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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This is a cozy, delightful adventure with a refreshing original twist. The story isn’t just your average meet-cute, it’s a meet-cute across dimensions, which adds a whole new layer of charm. It takes the familiar romcom meets D&D setup and pushes it a few steps further. It blends heartfelt moments with clever otherworldly storytelling. A super warm read!
Thanks NetGalley for the arc
Thanks NetGalley for the arc
This was a cute, fun read! There was some slower parts and sometimes the D&D talk would go over my head but I enjoyed it
* NetGalley ARC *
* NetGalley ARC *
This was such a sweet, Cozy Fantasy Romance that I fell in love with! Two worlds collide in a coffeeshop where Brenda and Kat meet, not realizing how different they live. I loved the magical world and how technology operates entwined with the magic.
I appreciated how the conflict didn't come from teenage friend drama, but from real issues they need to tackle. Long-term relationships are complicated, but being in two different worlds makes it exponentially more difficult!
If you're looking for a cute sapphic fantasy that has an undercurrent of the immigrant experience, then check this one out! I'm really picky about my cozy fantasies, but I consider this one of the best! It's easily a five-star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I appreciated how the conflict didn't come from teenage friend drama, but from real issues they need to tackle. Long-term relationships are complicated, but being in two different worlds makes it exponentially more difficult!
If you're looking for a cute sapphic fantasy that has an undercurrent of the immigrant experience, then check this one out! I'm really picky about my cozy fantasies, but I consider this one of the best! It's easily a five-star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
From the premise alone I was always going to love Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe. It's not only about thin spaces between universes and a love of DND, but it's also about friendship and powerful love. It's about family, community, and what's right and wrong. Lee packs a whole lot into this YA contemporary fantasy. This dual POV combination allows us to see the differences and similarities in the worlds of Brenda and Kat. Sure there may be literal dragons, but there's also Chosen Ones, friendships, and community. Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe straddles this line between contemporary romance and also adventure story about the fate of their universes.
From the premise alone I was always going to love Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe. It's not only about thin spaces between universes and a love of DND, but it's also about friendship and powerful love. It's about family, community, and what's right and wrong. Lee packs a whole lot into this YA contemporary fantasy. This dual POV combination allows us to see the differences and similarities in the worlds of Brenda and Kat. Sure there may be literal dragons, but there's also Chosen Ones, friendships, and community. Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe straddles this line between contemporary romance and also adventure story about the fate of their universes.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Look, at this point I'm used to marketing lying to me about a book being "cozy fantasy." I can work with that, although I wish they'd stop. However, blaming a book for it's bad marketing doesn't make sense (the book came first, and in the case of tradpub, the author isn't usually calling the shots on their marketing). But please know that when the blurb is like, "Cozy Coffeeshop AU!" that it's an inaccurate description of the plot.
ANYWAY. I was really on-board for the first half of this book, but at about 50%, the pacing gets real weird. There's the cute romance, which I'm here for. But there's also this other larger plot which starts to become more relevant, and it doesn't make the most sense. It's weirdly complicated, although it didn't need to be, because the actual reveal is pretty straightforward .However, the characters don't make much of an effort to solve it, even though it's presented as a life or death situation. There are also a bunch of places where off-page events are summarized, but then a whole lot of nothing happens in the developed scenes.
I could have still left this with a four-star experience, but then the author did a thing I cannot stand: we learn who the villain is, but the character who learns this info doesn't fully understand the implications. She then speaks to the other MC and tells her everything, EXCEPT THE NAME OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. And the other MC... doesn't ask? For what possible reason?
As a result, I spent the last quarter of the book feeling irritable. A bunch of dramatic monologues, and a moment that should have been really touching, were mashed in at the end of the story in a way that was borderline incoherent. I can't go into detail about how infuriating the climactic scene was, but I really wish there had been some structural changes to this book, because there is little that annoys me more as a reader than when the characters do silly and incomprehensible things for the sake of the plot. And it doesn't advance the plot! This just slows it way down for no discernable reason! *screams into a pillow*
The thing is, as much as the plot choices annoyed me, the world is so cool. I really enjoyed the concept, and there were some scenes that were really beautiful and lyrical, along with plenty of nods to other stories that inspired some of these moments. There are fun misunderstandings, and interesting scenarios where the characters engage with magic in different ways. It's not fully explored, but there's a suggestion that the stories of 'our world' (arguably not ours, for plot reasons, but the ones that most resembles ours) are inherently magical, and that engaging with stories increases one's ability to harness magic. That's beautiful. Not to mention all the little details that Lee includes about Kat and Brenda and their families. There's a lot to enjoy here, and I was all in for the first half of the book.
Lee mentions in the notes that this was originally going to be cozy fantasy, but then it morphed into something else. If this was going to stay cozy, I wish the plot had been ironed out. If it was going to go more epic, I'd have appreciated some editing for punchier pacing. As it was, there were times when the MCs sort of went, "Yeah, I know that our worlds are in trouble, but what if we did something cutesy and unrelated for three chapters rather than solving my mother's murder?" I think I found this book so frustrating because there were parts I thoroughly enjoyed, and then parts where I felt like I was slogging along in the hopes that something would eventually happen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. My long and meandering thoughts are my own, and are being left voluntarily.
