I adored this book, couldn’t put it down. The content is super encouraging and the characters are all loveable and relatable. Absolutely loved Leo the Cowboy.

Definitely recommended, a perfect all year round read, which will have you craving ice cream and counting your blessings.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

A wonderful continuation of the Cape Cod Creamery characters. I eagerly await the next one in this sweet and interesting series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

What a blissful treat to return to the charming, seaside town of Chatham, Cape Cod—with bright red geraniums in window boxes, tourist shops, the aroma of freshly mowed lawns, blooming hydrangeas, and salty sea air. And let's not forget The Creamery with the tastiest ice cream in town!

I an delighted that the main characters, Dawn and Marnie, return from 'The Sweet Life' Book 1—but this can easily be read as a standalone. Dawn's cousin, Callie comes to visit, but whatever happened to the vivacious, energetic, young woman who has always bested Dawn at everything?...their entire lives. Broken, lost, and depressed, Callie unwillingly agrees to go to a class on happiness led by gloomy Bruno Bianco.

Is there a key to unlock Callie's depression or is happiness a delusional, unattainable fallacy? I wasn't thrilled by Callie's relationship with Bruno. At all. The romance fell flat for me...or should I say the lack thereof. Thankfully, there was more than one courtship going on! 😀 Fisher includes many helpful tips for the reader who is struggling with adverse circumstances, anxiety, and fears that inspired me immensely. Loving this series!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review.*

The Secret to Happiness is a sweet and encouraging story. Callie has had her life upended and turns to her Aunt Marnie and cousin Dawn for a refuge. However, she'd rather hide than confide. Along the way she meets a cute little cowboy who helps her and a man named Bruno who challenges her. Fisher did a great job sharing how Callie's dad pushed her too much and how Callie's situation affected her physically, mentally, and spiritually. This is part of a series, but I read this one without reading the first one and enjoyed it. There's a good spiritual thread as the characters grow. I was given a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

The Secret to Happiness is book two in the Cape Cod Creamery series. I have not read book one, but I didn't have any problem following the story. Callie's life has fallen apart with some very realistic and devastating issues. She retreats to her aunt's home to try to figure out how to deal and where to go next. There is a great cast of supporting characters, including Leo the cowboy (who is six) and a psychology professor/author who is teaching a happiness class.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the fun setting of an ice cream shop. This is listed as Christian fiction, and there are a couple of discussions of faith. Recommended to everyone. Family friendly.

"Everybody needs a little help sometimes."
Welcome back to the charming town of Chatham on Cape Cod. The sequel to The Sweet Life, this story picks up in the winter, following the mother-daughter team at their Creamery, but all is not going as smoothly as they hoped. An estranged cousin comes to join them and their focus shifts. Old rivalries, misunderstandings and a lack of communication pose new challenges.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first one with some return characters and interesting new ones. I wasn't too keen on Callie at first, but grew more empathetic as her viewpoint reveals her struggles. It was therapeutic to read and follow along as she gets help, and a spark of faith grows. The power of prayer, and the difference faith makes when we face an uncertain future, added uplifting moments. Loved Leo the Cowboy and his irresistible personality. I want to sit and eat ice cream with him (and I would never pinch his cheeks)!

Recommend for readers who enjoy a contemporary story in a small town setting, with solid characters, faith, and a tender romance.

The engaging story stands alone (I did not read the first book in the series) and the characters are likable. However, this book took an unexpected religious turn that comes across as preachy. Unfortunately, that turned me off and it was hard to recover. Nonetheless, if Christian fiction is your thing, you will enjoy this book very much. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

What is the secret to happiness? Does it even exist? And if so, where can we find it? That’s what Callie Dixon was looking for when her cousin Dawn dragged her to The Secret to Happiness class one Saturday morning in Chatham, MA (Dawn’s way of trying to “fix” Callie and knock her out of her depressive state). All Callie was interested in was a quick answer, the one thing that would finally make her…happy.

