The book's synopsis appeared intriguing and appealing, like a delectable scoop of ice cream, and therefore, I decided to read it.
The story primarily follows Melanie, who has been striving to maintain exceptional grades to secure her admission to Yale. However, things take a turn when her parents announce their decision to move to Haverport, a small beach town off the Connecticut coast, to give her twin brother, Duncan, "a fresh new start" after he develops a drinking problem. Melanie is skeptical about anything changing at home and chooses to work at the local ice cream shop, Scoops By The Sea, for the summer. While working there, she comes across Calvin, who is tall, broody, and appears to be on a mission to make her training miserable. Despite the job serving as a mere distraction, Melanie finds solace in her coworkers amidst the terror she faces at home. Furthermore, even though Calvin may seem reclusive, Melanie soon learns the significance of opening up her heart and sharing the pain that torments her, particularly when disaster completely shatters her life once more.
I found the descriptive beach town, Melanie, and her coworkers to be interesting. Rory's character was intriguing, and reserved, yet stand-outish, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next story in the series where she takes the lead. I also found the neighbors who made their fruit jams, and even the noisy neighbor who didn't seem to like Melanie's parents, to be enjoyable.
However, the only aspect I did not particularly appreciate was Duncan's drinking problem. Nevertheless, the story would not have felt complete without it.
Overall, this is an engaging and enjoyable young adult contemporary romance beach read. I am glad that I read it, and based on my experience, I hope the sequel is equally captivating.