Sweet life follows Marnie and Dawn as they start a whole new potential lease on life. Dawn has recently been broken up with by her fiancee only a little bit before the wedding day. Marnie is Dawn's mom who is newly widowed and unsure what to do now. Together they decide to go on Dawn's honeymoon and make the most of the week at the cape and try and reconnect as they've never been very close.

Overall I did find myself enjoying this book. I liked seeing how Dawn found real happiness and enjoyment in making the ice cream and living a quieter life than what she had in Boston. Marnie didn't seem to me to be as flighty as Dawn made her seem to be. She wanted this Ice cream shop to own it and start doing something that both she could love, and that her husband that had passed away had loved. In turn, this helped Dawn reconnect to something she hadn't done in a long time. In a way, Marnie's quick choice and decision of buying the ice cream shop while a little much to happen on such quick notice was exactly what Marnie need herself and in turn is what Dawn needed as well. It's a do-over in a way at a life she always wanted. Not to say that there weren't times when I did get extremely frustrated with Marnie like when she forgot about paperwork or would just leave Dawn alone at the shop all day to prepare stuff. All of it worked though and without it the story wouldn't have worked. Dawn needed that time alone to think and reflect on where she was in life, and Marnie needed the time to be herself.

This is a sweet read that is a great pallet cleanser for some of the tougher topic books that I read.

For a variety of reasons, each of the major characters in this book, Marnie, Dawn and Kevin received a bit of a wake-up call as their lives changed in ways they hadn't anticipated. Yet, those events led them each to transform in a way that led them to their truer selves.

It was a pleasure to follow along as they butted up against difficult circumstances, yet found deep reserves within themselves. And all the ice cream lore and details were fascinating too! Definitely, a fun summer read.

I found this to be a fun story to get into. I loved the character development throughout and would love to learn more about Lincoln moving forward. Leo too! (Why is a 5yo always wandering around on his own?)

Thank you to Suzanne Woods Fisher, Revell and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Ah, The Sweet Life! Ice cream, oceanside living, did I mention ice cream? Dumped by her fiancé just a couple weeks before the wedding, Dawn Dixon's life schedule spirals out of control. When Kevin, he-who-shall-not-be.-husband, calls and offers her their non-refundable honeymoon as a place to lick her wounds, so to speak, she decides that Cape Cod would be a spectacular distraction. Since the reservation is for two, she invites her mother, Marnie, to go along.

Devastated for her daughter's grief, Marnie has been keeping secrets of her own. Not wanting to distract Dawn from her wedding preparations, Marnie didn't tell her when a routine mammogram then biopsy showed she had breast cancer. She underwent surgery and radiation and the only person she told was her best friend, Maeve. Traveling to Cape Cod is just the ticket for taking her mind off her troubles. After all, some of their happiest family memories were made there. As she explores the town of Chatham while Dawn mopes on the beach, Marnie discovers a rundown ice cream shop. Could this be the thing that draws her and Dawn together, working toward a common goal? Dawn has the ice cream making know-how. Marnie has the vision for how the place could look. Can she convince her daughter to throw out her schedules and join her on this adventure?

This book made me want to go to Chatham, Massachusetts! I loved that the shop was in the historic district, and that, even though they butted heads with the historic commission, they did their best to preserve the history of the shop, while making much needed improvements. I also loved how much each of the individual characters grew through the story. Marnie and Dawn and Kevin all made some pretty significant changes in their lives and it was beautiful to watch the outcome.

Readers who love a sweet contemporary romance will love The Sweet Life. I pretty much picked it up on the strength of the author's name and was NOT disappointed. Fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher will recognize tie-ins to her Three Sisters Island series. Since this is book 1 in her new Cape Cod Creamery series, I'm keeping an eye out for book 2!!

The Sweet Life caught my attention right away—the poor heroine faced two of the worst scenarios possible in life. The writing is very good and the reader is drawn into the two female leads' pain.

I also liked learning about owning a business and making ice cream—if there is any flaw in the book, the details might have gotten a bit overwhelming. I can see the author’s passion for research and enjoyed learning.

A joy for me was the main love story that had a surprise twist and I love those! The fact that the mother of the heroine also has a POV and is a real, three-dimensional person was another wonderful addition.

If you like a lovely twist and feeling like the woman got herself a real good man, this is a book for you. Plus, there is true character development and growth. Smiles…

Dawn Dixon did not expect her fiance to call off their engagement only weeks before the wedding. When Kevin insists that Dawn make use of their non-refundable honeymoon, Dawn invites her mother Marnie along. Marnie, a widow and recent cancer survivor, has a zeal for life that logical, planner Dawn has never quite understood.

