Reviewed by Emma Crowley
A dream home
Beca Valentino is ready to escape the city. When she sees the perfect house for sale in her hometown, it seems like fate. Is this her chance to build the foster family she dreams of, on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast?
A big mistake?
Returning home isn't as easy as she thought, however. Her family's beloved ice cream café is gone - turned into a soulless wine bar by her hateful ex-boyfriend. Reconnecting with her oldest friend, fisherman Griff, isn't straightforward either. And when, instead of the children she expected to take in, two wary teenage boys appear on her doorstep, Beca fears she's made a terrible mistake.
A recipe for change
But an old family recipe book is just the inspiration she needs. Soon, with a little help from friends old and new, Beca is selling mouth-watering homemade gelato from a pop-up café on the beach.
Then disaster strikes. Will the Valentino family legacy be lost forever? Or can Beca create a new recipe for happiness?
Many thanks to Random House UK via NetGalley for my copy of Summer at the Ice Cream Café to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe proves that I can never tire of reading Jo Thomas’ books. She has written an utterly fabulous book which you will inhale in one sitting and you will certainly not feel like leaving the characters behind once you reach the final page. If the stunning and vibrant cover doesn’t attract your attention and urge you to pick this up than I don’t know what will. Rest assured, the story that awaits you inside with its picturesque location and varied cast of characters is one which you will devour in short order. You’ll feel as if you have been whisked away to the Welsh coast to enjoy a summer alongside Becca Valentino as she navigates new and unchartered waters. Becca is leaping through a window of opportunity and is determined to grab it with both hands and make a success of her life. Escaping the city, where she has sold her cleaning business, she buys a house called Ty Mawr with land attached in the village where she grew up and she sets about her new life. She wants a quieter and simpler life but life itself has numerous curveballs to throw in her direction and it was an absolute delight to read of her journey and adventures.
Becca is all set for her new beginning. Her business is sold, her marriage is behind her and although she is apprehensive about returning to the village which holds so many memories for her she is resolute in her attitude that she will make a go of the small farm that she has bought. She wishes that her grandparents were still alive to see her return to the village but sadly that is not the case but she still has the memories of their gelato shop and of her grandmother using her special recipe to create wonderful and tantalising flavours. When she was younger she had felt trapped and she left in a state of anger and upset. The specific reasons for this become much clearer further on in the story. I did initially think when the reasons were revealed that perhaps she had been a bit dramatic and over reacted but then as things were explored and developed more I began to understand where she was coming from and why she felt the need to leave and rarely visit. It allowed me to appreciate what a big step it was for her to come back and revisit things which you could sense had long lingered on her mind. There was an element of putting ghosts to rest and trying to move into a new and more positive mindset now that she is back in the village.
When she discovers the shop is now owned and run by Ed Wilde and is not run as a gelato shop as was the proviso when her grandparents sold it, well she is disgusted. Becca has past history with Ed and you can feel the tension and unease that exists between them. Ed, has turned the café into something it never should have been. It’s appearance and offerings have changed and the supposed gelato on sale is not a patch on what her grandparents produced and were renowned for. Becca has to cast aside her issues with Ed and what he has done and focus on herself. She had always wanted more than what the village could give her but now she is at a different stage in her life and Ty Mawr might just be the catalyst that will give her what she has been searching for all her life. I adored the descriptions of the house, the land surrounding it and how Becca tended daily to the cows. Not to mention the nearby coastline and the small cove where Becca meets a group of women called the Mermaids who swim daily in the sea. All the descriptions really helped me visualise clearly the setting and it felt like the story, the characters and the themes being explored just engulfed me in a lovely natural way and my enjoyment of the story just grew and grew with each turn of the page.
Becca reconnects with an old friend Griff who she had grown up with. He loves painting and fishing and he now has a grown up daughter Scooter who he co-parents with Nia. Scooter goes on to help Becca with the milking. As with Ed I sensed that Becca had a history with Griff. Not a bad one but there is a sense of things left unsaid but on whose part I wasn’t so sure. Throughout the book he is a stalwart support for Becca and as her adventure sees things on the ice cream side taking off all thanks to his truck blocking the lane and preventing milk been collected he is there for her every step of the way. I desperately wanted the pair of them to get together but as he was with another woman this didn’t seem at all possible. Becca has also decided to try fostering alongside working the dairy herd. Two boys arrive for the weekend, Blake and Joe, both much older than she had anticipated and both with differing approaches to life.
I don’t think Becca had foreseen the changes that both boys would bring about in her life. Blake was sullen and moody whereas Joe was full of life and just accepted everyone at face value. The time they spent with Becca wasn’t without its trials and tribulations and their stay is extended beyond a weekend which gives Becca the opportunity to get to know them and to get beneath Blake’s rough exterior. I loved the relationship that formed between Becca and the boys and as their adventures begin with gelato and a café forming the centre of them the excitement, happiness and all-round positive atmosphere throughout the story just increased tenfold. Becca has a summer of fun, pleasure and one where friendship and community is at the heart of it but that’s not say a few thorns appear in her side. But to see how it all pans out you will have to pick up this gorgeous read for yourself.
Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe was an utter joy to read from start to finish. Jo Thomas has given her readers a glorious read to enjoy during the summer months whether sitting in the garden or relaxing by a pool this will deliver all the feels. Becca comes to realise the value of what she has left behind. She attempts to try and work out where she belongs and how she can fit in and along the way she forms firm and solid friendships and helps two very special young boys in the process. The story evolves at a natural pace and you are rooting for all the characters along the way especially when things get tough and it appears as if Becca will let people down and her hopes and aspirations will go down the drain. I loved every minute of this warm and engaging read full of love, friendships, family and of course lots of delicious gelato along with plenty of twists and turns which keep the reader on their toes. Don’t let this one pass you by it’s a gem of a read.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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