Book Review: Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn

Pages: 400

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: May 5, 2015

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "The war rages on between Gemma and Hallie in the second installment of the Broken Hearts and Revenge series. After the humiliating events on the 4th of July, Gemma's trying to handle the fact that Hallie knew who she was all along, and she was the one who stole Teddy from her. Gemma vows revenge, but things get more complicated than she planned. Ford, Gemma’s long-time crush, has arrived in the Hamptons cuter than ever. Josh is refusing to speak to her after she lied to him, and Teddy is playing champion to his beloved Marsh Warbler (in Gemma's backyard, no less). Gemma and Hallie find themselves locked in an escalating revenge cycle. Just when Gemma thinks she has the upper hand, the biggest bombshell of all is dropped. And it’s one that threatens to change her life forever. This exciting sequel to Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things To Mend will leave you begging for the third installment."

The plot picks up right where Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend left off and readers are thrusted right back into the maelstrom of revenge and mean-girl antics, thanks to Gemma and Hallie's feud.  Gemma is staying in the Hamptons for the summer and if you remember the cliffhanger in book one, Hallie stole Teddy, Gemma's boyfriend, who dumped her right before the summer started.  Plus, Hallie is the reason why things didn't work out between Gemma and Josh this summer; essentially, Gemma was played by Hallie who was always one step ahead of her, using her as a pawn on a chess board of summer destruction.  Gemma desperately wants to show Teddy that Hallie isn't dating him for the right reasons, but things get complicated. On a bright note, Ford, Gemma's longtime childhood crush, arrives along with his sister  to stay at the the Hamptons and Gemma realizes that she still has feelings for him. He is no longer just a computer geek; he also has grown into a hot surfer with looks to kill. To complicate matters further, his sister, Gwyneth, is working on a documentary this summer and insists that everyone must wear a camera so can she capture every last thing. Gemma's summer is gearing up to be a drama-filled one, especially when she realizes Hallie isn't going to stop. Gemma has to do something before Hallie further destroys things.  Katie Finn's Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold is pure summertime bliss and the perfect way to pass a lazy summer day at the beach.

Listen, both Gemma and Hallie are downright mean girls in Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold. Although Hallie can be a bit fiercer, Gemma can play to win as well. They both plot complex revenge plans and while I couldn't find myself fully getting behind Gemma, I felt for her a bit more than Hallie. I really wanted Gemma to forget about Teddy (I think he's super lame) and forget about Hallie, but she is in way too deep.  Deep down, I was hoping Gemma would walk away before things got any worse, but she just couldn't.

After what happened in book one, Gemma doesn't have too many supporters. Thankfully, her best friend Sophie as come to the Hamptons, so that's a good thing, because Gemma definitely needs some allies in this mean girl war. Plus, there's Gwyneth and although she is busy with her documentary about her film-maker dad, she seems to want to be Gemma's friend.  Lastly, there's Ford. I am a fan. He's good looking, smart, a surfer, but more importantly, he's a good guy. He's there for Gemma when others aren't and she would see it if she could just move on past the drama with Hallie.

Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold isn't short of drama, that's for sure. There's more crazy antics, summertime shenanigans, and downright mean behavior that made me borderline anxious.  It just seemed like both girls were trying to one up each other and each time it was getting worse and worse. I mean where does it end? 

Katie Finn, a.k.a. Morgan Matson, is one of my favorite authors and although Matson's books are more serious and have a deeper message, I still enjoyed this series, the same way I can enjoy watching PBS one minute and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills the next. This series is fun. It does have a dark side, but part of me is seriously entertained by the craziness that goes down.  Plus, the cliffhanger at the end of this book had me reeling. Although I saw a few plot twists and hijinks coming from a mile away, thanks to Finn's perfectly placed clues, it was still interesting to see how it was all going to go down. I will definitely be picking up the third book next summer and my fingers are crossed that Gemma finally gets it together.

So, if you are looking for pure YA entertainment this summer, you should definitely check out this series.