I technically liked it and did read it in one setting but it didn‘t sweep me of my feet the way I expected it to do.
I expected soo much from this book. The cover was gorgeous and a sapphic love story about two girls travelling to a Food Festival in an Ice Cream Truck… it sounds like a great premise. But not only the love story but also the book itself felt slow.
Fallon and Chloe are childhood bestfriends, only that Fal began to fall for Chloe the summer one year ago. And it seemed kind of reciprocated until one faithful night. Since then, Fal and Chloe don‘t talk anymore. But now, Chloe is back for the summer once again and they have to help out their mother‘s Ice Cream Business and drive the Ice Cream Truck together to Memphis. Fal still very much resents Chloe for just leaving back then and she let‘s the poor girl feel it.
Although I understand Fal and her feelings perfectly, she doesn‘t seem to see the huge discrepancy between the girl she describes and who Chloe had become in the course of a year. And after a while it became kind of ridiculous how she held on to her beliefs! She was so stubborn about everything and they moved very much in cycles everytime they talked that I got a little tired of the story in the middle of the book. Also, Fallon several times adresses the audiences with sentences like „I know you‘re wonderin“, „you’re probably thinking that“ etc and it was so obvious what had happened and what was still going on, that no Fallon, I don‘t have to wonder at all, I know it already. After this dip, the story finally picked up speed again and the smoldering feelings were honestly very cute between these two.
Sometimes I also didn‘t get Fals reasons for feeling the way she did. That girl was able to jump to conclusions! I got dizzy trying to follow her train of thoughts, especially in that third-act-conflict- moment.
The banter, depiction of female-friendship and relationships based off of consent also is what let me give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I think the idea was superb but the execution a little bit flawed. Definitely looking out for future realeses of Jennifer Dugan though.
Also: Fals and Chloes dynamic reminded me a bit of Alex Blackwood and her ex-girlfriend from „She gets the girl“ (5 out of 5!!) if said girlfriend would not have been a tat toxic.
