Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Legends & Lattes

This was such a comfy, cozy read with lots of wholesome moments that had me go "🥹". I really liked the details of Viv and Cal building the shop, that combined with all the baked goods slowly added to the shop felt like unlocking new levels in a cozy video game.

I totally see how this is beloved by so many but for me personally a 5 star read needs to really move me and leave a lasting impression, which as sweet and fun as this book was, in just not the case here for me.

Would totally recommend if you are looking for a short, quick and enjoyable book with a coffee shop DIY project and found family vibes.

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esme_may's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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lightningmc_logyn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is everything I want in a book. I’ve been curious of Baldree’s work for a while and am glad I finally borrowed this from the library.
Viv’s journey satisfies the promise of a slow, cozy development-and it delivers extra, with compelling mysteries woven throughout and pulled together into a beautiful climax of plot.

The culmination of this story is the characters, and they are easy to adore. Each character is rich with history and dreams that are revealed sometimes subtly and other times clearly as you get to know them. I have come to love each of them, they feel like people I know. Baldree has a talent for sharp yet tender renderings of his characters. Thimble was my favorite, as I found his passion and countenance charming. Viv has great complexity, and goes about life with a fumbling earnestness that makes her a wonderful main character.

Baldree’s prose is impeccable. His vocabulary is vast, and the way he describes even the simplest things often took my breath away. His writing style is something I can’t say I’ve ever seen before, it is fascinating. The way Legends & Lattes is written combined with the plot encourages a reader to sink into the story. I don’t drink coffee, but the love and tenderness for a cozy cafe seeps through the pages into one’s soul; this has me yearning to be in a lively cafe in winter.

I can’t sing my praises high enough for this. It was a delightful, enlivening, and thoroughly refreshing read that I know I will return to again. (I knew this would become a favorite only a couple chapters in.) In the mean time, I look forward to reading the next book and seeing more of the lovely main character, Viv.

A few spoiler-filled thoughts:

I loved that the romance between Tandri and Viv was subtle and slow. I often find secondary romance plots take center stage and the main character abandons their original direction. In this book Viv instead learns to hold her love alongside her dreams, settling them beside each other, complementary.

One of the main themes is about believing in yourself and those around you, widening your grasp to take care of eachother. It’s a testament to found family and leaning on others, a very heartwarming and fulfilling story.

I adore amity. I love cats and I wish she was real. I love the soft ending of the story, and how in the epilogue Amity gets revenge on Fennus.

The short story at the end, Pages To Fill, was satisfying and it was endearing to experinve the journey Viv often references in the book.

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imscrem's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I found this book to be a way more of a slow burn than expected, where queer romance was involved. It also seemed to me that it could be a bit ham-handed with its inclusion of microaggressions and reflections of, essentially, mild fantasy racism. The plot and characters seemed a bit too simple to me. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the cozy fantasy novel Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, but found this one didn’t quite hit the spot for me as cozy fantasy goes.

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kkulhannie's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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johannaplatt's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A really fun read with low-medium stakes, but enough to keep me interested. Characters felt well written and authentic, and I enjoyed the setting and theme of found family. Great LGBTQ+ representation without it being "shunned" by society - it was simply accepted.

I'm aware there are more books in this series from the author, but this serves as a great standalone novel.

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themdash's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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jetpackdracula's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

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