The sun-soaked, ice-cream-stained, popsicle-dripped June book club novel is . . .
The Book
For decades, Meade Creamery has been selling delicious ice cream. Molly Meade started the shop when she whipped up delectable ice cream for girls missing their sweethearts during the war. Customers swear there's something otherwordly about the shop's vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream . . . not to mention the secretive Home Sweet Home flavor that somehow tastes exactly like summer. The tradition of the stand has lived on, and this summer's season is about to start. Amelia loves everything about about being a Meade girl: the revered pink polo, the joy on the customers faces, and most of all, the sisterhood. She's looking forward to one last summer at the stand before she leaves for college; one last year with her best friend Cate and her first year as Head Girl.
All of Amelia's grand plans disappear into thin air one Saturday when she arrives early to help clean the stand and finds Molly Meade dead on the floor, dropping off her homemade ice cream at the stand for the last time. She's sure there's no hope for Meade Creamery anymore, until she discovers that Molly's nephew, Grady, has arrived to take over the stand.
Amelia and the other girls jump at the chance to work at Molly's again but it's not the same. Grady has some *interesting* ideas, but Amelia's hoping the close knit group of girls will get through it.
To make matters worse, Grady lied. He doesn't actually have Molly's secret recipes! They're running dangerously low on ice cream, so Amelia starts living a double life: Head Girl at the stand and searching for the recipes at Molly's house, all the while trying to convince Cate she's still part of the sisterhood and ignoring the budding romance between her and Grady.
I love this book! It's the perfect summer read: fun but with real conflict, a light romance, and lots and lots of ice cream. (Seriously, I was so hungry while reading this book. Don't read a chapter before you eat lunch; bad things happen.)
Snacks
Ice cream. Oh please, what did you think it would be?! I'm having the classic vanilla because 1) it was the only flavor in my freezer and 2) I think Amelia would appreciate how sweet and traditional it is. Really, though, any kind of custard is good! Bonus points if you break out the gelato.
Maraschino cherries, hot fudge sauce, pineapple slices, pepperoni . . . go for it! In the world of ice cream, there are no wrong answers. Unless you put ketchup on it. Please, no.
Decor
You will need:
friends
flowers
sun
ice cream
That's it! No fancy tea or triple layer chocolate fudge cake required. (Though I'm not stopping you. Seriously, I would totally be on board with the cake part.) June is an amazing month: no school, beautiful weather, and everyone's happy as a lark. Just gather together some family and friends and let the sticky-fingered fun begin!
How to Join Us
If you're as thrilled about this month's book as I am, and want to join the fun by becoming part of the book club, just subscribe to my site. Really, that's it! You'll receive two emails, one with fun gifts and one activity, along with a full party plan. To vote on what we'll read next and have lively discussions with other book club members, join our Goodreads group. (P.S. with Audible you can listen to Stay Sweet completely free! Start your free trial here.)
Have fun reading and a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l week of summer! Ciao.