Summer At The Ice Cream Cafe By Jo Thomas

‘Summer At The Ice Cream Cafe’ is the latest book by Jo Thomas.

Beca Valentino is ready to escape the city. When she sees the perfect house for sale in her hometown, it seems like fate. Is this her chance to build the foster family she dreams of, on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast? Returning home isn’t as easy as she thought, however. Her family’s beloved ice cream café is gone – turned into a soulless wine bar by her hateful ex-boyfriend. Reconnecting with her oldest friend, fisherman Griff, isn’t straightforward either. And when, instead of the children she expected to take in, two wary teenage boys appear on her doorstep, Beca fears she’s made a terrible mistake. But an old family recipe book is just the inspiration she needs. Soon, with a little help from friends old and new, Beca is selling mouth-watering homemade gelato from a pop-up café on the beach. Then disaster strikes. Will the Valentino family legacy be lost forever? Or can Beca create a new recipe for happiness?

Settle down with the latest book by Jo Thomas and you’re in for a sweet treat, the perfect escapism story just in time for summer.

The story is seen solely through the narrative of Beca Valentino, who’s left the bright lights of London and returned to her childhood home in Wales. Having left the village on bad terms, she’s looking to make amends and give back to the community. Whilst living in a large house, she takes on two young boys for fostering, a sullen 15 year old called Blake and 10 year old, Joe who’s enthusiastic with a love for superheroes. The three of them start a rocky and tentative relationship in a new village and using her grandparents recipes, she decides to create her family’s famous gelatos.

I loved this story, it’s warm, fun and packed with charm. Jo’s story are always so lovely and vivid and packed with delicious recipes which always makes for mouthwatering reading. It’s packed with nostalgia as Beca travels down memory lane to recreate her family’s famous gelatos with the help of Blake and Joe. The interaction between her and the boys is also lovely reading, as they learn to live with each other and the bond that is created when they start making the gelatos.

Beautifully written and wonderfully heartwarming. Packed with lovely and relatable characters, a picturesque setting and flavoursome gelatos, ‘Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe’ is an absolute breath of fresh air.

You can buy ‘Summer At The Ice Cream Cafe’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.