ANYWAY. I was really on-board for the first half of this book, but at about 50%, the pacing gets real weird. There's the cute romance, which I'm here for. But there's also this other larger plot which starts to become more relevant, and it doesn't make the most sense. It's weirdly complicated, although it didn't need to be, because the actual reveal is pretty straightforward .However, the characters don't make much of an effort to solve it, even though it's presented as a life or death situation. There are also a bunch of places where off-page events are summarized, but then a whole lot of nothing happens in the developed scenes.
I could have still left this with a four-star experience, but then the author did a thing I cannot stand: we learn who the villain is, but the character who learns this info doesn't fully understand the implications. She then speaks to the other MC and tells her everything, EXCEPT THE NAME OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. And the other MC... doesn't ask? For what possible reason?
As a result, I spent the last quarter of the book feeling irritable. A bunch of dramatic monologues, and a moment that should have been really touching, were mashed in at the end of the story in a way that was borderline incoherent. I can't go into detail about how infuriating the climactic scene was, but I really wish there had been some structural changes to this book, because there is little that annoys me more as a reader than when the characters do silly and incomprehensible things for the sake of the plot. And it doesn't advance the plot! This just slows it way down for no discernable reason! *screams into a pillow*
The thing is, as much as the plot choices annoyed me, the world is so cool. I really enjoyed the concept, and there were some scenes that were really beautiful and lyrical, along with plenty of nods to other stories that inspired some of these moments. There are fun misunderstandings, and interesting scenarios where the characters engage with magic in different ways. It's not fully explored, but there's a suggestion that the stories of 'our world' (arguably not ours, for plot reasons, but the ones that most resembles ours) are inherently magical, and that engaging with stories increases one's ability to harness magic. That's beautiful. Not to mention all the little details that Lee includes about Kat and Brenda and their families. There's a lot to enjoy here, and I was all in for the first half of the book.
Lee mentions in the notes that this was originally going to be cozy fantasy, but then it morphed into something else. If this was going to stay cozy, I wish the plot had been ironed out. If it was going to go more epic, I'd have appreciated some editing for punchier pacing. As it was, there were times when the MCs sort of went, "Yeah, I know that our worlds are in trouble, but what if we did something cutesy and unrelated for three chapters rather than solving my mother's murder?" I think I found this book so frustrating because there were parts I thoroughly enjoyed, and then parts where I felt like I was slogging along in the hopes that something would eventually happen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. My long and meandering thoughts are my own, and are being left voluntarily.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
💭 #QOTD Would you rather a dragon sized cat and a cat sized dragon, or a dragon sized dragon and a cat sized cat?
Title: Coffeeshop in an alternate universe
Author: C.B. Lee
Pages: 400
Rating: 4/5
Spice/Romance level: 🩷🩷 sapphic romance fantasy
#Arc eCopy ( #gifted ) - review left voluntarily
UK re-publish date - 3rd July 2025
Well what a sweet meet cute read that was!
The most fantastical world building with fabulous fashion. Coffee mixes I could get behind. The shy, tender queer romance with bi representation. This was just the perfect read for June!
It was easy to read, predictable and perfect to snuggle down to after the recent heavy reads. A comforting hug between the pages!
This definitely needs to be on your shelf for the summer holidays!
Pure magic!
You'll love this book if you like
- sapphic young adult fantasy
- alternate worlds
- books with cats and dragons
- cosy fantasy
- Coffeeshop books
- relaxing easy reads
- detailed world building
- opposites attract
- grumpy / sunshine
Will you be reading this? Let me know in the comments
Title: Coffeeshop in an alternate universe
Author: C.B. Lee
Pages: 400
Rating: 4/5
Spice/Romance level: 🩷🩷 sapphic romance fantasy
#Arc eCopy ( #gifted ) - review left voluntarily
UK re-publish date - 3rd July 2025
Well what a sweet meet cute read that was!
The most fantastical world building with fabulous fashion. Coffee mixes I could get behind. The shy, tender queer romance with bi representation. This was just the perfect read for June!
It was easy to read, predictable and perfect to snuggle down to after the recent heavy reads. A comforting hug between the pages!
This definitely needs to be on your shelf for the summer holidays!
Pure magic!
You'll love this book if you like
- sapphic young adult fantasy
- alternate worlds
- books with cats and dragons
- cosy fantasy
- Coffeeshop books
- relaxing easy reads
- detailed world building
- opposites attract
- grumpy / sunshine
Will you be reading this? Let me know in the comments
This was such a cozy fantasy with portals and powers and alternate coffeeshops also healing grief and found family
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a really cute book. The fantasy elements were really well done and I love how it just added to the universe. Brenda and Kat are adorable and I love how they are kind of awkward at first but settle in to it pretty fast.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I received an arc through netgalley.