Reviews - The Satisfaction Café

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117 reviews for:

The Satisfaction Café

Kathy Wang

3.73 AVERAGE

emsweat's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

lyonbritandthebookshelf's review against another edition

5.0

“Sometimes we cry and have no idea why.”

I tend to be quick to write a review once I’ve finished a book but after finishing The Satisfaction Cafe I wanted to sit with my thoughts for a bit. Kathy Wang crafted a story that has me reflecting on my own life, the people in it and whether or not I’m satisfied.

“…happiness was only a concept, anyways: a clever, slippery creature that slips through your hands right at the moment when you think you’ve finally caught it.”

This is a story about Joan and her life she has created after moving to California from Taiwan. Her marriages, in-laws, step children and her own children all play a major role in her life at times joyful and others devastating. She poses the questions about satisfaction and can anyone feel truly satisfied.

“Sometimes there were people like this who might be a part of your life, who you wished could be a bigger part-but it wasn't meant to be, and you had only that limited share.”

I’m in a bit of awww how I journeyed through Joan’s life in 352 pages. I felt connected to not only her but other characters… Lee, Ellison, Misty, Nelson… just to name a few. I think it’s important to note… Yes the cover is stunning and bright, bold and beautiful… but this story is heartbreak with redemption written all over it. There is a Part… I believe it was Part 2… I sat up in bed and would not go to sleep til I reached Part 3. A bit of a pager turner. Yet quiet and reflective. This would make for a wonderful Bookclub pick. A book that feels inspiring and begging to be discussed.

Thank you Scribner

Releases 7/1

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divinezero124's review against another edition

3.0

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

isul's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I don't typically gravitate towards family dramas but I could not put this one down. I will miss these characters dearly. Thanks to net galley for this advanced reader!

allisonfay84's review

4.0

Thank you to the publisher (Simon & Schuster) and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy!

I am a sucker for a good family drama, so I was excited to dive in here. I loved the writing here - so bold and descriptive without being boring.

Joan was a very real character in my mind. I liked her, Lee and Jamie’s contradictions as that made them more real. I wanted them to be a closer family the whole time, but I also know that culture was a huge theme here and really shone in Joan’s parenting and how her children made decisions.

I will probably always wonder if Lee and Jamie turned out okay, and if they are happy. I think that's a sign that the characters were well developed. They certainly made a mark.

suiter23's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I became fully engrossed in Kathy Wang’s “The Satisfaction Café”—a book that could have been ordinary, but instead felt quietly extraordinary. Its focus on subtle, interpersonal reflection made me care deeply about Joan and her journey from Taiwan to California and the life she built in Palo Alto. Wang so richly developed Joan’s world—her family, her friends, and her inner life—that I found myself wanting to step inside it, to visit the Satisfaction Café and sit beside Joan.