Georgie All Along

Growing up in a small town you constantly hear the stories about marrying your high school sweetheart, being the talk of the town, or listening to country songs by the pool about young love. I am not going to lie, that was not my experience in a small town whatsoever, but it is fun to read about nonetheless. Kate Clayborn’s newest romance novel Georgie All Along follows the small town love trope, but in a slightly unconventional way.

Georgie finds herself returning from L.A. to her quaint hometown in Virginia after an abrupt career change. A little embarrassed, she ends up slowing down her pace of life. It is during this time she realizes she has spent her entire life people-pleasing and has no idea who she is as a person. She finds herself on a mission with her pregnant best friend to complete a long lost list of activities she made in her old eighth-grade diary. These cathartic experiences slowly help her realize things not only about herself, but her relationships.

Levi Fanning lives a quiet life compared to his family who enjoy being big fish in a small pond. Being known as the black sheep of the family, there is an ominous reputation that he can’t seem to quite shake. Through a series of events, Georgie finds herself spending a significant amount of time with Levi as he helps her complete her wish list. However, the remnants of their past can’t quite be shaken and adds another layer of complexity to their budding relationship. 

I personally thought this book was super easy to read and quite delightful. I really understood the catharsis Georgie was feeling returning to her hometown. I also loved how the author deep dove into the idea that it is hard to shake a reputation in your hometown. Growing up in a town where everyone knew everyone, or at least they knew your momma, it can be really hard to not be known as the high school version of yourself. This made me really have compassion for Levi and have frustration with his family who only cared about looks (we all know the type).
I also enjoyed Georgie’s relationship with her high school best friend and the character arc that relationship took over the book. It would have been super easy to make her an uncomplicated side character, but her best friend Bel added more complexity to the idea of growing up in a small town. Bel fantasizes about raising her child in a small town, but quickly realizes it isn’t exactly the dream she planned up in her head. The conversations Georgie and Bel had often reminded me of hometown friendships I have kept up with over the years. 

When it came to a recipe idea that represents the book, it was a very obvious choice. Georgie and Levi actually meet in a very unconventional way at the beginning of the book. Georgie has just rolled into town with the car packed to the brim and is absolutely starving. She ends up stopping at Nickel’s Market and Deli and hoping for a nice comfort meal, but finds the run down corner store has gotten a revamp in attempts to appeal to the younger generations. (I laughed so hard at this scenario because it is so true for small towns.) After ordering her strawberry milkshake, she realizes she doesn’t have any money. Of course she knew the owner and he would float her a milkshake, but it actually ends up getting paid for by a tall, disgruntled stranger who later turns out to be Levi.
When I think of strawberry milkshakes my mind goes to the days of strawberry Nesquik as a child. The older I have gotten, the more concerned I have become about the bright pink color and fake strawberry taste but back in the day we loved it. I decided to go a different route and make a fancier strawberry milkshake that includes my grandmother’s strawberry jam recipe. I also love to use the Tillamook Oregon Strawberry ice cream. Tillamook and Jeni’s have proven to be some of my favorite ice cream brands, and I find the price to definitely be worth it. I hope you all enjoy all the ice cream in these last few weeks of summer!

Freezer Jam

2 pints of fresh strawberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups of sugar

1 package of pectin 

¾ cup of water

Crush strawberries in a food processor or blender. Add the strawberries to a bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir and let sit for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine pectin and water. Bring to a boil and let the mixture stay at a boil for about one minute. Cut the heat and add in the strawberries. Let sit for at least three minutes. Put the strawberry mixture into sterilized mason jars. Put the lids on the jars and let them sit on the counter for twenty-four hours before putting them in the freezer or refrigerator. Jam can stay in the fridge for about a month and the freezer for a year.
For milkshakes, I like to spoon the jam on the rim of a glass and let it cover the sides of the glass before putting the milkshake in the glass with whipped cream. You can use a straw to stir it in, but I find the ribbons of berry jam mixed throughout to be pretty and delicious.