The Sweet Life
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Pub DateMay 03 2022
Revell
Christian| Romance


Revell and Netgalley provided me with a copy of The Sweet Life to Neutral



A summer of sweet surprises awaits you on Cape Cod--a place where dreams may come true.


It's hard for Dawn Dixon to believe she's on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod with her mother. Even though Marnie Dixon is good company, Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, her true love (or so she thought).



Despite the fact that Marnie Dixon herself has been doing exactly that for the past month, she isn't about to let her only child suffer alone.



Perhaps it was inevitable that Marnie would make such a rash decision as buying an ice-cream shop in a highly regulated historic district. Ice cream makes everything better.



It's her exasperated daughter who knows she has to clean up this mess. Dawn doesn't get excited when her mother makes an impulsive real estate purchase that brings Kevin back into her life. Broken romances remain broken, don't they?


I give The Sweet Life nice out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Dawn thinks her mother has gone crazy when she buys a run down ice cream shop in Cape Cod. She agrees to help her get it started. ARC from NetGalley

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a most delightful contemporary Christian novel. It is the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series and I cannot wait for the subsequent books.
There are some books that as soon as you start, you just know you are going to adore the book, love the characters and never want it to end – The Sweet Life is one of those books. It is simply beautiful.
Suzanne Woods Fisher has developed a wonderful eclectic mix of characters. Each one has a back story. Each one is, or has been, battling problems that will prove to be turning points in their lives. Each one lodged in my heart. Did I have a favourite? I have to admit a soft spot for five year old cowboy Leo.
Sometimes in life we will have health issues that will knock us for six. We meet a character who is recovering from surgery for breast cancer. The only way to deal with it was to live in isolation. She did not want to share her story. However, her experiences meant she was able to spot another with a breast cancer diagnosis, and then walk beside her as it was a path that she had already trodden.
We also meet a character who has bad news after bad news heaped on her. She does not turn from God but directs her anger and her questions to Him. Where is God in the midst of her suffering? He walks beside her. She cannot see Him nor feel Him but “God was trying to get my attention and finally had to use a megaphone.” We need to be so in tune with God that we hear His whisper.
There is much bravery within the novel. We see characters stepping out in a new direction. It is both scary and exhilarating at the same time. Life is for living. When we can see God’s fingerprints on our lives, we know we are headed in the right direction. “This couldn’t be a coincidence. It had God’s fingerprints all over it.”
Whatever we face, God is with us, especially in our darkest days. “She trusted God to take care of her future, even when the situation seemed bleak.” God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Sometimes in life we are so busy striving that we forget to live. “There was always one more thing to achieve, one more goalpost to aim towards.” We need to have correct priorities – love God and love people, everything else is just fluff. We were not created to burn out. We are created to love.
The Bible will draw us closer to God. It is His love letter to us. “She leaned on God’s strength to get through the treatments… She would return to her Bible like it was a spring of fresh water and she was parched for thirst.”
We witness a complex mother-daughter relationship. They are totally different – spontaneity vs planning. There is a place for both in our lives. It is beautiful to watch character progression.
There is a wonderful community feel within the novel. Characters help each other where there can and they bond over ice cream.
We see an old building being restored. This is a motif for our lives. God longs to remove that which is no good and restore us with His love.
I absolutely adored The Sweet Life. I am sorry that the book is ended. It was so beautiful. The love that transforms, springs from the pages and into my heart. I am on to book two now.
I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“Having faith is a lot like drawing close to fire. You back away from it and the coals grow cold. You have to tend the fire for faith to grow.”
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher. Whether its an Amish romance or women’s fiction, her books are always entertaining. I like her style — fresh, light, and filled with nuggets of wisdom. The Sweet Life, book 1 in the Cape Cod Creamery series, was a fun read. The setting was picture-perfect, and this book added to my bucket-list of places to explore. The mother/daughter duo of Dawn and Marnie acted realistically and sure were relatable as they navigated new starts and letting go of plans and expectations.

If you are looking for a quick getaway read, consider The Sweet Life. Also, make sure you have your own stash of ice cream nearby. You will be craving it way before the book is finished! 😉

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

A super sweet start to a yummy new series! I pretty much devoured this book. Ice Cream, the time honored treat that has become the comfort food for females the world over. Here's a book talks about ice cream, but goes a lot deeper. Two women, one just recovered from cancer and one newly dumped before her wedding, Marine and her daughter, Dawn, have also lost their husband and father. With so much loss, it's time for some healing. They decide follow the dream that was Philip's to honor his memory. Thus, we have an ice cream store, a rich history of one of America's favorite deserts, and a story that is just as smooth and sweet as your favorite flavor. Healing, love, faith in God's plan are all a strong part of this scrumptious story. I can't wait for the next book in this series. It's well worth the reading and I'd also say, gather your favorite ice cream for an after the story treat.

