Dani is starting her life over. After a disappointing go in London, she has moved back to the seaside town of her childhood, Appledore, and back to the ice cream shop where she worked as a teenager. Back then, she was a little chubby and was bullied by the other girls in her class. She had to help with her alcoholic mother, and her father left and then died before Dani was even a teenager. To deal with all her anger and grief, Dani had turned to food. It was a habit she never broke.
But now her fortieth birthday is approaching, and she wants a better life for herself. Despite the fact that she is living over and working in an ice cream shop, she is determined to lose weight and be healthier. Her first trip to the gym leads to embarrassment, injury, and a harried meeting with gym owner and personal trainer Chris. Her second trip doesn't fare much better, although the trip to the emergency room showed no lasting damage. Dani was about to stop there, but Chris wouldn't let her give up and offers his personal training expertise for free.
As Dani faces her issues with food as well as her grief at all her childhood misfortunes, she finds that sometimes giving up ice cream binges and trying something difficult can come with perks you could never see coming. New friends, new recipes, and a new love helps her keep her eye on her goals and find a life of healing, good health, and lots of love.
Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice Cream is a charming summer romance with laughs and love and ice cream (and yes, a recipe is included at the end). Sue Watson has created an idyllic town and a beloved ice cream shop in this second book in her Ice Cream Cafe Series (her first was Ella's Ice Cream Summer, also a delightful summer read), and in Dani she has written a strong woman with a big personality who lives her life with passion and creativity. This is the perfect book for reading on a beach, or for reading inside on a rainy day--or even a snowy day--when it's all about dreaming of the beach, of the sand and the sun and the surf. And the sundaes.
Galleys for Curves, Kisses, and Chocolate Ice Cream were provided by Bookoutre through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.