Beca Valentino is moving back to the Pembrokeshire coastline from the city. With memories of happy days spent at her grandparents' gelato parlour, Beca is surprised to see how much the town has changed.
Beca has plans to become a foster carer and very quickly has two boys sent to her on a temporary basis.
The fun starts with a missed milk collection, which leads to gelato creations with the boys. Ideas spiral and Beca soon has a new family business, and a new family!
I loved this book. Read it in the sunshine, with an ice cream to hand.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Really enjoyed this. A perfect summer read.

Having read one of Jo’s previous books as part of a book club, I couldn’t resist requesting this. It was such an easy read and it being so heartwarming made me finish it in 24 hours. I really loved how Jo used foresting as a theme as part of this book which I feel really worked especially highlighting the differences in the upbringing of Beca and the boys Joe and Blake.

I feel this is perfect if you want a quick read and love a story that will pull at your heartstrings.

Beca left her hometown in Pembrokeshire as a teenager because she was sick of everyone knowing her business and she moved to the “big smoke” to seek her fortune. Returning to her hometown many years later Beca buys a farmhouse from the proceeds of her successful cleaning company, with plans to foster children so that she can give them a taste of the countryside.

Picking up where she left her friendship with her best friend Griff, Becca starts to put her plans in action. When she makes a visit into town, she is saddened to see that the Icecream café once owned by her grandparents has now been sold to her nemesis Ed Wilde who has turned it into a coffee shop.

Jo Thomas’ books always feature fantastic scenery, glorious food and a love story to die for and this book certainly doesn’t disappoint!

Another good summer read from Jo Thomas. Beca returns to her home village by the sea, in Wales, following a successful career and a failed marriage. She meets up again with her best childhood friend, Griff ,and her ex boyfriend, Ed. Can she settle again to village life? I really enjoyed reading this book.

This is a really lovely book about taking chances in life. Sometimes they don't work out, sometimes they do and sometimes they work out in totally unexpected, wonderful ways! I think it's the perfect summer read this year, filled with lots of hope and gelato never ice cream!
The main theme's of this book surround family, legacies and community in small villages where second homes are becoming more common than first ones. Finding the balance between those who have always been there and the newcomers underlies a lot of this story especially as one of those newcomers is Beca's ex and the reason she first made her escape.
With the help of her cows, foster children and the community Beca starts to find her way and watching as she figures out exactly what she wants from her life and goes after getting each piece she feels she needs makes this such an uplifting, delightful read. I did have a lot of trouble in putting this down, the chapters are nicely sized and paced so that I sped through without really noticing how much time had been passing while I was on the Pembrokeshire coast!

After a nasty relationship break up, Beca decides to return to the Wales coast where she was brought up. Her family owned a gelato business there, and she soon discovers it has been bought by an ex boyfriend. With the arrival of 2 unexpected teenage foster children, will Beca realise returning isn't all she thought it would be, or will she find a way to make it home?

A nice relaxing summery read, perfect for the beach - alongside a bowl of cold gelato!

Heartwarming and compelling, a nice story that made me smile and wish I could visit Becca's hometown.
An excellent summer read, good escapism level
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe is an uplifting, warm hearted joyous read that I absolutely devoured. Set on the beautiful welsh coast, it follows the story of Beca. She’s desperate to escape the city and when she sees her dream house for sale in her hometown, she’s convinced it’s fate. She has dreams of building her perfect foster family but is returning home as easy as she thought. Both people and places have changed and Beca wonders if she’s made a mistake. When two children arrive on her doorstep, she’s determined to make a go of her new life alongside rebuilding her friendship with Griff and when she finds her grandparents old gelato recipe book, an idea begins to form. A wonderful novel with some great characters, plenty of drama and a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

What a fantastic summery book. Beca comes back to her home town to settle down after buying the house of her dreams. But first she has to face her past and carve out a future. With the help of her best friend Griff, Beca finds out about family and community. A positively great read that makes me want to reach for the ice cream or should I say gelato.

I recently found this author and instantly loved her writing. Each of Jo’s books I have read set in different countries, usually I don’t like books not set in the UK but Jo has a way of making me fall in love with the places her stories are set in a different way to books I’ve read by other authors. But imagine my excitement to find this latest book was set on the Welsh coast.
The story follows Beca, who escapes city life to return to the hometown she left as a troubled teenager. The locals don’t all welcome her back with open arms and suspicious of the plans for the “The Big House” she has bought. Beca works hard to fit back in, revisiting her past and mending old friendships, but she is shocked to find the town has moved and her grandparents beloved Ice Cream Café has changed beyond recognition. A heartwarming read of friendships reconnected and new beginnings, oh yes and ice cream! Or should I say to Gelato. You will want to put this book down and you’ll certainly be looking how to make ice cream. My favourite Jo Thomas book yet.

