"The Sweet Life" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Sweet Life (May 3, 2022) by Suzanne Woods Fisher.*

*This is the first novel in a series.*

Life is not sweet for Dawn Dixon. Her fiancé, Kevin Collins, called off their engagement mere weeks from their wedding, because they’re “just not working.” Dawn goes to Chatham, Massachusetts, on what would've been their honeymoon and takes her mom, Marnie, along. Marnie is the opposite of Dawn’s super-structured, Type-A, must-have-a-plan personality. She's free-spirited and spiritual, prone to rash decisions like purchasing the Main Street Creamery as-is. She’s never made ice cream in her life; it’s Dawn and her late father that are the ice cream makers. Dawn is astounded and assumes it's because of the bombshell that Marnie dropped. Dawn agrees to help her with the Creamery; they’ll get it up and running by Memorial Day weekend and she’ll stay through Labor Day. Dawn takes a leave of absence from work, which is unheard of by everyone in Dawn’s life, as she’s been adamant about making partner. What neither of them realize is the hurdle and headache that dealing with the Historical Commission is, primarily one Mrs. Nickerson-Eldridge. Dawn and Marnie have a lot of help in transplant resident Lincoln Hayes. Will Dawn be able to go beyond creating something other than vanilla? And what will happen when Marnie’s impulsive purchase brings Kevin to Cape Cod?

            The first in the Cape Cod Creamery series wasn’t what I expected, but in a good way! The mother-daughter duo are complete opposites; they really are like oil and water, night and day. I found the dynamic exasperating, as Dawn is a micromanager and Marnie is too impulsive, bordering on irresponsible, and she can’t complete one project before trying out 10 more, but also endearing to watch them navigate working together, embracing differences and growing beyond their respective focuses. “The Sweet Life” is, at its heart, a story of new beginnings, new opportunities, growth and reflection. There may even be a chance for broken bonds to mend and new love to sprout. Faith is present, but never preachy. The only major issue is that each time I picked up the book, I wanted ice cream in the worst way! Still do!

            P.S. I was happy to see that my local library ordered this book for patrons, and it’s already checked out.

            Lines to make you think: “I’ve come to realize that having faith is a lot like drawing close to a fire. You back away from it and the coals grow cold. You have to tend the fire for faith to grow.” --Kevin to Dawn after she tells him it sounds like he’s “gone and got religion.” (p. 240)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly 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.”