But it wasn’t just a quick, snap-your-fingers answer, and it couldn’t be found in just one thing. Throughout this story, Callie was taken on a journey to find what she was looking for.

And she had the help of some pretty great characters, some who graced the pages of the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series, and a couple of new ones.

Callie arrived at the Main Street Creamery after losing her job as an executive chef when she poisoned the entire Food Safety Conference. An accident? Perhaps. When she first arrived at the ice cream shop and home of her aunt and cousin, she took to her air mattress in Dawn’s tiny bedroom and refused to move. But with a little (read: HUGE) nudge from Dawn, she showered, dressed, and landed in the front row of that Saturday morning class.

The Secret to Happiness focused on a few POVs: Callie’s, Dawn’s, and (Aunt) Marnie’s, with the main focus on Callie’s story. Callie’s was my favorite to read, and at times I just wanted to get done with the other two to get back to hers, especially when it was Dawn’s. I did appreciate Marnie’s perspective, her take on what was going on with Callie (and her own life), but I struggled with Dawn’s which made it a little bumpy in my reading enjoyment (a personal issue, I can assure you).

Sweet, sweet Leo. The little cowboy from book one made his return in book two and filled Callie’s heart. I loved watching the two of them interact with each other, with Leo blowing in and out as quickly as the wind. And with her love for Leo, Callie began to pepper him with questions about his parents. I appreciated this as I had wondered about them in the first book.

Bruno Bianco was introduced this time around, and I took to him rather quickly. He was the author of the book inside the book, The Secret to Happiness, and the instructor for the class. Callie wondered about him throughout their interactions, and I was right there with her. What was his story? Though to be honest, I did predict a few things….

When I first met Callie, I will say she was…okay. I found myself siding with Dawn’s assessment of her because it was what I had to go on. But once I got to know her more, I found myself loving that girl, hurting for her, rooting for her. If I could give her a giant hug, I would.

Suzanne Woods Fisher did a wonderful job walking the reader through the thoughts and emotions of a girl who was hurting for who knew how long. It was a journey of self-reflection and self-discovery, of taking off the expectations of the world and leaning into what was true and right.

And with that came a faith in God just as true, just as good. Marnie and Bruno were Callie’s lifeline to God, someone she didn’t have time for, someone she never really gave a second thought to. But as I always say, God is good, and He works in mysterious ways.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a slow romance, quirky characters, and tough questions. This story focuses on self-worth, depression, anxiety, and grief, to name a few. The Secret to Happiness could be read on its own as the author does a quick catch-up at different times, but honestly, I would start with the first book, The Sweet Life, before diving into this one. You won’t want to miss how the Main Street Creamery came to be.

The Secret to Happiness is a well written inspirational romance. I throughly enjoyed the book and well developed characters. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my review.

The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher, due out in May, is the second volume of the Cape Cod Creamery series. The setting is Cape Cod in an ice cream shop, not in high demand when the story begins in late January.

The mother-daughter duo of Marnie and Dawn Dixon has made a second start with their lives when Marnie purchases an ice cream shop in Chatham. Dawn has the talent for making ice cream, as she had done at home in Needham with her father until he died. Marnie needs to up her game in the ice cream making department so that her daughter can feel secure enough to leave the shop long enough to get married and go on an African safari.

To do this, Marnie attends Penn State’s Ice Cream Short Course for a 3-day workshop for ice cream store owners. She is surprised to see her niece Callie Dixon carrying a tray of ice cream cups because the last she knew, Callie was the executive chef at a convention hotel in Boston. Marnie invites Callie to join her and Dawn in Chatham on the Cape at their ice cream store, where they have an apartment upstairs. Dawn is not particularly happy about the invite as she and Callie were once so competitive which led to a breakdown in their cousinship.

Callie, fired from her dream job when she made a huge mistake in the kitchen causing 200 people at a conference to develop food poisoning, is beside herself, floundering as she attempts to find a new job. She is also keeping a big secret about her health.

