Simple, straightforward (well, mostly), sweet, and oozing California charm, this story about two somewhat shy young men who meet over ice cream had me smiling in no time. Cooper is originally from San Diego, and he summarizes his impressions of LA as follows: “Back home in San Diego, in high school, Cooper had been attractive. … In LA, Cooper was dog shit. He was one of the ugliest trolls who had ever existed. In LA, people had assistants and maids and cleaners more attractive than Cooper.” While it sounds funny, it is also true – at least based on my own experience – and sets up the tone of this story really well.

Cooper works two jobs to make ends meet. The one at a bar he could do without, if it weren’t for the financials, but working at the ice cream parlor is his passion. He has a talent for making and improving different flavors, and as realistic as he is, he does dream of owning and running an ice cream truck at some point. But he’s not ready to make it happen, or so he thinks, and that ends up being a surprisingly big stumbling block in their relationship.

Drew is originally from Portland, and a good representative of the many non-native Californians making their home in the “Golden State”. He works at Disneyland, and quite a few of their dates end up there, which I found very charming. Cooper is pretty enthusiastic too, so it all works out well. Drew has a lot of the qualities of the Disney princes he plays: he is a gentleman, attentive, and sweet. Basically, he lives his dream, and now that he has met down-to-earth Coper, he has to figure out what’s really important to him.

If you want to see what living in LA is like when you’re young and just beginning to find your feet, if you think that rainbow sprinkles are cute and a great way of communicating your intentions, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and entertaining as it is romantic, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )