This was Amelia's last year as a Meade Creamery girl, and the last summer before she and her best friend were to go their separate ways. She was determined to make it the best summer yet! However, the untimely death of Molly Meade changed all her plans.
Molly Meade left her all girl ice cream stand to a boy?
This revelation sent shockwaves through the creamery girl syndicate, and may have marked the beginning of the end for Meade's Creamery.
• Pro: The peeks into Molly's life really tugged my heartstrings. Those flashbacks and diary entries took us back to WWII, and they were a great reminder of how women had to be so supportive of each other. With many men away at war, those at home had to pitch in more, they had to go without, and they had to worry for their loved ones. I found Molly and her story very inspiring.
• Pro: I was so glad that Amelia was able to finally see why she was selected as head girl. She may have thought it should have been her best friend, Cate, but Molly saw more in Amelia, than Amelia saw in herself, and it was such a wonderful thing, when she finally recognized and utilized her potential.
• Pro: ICE CREAM!! There was a lot of ice cream making and eating in this book, and as it is one of my favorite foods, I was delighted by all of this. The small town setting was also very lovely and I thought it was well utilized in the story.
• Pro: How can I not be delighted by the idea of the creamery? This was a special place that Molly created. These girls weren't just employees of the creamery, they were part of a sisterhood, which endured even after their time at the stand had ended. This was a place where young women learned to lead, support one another, and work together. It was a beautiful legacy Molly left for the world.
• Pro: That time between high school and college is so tricky, and it was captured quite well. There were a lot of things changing and fears of the unknown, and Amelia was grappling with those things, as well as worrying about her changing friendship with Cate. Vivian's exploration of these things were so well executed, and Amelia's struggles came across as really authentic.
• Pro: HOLY COW! I was really surprised by this little twist Vivian threw in there. Nicely played. I had no idea and never saw it coming, but it made me add another check mark in the "why-she's-amazing" column. Yeah, I'm keeping the "she" to myself.
• Pro: I knew there was going to be romance in this book, but I was a little leery of Grady. However, Vivian revealed him to be a lot more complex, than I initially thought, and I grew to adore him along with Amelia.
Overall: This book made me feel so many things! My emotions were sort of all over the place, but the one enduring feeling was happiness. I was left feeling joyous, and I couldn't have asked for a more precious story to do the job. I found this to be a sweet summer read about friendship, love, figuring out who you are and who you want to be.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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