Reviews - The Baby Dragon Café

2.03k reviews for:

The Baby Dragon Café

A.T. Qureshi

3.27 AVERAGE

julies_cozycontentclub's review against another edition

1.25

So, The Baby Dragon Café. I don't even know where to start.

Finishing this book was a battle in and of itself. I was constantly fighting the urge to DNF (the "I am sorry, but my feminism only goes so far" line nearly was my breaking point) and only finished it for my book club.

The writing style not only completely lacks all subtlety and nuance but also loves overexplaining every little thing. This proved to be a massive problem when trying to develop the relationship between the two main characters, which ended up feeling more like a list of everything they found hot about each other without really examining the romantic feelings that were supposedly there.

At times it seemed like the author forgot that you can start sentences with anything other than a pronoun or a name, which caused the sentences to be very abrupt and stopped it from feeling like a well-connected scene.

The book is heavily trope-ified and seems to use plot lines and wordings just so they could fit the BookTok trope hype (one bed trope, Aiden being referred to multiple times as grumpy when he is just introverted, fake dating being thrown in out of nowhere, etc.).

However, it should also be credited that this book at least tries to address classism and dealing with grief, but it is never even challenged by the main characters or discussed in detail.

If you are looking for a very BookTok-ish book with baby dragons and can ignore writing issues and entrepreneurial disasters (like using wood furniture in a place where there are fire-spitting animals and then being unhappy about the amount of money needed to do repairs), then sure, this could be for you.

P.S.: I don't know who needs to hear this, but please don't pet real-life bees. That's an easy way to get stung.

eloisenicolina's review against another edition

2.0

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

I really REALLY wanted to like this book.
I feel like there was a lot of interesting things mentioned regarding the lore of the world, especially with the dragons and the families, that just never goes anywhere. There was very little conflict at all which made it hard to really connect to the characters, and the plot points that could've been interesting were resolved quick and left to be forgotten.

However, I really like the way dragons were portrayed and how society around the dragons worked. If more time was spent developing those parts, I really think I would've enjoyed this read a lot more.

blindfox7's review against another edition

3.0

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I thought this book was fine but the selfishness and miscommunication throughout the first half of the book by the main lead man was so infuriating. It all works out in the end and has a very cute and sweet ending. Generally a very tame book but also kind of boring. Sweet and Mindless read for the most part

mollified_moments's review against another edition

3.0

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

I really wanted to love The Baby Dragon Café. Dragons, a magical café, South Asian references—it sounded like something I’d enjoy. And while some parts were cute, it didn’t land for me overall.

It’s being called cozy, but it didn’t give me cozy vibes. The plot was okay, the characters were fine, but the instalove felt cheesy and shallow. Conflicts were introduced and then quickly brushed aside, which made it hard to stay invested.

Some of the main character’s choices didn’t make a lot of sense, especially when it came to running the café. The dragon rituals, which could have added depth, just felt kind of cruel and pointless. They’re never really explained, and I was left more confused than curious.

There were small things I appreciated, but in the end, this one just didn’t work for me.

graceon's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 20%

This felt like somebody came up with a concept for a book and then forgot to actually write the book.
"Draggo" being used is also an honourable mention.

peppervaughn's review against another edition

5.0

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

fishytrishy's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book such as the flow and the characters. It also did a really good job at NOT using miscommunication as a convenient plot point.

However, the ending felt kind of easy to me. Like everything was wrapped up in a little bow to give the characters a perfect ending. As much as I do enjoy a good, concrete ending, it felt very convenient to me how some of the things ended.

Cute read, but I'm glad I read this as a library book as I'm not sure it's one I'd reread.