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Peaches and Cream

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As a kid, Adley Purcell dreamed of owning Get the Scoop ice cream shop, and now that she does, she’s worried it could go under. She’s trying to focus on her love of ice cream, but she’s edgy and stressed. And how the hell she’ll survive national dessert chain Sweet Heaven opening a store less than two blocks away, she has no idea. Life is a rocky road right now, and there’s only one cherry on the sexy business suit-clad blonde at happy hour.

Sabrina James doesn’t stay still. Sweet Heaven takes her all over the country, opening new stores, then moving on to the next city. Smooth and simple. Until the gorgeous woman she meets at a bar who leaves her craving more turns out to own the small-town ice cream shop barely two blocks from the new Sweet Heaven location. Could life get any more complicated?

Have Adley and Sabrina bitten off more than they can chew, or will they swirl the salty with the sweet? In love and ice cream there’s only one When life gives you heavenly hash, eat dessert first.

240 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

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About the author

Georgia Beers

55 books1,406 followers
Lambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers lives in Rochester, New York. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, and published her first lesbian novel in 2000.

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5 stars
174 (40%)
4 stars
180 (41%)
3 stars
65 (15%)
2 stars
9 (2%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
Profile Image for Della B.
636 reviews142 followers
August 10, 2023
Peaches and Cream is a whole book devoted to handmade ice cream. If this isn’t about love at its deepest core level, I don’t know what is. But that is just my personal story with this cold and flavourful confection.

Adley’s love for handcrafted ice cream was learned from a young age while working beside her grandfather in his store. Her palate and unique skill for creating new flavours of ice cream has set her shop above the competition’s yet financially she is still struggling.

Sabrina James is only in town until she has the newest franchise up and running for a much loved commercial ice cream parlour. Setting up a no strings attached relationship with Adley as a stress reliever is working perfectly until she realizes she is Adley’s worst nightmare, her business competition.

Adley and Sabrina’s romantic minefield is at the core of this story. Beers creates two charismatic main characters who capture our hearts then masterfully shreds them with this angst driven romance.

Georgia Beers is at her best with Peaches and Cream. A summer read not to be missed.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley.  I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for pipsqueakreviews.
588 reviews454 followers
September 17, 2023
Ice cream romance.

This is a delightful romance about ice cream and love and it's about two women caught in the swirl of small-town dreams and big-city aspirations.

Adley is living out her lifelong dream of owning a small localised artisan ice cream shop called Get the Scoop while Sabrina is a businesswoman from a large ice cream parlor chain called Sweet Heaven. The plot centers around the impending threat of Sweet Heaven opening a store nearby and the tension this created formed a compelling backdrop for the romance which started out as an unexpected encounter at a bar. Adley and Sabrina's attraction for each other and their chemistry was strong from the start and despite them opting first for a casual relationship, their romance was sweet throughout the book and the highlight of the story that left me craving for more. I also thought the conflict was well-paced and found myself rooting for Adley and Sabrina to overcome the challenges in their path.

To sum it up, this is a heartwarming and delightful romance that is a treat for romance readers. I enjoyed it a lot.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jude in the Stars.
943 reviews652 followers
October 28, 2023


Peaches and Cream came out in August and I couldn’t read it then and in retrospect I’m very happy I didn’t because I would have eaten way too much ice cream and been disappointed every time since the ice cream I have access to in real life is nowhere near as good as what I imagine Adley’s to be.

If you’ve read Dance With Me (my review), you probably remember Adley as Scottie’s always-in-a-rush ice cream making best friend. Adley took over her grandfather’s artisan ice cream shop but, despite being an ice cream genius, she’s struggling and the imminent opening of a national chain store close by won’t help. On one of the very rare occasions when she goes out for a drink with Scottie and Marisa, Adley meets Sabrina and a few minutes later, they’re making out in the bar’s restroom, the most out-of-character thing either’s ever done. Of course (because there would be no story otherwise), Sabrina turns out to be in town for the opening of the store that’s threatening Adley’s dream.

Even though Georgia Beers mentions the movie You’ve Got Mail in the acknowledgments, there’s none of the toxicity and no secrecy here, beyond two women needing a break from their jobs and deciding not to talk about work when they can kiss instead.

