Series: Genre: Publication.Date: May 5, 2015 Pages: 400 (ARC paperback) Published By: Feiwel & Friends Website: Katie Finn Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold on Goodreads My review copy:
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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.
(Goodreads)
And it hit me, all at once, that it hadn't just been a terrible dream. It had all actually happened. It was worse than any nightmare I would have been able to fabricate, and it was the truth.
I watched the ocean for just a few minutes after he dove under - I could see him only i glimpses, when the moon hit the shifting water just right. Even though I was trying really hard not to, I couldn't help but think about the opening to Jaw which also took place in the water in the dark, with disastrous consequences. But, I reasoned, that was Martha's Vineyard, not the Hamptons, and Ford was not a naked blond girl, which always seemed to increase your change of dying in any movie.
"If she's coming, I'm making myself scarce," he said as he walked toward the pool house. "Call if it looks like the fisticuffs are about to break out. I'll back you up."
"Fisticuffs?" I called after him, and heard Ford laugh as he walked into the pool house.
Ford adjusted his glasses and raised an eyebrow at me. "I can hack," he acknowledged. "But I can't exactly just Google 'Hallie's birthday party where is it.' I'm going to need a little more than that."
My take on Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold is a bit complicated. It was interesting to see the girls one up each other, and kind of mind blowing that they would stoop to such levels, but at the same time I just wanted them to grow up and move on. Sophie even comments to Gemma that she came to the Hamptons to hang out with her and not get dragged into her revenge plots:
"What did you want me to do?" I asked more quietly now, but not rhetorically. I actually wanted to know. "Was I supposed to just walk away from what she did?"
"Yes," Sophie said as though it should have been obvious. "Exactly."
I shook my head. Even though I knew that a lot of what Sophie was saying was right, there was a part of this I knew she didn't - couldn't - understand.
Gemma rationalizes it in her mind that Sophie just doesn't understand and I wanted to scream that it was she who didn't understand, not Sophie.
Speaking of Sophie, I did enjoy the fact that we got to see more of her this time. She is more of a fixture in Gemma's life than a friend she occasionally receives a text message from. In addition to Sophie, was also get more Ford and meet Gwyneth, both of whom I love! Ford, Gemma's long-time crush, is a large presence now that he and his sister have arrived in the Hamptons. I found myself pulling more for him than I ever did with Josh (or even Teddy, ugh). The romance is there, but minimal because Gemma is so focused on getting even with Hallie, which is a bit of a shame because Ford really is adorable.
Despite my grievances with Gemma, I simply enjoyed Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold. The story moved quick and it was the light read I needed after finishing a rather heavy novel before hand. There are times I was desperate for these characters (namely Gemma and Hallie) to get their shit together, but I couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened. And yes, Gemma did spend most of the book annoying me, but as the novel goes on and one thing after another happens, she does begin to see the light. She tries to redeem herself and I'm hoping this redemption is going to carry on into Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross.
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