That's never more clear than when Marnie decides spur-of-the-moment to buy an ice cream shop there on Cape Cod during their week-long groomless honeymoon. When Dawn realizes she can't talk her mother out of it, she decides to throw herself into making sure her mother doesn't lose all her savings in this adventure. Plus it's a convenient way to avoid going back to her problems in Boston.

Here's another book that I didn't have plans to read, but it grabbed my attention with its cute cover and premise. I enjoyed the opposite personalities of Dawn and Marnie, and there's a bunch of issues for them to deal with—or avoid, depending on the situation. The setting is lovely and full of personality, and so is the ice cream shop Marnie purchases.

All the talk about making ice cream was fascinating. I've experimented with homemade ice cream a little bit, but nothing like what Dawn has done. And while I enjoy ice cream, I would certainly never confess to being a connoisseur.

If you enjoy women's fiction, being tempted to eat ice cream, and mother-daughter stories, I recommend this one to you.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Looking for the perfect summer getaway read? Then look no further, The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fischer is the perfect escape to the town of Cape Cod, with Dawn’s wedding cancelled and her mom, Marnie, going through her own battles, Marnie and Dawn decide to enjoy the scheduled honeymoon and turn it into a mom and daughter trip and while there Dawn decides to buy an ice cream shop.
You will enjoy this quirky little town and all its characters while craving ice cream in every flavor possible. I’ve really enjoyed this book and characters and can’t wait for the rest in the series.

I received this book complimentary in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am not gonna lie, peeps. I am totally in love with this book! The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the first in her new Cape Cod Creamery series. I needed some good summer poolside reading and she absolutely delivered!

Dawn Dixon is super focused, very successful, and on track to achieve her life’s goals according to plan until her fiancé breaks up with her. Instead of going on her honeymoon to Cape Cod, she finds herself in a swanky hotel there with her mother. Flighty and prone to run with a half baked plan, Marnie Dixon is determined to put breast cancer behind her and is struck with inspiration when she finds the proprietor of the former ice cream shop in a hurry to sell out and leave of town. In the spirit of her late husband, Philip, Marnie decides an ice cream shop in the historic district of Chatham is the perfect venture for this stage of her life. Dawn, however, is not convinced. What will it take for Dawn to catch on to the vision Marnie has for this old building? And what will it take for both mother and daughter to begin to see each other in a different way?

Honestly, it is the character development that has me absolutely in love with Dawn, Marnie, Kevin, Linc, and even cranky old Mrs. Nickerson-Eldredge. The changing of perspective for mother and daughter is quite simply beautiful, and I totally adore the personal and romantic arc the author created for Dawn and Kevin. It is so real, so relatable, and is frankly exquisite. I am on pins and needles to get my hands on more of the Cape Cod Creamery story and encourage you to snatch up a copy of The Sweet Life and fall in love, too.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

The Sweet Life
Suzanne Woods Fisher
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dawn Dixon and her mother, Marnie, find themselves in Cape Cod for what should have been Dawn's honeymoon trip. Reeling from her broken engagement, Dawn is unprepared for the news that her mom has been struggling with issues of her own for the past month.

While in Cape Cod, Marnie stumbles upon a run-down ice cream shop in the town's historic district, and decides on a whim to buy it. Dawn recognizes the potential pitfalls of the purchase and knows that she's going to be the one who will have to clean up the mess.

This was our first encounter with Suzanne Woods Fisher and we found her characters were written with limited faith and extreme tendencies. They exhibited either control and rigidity, or spontaneity and passivity. While this added to the interplay among the characters, as individuals they seemed one dimensional. However, personal awareness and growth were somewhat realized throughout the story. Change was a key concept in the book and Isaiah 43:18-19 was interwoven as a reminder to live in the present while looking for God’s blessings in the midst of trials. This was presented in the form of a broken engagement, the death of a husband and father, and a cancer diagnosis. Perspective makes all the difference.

Title: The Sweet Life

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Ch: 27

Pg: 308

Series: C

Genre: Contemporary

Rating: 3 stars

Publisher: Revell

I’m not going to lie this one wasn’t a favorite read. And that’s okay there’s a book for every reader and a reader for every book. The Sweet Life was well written and a good story. However, for me it hit to close to home. The loss of a parent, a parent going through cancer. And the wedding being call off. Been there done that. But I do have to say this book had me laughing as well as crying. And I liked it enough to read more of the authors contemporaries.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of a blog tour I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

A honeymoon. No groom. Just your mom? Suzanne Woods Fisher hooked me with the back cover copy! THE SWEET LIFE (Book 1 of Cape Code Creamery) was a delight and had me craving ice cream the whole way through.

