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emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
I enjoyed this book a surprising amount! I picked it up without knowing much about it, and with expectations of something a bit fluffy and insubstantial. While it was certainly cozy and had some Hallmark movie charm, there were also some more serious reflections on grief interwoven with the lighthearted bits.
A very cozy magic realism story with some mystery in a sweet setting. The characters sometimes felt a bit predictable, but I thought the story overall was nice, and the mystery revealed itself at a nice pace.
A very cozy magic realism story with some mystery in a sweet setting. The characters sometimes felt a bit predictable, but I thought the story overall was nice, and the mystery revealed itself at a nice pace.
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Car accident
Minor: Suicide
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
It's a nice story, I just didn't vibe with it.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a nice, bittersweet exploration of family, forgiveness, and belonging. I enjoyed reading it. However, it had quite a lot of little plot similarities with another book from Heather Webber, such as:
- Young woman moves to small town after a loss
- Small town people are mostly kind, well-meaning, but very nosy
- There is at least one semi-magical person in town
- Young woman meets local man and slowly falls in love
- There is talk of either taking over or selling a beloved cafe
- An elderly man is hinted at dying eventually, but doesn't (yet)
- A small shop is set on fire but nothing bad happens
- Said fire makes shop owner realize their passion and love for said shop
These make me feel reluctant to read her other books as she seems to be a formulaic writer. But hey, if it works, it works.
Moderate: Suicide
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was like reading a pretty decent hallmark movie. It's a wholesome story about a small cozy town, a cafe with home-cooked pie, family drama, and a sprinkle of magic. I picked this up because I wanted a romance, but the emphasis is on the family dramas and personal journeys. The romances are there, but they're off to the side and barely on the page. The magical aspects are not the focus either, they're mostly to facilitate the plot. This is a good summer read, it takes place right around the 4th of July, which is when I happened to be reading it.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Suicide, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A sweet book, almost cozy. I had kind of hoped the magic system would be a little more filled out, but it was more of an afterthought. Still a good plot device though. Not really my speed, but a nice time.
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a cute and quaint feel-good read.
What I liked: This book has just the right touch of magic and so many cozy vibes. It had me craving blackberry tea and pie. It reminded me of summers with my grandma riding a four wheeler and picking fresh blackberries to eat in a bowl with sugar. I liked the cast of characters and enjoyed getting to know them through each other. And I definitely fell in love with the town of Wicklow reading this book - I wanted to move in and work in the cafe myself!
What didn’t work for me as much: This book is a very slow read, but the pace got better about halfway through. It’s also very very southern, which at times worked for me and at times really didn’t. After a point it felt over the top, I think because there was quite a bit of repetitive language. Sometimes the dialogue felt really unrealistic / forced.
Overall, it was a cute book with mouth watering food descriptions. And it was a little witchy in a way that I was here for. That was exactly what I was going for when I added this as an option for my book club so I’m glad we chose to read it.
I would recommend to someone looking for a lighthearted, feel-good, food-filled read that doesn’t mind a slow pace.
What I liked: This book has just the right touch of magic and so many cozy vibes. It had me craving blackberry tea and pie. It reminded me of summers with my grandma riding a four wheeler and picking fresh blackberries to eat in a bowl with sugar. I liked the cast of characters and enjoyed getting to know them through each other. And I definitely fell in love with the town of Wicklow reading this book - I wanted to move in and work in the cafe myself!
What didn’t work for me as much: This book is a very slow read, but the pace got better about halfway through. It’s also very very southern, which at times worked for me and at times really didn’t. After a point it felt over the top, I think because there was quite a bit of repetitive language. Sometimes the dialogue felt really unrealistic / forced.
Overall, it was a cute book with mouth watering food descriptions. And it was a little witchy in a way that I was here for. That was exactly what I was going for when I added this as an option for my book club so I’m glad we chose to read it.
I would recommend to someone looking for a lighthearted, feel-good, food-filled read that doesn’t mind a slow pace.
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide