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cutenanya's review
3.0
the story is mediocre at best. The clues are not left in such a way that readers can make logical deductions, though the author has tried to provide all the clues. As such, the conclusion seems forced and the ending less than satisfactory.
jaxness's review against another edition
3.0
This was a refreshing cozy mystery that I think I needed.
Though all the coffee detailed talk would've annoyed me if I wasn't a coffee lover myself, It was interesting.
Though all the coffee detailed talk would've annoyed me if I wasn't a coffee lover myself, It was interesting.
lynguy1's review
2.0
ON WHAT GROUNDS by Cleo Coyle is the first book in the Coffeehouse cozy mysteries series and takes place in New York City. Clare Cosi is back to manage the historic Village Blend Coffeehouse once again. Ten years ago, she decided to move out of the city to raise her daughter in the suburbs. This time the owner has enticed her back with the promise of a rent-free apartment above the coffeehouse and partial ownership. When returning to the Village Blend, Cleo finds the assistant manager severely injured at the bottom of the basement steps. What happened to her? Did she trip and fall or was it something more sinister?
There was some humor sprinkled throughout the book, but I did not connect with any of the characters. There is a very slow start, very little action, all kinds of information about coffee, and a weak protagonist. The characters did not always act in a plausible, realistic, or even over the top believable way. However, the last 75 or so pages are definitely better than the first 200.
Overall, this was a read that did not live up to my expectations. It was an okay read for me. 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars. I don’t plan on continuing the series. However, there are many reviewers that thoroughly enjoyed the book.
There was some humor sprinkled throughout the book, but I did not connect with any of the characters. There is a very slow start, very little action, all kinds of information about coffee, and a weak protagonist. The characters did not always act in a plausible, realistic, or even over the top believable way. However, the last 75 or so pages are definitely better than the first 200.
Overall, this was a read that did not live up to my expectations. It was an okay read for me. 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars. I don’t plan on continuing the series. However, there are many reviewers that thoroughly enjoyed the book.
brianne_k's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
*3/5*
This was a decent start to a cozy mystery series.
A little outdated in places, but I am assuming that gets better as the series goes on and .lit catches up to the time. Don't love the probable love triangle.
I do enjoy the New York setting though!
This was a decent start to a cozy mystery series.
A little outdated in places, but I am assuming that gets better as the series goes on and .lit catches up to the time. Don't love the probable love triangle.
I do enjoy the New York setting though!
book_concierge's review
2.0
This is a cozy mystery which takes place in and around a Greenwich Village Coffee Shop. Clare Cosi is convinced to return to managing The Village Blend by the owner, who is also her former mother-in-law. The recently fired manager had stolen an antique (and historically important) plaque from the business, but her new assistant manager is doing a great job. Or she was until the morning Clare finds Anabelle at the bottom of the basement stairs, barely breathing. Did she fall? Or was she pushed? Clare and the police don’t agree but she’s determined to find the truth.
I have to admit that I nearly quit in the first two pages. I had just finished reading a classic of literary fiction (To Kill a Mockingbird); Coyle’s writing just couldn’t compare, and I found myself groaning. But I decided to give her a fair shot, and I think I did. It’s an adequate cozy with a likeable lead character, some romantic tension (though I find this irritating in the extreme), and a decent background story (the coffee shop). I’d be willing to try another of Coyle’s coffeehouse mysteries, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
I have to admit that I nearly quit in the first two pages. I had just finished reading a classic of literary fiction (To Kill a Mockingbird); Coyle’s writing just couldn’t compare, and I found myself groaning. But I decided to give her a fair shot, and I think I did. It’s an adequate cozy with a likeable lead character, some romantic tension (though I find this irritating in the extreme), and a decent background story (the coffee shop). I’d be willing to try another of Coyle’s coffeehouse mysteries, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
kberry513's review against another edition
3.0
Listening to this book made it more difficult to get through; I guess in the past when I've read it in book form, I must have skimmed over the long discussions of coffee related items. While there are some coffee related trivia which I have enjoyed, generally they were drawn out to an excessive degree. I also never noticed how repetitious a narrator Claire is. She mentions the Kona coffee scandal at least twice, always fully explaining the whole scandal, rather than explaining once and referencing it. Moffet Flast comes up on numerous occasions and every time it's like she feels the need to explain who he is. It was grating after awhile. I also found Matteo extremely arrogant and condescending and hate how close he and Claire end up to hooking up. I feel like the way the character was written up until that point, having been divorced for ten years from a philanderer, she definitely would not be falling into bed with him simply because he was there. Also, the weird addition of tasseography (Claire reading coffee grounds) which I had apparently blocked out, didn't fit with the rest of the story. It wasn't like she managed to use it in the mystery, either, it just felt like an odd addition.