My Review
Goodreads
August 25, 2023

I read a copy of this book (my first time reading Georgia Beers!) from NetGalley but after also bought and listened to the Audiobook, which is how so consume most books these days. The narration was solid and helped add depth to the narrative and breathed life into the main protagonists.

Adley Purcell and Sabrina James have chemistry for days, and they really are perfect for each other. Peaches and Cream is a sweet story, and I love Adley and Sabrina together, My only frustration was the long stretch of time with them being apart and trying so hard to forget each other. It made me sad in real life.

I also thought the parental relationships were odd and not deeply explored. In Adley’s case, her parents were very unsupportive of her and dismissive of her emotional state and the things she cared about. I thought she cut them too much slack. And in Sabrina’s case I have no idea why her mom kept pushing the toxic male coworker on her and that was never resolved but that’s OK. I’m glad he wasn’t a big part of the story.

A lovely summer read.

Cute story, but it's beginning to feel like Georgia Beers is just churning out similar stories and changing the character names. I enjoyed this one because it brought back familiar characters but I questioned the actual love story - what is it about these two characters that draws them to one another? The characters were likeable, they share related jobs and are strongly attracted, but there is no deeper connection. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't pick up the next Georgia Beers the minute it becomes available.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Adley has an ice cream shop in upstate New York. She meets Sabrina at a bar one night and they get together. They agree not to discuss any work-related topics. However, they are both in the ice cream business as competitors. The plot of the story revolves around Adley and Sabrina falling in love while still competitors. I found a difference between Adley, who is artistic and Sabrina who is very business-like. I recommend this book for romance readers.

Georgia Beers has hit the spot with her latest book, Peaches and Cream. If you are looking for the perfect vacation/beach novel, look no further because you’ve found it right here.

This story is set in the town of Northwood, New York which is actually the same town Ms. Beers has used for several of her books. Readers of this author’s works will recognize places and people they’ve come to know in other stories.

The main character, Adley Purcell was an important secondary character in Dance With Me. Adley owns an artisan ice cream shop called Get the Scoop. It is something she’s always wanted to do. Now that she has her wish, she is worried that she will be able to keep it open, especially with a popular ice cream chain called Sweet Heaven about to open just a couple of blocks from her store. On a rare night off she meets a gorgeous woman at Martini’s, the town bar.

Sabrina James is not only beautiful, she is intelligent and hot. The chemistry between them is explosive, and the two decide to have a casual affair…just fun and enjoyment…no talk of business. That works great, until Adley finds out Sabrina is there to open Sweet Heaven, the shop that could make her lose everything.

I marked this as an enemies-to-lovers tale, but really it is more a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story. The connection between these two is obvious from the moment their eyes meet, but it is also easy to see the pitfalls in their way. Finding out if and how these two can overcome the problems separating them will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. I know, because that happened to me.
I loved this novel, and highly recommend it. Just one word of caution. Make sure you either live close to an ice cream shop or have a freezer full of that wonderful concoction, because you’ll be craving ice cream before you get very far into the story. I don’t have any in my freezer, and I live about fifty miles from the closest shop, even further for an artisan store. Sigh.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Funny, cute and intriguing Peaches and Cream brings ''lust at first sight'' to a whole new reality
With interesting main characters and funny side characters, You'll have trouble not reading this book to the end.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s a prefect beach read. Adley and Sabrina are different yet alike. I love the ice cream talk and descriptions as an ice cream lover myself. I am also happy for the lesbian representation of this book. I’d recommend this to a friend. A light fun summer read where I don’t hate any characters.

Adley is a character we met in a previous book, Dance with Me, and I was so delighted that Georgia Beers decided to give her own story. Adley owns an artesian ice Cream shop called Get the Scoop. She’s at the bar one night with her friends and there is a beautiful woman is sitting at the bar starring at her. Sabrina, a marketing director, is in town opening a new chain ice cream store called Sweet Heavens. When Adley’s friends leave Sabrina buys Adley a drink and it is instant spark. The next thing they know there in the bathroom up against the wall in a make out session. They decide they have great chemistry but had no time for a relationship, so it’s hook ups. Soon Adley finds out that Sabrina is bringing in the new Ice Cream shop that will destroy her business and that’s the end of the relationship. This happens early in the book so you will have to read the book to find out how they make their way back to each other. The last chapter is everything. Georgia Beers has been writing for along time and it amazes me how she comes up with fresh concepts. Excellent book.