Thanks to Celebrate Lit for my digital copy of this book. This review is my own and a positive review is never required.

4⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Mom and Daughter decide to open an ice cream store on the cape after their father/husband passed away. Facing many obstacles with the town board, they must decide whether to push further or back down


I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It was like a cozy mystery without a mystery. I loved the story of the mother and daughter both dealing with lots of upheaval in their world and deciding to go all in on a quaint ice cream shop in an historic village. Generally I am not a fan of Christian fiction when the message beats you over the head, but this author has a deft and subtle hand with how she chooses to incorporate that aspect, That's the kind of Christian fiction I want to read.

This is book one of the Cape Cod Creamery Series, Amish Contemporary read. Dawn is all set to get married when the groom to be calls off the wedding. He tells her to go on the honeymoon that was booked as planned. Dawn decides to take her mother along to Cape Cod and have a good relaxing time. She does and her mother ends up deciding to move there and also buys an ice cream shop. They befriend a local, Lincoln and he decides to help them get the shop going. Can they be successful? Will Dawn and her mother ever agree? What part does Lincoln play in all of this?

If you like an afternoon sitting and relaxing with a good book, this may be the one for you. It is book one of the series and I can't wait to see what book 2 will bring.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, "Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.

THE SWEET LIFE is not the first book I’ve read by Suzanne Woods Fisher and it won’t be the last. She has a way of grabbing her readers and she never lets us go and now I’m kicking myself for not making time to read all of her books! THE SWEET LIFE is the first book In the Cape Cod Creamery series. Dawn thinks her mother has lost her mind after she buys a creamery in Cape Cod. Dawn and her mother, Marnie are on a groom-less honeymoon in Cape Cod. Her fiance has cancelled the wedding and they were supposed to stay in Chatham. He couldn’t get his money back so Kevin offers the room to Dawn and Marnie. Such a fun story!

Besides the condition of the creamery, these women are going through their own problems. THE SWEET LIFE introduces the reader to a gorgeous oceanside town of Chatham Massachusetts. I personally have been there and it is breath taking. I’ve been to the magnificent hotel in this story, The Chatham Bars Inn, for tea and it was amazing! Anyway, while Dawn is there, her mother shocks her with her new store purchase. Not to mention, her dad has only recently passed and her mom drops a cancer bomb on her as well. To say Dawn is stressed out, would be a huge under statement. On a side note, be prepared to crave ice cream the entire time you are reading this beautiful story!

THE SWEET LIFE is filled with forgiveness, family, and love and had me staying up way too late one night to finish! I had to know where Suzanne Woods Fisher was taking us and what would happen to these wonderful characters. There is so much heart in Suzanne’s writing that I was left with a huge smile on my face and my heart very happy. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I’ve known them for a long time. Now I need to figure out how to fit more of Suzanne’s books into my reading plans! I can totally see THE SWEET LIFE becoming a Hallmark movie that I would love to watch. I loved watching these women grow and come into their own. The secondary characters are just as important as Dawn and Marnie and you will come to love them all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so surprised by this sweet book by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The Sweet Life yes, has a great cover, right? I mean how does that cover not catch the eye? It does but it caught not just my attention is caught my interest and I thought the story had depth. It was intriguing and had intrigue. I personally loved the descriptive detail of the ice cream making and adored the mother-daughter relationship. I was able to get immersed into this story that lead more layers of flavor than I thought possible.

The premise is mother and daughter Marnie and Dawn, need a respite from trauma and they have both endured. The mother decides to buy a basically non-functioning ice cream shop and from there a journey of learning ensues, from dealing with loss, overcoming fears, and learning skills to get along to grab life basically by the horns and take back control of their lives.

Mix in a Kevin Collins and you have a mix of adventure. I would like more independence from the women where I thought they would without a man involved but it didn't take away from this story having me smell the cream, vanilla, and waffle cones. The author sprinkled a good amount of good writing and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Especially after just coming off of reading anti-romance romance book BookLovers by Emily Henry.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Revell for the opportunity to read and review The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Widowed and adrift, Marnie Dixon accompanies her daughter, Dawn, to Cape Code. It’s a long story, but they are taking the honeymoon vacation of Dawn whose groom-to-be, Kevin, backed out of the wedding. Both women are at a crossroads, whether they know it or not, and need a break from home and work to sort out what comes next.
Impetuously, Marnie buys a shuttered ice cream business in Chatham that happens to be on Main Street in the historic district. To get the business up and running in time for the summer season, it will be all hands-on deck and then some to create the product, restore the building, and get approval from the historic commission.