As usual with Georgia Beers, the characters are super sweet and you’ll want the best for them because how could you not. They’re as lovable as Sprinkles the puppy and who doesn’t love puppies? They also have fantastic chemistry (and admirable restraint, if you think about it), and Beers makes the instalust/instalove plausible, especially with the work conflict in the mix. Forbidden fruit and all.

There are a few inconsistencies and incongruities—an MC being surprised when she’s told she fell for the other even though she told her friend exactly that 30 pages before, a single mention of an immigrant parent with no bearing on the story—but overall, Peaches and Cream is one hundred percent the light and heartwarming read I was expecting it to be. Let it hug you while you escape reality for a bit.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
Profile Image for Tierney Moore.
Author 12 books74 followers
September 30, 2023
A delicious romance with plenty of flavors to enjoy. The leads are fun and their chemistry is off the wall, so it’s not long before they get together.

I like that the overused 3rd act reversal is 2nd act here and neatly organic. How the girls can possibly find their way back to each other makes for an enjoyable read.

The lovers to rivals to lovers setup is a little different to normal—no bad thing. The “why can’t I get over her” and “what’s wrong with me” angst plays out through most of the pages, so you’ll need to enjoy sweet / low-level angst to really get into Georgia Beer’ tale here, but, hey, there’s ice cream (heaps and scoops) a cute puppy, and hot leads, in this pleasant and fun read that doesn’t demand too much of the reader but is satisfyingly sweet and luxuriant (like Adley’s ice cream 😋).

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and the author for providing me the opportunity me to read this ARC.
Profile Image for Leah.
465 reviews218 followers
December 4, 2023
I realize I’m in the minority with this one; but I just did not love this. Others will probably enjoy this more than me, I’ve seen ratings that prove this. However, it had too many of my personal dislikes to get invested and enjoy this.

Adley (from Beers’ previous “Dance with Me”) and Sabrina meet in a bar, there’s immediate attraction. They decide to start a friends-with-benefits type of situation but it doesn’t turn out like they plan. They spend time basically dating and getting to know one another. They have one caveat that they won’t speak about work. Convenient as one owns a local ice cream shop and the other is bringing in an ice cream chain.

The first issue I had was the insta-lust. While the “dates” do an okay job of getting Adley and Sabrina to know one another, it’s more about the physical. There’s too little emotional connection.

They spend about a month being in lust and then there’s a big blow up once Adley finds out Sabrina’s business will likely put Adley’s ice cream shop out of business. They then spend the next year apart. There is mutual pining and tons of internal monologuing about the other, however, there is no connection between the two. It was difficult for me to believe the month they were together was enough to sustain a year apart. This leads to another pet peeve of mine. Most of what we know about the characters and them as a couple is from internal monologues or conversations with their best friends. There’s just not enough actual dialogue between the two.

Another big thing for me was the characters voices. They were all pretty much interchangeable for me, including Scottie and Teagan, the best friends. You could change up any character and the scene would have stayed basically the same.

There were a couple of other minor things that are really more about me than anything else. For example, the nicknames. Everyone, including side characters, have nicknames for everyone else. It annoyed me every time I saw it.

On the plus side I got a small glimpse into Scottie and Marisa’s relationship. I was happy to see they were still going strong and happy.

Like I said earlier, there are many others that enjoyed this far more than me. So, take this review with a grain of salt.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jo reece.
547 reviews61 followers
August 28, 2023
Who doesn't love ice cream?

Georgia Beers has done it again with her latest book release, Peaches and Cream. The story is full of romance, and love, as well as a few tears, which keeps you captivated and keeps you turning the pages.

4 out of 5
Profile Image for Silvia.
338 reviews7 followers
July 24, 2023
A classic love story from Georgia Beers, to be enjoyed with an ice cream. Adley and Sabrina come from different backgrounds and while one is struggling to carry the family business the other is working the corporate world on behalf of hers. But Beers doesn't disappoint and writes a classic romance with banter and ice cream.
Free ARC via NetGalley.
Profile Image for elly (big hiatus).
204 reviews41 followers
September 3, 2023
i'm really craving some ice cream right now.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Linda.
771 reviews112 followers
August 12, 2024
Rivals turned lovers, but it didn't start that way though. It began with instant attraction when Adley and Sabrina met in a bar and ended in a make-out session in the bathroom. They were both content with a no-strings-attached arrangement, enjoying physical intimacy without discussing their personal lives.