Dawn’s fiancé backs out of their wedding and she’s in such a state of shock she asks her recently widowed mother, Marnie to accompany her on the pre-paid honeymoon in Cape Cod. The mother and daughter couldn’t be more different. The daughter is a Type A planner, and mom is a whifty, yet somewhat discerning free spirit.

On a whim, Marnie happens upon a rundown Ice Creamery on a morning walk. Each day she passes the derelict building, she’s more drawn to it until eventually—yep, you guessed it—she buys it.

The purchase brings up old baggage between mother and daughter and as uncomfortable as it is, it all has a purpose. It sure struck some chords with me.

I love hometown stories with a bit of romance and real relationships between women. If you do, too, or if you really love ice cream, you’ll love Fisher’s latest series. Very charming. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Revell for the advanced eBook through #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

My thoughts: this is a contemporary women's fiction novel by a claimed author Suzanne woods Fisher. She is one of my favorite writers no matter what genre she writes. I love the way she seamlessly weaves so many different story lines into the same story. This is about a mother and daughter connecting with each other after her daughter is pretty much jilted at the altar. They are so different from each other and there is a lot of give and take from both of them as they struggle to work together to make an impossible situation possible. I absolutely love this story and I wanted to sit down and read it again as soon as I finished it. I also wanted to eat some of the ice cream flavors that they came up with. They really sounded good. If you like women's fiction with the Faith message you would love this book. Pick up your copy today. Perfect summertime read. I was given a copy free and all opinions are my own. One day

Dawn is going on a honeymoon with her mom? That is the strangest start to a life changing event I've ever heard. As Dawn and Marnie navigate their different personalities for a week, someone Dawn in roped into staying in Cape Cod and running an ice cream shop, somehow. She is so close to making partner, so this is a disastrous time to do this. But it brings the two closer and opens up surprise relationships along the way. Easy/Fun read I would recommend to friends.

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series and definite must read if you love inspirational small town women's fiction.
When Dawn is jilted right before her wedding she decides to take her honeymoon trip with her mother to Cape Cod. Getting away is perfect for both her and her mother, but when her mother buys a local ice cream shop Dawn realizes that she needs to stay and help her get the business started so that she doesn't lose everything. However with everything involved with the new business Dawn's ex is worried about her and he soon shows up in town to help them out. Does this change everything? Are they headed for a second chance?
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

Everything was going as perfectly planned for Dawn until her fiancé told her that he was breaking up the wedding. She liked to plan everything down to the last detail and this definitely wasn’t what she had planned. Things seem to be spiraling out of control when she finds out that her mom has decided to make a few changes in her life that are really BIG changes. Dawn always felt in control of things and now she can’t think of a single thing that is under her control. How can she get things back under control?

I thoroughly enjoyed the Three Sisters Island series by Suzanne Woods Fisher and was hated when it was over. Then enters in The Sweet Life. I was glad to join Fisher on another storyline about starting something new. It was a sweet treat to meet new characters and see a few old ones as well. I was excited to have another series to closely follow by Fisher.

I felt like the characters were very relatable especially Dawn. I am going through a season of changes, and it was reassuring to have a story talk to my heart as well as entertain me! I had a hard time putting down the book and couldn’t help but smile whenever I picked up the book. I look forward to reading more from Fisher and returning to Cape Cod.

I would definitely recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.

If you love ice cream you will enjoy this book. Marnie and Dawn are wonderful characters that move to a new area to open an ice cream shop and start life over again. This book is emotional and inspirational. Marnie and Dawn learn to start over again. I loved the little notes at the beginning of the chapters about ice cream. This story gave me a gooey feeling inside as I read it. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

When life keeps throwing curve ball after curve ball, what do you do? Well in Marnie
Dixon's carefree way of life you buy an ice cream shop. Not just any, but one with
historical value even if bringing life back into it will be next to impossible. Marnie is not
on her own. She has her daughter Dawn as well who has walked through the same
trials and tribulations.

Dawn, a planner all the way, is less than thrilled when her mother on the spur of
the moment buys this rundown shop. While they are on vacation no less, which was
supposed to be Dawn’s honeymoon. Not only did her father die in an accident,
but she just found out about her mom’s health, and her fiancé broke up with her
two months before the wedding.

