A review by abookishmagpie
At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities: A Novel by Heather Webber

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.0

This was a totally random pick up as I discovered it while looking for audio books to order for the library I work at. The idea of a character named Maggie who worked at a coffee shop called ‘Magpies’ was just too good to be true, and on top of that the story seemed like a sweet, heartwarming book. In it we follow Ava and Maggie in alternating POVS, Ava is a young woman taking a chance on a mystery letter and job offer that was mailed to her about being a care taker for an older gentleman and Maggie is the daughter of that man who is feeling stressed out and stretched thin as her dad seems to be showing signs of declining health and/or mental state and the shop she works at that used to be her mother’s is at risk of being sold. The small town atmosphere of Driftwood is cozy and homey to anyone who has lived in a small town themselves and the characters that make up the town and therefore the book are quirky, unique and easy to get attached too just as much as Ava does during her time in Driftwood. There is no real big action or major moments in the story so it all reads a bit slice-of-life and can get a little monotonous at times. I liked the magical realism in the book between Maggie and her curiosities, Ava and her enhanced abilities and Estrelle and her “psychic abilities” it was cute and played off just right. Unfortunately the end got really cheesy and wrapped up in just too perfect a bow for me. I don’t mind a picture perfect happy ending but it was all thrown in at the very end and it was just kind of annoyingly perfect if that makes sense. It was cute, and cozy at times, but overall it ends up being just an okay read for me.