Item: At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Heather Webber

When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing - a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama - is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.

On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth - keeping busy is the best way to distract herself from the lingering loss of her mama and her worries about her aging father. No one knows better than she does that you can’t pour from an empty cup, but holding on to the past is the only thing keeping the hope alive that her mama will return home one day.

Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted - not by spirits, but by regret. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on - because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.

Book Summary:

Ava Harrison is in desperate need of a fresh start. So when a mysterious job offer arrives shortly after the death of her ex-boyfriend...she knows she has to take it even if it does seem a bit strange (and perhaps haunting).

Then there's Maggie Mae Brightwell. She runs Driftwoo's coffee and curiosity shop and loves doing it. It's mostly because it's a distraction she desperately needs in her life. If she keeps working hard, maybe she'll forget the pain and grief she's drowning in...

My Review:

There's nothing I love more than diving into a book with quirky and lovable characters. And that is precisely what I got when I picked up At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities. If you're looking for characters to love, it will be Ava and Maggie.

As a bonus point, At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities has a bit of that found family vibe that I love. Throw in a mystery and a romantic subplot, and you've pretty much got the perfect book. At least as far as I'm concerned.

Bonus points for small-town vibes, careful handling of mental health, and perfect secondary characters. It made this book so much more than it otherwise could have been. This is the second book I've read by Heather Webber, and I feel like I need to check out the rest of her backlog.

Highlights:
Romantic Fantasy
Contemporary
Magical Realism

Thanks to Forge Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities

by Heather Webber

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Oct 17, 2023

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