But Marnie might have a crazy good idea. Will it work? Who knows, but Dawn needs
a distraction, and she also sees that her mom does too. So, she and her mom dig
in and hope they can make the ice cream shop a go. What neither of them realize,
is this might just be the very blessing they needed. A blessing that comes with its
own trials.

I liked this sweet story of a mother and daughter’s relationship. As they try to
maneuver a new path that life has unexpectedly thrown at them. Both need to
come to the realization that they have new dreams opening before them after
accepting the past and moving on. The faith is subtle and shown in real life ways.
This shows how one can slip away from God, but how He is always waiting for them
return. And the romance was a pleasant surprise, and I quite liked the journey the
author took us on. It was bittersweet, but almost perfect.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a
positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Dawn's life is in a tailspin after being dumped by her fiancé and her mother buys an ice cream shop in Cape Cod on a whim while they are vacationing on Dawn's honeymoon.
A heartwarming book set on the picturesque shores of Cape Cod, that explores the mother-daughter relationship as they both dive headfirst into the world of ice cream making. The story was a little slow to start as everything just seemed to be falling apart for Dawn and I felt so bad for her, but it definitely picked up as they started to work together and discover that they don't want things to go back to how they were before. I liked how Dawn starts taking care of herself, re-examining her beliefs, and talking more with her mom.
This was a heartwarming read, with a cast of wonderful characters, in a beautiful coastal setting. More of a women's fiction read, with heartwarming elements. I liked that it takes a realistic look at the relationships, and I loved learning more about the craft of ice cream. A wonderful novel about mothers, daughters, love, loss, faith and ice cream.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Suzanne Woods Fisher digs deep into the heart of her well-developed characters and brings out their depth on the page. In this story, which is not as sweet as the title, she combines multiple painful elements from their lives to add threads woven into a novel about reviving an old, rundown ice cream shop. The plot comes across as believable and enticing. You can’t help but root for the characters’ success and cheer for their accomplishments. I loved the parallels of healing between damaged building and the damaged people and their development and improvement. And the surprises made it fun too. Join Dawn Dixon and her former fiancé, Kevin Collins, and her mother, Marnie Dixon, as they explore the tourist town of Chatham on Cape Cod and become part of this community. Along the way, their relationships improve too and give readers something to consider about their own lives. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

“Never invest with your heart, only with your stomach.”

If you’re not looking for the nearest made-from-scratch ice creamery after you finish The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher, you may not be completely human. The extensive details about ice cream making are fascinating and show Fisher’s great research/familiarity with the cold dessert. For me, this was the strongest and best part of the book.

I truly enjoyed seeing how this mother-daughter duo interacted with each other. I couldn’t decide whether I identified with Dawn or Marnie more. Each had qualities that were relatable, so I flipped back and forth, which really made me enjoy that aspect of the book.

I was a fan of the novel by its end, which is superb. However, it took me a good one-third of the book to truly care about Marnie, Dawn, Kevin, and others the way I wanted to. I felt that we were told, rather than shown, much about the characters in the first part.

Lincoln is such an endearing, encouraging person to have as a friend! If only there were more such selfless people in the world. His view on cancer is upbeat, and he holds out the light of Hope and faith to others traveling that scary path.

Great discussion questions at the end would make a book discussion group easy to lead. I am prepared for a field trip to Cape Cod, Chatham in particular!!

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I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit through NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
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Notable Quotables:

“Love does not have an expiration date.”

“I’m not going to let you hemorrhage Dad’s life insurance policy on a melting ice cream cone.”

“Cancer is a wonderful teacher. If you let it, it’ll teach you lessons you never dreamed you needed to learn.”

“The most important thing Dawn expected from her ice cream was consistency—because she couldn’t expect it from the rest of her life.”

“God wants to hear those honest prayers. No filter. From the gut…”

The Sweet Life is a sweet and quick beach read. The story follows Dawn and her mother Marnie as they work to reopen an old ice cream parlor. It was nice to read about the relationship between a mother and daughter since typically this type of novel only focuses on romantic relationships. There relationship felt very real and was entertaining and heartfelt.

Both mother and daughter have things they need to work through and they are able to do that by working together on the project of the ice cream shop. The setting was lovely and you really felt like you were there. The characters are interesting and definitely not one dimensional. It is nice to see their growth over the course of the book.

Overall this was a fun read and a nice change from Suzanne Woods Fisher's typical Amish fare.