Stay Sweet

Starred review from February 19, 2018
Vivian (The Last Boy and Girl in the World) serves a delectable mixture of ice cream and romance in this story about a small-town girl whose life revolves around her summer job at an ice-cream stand. After working for four years at Meade Creamery, Amelia is excited and nervous when the elderly owner, Molly Meade, promotes her to “head girl.” But on Amelia’s first day as manager, Molly dies, leaving the business to her grandnephew Grady, a college student with big changes in mind. As Amelia finds herself falling for Grady, she tries to uphold Meade Creamery traditions without alienating him. Meanwhile, the rest of the employees seem more interested in shirking their duties than saving the shop. Inserting passages from Molly Meade’s diary into her book, Vivian deftly parallels the woman’s WWII romance and trials as a young entrepreneur with Amelia’s story, adding an extra layer of intrigue and suspense. While evoking the warmth of rural life and employee comradeship, Vivian writes an empowering novel for young women with big dreams. Ages 14–up. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

March 1, 2018
Meade Creamery opened for business in 1945, and after the owner's unexpected death, Amelia is determined to keep this local institution going--if she can.Molly Meade began selling ice cream in the small holiday town of Sand Lake, employing only local girls. When Grady Meade, age 19, the great-nephew to whom Molly's left the Creamery, arrives to run the business, Amelia's at first thrilled. (His good looks don't hurt.) A business major guided by his tycoon father, Grady plans big changes--profits are too small, salaries too high, the location could be better. Dismayed and alarmed, Amelia--usually deferential--resists, realizing that Grady needs her hands-on experience to run the Creamery successfully. As their partnership and mutual attraction grow, Grady's dad pushes him to maximize profits. Meanwhile her growing commitment to the business distances Amelia from her best friend and fellow employees. All major characters are white. A meandering start and focus on Creamery minutiae slow the narrative, but patient readers are rewarded with a rare, enjoyable portrait of a woman-run business. Operations and decision-making detailed include the stash of PMS tea and tampons in the office and the intricacies of allocating bathroom cleanup.Amelia possesses the qualities she needs to achieve her goals but, like many girls, lacks confidence in using them; watching her evolve is empowering. (Fiction. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-For the past four summers, Amelia has worked at the all-women owned and operated local ice cream stand, whose history began in 1944 when Molly Meade started making ice cream as a way to cheer up her heartbroken friends whose loves were away at war. Looking forward to her last summer as "Head Girl" of the stand with her best friend Cate, her plans are dashed when Molly dies in the beginning of the summer. With the potential of the stand closing, Molly's grandnephew steps in to run the business with Amelia's help. Running into some trouble with the stand and her best friend throughout the summer helps Amelia find herself and teaches her to go after what she wants. The even pacing, adept characterization, and relatable protagonists make this a delightful choice. With a strong message about female empowerment and hard work, this YA book will be a great read for spring break or summer vacation. VERDICT For fans of Jenny Han looking for a light but touching summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.-Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Practical, responsible Amelia is nothing like her fun-loving, social-�butterfly best friend, Cate. Cate brings people together, but it was Amelia who was chosen as head girl of Meade Creamery their last summer before college. She was handpicked by Molly Meade herself, who makes the ice cream and founded the stand back during WWII. Since then, Meade Creamery has employed all girls, and Amelia has spent the best, most important summers of her life there. But when Molly passes away, everything changes. Her grandnephew, Grady, arrives to take over the stand, but he's a business major who's all about the bottom line, and he's uninterested in Meade Creamery's traditions. Despite this, Amelia agrees to help him, and she becomes absorbed in Molly Meade's history even as a rift grows between her and Cate and her last summer at the stand rushes by. This is both a bittersweet paean to the passage of time and a satisfying examination of a girl used to being in the background, who comes into her own. Summer reading at its finest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)