Little did they know that they are both in the ice cream business and that their path will cross; Adley owned a quaint artisanal ice cream shop, while Sabrina was the VP of a large ice cream chain, visiting town to open a new store.

As they navigate their professional lives, their no-string relationship takes on the expected turns - both go their separate ways even though feelings are brewing. It takes a while for them to get to their HEA and plenty of soul-searching for Sabrina.
Profile Image for currentlyreadingbynat.
753 reviews84 followers
September 26, 2023
I loved Beers' last two novels: Camp Lost and Found and Dance with Me. For me, Peaches and Cream felt like a departure from her signature romantic build up. In this novel, the two protagonists dive headfirst into a friends-with-benefits scenario, and while the narrative insists on their chemistry, it took a while for me to truly feel it. That said, it's undeniably a sweet romance. Despite missing the usual slow burn, Beers' innate gift for crafting engaging, endearing characters shines through.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Betty.
649 reviews85 followers
August 24, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
391 reviews24 followers
August 16, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Aleana.
651 reviews19 followers
July 25, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Adley owns an ice cream shop called Get the Scoop that been in her family since her grandfather open it. Adley not only good at what she does with ice creams she actually loves it which I love because you should always love what you do and add it bonus gets to share with the world. Sabrina is Vice-President of New Markets for Sweet Heavens where she works with her mother who is CEO she likes what she does but lately she wonders if she loves it. Adley and Sabrina meet and sparks fly but both are too busy for anything more then a no strings attached but that easier said and done when feelings starts to emerge especially when they learn what they do for living and Adley worries she might have to close her shop because of popularity of Sweet Heavens being open few blocks from her and because she been struggling with staying open despite how well receive everyone loves of her ice creams. A sweet romance with little bit of angst.
Profile Image for Fran Sappharc.
635 reviews34 followers
July 16, 2023
Chapter 1 is as you would expect from a Georgia Beers novel. Amusing dialogue and likeable characters. They have just met, so I don’t feel out of step with their banter.
Non binary representation is moving forward. They/them pronouns but no announcement about the character being non binary.
25% in and the mains don’t know about each other what we do. They don’t know the big rock, right in the middle of their path to meeting Ms Right, of course they’ve each persuaded the other, and themselves, they are only looking for Miss Right Now.
Normally, with a less skilled writer, I would be getting a bit fed up that they don’t know, but the banter, either between the mains or the mains supporting characters, has been amusing enough to keep the book enjoyable. There has been a bit of foreshadowing what is (I think) likely to be another plot boulder. (It was, but not a big deal, more of a plot pebble).
75% in and I can’t give numerical proof for this, but my impression is that the mains have spent more time on the page thinking about being together, than actually being together. I’m not saying it’s an issue, but I’m not saying it’s a plus.
This book has trademark Beers banter, there is a cute puppy, there is nothing not to like, and nothing I don’t like, but there isn’t anything I love….. well I love Beers banter…. But it’s a Beers novel, it’s a given that there is funny banter, but……
To put this in perspective, 17 minutes to go, the mains although very much on the road to a happy ending aren’t there yet and I got distracted by a fb thread looking for book recommendations! This is an enjoyable book, and passed the time. It’s not a Beers classic, but then a Beers’ okay is till a very worthwhile purchase.
Profile Image for linda hole.
376 reviews50 followers
September 6, 2023
So someone hacked my account, for fun i guess, and requested books . I am so.sorry about that. I am so sorry about this, and hopefully it Will not happen again
Profile Image for Sharon.
18 reviews3 followers
October 14, 2023
Adley Purcell, owner of an artisan ice cream shop, Get the scoop, meets Sabrina James, who is about to launch a new large chain ice cream store, Sweet Heaven, in the town Adley grew up in. When the ladies met, it was sparks flying all over the place. Not knowing what each other did for a living, they soon started their no strings attached relationship. Things were going well until they found out who each other was. They had some difficult obstacles to overcome with Adley’s ice cream shop being at risk of closing down and Sabrina only being in town temporarily. Could their instant attraction mean something deeper? Could their romance survive the fact that there is a clash in their business.

I really enjoyed this book. The attraction between the two main characters were palpable. There was a lot of longing and pining involved and you can really see the conflicted feelings that the main characters were having. The thing I did not like was the fact that Adley blamed Sabrina for her business failing. And I also thought the things sped up too quickly at the end.