I’m very fond of the meet, hook up, feel an amazing connection and then find out they are not someone you should be with trope. So I was fully expecting to enjoy this book. Good news, the story delivered on lots of fronts. The romance is sweet and has a lovely rhythm to it. The supporting cast are good. Plus ice cream! Flavours I’ve never even thought of and now really want to try out. Are these imagined by the author or have they actually tasted them and if yes, where can I get them from? A charming story from an excellent romance writer that I recommend reading

Oh how I love a Georgia Beers book! The characters take you along as though you are an old friend. I really loved both MC and was really rooting for them…. I like how things took their time and nothing was rushed to get to a conclusion. I really enjoyed the way GB write about Adley’s ice cream making and could feel the passion. I actually felt pain for Adley having to sell all her Grandpa’s items and briefly wondered if she would resent Sabrina more in real life but it didn’t matter as their relationship was beautiful. I really identified with the story and just wanted more!!!

When Ms Beers introduces us to some new characters she has decided to place them in the same small city of North Wood. You remember Julia from Martini's bar where the romance revolved around the reopening of their family bar. Well this new book takes place in the same location which means we get to have a glimpse of where they are now.
Now this story revolves around ‘Get the Scoop’, a small ice cream shop with the new owner, Adley Purcell calling the shots. I mean ice cream is in her DNA, seeing it was her grandfather who owned and operated ‘Get the Scoop’ for the better part of Adley’s childhood. Now she’s trying to keep everything afloat but now she makes all the ice cream served. But times are hard for a small local shop, with the day’s economy in the tank ( but it is getting better). Making it harder is the news that ‘Sweet Heaven’ is a nationally known ice cream eatery. How will she ever bring her little shop into the future?
Sabrina James, works for the national company and is in town to open another ‘Sweet Heaven’ in Adley’s neighborhood. Truth of the matter is Sabrina is tired of all the travel, going to one city after another brings each a piece of ‘Sweet Heaven’. Part of her job is to see just what kind of ice cream the local’s were used to. But all hell break’s out for both women when they quickly learn that they can't stay away from each other.
All books written by Ms Beers are enjoyable reads but every once in a while she writes a romance that keeps me up. I can’t wait to see what the characters are up to. Great characters, both main and supporting cast. A very, very, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Scrumptious! A delectable delight of a story and I don't mind admitting I was a mess at the end; so happy to be so too. A perfect mixture of emotion and story-telling, I couldn't ask for more. Now, pass the sprinkles! Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the reading copy.

Having not read a Georgia Beers book before, I was unsure of what to expect but thoroughly enjoyed the book. Both the main characters Adley and Sabrina are written in a way in which you love them both and cannot help but feel bad for the conflict within the book. The whole ice cream aspect to the book was very interesting and I found it incredibly sweet how Adley talked about ice cream and clearly cared so much about it. I really liked this book however did find the change of POV in the same chapters a bit difficult but other than that there is nothing really else to complain about. I would definitely recommend this as a cute summer or anytime read!

"Georgia Beers takes readers on a delectable journey in 'Peaches and Cream,' where dreams, love, and ice cream collide. Adley’s childhood aspirations come to life as she lives her dream of owning Get the Scoop ice cream shop. Yet, the looming threat of a national dessert chain, opening nearby, casts a shadow over her success. Beers skillfully portrays Adley's edginess and stress, making her a relatable and endearing character.

The entrance of Sabrina, a globe-trotting businesswoman, adds layers of complexity to the story. Beers weaves a delightful tale of attraction and longing, as Sabrina's smooth and simple life gets tangled up with Adley's sweet and uncertain one. The chemistry between them sizzles, and their interactions are heartwarming.

