The Sweet Life

About the Book

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: May 3, 2022

Jilted by her fiancé, Dawn Dixon escapes to beautiful Cape Cod on a groomless honeymoon–with her mother. But she didn’t expect her mom to risk everything, on a whim, to move there permanently or buy a rundown ice cream shop in need of repair. In order to make their new life work, they’ll also need her ex’s help.

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About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher

With over 1.5 million copies sold, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of over 30 books, ranging from novels to children’s books to non-fiction. She is a Christy Award finalist, a winner of Carol and Selah awards, and a two-time finalist for ECPA Book of the Year. She writes stories that take you to places you’ve never visited—one with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, her books give you something to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. Suzanne lives with her very big family in northern California.

More from Suzanne

The Sweet Life is a story about a mom and a daughter who, both in need of a little respite from life’s bumps and bruises, start an ice cream shop on Cape Cod…thinking it will be easy. After all, who doesn’t love ice cream?

Well, sure. That’s true. Everybody loves ice cream. But ice cream can be tricky. This I can say with authority. My husband is a serious hobby ice cream maker. He even attended Penn State’s Ice Cream School. While Steve was working on his vanilla recipe, he experimented fifty-nine times before he was finally satisfied. 59 times! Other flavors, like chocolate, can mask mistakes. Not vanilla. Too pure.

Here’s a few other things you probably didn’t know about ice cream:

The very first mention of a frozen dessert dates back to Persia in 550 BC, though it might have been sorbet-like. It’s said that Emperor Nero had ice brought down from the Apennine Mountains to produce a sorbet of honey and wine. And then there are those who insist that ice cream came out of China, and were introduced to Italy with the help of Marco Polo. Regardless of its origins, a love of ice cream has been around for a very, very long time.

Quaker colonists introduced ice cream to early America, having brought their recipes with them from England. Some argue that the French brought ice cream to America. Regardless, during the colonial era, ice cream was sold in shops in New York.

George Washington loved ice cream. So much so that he even brought ice cream making equipment to Mount Vernon! There are many accounts of “ice creem” (as it was then called) served during his administration.

First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of U.S. President James Madison, served ice cream at her husband’s Inaugural Ball in 1813. Common colonial flavors were soft fruits, like peaches or strawberries, added to a vanilla custard. Dolley had a curious favorite flavor: oyster. (Ugh.)

In September of 1846, a Philadelphia housewife named Nancy Johnson filed patent #3254 for a simple hand cranked ice cream churn. Prior to this point, ice cream belonged to the wealthy. Her hand cranked ice cream churn made it affordable for everyone. Nancy Johnson’s design is still used today.

During the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, an ice cream vendor ran out of cardboard dishes. The vendor next door offered to make cones by rolling up his waffles. Voila! The birth of the ice cream cone.

The majority of American ice cream companies have been in business for more than 50 years. Many of them are still owned by single families.

For the last 128 years, Penn State University has held Ice Cream School for professionals and serious hobbyists during January (for obvious reasons). All the greats have attended: Baskin & Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Dreyer’s, Nestle’s, Blue Bell Creamery, Dairy Queen, and…my husband.

The most popular flavor in the world? Vanilla. Of course.

My Thoughts

When Dawn Dixon’s fiancé calls off the wedding, Dawn decides to go on the honeymoon to Cape Cod with her mother, Marnie. Marnie could use the break as well. She had been going through a rough time and Marnie had yet to tell her daughter about it. Marnie is exploring the shops in downtown Chatham when she comes across a run-down ice cream store. Marnie can imagine what the shop will look like all fixed up. She arranges to meet with the owner and Marnie purchases the Main Street Creamery without consulting Dawn. Dawn happens to be the one with the experience making ice cream. Dawn and her deceased father went to the Penn State Ice Cream School. While Marnie likes to dream and jump in, Dawn is a planner. She likes spreadsheets and lists which is not Marnie’s style. Dawn agrees to stay and help her mother for the summer to get the place renovated and open. The two women get help from Lincoln Hayes, a local, who takes an interest in Marnie. Their improvements, though, are met with resistance from the chairman of the local Historical Commission. As if the mother and daughter do not have enough on their plate, Dawn’s ex-fiancé arrives in town to offer his assistance. Will they make a go of the Main Street Creamery?

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a charming story. I enjoyed my trip to Cape Cod with Dawn, Marnie, Lincoln, Kevin, Nanette, Leo, and Mrs. Nickerson-Eldredge. I thought The Sweet Life was well-written with developed, realistic characters. We get to meet some of the quirky and kind characters who live in the town. One of my favorites is Leo the Cowboy and I also loved Nanette (her antics will have you laughing). It was enjoyable following Marnie and Dawn as they fixed up the building and experimented with ice cream flavors. Dawn was determined to get the best vanilla ice cream possible. They came up with some interesting flavor combinations. I loved the quotes involving ice cream before each chapter. My favorite is, “When everyone has let you down, you still have ice cream.” There were also some fascinating facts about ice cream. I can tell the author did her research for the book. I liked seeing Marnie and Dawn grow in their faith as well as find their purpose in life and where they belonged. There are good life lessons in the story including having faith and taking a risk. God will lead you down the right path if you allow Him. The Sweet Life is a story about healing, love, self-reflection, faith, and ice cream. I do need to warn you that The Sweet Life will have you craving ice cream so make sure your freezer is well stocked with your favorite flavor. I am looking forward to the next book in the Cape Cod Creamery series. The Sweet Life is a sweet treat with nosy Nanette, jumbles of junk, a fragmented engagement, various vanillas, historical hitches, a pier support problem, and incredible ice cream.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter. Good Luck!!!

The Sweet Life is available from Amazon*. Suzanne Woods Fisher next book release is Anything But Plain coming out October 4. You can find Suzanne Wood Fisher's other novels here. If you follow the author on Amazon, you will receive an email when she has a new book release. Thank you for joining me today. I need a little rest, so I am taking a three-day weekend for Memorial Day. I will return on Tuesday with The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery. I hope that you have a fun weekend. It is the perfect time to go to the beach and then come home to cook out on the grill (or take a picnic with you). As a child, I loved going on picnics to Wet Stone Park. We could fish with our father and then explore the area for slate. I loved finding a piece of slate big enough to use as a small chalkboard along with a slate "pencil". Little House on the Prairie was on the air then, so my sister and I wanted a slate like Laura and Mary. I hope that you have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend! Do not forget to enter the giveaway. Enjoy your weekend, take care, and Happy Reading!