Callie’s addition to the store apartment makes for close quarters, and Callie ends up spending too much time wasting away in bed. Dawn, always one to take charge, drags Callie to a community class run by Bruno Bianco, author of a book about attaining happiness. Bruno singles out Callie as a special project as she resists his approaches to turn her thinking inside out.

As Callie tries to start anew, she finds her niche in the ice cream shop that turned coffee-muffin shop to supplement to store’s business in the winter. Dawn has been making the muffins but Callie quickly identifies what makes Dawn’s muffins rubbery and unappealing, and Callie throws them out each night after the others have gone to bed and bakes fresh, delicious muffins from Dawn’s recipes. Baking and working with Bruno are just the beginning steps to putting Callie back together.

While this is the second book in the series with a third soon coming along, this book can be read as a standalone as the author offers quick summaries of events in the first book, The Sweet Life.

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s bread and butter has been in the Christian fiction market with a specialty in Amish fiction and nonfiction. Her interest in the Amish came from a grandfather who was raise Plain. She lives in California with her family and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 17, 2023.

I would like to thank Revel, a division of Baker Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Callie's life seems perfect - until it suddenly falls apart when she loses her dream job and is forced to beg her aunt Marnie to take her in at the Main Street Creamery. Worse, there's a reason she lost her job, and it preys on her mind, plunging her into depression. Dawn is horrified when the cousin who always beat her at everything moves in, seemingly indefinitely, and she tries to help her out of her depression by dragging her along to a class on happiness. But the class leader Bruno has a habit of digging deeper than she likes, and it's turning her thinking upside down - though she can't dismiss it - or him. Can she find a new and perhaps better course for her life, with the help of those around her?

A delightfully uplifting, inspiring and encouraging - as well as downright enjoyable - story, whether you like ice cream or not (heresy!). I loved the quotes at the start of each chapter - they're a great touch. I also loved the way that this book delves into the way our attitudes, often in the small things, can lead to happiness or the reverse - including the potential physical effects of mental processes (which are really quite incredible). It was great to revisit Marnie, Dawn, Kevin and Lincoln, and Callie was a great addition to the mix once she found her feet. And of course, Leo the cowboy must never be forgotten... I particularly enjoyed the role he played in this story. At the same time, I have to admit that both Callie's and Dawn's attitudes kind of (or really) annoyed me at times. Fortunately they each learned from their respective mistakes! All in all, a great book - highly recommended.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

When the boys were little, we used to have a Friday Box tradition...pointing out the simple pleasures we enjoyed during the week. This book is built around that philosophy. Callie has been a driven woman her whole life, striving to please others and gain their approval. Then a huge mistake happens and she finds herself adrift, looking for a new start. Her cousin, from the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series, gets her into a class about the Secret of Happiness. There is an amazing and diverse cast of supporting characters in this story that really flesh out its emotions, and I look forward to seeing who features in the third book of the series. (This book can be read as a standalone.)

I absolutely adored this story!
This story is full of sweet surprises. Some I loved and some I didn't
What my most favorite thing was "visiting " Cape Cod and its residents again.
Little Leo the Cowboy is my favorite character because of his bubbly happy self. He has such energy that I'd dearly love to have. He's a sweetheart, to be sure.
Marnie is my 2nd favorite. She has gone through so much and still bounces back no matter what. I love her determination to do that.
Marnie is someone that I feel like I've known my whole life. That's just how her personality is. I'm glad I got to know her a little more.
God, love, family, and friendship means the world to me.
I was able to connect to that.
This is one of the many things I loved about this book. The connection.
Ms. Woods does an incredible job of bringing the characters' feelings out and making them realistic.
I give this book 5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend it!
You'll not want to put this story down until it is finished!
Absolutely adored this book!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the second in the Cape Cod Creamery series.

Callie Dixon is an executive chef in a high end restaurant in Boston. But when she makes an disastrous mistake, she is fired. With her reputation at stake, she works at the Ice Cream school where she meets up with her aunt Marnie. She fiddles her way into an invitation to move in with her aunt and her favorite cousin Dawn. But they don't live in a home. They live above their Ice Cream store. Her depression plunges her into disabling misery. She ends up being dragged to a class on happiness by her cousin.