Throughout the book, my heart ached for the characters as they navigated challenges and uncertainties. But amidst the heartbreak, the story's adorableness and cuteness shone through. The introduction of an irresistible puppy adds an extra layer of charm that tugs at the heartstrings.

'Peaches and Cream' captivates with its mix of emotional depth and lighthearted moments. Beers' writing style makes the characters and their journey come alive, and the novel keeps you rooting for Adley and Sabrina's love story. If you're looking for a heartwarming romance that's as sweet as the ice cream it features, this book is a delightful treat. With 'Peaches and Cream,' Georgia Beers invites readers to indulge in a story where love conquers all, even amidst life's rocky roads (lol)."

Georgia Beers is back in form again. This was a very warm and realistic romance. To me it seemed like 3 mini stories. First the very hot, no strings attached, romance. Second comes the inevitable sadness of what appears to be betrayal and loss of a lifetime dream. And third, the repair of the dream and the relationship by creating a true partnership.
I loved the characters, mains and friends. The dialog was whimsical and sexy in the beginning then very sad and touching. But then ever so slowly the warmth, whimsical and love returns.
This is a well put together story. I felt all the warmth, sadness and love. And lets not forget all the luscious descriptions of ice cream flavors. The flavors, the shop, and the respect was very realistic.
I highly recommend this book.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The book's main characters are Adley and Sabrina. Adley owns a ice cream shop called Get The Scoop. She is doing everything to keep her shop, which she loves, above water. When she finds out a new ice cream chain, Sweet Heaven, is moving to her town. Sabrina works for Sweet Heaven. She is the person in charge of getting new stores up and running and then on to the next location. She has no love life and barely any friends since she is on the go all the time. She does take a break at Sweet Heaven's new location to having a drink and there she meets Adley. It is instant connection and they begin to spend a lot of time together. Adley knows that Sabrina isn't there for more than a few months and wants to try to have a no strings relationship. Also, the women agree not to talk about work. Until Sabrina and Adley both find out where they work.
I enjoy Georgia Beer's work, but this book had very unusual sayings throughout such as "sweet baby Jesus in a hot air balloon". There are 7 of these sayings/phrases and they seem silly and don't fit in with the characters. This is something that Melissa Braydon does, as well. Wonder if they are having a contest between them about how many sayings you can put in a book? I hope it doesn't continue because it really distracted my reading.
Despite the odd sayings, I would recommend this. Just look out for the 7 sayings regarding Jesus or Mother Mary!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for this arc!

Adley runs her grandads old ice cream shop, and despite sometimes struggling for money, she is determined to keep it open. she starts casually seeing Sabrina, although they both start to develop feelings, and they have an agreement not to talk about jobs. it’s going great- until she finds out Sabrina works for the big chain ice cream company opening a store near her, and likely putting her out of business.

this book was good. the romance was nice, although the not telling each other a lot of things did make it feel a bit less believable to me, and i wish there was less angst. there was also a time jump towards the end, which i wasn’t a big fan of.

overall i do recommend if you like sapphic romances

There is going to be spoilers in this review so buckle in! [not so much if you've seen You've Got Mail, which is a very direct influence here.]

Okay, first the good things: the two MCs had distinctive enough voices (I swear I could hear Kristen Chenowith when in the Sabrina POV chapters?) , SPRINKLES, the absolute love of ice cream and artisan desserts made with love and the attention to detail there, and a non-binary friend of one of the MCs presented in a very normal way (just pronouns as an indicator) which is SO refreshing (except for one 'her' at 92% in but hopefully that'll be caught in the transition from ARC to published!). This book was short enough to be... fine.

The not so good things: when it wasn't describing ice cream, the writing was not the greatest. It couldn't decide if it wanted to be an open or closed door romance when it came to the NSFW scenes, and in sort of kind of mixing them and never committing to either felt really lacking. Also, the descriptors like, ""found herself...wet" (this happened SEVERAL times like that is the only thing arousal feels like in this universe? Just hey, wet now! and nothing else that comes with that in real life?) and not one but two very specific mentions of "three minutes" that it took to... well, you know. (Why specifically three minutes? More than once?) Also, y'all slept together once, one time, and nine months later after just as much distance and time apart she's saying, "...wasn't sure why that surprised her, having experienced Adely in a more... intimate way."

