Overall: 3/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5
Setting: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Plot and Themes: 3/5
Awesomeness Factor: 3/5
Review in a Nutshell: Stay Sweet is a nice summer read, but nothing too mind-blowing or memorable.

Stay Sweet follows Amelia as she gets ready for her last summer with her friend Cate working as Meade Creamery girls, where this year Amelia is in charge as Head Girl. Except Molly Meade has passed away and her grandnephew, Grant is now in charge. Now their decades-old traditions (including only female employees) are at risk and the Creamery itself may not even make it through the summer.

This book was solidly… okay. I loved the small town setting with the deep sense of traditions, something I’ve grown up with myself, and I loved seeing Molly’s story unfold as Amelia learns more about her, but the rest of the book was just… meh. The plot is interesting enough, the writing is good enough, and the characters are relatable enough.

There’s an interesting aspect of this book that deals with running a small business, that I found really interesting, and the emphasis on female friendships made me smile. But the writing didn’t really have anything special to it to help suck me in.

Because of that, I had trouble relating to the characters beyond surface level. I really hated Cate and was often frustrated with how forgiving Amelia was (and how quick she was to blame herself for Cate’s issues). Also, the romance aspect of the book felt a little forced. It was hard to believe in their relationship when you couldn’t connect to them as individuals.

Pros- Female friendships! Cute setting!
Cons- The writing was plain, and the characters felt distant.
Overall- 3/5 stars.
Stay Sweet is a decent summer read, but it wouldn’t be high on my list to recommend.