Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…
To Amelia, summer has always been working at Meade Creamery and hanging out with the older girl in her neighborhood. But when the owner passes away and leaves it a family member, a cute one, that no one knew Molly had. For the first time in Meade Creamery’s history, it will be run by a boy.
I am a big fan of Siobhan Vivian’s books. I really enjoyed The List and Not That Kind of Girl is something that changed the way I saw myself when I was in high school. I read the Burn for Burn trilogy and loved that so much. This book is one of my new favorite summer books.
Amelia is determined and focused, my mom would say that she has tunnel vision. She wants this summer to be the summer of her dreams, filled with friends and girl power. Kate is a little more rough around the edges.
I love the friendships in this story between all the girls who work at the ice cream stand together. I love seeing all the characters develop. Something I didn’t like was how Kate didn’t seem to take Amelia so serious. I felt like that came from a place of jealousy and I didn’t like it. But I understand it. Siobhan has written some of the most complex and dynamic female friendships I have read before and I don’t think this friendship is any different. Kate and Amelia are two very strong young women who have a lot to give to the world.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I love summer books and this was a strong girl power novel, one that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I liked the evolution of Grady, the way he really became his own person. And same with Amelia, she develops into someone who really has a solid ground under her feet.
I really enjoyed this book and I want to own my copy. I borrowed it from the library and I loved it.
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