Liza is tired of her family's frequent moves, thanks to her father's nomadic tendencies. After the failure of past family efforts, she is dismayed to hear about his latest plan to open a Gelato shop in a Southern town. But what can she do about it? And how will she cope with a summer spent working in an ice cream shop?

Packed with humour, sibling drama, and amusing friendship and family dynamics, this is an entertaining story with a delightful protagonist.

Thank you to NetGalley for this newly published book. This review reflects my honest opinion.

Liza, the self-proclaimed “Gelato Queen,” has already faced more change than most 11-year-olds. After moving countless times, she’s all too familiar with how difficult it is to start over and make new friends.

This latest move feels especially important—like it could either be a fresh start or another disappointment. With her brothers off doing their own thing, Liza is left as the only Gordon helping run their family’s new gelato shop. As if that weren’t enough, her dad heads off to Hollywood to film a major television show, leaving even more responsibility on her shoulders.

As Liza navigates a new town, new friendships, a growing family business, and the challenge of finding her own voice, readers will find plenty to connect with. Few kids enjoy being the “new kid,” and many will relate to the struggle of figuring out where they belong.

This is a fun, engaging read with plenty of twists to keep readers hooked. Liza is a character you can’t help but root for.

Gelato Queen is targeted towards a younger audience, and M L Pugh does an excellent job writing the voice, thoughts and worldview of a 12-year old. Our protagonist, Liza, feels very authentic - and so does the way she navigates the struggles that come with constantly moving, adapting, and forming new friendships. This book should find an audience among younger readers with its humour, energy and twists & turns.

I would have personally preferred a little more tension being built throughout - conflicts tend to be resolved quite easily/quickly, but I am not really the target audience for this book and I imagine this would be a lesser concern for younger readers.

Thank you for the ARC and best of luck with this book!