But overall, a great book. Ice cream, puppies and great characters, it is hard to go wrong. Would recommend it if you are after a heartwarming read.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for queer_aussie_reviews.
270 reviews14 followers
September 25, 2023
Who doesn’t crave a Georgia Beers food-themed novel? Sweet, sexy, tasty, and full of romance, Peaches and Cream is another hit by this talented writer.

Adley is a struggling small business owner, trying in vain to keep her family legacy afloat. Sabrina is the woman who arrives in town and throws her world into chaos. Not in a bad way straight up, though, because for a while, they know very little about each other outside of the bedroom. They have a strong attraction, but as hard as they try to keep it casual, little by little, they fall hard.

It’s hard not to want an ice cream in hand as you turn the page, desperate for Adley and Sabrina to get their acts together and communicate their feelings! Beers’ skills at crafting heartwarming love stories are on show yet again in Peaches and Cream with cute MCs trying not to fall in love, but inevitably failing, and of course the inclusion of an adorable little puppy to melt the iciest of hearts.

 I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for my honest review
Profile Image for Haley.
105 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This was my first Georgia Beers (who seems to have a loyal following) book!

So I initially requested this because it was a lesbian romcom, however I was a little worried going in that it was going to be overly cheesy and lack depth... but boy was I wrong. Was it cheesy? Absolutely but Beers knew what she was doing, while cheesy I felt as though the characters had enough depth and the situation/conflict despite being obvious did have me quite intrigued. Plus who doesn't love ice cream and lesbians?

This was an enjoyable career-based enemies to lovers romp. While this was not life changing, I'm thrilled to have found an author to read on the in between while waiting for books to release or Libby holds to lift.
Profile Image for Francesca.
92 reviews16 followers
August 19, 2023
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!
Profile Image for Sue Plant.
1,973 reviews25 followers
July 15, 2023
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

this is adley story....

all adley wanted to do was own an ice cream shop... and she did but she was also about to lose her business... she knew as soon as the competition was about to open that it would have dire consequences to her business...she was already struggling but this would be the nail in the coffin

sabrina james the enemy though adley didnt know it as yet... sabrina was opening up the another ice cream business and it would be in competition with adleys.... neither one knew what the other jobs was when they first met and started their affair.... it was just for fun no strings attached

but the day they found out what the other did for business it ruined what they felt for each other...

man this storyline kept me awake at night... could not put the book down at all... and what a great storyline it is with appearances from scotty and marissa and who doesnt like ice cream...

looking forward to reading more from this autho
Profile Image for Shay.
11 reviews
November 30, 2023
oh what a damn drag! wanted to be on ao3 this whole time
Profile Image for Laura.
46 reviews
Want to read
July 15, 2024
Bought this book today...waiting for it to ship....fingers crossed (It was an accidental purchase....I didn't notice I had moved to my cart from my wish list when I was buying some home items)
Profile Image for Samantha.
324 reviews11 followers
October 6, 2023
Georgia Beers expertly takes a somewhat overly cutesy story premise and makes it work so effectively that I all but ignored my responsibilities as a grown adult to finish this book in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books for providing an eARC for a honest review.
Profile Image for Vita L. Licari.
696 reviews26 followers
August 17, 2023
A story about ice cream and love. Adley is the owner of an artisan ice cream shop. She loves creating flavors, but the business is struggling. To make matters worse, a new ice cream shop is coming in owned by a dessert chain.
Sabrina's mother is the CEO/owner of Sweet Heaven, the dessert chain. She's there to oversee the development and opening of the store.
On her first night, she goes to Martini's a local bar, and meets Adley. They are so attracted to one another they almost combust. But will their attraction be enough once they realize each other's jobs?
Ms. Beers has written a fast paced, sweet book about a delicious dessert and the loving people involved in its production. 5 stars!
Profile Image for Hannah.
64 reviews5 followers
July 20, 2023
A queer retelling of You've Got Mail with ice cream. I'm here for it. It's an easy read with clear characters and pacing. I've never read anything by Georgia Beers before, but I'm definitely excited to read more.

The chemistry between the characters seems to be very quickly built up. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet. This is the opposite of slow burn. This is a match during a drought, but it does mean we get to jump right in, and with the premise, we don't really need a lot of time to develop an understanding of the world.

Listen, if you're trash like me and just like women kissing, ice cream, and a solid Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan classic, and well written, then there is nothing better.

**Thanks for the ARC***
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews

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