When Dawn leaves Callie at the Secret to Happiness class, the instructor, Bruno Bianco, makes her search deep into herself to be real and find the cause of her unhappiness.

Although it is the second in the series it can be read as stand alone. It is heartfelt, troubling, and a redeeming reconciling story. There are so many facets to the story. I love six year old Leo the Cowboy who barges in, and sits on Callie's bed for her to read to him. He proclaims he is the official ice cream taste tester. There are a few unexpected surprises along the way. The story is well written, the characters well developed. I am certainly looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Can you name three things that have made you happy today?
Let me share my three. One, the birds singing the sun awake this morning. Two, a beautiful blue sky and nicely warm Maine day. Three, I just read Suzanne Woods Fisher's second book in the Cape Cod Creamery series. I didn't want to set it aside.

It is nice to be back with Marnie and her daughter Dawn. They have started settling into their new life at their ice cream business and home. Dawn and Kevin are back planning their wedding. Marnie has willingly gone to ice cream making school and now, things may change again. Her niece Callie, a professional chef, is working at the school and has invited herself to go back to Cape Cod with her surprised aunt.

I received an advanced reader's copy from Revell Publishing via NetGalley. This is my own personal opinion about it. It is an excellent story. Callie isn't herself at all. The talkative, bubbly personality is nearly non-existent which has shocked her cousin Dawn. She enrolls the seemingly depressed Callie in The Secret to Happiness class. The woman is not happy to be there. College Professor Bruno Bianco, the unsmiling man with "puppy dog eyes" challenges Callie as he teaches the weekly class.
This book made me think and will have me looking for the happy things in my days ahead. There is a lot going on in its depth, change, grief, fear, potential life changing medical issues and career loss; all things I have personally lived with in different ways. It's a very touching story. Endearing characters including the loveable Leo the cowboy and Marnie's very good friend, Lincoln are important to the novel. I've learned there is a third book underway, and I look forward to it.

Can I just say, that cover!?! Wow--love it!! (And I'd like a real popsicle like that, please, LOL! Yummm!)

Similar to the first book in this series, _The Secret to Happiness_ was a bit of a slow build for me. It picked up just over the halfway point and proved well worth it!

As ever, in a book about food, I set it down hungry every time. Fisher vividly brought the food world to life, and tied together the loose ends quite nicely. I was really curious how it would all pan out, and ultimately quite pleased. (I also saw that a) a Book 3 is coming, yay--and b) it's about Dawn's BFF Brynn! Excitement!)

I also would really like to visit Cape Cod now. And Boston. :) ("And Boston, I love Boston!" #FatheroftheBrideII)

One phrase that was oft repeated in the book: "Everything happens for a reason." I do wish that had been fleshed out a bit more than it was; yes, God is sovereign and can redeem any situation--indeed, Romans 8:28-31 speaks directly to his working all things for good to those who love him. However, the phrase is somewhat incomplete (and overused, in my very humble opinion). So I don't hijack my review with a soapbox :D, Grotto Network and Christianity.com have some good articles on the topic. Still, I appreciated what Fisher was getting at, and it certainly provided food for thought (and didn't detract much :D from the read). Still worthwhile!

Looking forward to Brynn's story soon!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Loved the Secret to Happiness! It is such a cute story. Super relatable. I love seeing the progression of the story and the characters. I highly recommend this book.

This was a wonderfulbookk about working hard to help people. I love the setting ar a ice cream place and the characters you can relate to them alot. If you like a good Christian fiction book this is the book for you. Thus book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to read and review.

I absolutely loved every bit of this sweet story! The characters are believable and the storylines are emotionally satisfying. The setting is a place I love- Cape Cod, near the ocean, I’m a particular fan of sunrises and so are two of the main characters, so that made me happy also :)

Another thing I really liked is the whole theme of finding and creating our own happiness by staying present in our lives. The author wove this theme into the characters’ stories beautifully. I feel much more centered and present (and happy!) because I read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.