Usually at odds with one another, Marnie and Dawn need to work on their interpersonal relationship as they figure out what Chatham holds for the future.

I have read other books by this author so I was really excited to start this new series, Cape Cod creamery.
The chapters alternated between Dawn and her mother Marnies point of view.

I saw a lot of Dawns characteristics in myself which was a good thing and a bad thing. It made me wonder if sometimes I'm too rigid about my ideas and views which is a turn off to others and makes them feel like their opinions aren't valid or valued.

I loved the characters and getting to know their individual personalities and back stories. I am so excited about getting to know the characters in this new town and read about the progress of the creamery. I was able to read a sneak peek at the back of the book for book 2 coming out soon which made me even more excited about the series.

This was an enjoyable, clean romantic, Christian fiction story. I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. It's a fun and light read but has a great message. Looking forward to the next one in this series. Also enjoyed the tie-in with Maeve.

I downloaded this book for review based solely on the cover and the title. My mistake. I must have read the description—I always do—but I can tell in hindsight that I didn’t read it properly. The title and cover gave me the impression The Sweet Life was a romance. The last line of the book description would have confirmed that. As such, I was expecting this to be Dawn’s story of recovery from her broken engagement, then reconnecting with her ex through her mother’s impulse buy—a dilapidated ice cream store.

It started with a cast of characters … not a great sign in a contemporary novel. I can deal with the cast of characters in historical fiction, where it can be important for the reader to know which characters are real historical figures and which are imaginary. But in contemporary fiction? A good writer should be able to introduce the characters in such a way that the reader knows them all and never gets confused (which, to her credit, Suzanne Woods Fisher achieved). But starting with the cast of characters feels like a weakness, as though readers aren’t going to be able to work out these vital details.

Anyway, onto the story. I was expecting this to be mostly Dawn’s story. It wasn’t. It was probably an equal split between Marnie (the mother) and Dawn (the daughter). They are complete opposites, which was interesting but did occasionally veer into caricature. Both were obsessive to the point of ridiculous at times and felt like the author was trying to make a point rather than being true to the characters.

My favourite characters were Lincoln, a sixty-something ex-pastor who volunteers a lot of helping the ice cream parlour, and five-year-old Leo the Cowboy, who loves ice cream (although I did wonder where his parents were, and why he seemed to have the run of the town all day, every day).

My least favourite characters, unfortunately, were Marnie and Dawn. I lost all respect for Dawn —the accountant who is trying to make partner in her firm—when she suggested paying Lincoln under the table. Maybe the author or publisher doesn’t know that that term means. If so, can I recommend asking Aunty Google? The internet says Dawn could face 57 years in prison if she’s caught … surely that’s a career-limiting move for an accountant who wants to make partner. (Here’s a tip for employees: it’s illegal for your employer to pay you under the table and can result in severe penalties for your employer and for you).

The other thing that bugged me was the lack of communication between mother and daughter. Dawn gets testy when she discovers her mother has spent money that’s not in Dawn’s detailed budget, but Dawn also doesn’t ask the obvious questions (like where the money is coming from). Yes, there were a couple of duh! moments when Dawn finally worked out the obvious.

In Marnie’s defence, she’s recently lost her husband and gone through breast cancer treatment. Now she wants to rebuild her life, and her relationship with her daughter. So she buys an ice cream shop, because her husband and daughter used to make ice cream together.

If you’re looking for a fun rom-com (as suggested by the cover), The Sweet Life is not the book for you.
But if you’re looking for women’s fiction that explores some deeper mother-daughter issues, it could be.
The Sweet Life appears to be the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series. Even knowing it’s more women’s fiction than rom-com, I don’t know if I’m invested enough to want to read future books in the series.

The location had potential, but the characterisation writing just weren’t strong enough to grab me.
I had a similar issue with the last Suzanne Woods Fisher title I reviewed, The Moonlight School.

The book was excellent. But it wasn’t the book the title or book description promised. The Moonlight School and The Sweet Life are both from mainstream publishers. They are not self-published. As such, the issues with the book title, cover, and book description are the responsibility of the publisher, not the author. I hope they do better for the author next time.

Thanks to Revell Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher was such a wonderful surprise! Although the author is prolific, I hadn't read her novels since most feature Amish characters, a subgenre of Christian fiction I don't enjoy. However, this plot and its characters are fully integrated into contemporary society.