I had a hard time visualizing either of the girls-- one was blond with blue eyes and one was brunette but? The dog had a better visual descriptor (the dog was a GREAT character, I'm all for Sprinkles the good son). Actually, there was about zero racial diversity here, but also maybe there was because the characters were barely visually described so I had no idea what anyone was supposed to look like (I did not read the previous book; I didn't know this was a second in a series when I requested it!). I actually really hated how Adley had to go through losing her shop, something truly devastating to her entire self-identity just for the love interest to come in and save the day sort of with fresh and shiny and new. All I kept thinking was, 'but you already had to sell all your equipment, including the mixing bowls, a lot of which were probably passed down from your grandfather???" Feels bad, man.

Thank you to NetGalley and Broad Strokes Books for the borrow in exchange for this honest review.

I loved this book. I will certainly be reading it twice. The storyline and characters were all good. The chemistry between the main characters was amazing. I recommend getting a copy. 4.5 stars.

Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

since this summer hasn’t been summering, this book truly healed my desire for sunshine and mid heat! the romance felt almost like a fairytale in the sense that the story resembled a classic live story (it is quite hard to describe to be honest). our 2 protagonists were really well written and the whole ice cream aspect gave me the summer vibes i needed. 5⭐️

🍨 A sapphic You’ve Got Mail inspired romance… with ice-cream instead of books! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

<b>Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing this title in exchange for an honest review.</b>

Georgia Beers' “Peaches and cream” (2023) introduces Adley Purcell, owner of the small artisanal ice-cream business her grandfather started, and Sabrina James, heir of her mother’s Sweet Heaven empire, a chain of commercial ice-cream and dessert stores that is slowly taking over the USA.

Of course, neither of them know that about each other when they meet over drinks at a bar. After a heated make-out session, they decide to keep in touch while Sabrina is in town, with one rule: no work talk.

That is, until Adley accidentally finds out that she’s been sleeping with the enemy.

That was a really fun, interesting take on the premise, and I loved that it was about the ice-cream business - although it gave me a major artisanal ice-cream craving I’ve yet to satisfy. I also have to say I prefer rivals to lovers to enemies to lovers, because it’s very clear where the animosity comes from and what the stakes are.

And yet, this is another romance I’m torn about because… instalove strikes again! When characters who’ve met, at most, two months ago and had like three dates begin to think about *love*, and it’s only the first half of the book, I want to bail. But I don’t.

This was especially disappointing because, even though Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks' characters don’t have any physical intimacy in the movie, they do a ton of genuine emotional bonding (and we know they’ve been chatting for a while) before they realize they have feelings for each other. I was hoping the book would try to capture that feeling of really getting to know someone first and then being like “I really want to spend more time with this person, I really like them, this is a good thing”.

Instead, it was the same cookie-cutter contemporary romance formula of immediate attraction > some physical intimacy >can’t stop thinking about them > “omg am in love and have been since the moment I met them, I want to spend the rest of our lives together” > proposal/wedding/pregnancy epilogue. That’s not what I want to hear! I want to hear “I just thought you were hot but I fell in love with you and I’d like to date you!” Like a normal person!

So yeah, I didn’t love the ending.

I also thought that the bit about the humidity in Atlanta and how business isn’t personal but to Adley it is were repeated unnecessarily.

Anyway, that’s my quibble. However, if you don’t mind instalove and all that, give it a read! It was well-written overall, it was cute, the characters are sex-positive, one of the main characters is half-Philippine, the other was adopted, there are queer friends, there are adopted puppies… there’s a lot to enjoy if you’re not a Grinch like me 😉 A 3.5 star read for me, rounded up to 4 here.

Fun fact: there’s a tiny little reference to You’ve Got Mail - one of the streets is called Fox!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ one closed-door and one open-door smut scenes, plus making out and solo touching.