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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
So cute and wholesome and full of love and hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Murder
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
YESSS!!!! i'll take hundreds and hundreds more of these for the rest of eternity, please and thank you!
coffeeshop in an alternate universe is a wonderful mashup of some of my favorite things: sapphic vietnamese & chinese characters x portal fantasy x cozy coffee shop au x sorcery x time travel x murder mystery x diverse and lively los angeles x sailor moon. not only that, but she was also able to seamlessly weave complex themes like corporate greed and their environmental impact. it's a lot to digest but c.b. lee managed to keep it all incredibly balanced somehow! elyse dinh and emily woo zeller did a fantastic job performing their respective characters. after recognizing dinh from her work with banyan moon, she showed her range with this novel and quickly became one of my favorite audiobook narrators.
coffeeshop in an alternate universe is also a beautiful love letter to sapphic immigrants who dream of being represented in an industry (and genre) dominated by white people. i really hope this inspires more queer bipoc to come forward with their own stories, regardless of how similar it is or isn't to c.b. lee's imagination!
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cover artist: lisa villella
coffeeshop in an alternate universe is a wonderful mashup of some of my favorite things: sapphic vietnamese & chinese characters x portal fantasy x cozy coffee shop au x sorcery x time travel x murder mystery x diverse and lively los angeles x sailor moon. not only that, but she was also able to seamlessly weave complex themes like corporate greed and their environmental impact. it's a lot to digest but c.b. lee managed to keep it all incredibly balanced somehow! elyse dinh and emily woo zeller did a fantastic job performing their respective characters. after recognizing dinh from her work with banyan moon, she showed her range with this novel and quickly became one of my favorite audiobook narrators.
coffeeshop in an alternate universe is also a beautiful love letter to sapphic immigrants who dream of being represented in an industry (and genre) dominated by white people. i really hope this inspires more queer bipoc to come forward with their own stories, regardless of how similar it is or isn't to c.b. lee's imagination!
----
cover artist: lisa villella
For the most part cute and fun… and then a typo or two… and then a big plot hole or two… I couldn’t get past them towards the end, I’m sorry, who edited this 😭😭😭
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This review is my own.
This book was adorable! I'd been craving a sapphic romance that would have me grinning and kicking my feet, and this one delivered. From their charming meet cute at the coffee shop, to the development of their relationship, I didn't want to put the book down. (And can we pause just for a second to say what a unique world?)
If I had a small critique, it's that people seemed too quick to accept the existence and presence of magic. I found myself wishing for just a bit more tension or curiosity around that element.
All in all, this was a light, joyful read that gave me exactly what I was looking for in the moment.
This book was adorable! I'd been craving a sapphic romance that would have me grinning and kicking my feet, and this one delivered. From their charming meet cute at the coffee shop, to the development of their relationship, I didn't want to put the book down. (And can we pause just for a second to say what a unique world?)
If I had a small critique, it's that people seemed too quick to accept the existence and presence of magic. I found myself wishing for just a bit more tension or curiosity around that element.
All in all, this was a light, joyful read that gave me exactly what I was looking for in the moment.
adventurous
funny
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
I bought this book because of a sale & because a lovely Barnes and Noble cashier swore that it was SO GOOD (it was also their July pick of the month). The story was amazingly immersive and read (to me) like a fan-fiction in terms of style choice and how things were told/introduced. I got about 80% through it and thought "Oh, we need a sequel, the story cant be wrapped up this quickly". Oh yes it could. It was very hastily wrapped up and ended. A few more chapters, maybe a sequel and it would have had such a smoother ending (in my eyes).