of faith and buys an ice cream shop. Dawn takes a leap of faith by altering her life to help her mom.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Another delightful book from a favorite author of mine, Suzanne Woods Fisher. The Sweet Life is a charming story that kept my interest from beginning to end. It is a story of difficult relationships and life challenges that the characters meet head-on with courage and apprehension. And yet, in the end, they are able to recognize that when all else is gone, God is there in the circumstances with them. Fisher has written another 3 book series (Three Sisters' Island--which I thoroughly enjoyed) and I liked the connection she made in The Sweet Life to that series. Family, friends, faith, new beginnings, a little romance, and oh, lest I forget, ice cream! The Sweet Life has it all. Readers who enjoy contemporary romance will not want to miss this one. It looks like this is a first in a new series (Cape Cod Creamery) and I can't wait for the next book. I read a complimentary advanced reading copy of the book from LibraryThing and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

A very insightful story about the sometimes fragile relationship between mothers and daughters. Dawn and Marnie were completely different in personality which made the story so relatable. I loved seeing the soul searching and growth in the women. Death of a spouse and surviving cancer are hard topics but the author did a great job getting to the heart of the matter. Loved Cowboy Leo! Lincoln's insightfulness was encouraging and Kevin's concern heartfelt. Loved learning about ice cream. Highly recommended!!

I enjoyed this delightful, sweet read that makes you smile inside and out. I loved the small-town setting in Cap Code, and an entertaining cast of relatable, and quirky characters, as mother and daughter grieve the loss of the father/husband in very different ways. I liked their courage to think outside the box as they embark on a new adventure. Marnie is excited she can finally live out her husband’s dream for their family.

Dawn thinks this is another one of her mother’s ideas that won’t work, once again she will have to fix things. Marnie was a creative thinker willing to take risks, she hoped her daughter would catch the vision of the Creamery. Dawn was not a spontaneous person, she was a woman who analyzed every step, and mapped her life out on a spread sheet.

I delighted in how Lincoln and Kevin, encouraged Dawn and Marnie. I loved how this author showed each character coming into their own. I take pleasure in watching them grow as they realize and focus their lives on what matters most.

I’ve read and watch the author’s videos over the years where she has discussed her husband’s passion for ice-cream making. I loved how the author gives readers a peek into the ice cream world from her personal experience. There is a scene where Dawn spends days making 59 batched of vanilla to create a consistent perfect vanilla flavor that will have customers coming back for more. The author’s husband has done this. He’s also gone to the ice cream school mentioned in the book. I was fascinated by the different flavors they created. I was intrigued by their discussions of what add-ins would work and why others would not.

This book is a great escape and one that would work for your next book club pick as there is so much to discuss as the author delves into topics of family, friends, faith, cancer survivors, new beginnings with a splash of romance and a lot of ice cream.

I was thrilled to see that this is book one in a new series by this author. It is a wonderful get away and one that will have you wishing you could go to the Creamery on Cape Cod and taste their incredible ice cream.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

Will Dawn Decide to Permanently Leave Her Boston Job?

Master Storyteller, Suzanne Woods Fisher painted a strong sensory picture of
Marnie are her grown daughter Dawn, in "The Sweet Life". Though their personalities are very different, they work together to refurbish an Ice Cream Shop, in a small, costal, Massachusetts town.

They keep running into problems, that they need God to help them solve. Will they be able to Open the Ice Cream Shop, in time for the Tourist Season, or not? How does God open Dawn's eyes, to more fully appreciate her Mother, & her exfiance? I Highly Recommend You 📖 this Wonderful, Emotional, Inspirational, Engrossing, Christian Romance, to find out!

I ❤️ ed the real, relatable characters. I ❤️ ed the interplay between this Mother & Daughter. I appreciated SWF's careful presentation of Dawn & Marnie's Grief, & how God brought each one through it.

I really enjoy Suzanne Woods Fisher's writing and this was another incredible book from her!

It's an easy read, but while you think your just reading about a mom and daughter setting up a new ice cream shop, in the back of your mind you're learning a lesson - I really enjoy that about her writing. A wonderful story about a mother and daughter moving on after death, a canceled wedding, cancer, and more - it touches on a lot of issues, all around a sweet ice cream theme. The ice cream quotes at the top of each chapter are a cute touch.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

A delightful read from start to finish! Readers who enjoy a small town setting with colorful characters, mother-daughter relationships, some romance and bits of humor, will like this story. It is full of spiritual insights too as both mother and daughter deal with loss and grief from differing perspectives. I loved the way they began to appreciate each other's strengths and work together on such a daunting project despite their differences. The story had a lot of depth as each one grew through their experiences, and learned to move past the pain and embrace change.
A thoroughly enjoyable read! Highly recommend!

Dawn goes on her honeymoon with her mother Marnie, after he fiance breaks up with her and cannot get a refund on the hotel package. A good second chance romance. Must admit it dragged a bit at times, but might have just been me. Good story and characters. Would recommend.