The plot begins on a unique note - Dawn's fiancé breaks their engagement and encourages her to take their non-refundable honeymoon trip to Cape Cod. Reeling from this shock, Dawn invites Marnie, her impetuous mother to accompany her. Marnie is dealing with her own grief - a cancer diagnosis and treatment as well as the death of her husband/Dawn's father. The contrast in their personalities shows up in the way they spend their time at Cape Cod - Dawn sits on the beach planning her next chapter of life without marriage while Marnie tours around the area, chatting with everyone, and falls in love with an historic building that was previously an ice cream parlor.

Despite serious doubts, Dawn agrees to help her mother take on the huge task of reopening the ice cream shop. And that's when they begin meeting their neighbors - people who want to help them be successful as well as the president of the local historical preservation association who thwarts every step of progress they make. The creation of the ice cream flavors was very interesting to me ... and had me craving a big dish of ice cream!

Since this is a romance, it has a happy ending - but I loved that it wasn't as predictable as I anticipated. I also enjoyed the mother - daughter relationship dynamic and the details about renovating the building while protecting its heritage. Overall I really enjoyed this cast of characters and am happy this is book 1 in a planned series.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of the novel by the publisher and voluntarily wrote this review; all opinions are my own.

We are huge ice cream fans in our house. I own one 6 quarts large hand-crank and two smaller electric churns. Needless to say, we are always enjoying ice cream. Of course, add in five cows in milk and it’s the good stuff too!

I knew this was going to be a good book. The cover is gorgeous. And it’s all about ice cream! What? You say no? It’s not just about ice cream? Okay. So you’re right. It’s not. But ice cream plays a role and it’s summer and ice cream tastes so good!

In fact, we made two batches over the weekend. Caramel and chocolate.

Okay. So on to the book!

This is an amazing author. I love her books. She has wonderful Amish fiction plus just regular Christian fiction too. You will never be disappointed reading her books. I was thrilled to see that this is actually the first in a series.

There is romance and a great mother-daughter dynamic in this story. It’s a great base for more flavours to come. Oh, I mean more books to come!

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

The Sweet Life
Cape Cod Creamery #1
By Susanne Woods Fisher

Dawn Dixon's life is blowing up in her face - her wedding is off, her mom doesn't have cancer (at least not anymore), and she is tied to her work closer than two peas in a pod. She was in shock after Kevin, her long-time boyfriend/fiancee, calls off their wedding. The honeymoon is nonrefundable, so Dawn takes her mom, Marnie, on her non-honeymoon trip to Cape Cod.

There, life takes another unexpected turn when her mom decides to drop everything into a run-down ice cream shop that is anything but successful. Determined to keep her mom from making the absolute worst mistake of her life Dawn does everything she can to stop the sale and when that fails to make the shop a quick success so they can do a quick sale to keep her mom from financial ruin.

But Marnie has plans of her own, and she's not about to let Dawn decide what is what. Nope, she's going to do everything she can to ensure that she succeeds, even if it means going behind her daughter's back ad reaching out to the one man she knows will give her an honest answer. But just because Kevin is willing to reach out to help Marnie doesn't mean he and Dawn can get a do-over, right?

The Sweet Life is the first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher's Cape Cod Creamery series. This book and series offer a chance at getting it right and making a fresh start. This is a contemporary setting that portrays a life ruled by work. Dawn is driven, and was encouraged to do so by her late father. But work can only offer so much, and when there is no life beyond it, it is a sad and lonely existence. Is it possible to discover what one has sacrificed in the pursuit of career and position and make a life-changing about-face? I think that is the true underlying feeling in this story - what do we value in life, and how can we rediscover it if we have gotten off track?

I was provided a copy of this book with no expectations - all thoughts expressed are my own.

I will admit that this cover is what drew my eyes and it was a wonderful, sweet, cute story. Love Fisher's books.

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a beautiful contemporary novel set in one of my favorite Cape Cod towns. I didn’t realize that this book was set in Chatham, and this was an absolute delight for me with my own wonderful memories in this town. I found the main characters compelling and real and the message of this book is told with such veracity. I did not find this book predictable at all, yet I loved how everything turned out. Great read overall! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I started this book thinking it would be an easy, delightful read. It was that and so much more. Dawn and her mother have a lot of issues to sort through, issues they didn't know they had. But when the truth of their existence comes to light, they realize that their lives have so much more meaning. Their true happiness is just an ice cream cone away. After reading this book, you may want to examine your own life and see if your true happiness is hiding somewhere you least expect it. The quotes about ice cream are entertaining and informative. Read the study questions at the end to realize the true depth of this novel.