Lovely and light hearted summer read. Perfect for a holiday by the beach.
Sometimes going home can be a mistake, memories aren't as reliable through rose tinted glasses.

Another wonderful read from Jo Thomas. This time set in Wales by the coast heavily featuring beautiful Italian ice cream. A real feel good uplifting romance which keeps you turning the pages.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I do look forward to a Jo Thomas book. They are great reads.
Beca Valentino returns to her hometown in Wales after running away as a teenager after having her heart broken.
She runs into her ex, Ed, who has bought the old family business Valentino's.
Beca has decided to foster, and soon she takes two boys in, Blake and Joe, as an emergency.
It's not long before Beca is making the original gelato with the help of the boys.
They set up the old boatshed with the help of her best friend Griff.
Of course, nothing is plain sailing. There are plenty of spanners in the works along the way.
A great summer read on the beach or by the pool with a tub of gelato.
Thanks to Random House uk for the invitation to read this in return for an honest review. Also, thanks to Netgalley.

I love Jo Thomas’s books and have never read one that has disappointed me yet. For me, this one started off a little unevenly and I thought this might finally be the one that I didn’t love. I didn’t take to Beca immediately and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to invest in her story.

Well, I was wrong. The minute that the two foster children came into Beca’s life in the book, everything changed and all that Jo had laid out in the book before that moment started to make sense. This book is such a fascinating and moving exploration of childhood, emotions and how our own pasts feed into the way we parent. The minute that Beca became responsible for the lives of those two youngsters was the minute she became relatable to me and I totally fell in love with her, the two boys and their relationship and was so anxious for them all. By the end of the book, I was welling up, this whole storyline was beautifully done and, far from being disappointed, this has probably become one of my favourite Jo Thomas novels.

This wouldn’t be a Jo Thomas book without a picturesque back drop (in this case, the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast,) delicious food (gelato, what could possibly be better for a summer novel?) and a love story. Fans of her books and the readers who come to Jo’s novels for these elements will not be disappointed. They are all present and correct and as delicious in every way as always. You will clearly be able to picture the secluded Welsh cove and the ramshackle boat house, feel the sea breeze, smell the salt and the barbecued fish and taste the delicious ice cream flavours. But all of this is secondary here to the moving story of a woman fighting to become a mother and two boys looking for a home. If this doesn’t move you, you have a heart of stone.

Jo, I loved your book and I am sorry I ever doubted you for a second, I should have had more faith. Everyone should buy this book as one of their summer reads, it’s blooming wonderful.

Another 5 star book from Jo Thomas. Set in a small Welsh village this book tells the story of Becca a single woman who moves back to her childhood village to foster. Instead of a young girl she is presented with 2 slightly older boys. Part of Becca’s heritage is Italian grandparents who used to have a “Gelato” cafe but should she pick the business up or leave well alone.
Thanks to Jo and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

Becca returns to her roots, but is it still home? Have things changed…or maybe not changed enough?
This is lovely, sunny, feel good summer reading, and I loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review

Welcome the warm, sun-soaked days of summer. The light beaming into your windows as you pick up this book. Take a stroll down a coastal path around a quaint Welsh village. Whether it's enjoying an ice cream cone on your way to the waterfront shoppes or taking in the cool mist of sea spray as you peer over the edge of the boardwalk railing, readers looking for a story that will take you on a lovely holiday getaway will look forward to diving in!

I would like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

Expected publication: June 8, 2023.

<b>The Story</b>
This one is a fun, heartfelt, and refreshing getaway.

A settling back into hometown. Reminiscing memories. Love tango. Life stage challenges and regrets. Speaking straight to the heart. Rediscover of self. Learning when and how to move forward.

Yacht-clubs. Zumba on the beach. Town gardening. Fisherman’s pier. Seagulls calling overhead.

Gelato sundaes topped with hot fudge. Paninis and fresh baguettes. Cider and sausages. Cheese sandwiches and a glass of bubbling Prosecco. Lobster rolls. A feast of fish and chips.

<b>The Writing</b>
I devour everything Jo Thomas writes. Writing you just melt into. I liked the reveal of former relationships. The layering of subplot. Nothing too forced whether characterization or main story, the details always work themselves out, an effortless feel to reading about whatever, wherever any adventure is next.

Always a treat! Looking forward to the next one!

Where will the picturesque, immersive escape be next?

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what another brill book by this author you pick up this book and from the first page you are in the life of beca and valentinos gelato along with the gang of griff blake and joe to mention a few once you start reading you wont put the book down i didnt till the last page 2days to complete

Beca returns home after twenty years, a success but still searching for the life she wants. Her hometown has many changes, but some things remain the same. This lovely story is about following your dreams, making peace with the past, returning to your roots, and taking second chances. I love the cast of characters, the coastal setting and the main protagonists. It's heartwarming and poignant, full of community, gossip, and spirit and an engaging dynamic between Becca and her new family. An entertaining escapist read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.