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user613's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
silentrequiem's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Would not consider this cozy. There are too many dark moments, high stakes for it to be cozy. It's cozy adjacent at times.
I enjoyed reading this book, but when I was done, I really am torn. I really did not like Cress, who was super controlling and arrogant. I didn't think Kate was very well defined as a character, and her storyline was all over the place. She started off a student and then suddenly just... stopped? And the resolution of everything was a giant deus ex machina that came out of left field and didn't really make sense with any of the groundwork laid down before.
That epilogue scene really pissed me off too. Maybe I've seen too many people who do the cake-smashing thing without the consent of the other party and it's always, ALWAYS a sign of one person lacking respect for the other. It's unnecessarily cruel and left a bad taste in my mouth, and amplified my misgivings about the book. Honestly, if it weren't for that scene, I probably would have ignored much of the rest of the issues.
I enjoyed reading this book, but when I was done, I really am torn. I really did not like Cress, who was super controlling and arrogant. I didn't think Kate was very well defined as a character, and her storyline was all over the place. She started off a student and then suddenly just... stopped? And the resolution of everything was a giant deus ex machina that came out of left field and didn't really make sense with any of the groundwork laid down before.
That epilogue scene really pissed me off too. Maybe I've seen too many people who do the cake-smashing thing without the consent of the other party and it's always, ALWAYS a sign of one person lacking respect for the other. It's unnecessarily cruel and left a bad taste in my mouth, and amplified my misgivings about the book. Honestly, if it weren't for that scene, I probably would have ignored much of the rest of the issues.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Car accident
stephalee4's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.0
If you're looking for
☕ Coffee shop setting
☕ Found family
☕ Cozy rom-com with Fae
☕ New Girl vibes
☕ Sunshine/Grumpy trope
☕ Enemies to more
then you should definitely pick this one up!
It was cozy, it was sweet, it was surprisingly funny, and never have I wanted to be enchanted by a faerie until now. Oh wait, maybe I am enchanted after having read this since I'm craving freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. 🍪🍪
☕ Coffee shop setting
☕ Found family
☕ Cozy rom-com with Fae
☕ New Girl vibes
☕ Sunshine/Grumpy trope
☕ Enemies to more
then you should definitely pick this one up!
It was cozy, it was sweet, it was surprisingly funny, and never have I wanted to be enchanted by a faerie until now. Oh wait, maybe I am enchanted after having read this since I'm craving freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. 🍪🍪
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death and Car accident
book_cryptid99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Welcome to Fae Cafe!
If you need a cozy, fantasy romcom about fae being in a human realm where they definitely do not blend in (despite a human's best efforts to teach them how) - you'll love this book!
I will preface this by saying that this was not in my usual subgenre of reading material. Do I read fantasy? Yes, all the time. Do I read romance? Absolutely! Do I generally consume RomCom material in any form? Not to this extent, and not anything that is primarily RomCom as the main subgenre.
Now, for a bit more detailed - with some critiques...
First off, I love the dual POV of getting to see scenes from both Kate's and Cress's perspectives, even if some readers would deem it as a "rehashing" of information. To me, getting both sides of the story makes me love it even more, even if it means reading the "same scene" twice (realistically, in my opinion, they're two different scenes because of the difference in perspective, but I digress).
However, as someone who has read countless books from best-selling authors to self-published indie authors, and all sorts of authors in between, I do have a pet peeve for certain... linguistic quirks that are more common from indie authors... With this book, in particular, it was the overuse of the word faeborn. I won't lie, that is one that grated on me enough that I almost DNF'd the cozy, sweet, coffee-laced words because I will be honest - faeborn was used as often as a stereotypical valley girl uses "like" or at the very least, that's how it seemed. That is not to say that Jen's writing is bad by any means, just is a personal thing that did lower my rating of the book because it was enough that it impacted my enjoyment of the story. So if you're a reader with the pet peeve of a single word being overused - that is something to bear in mind when reading this book.
The pace is slow, it's gentle, and it's definitely softer than some popular best-sellers in the Fantasy/Romantasy genre, but that isn't a bad thing, especially if you prefer something that's not going to run you ragged through an emotional rollercoaster. It still has its ups and downs, it gets a little faster at times, and slow and steady at others. The ending does come across as a little rushed, and definitely leaves me with some questions, but it helps build anticipation for book number 2 of the High Court of the Coffee Bean!
With that being said - if you're looking for a cozy fae RomCom and the adventure of a human teaching four fae who came to the human realm with the intent to de-life her how to run a coffee shop and blend in the best they can, this is definitely the book for you! Grab a snuggly blanket, a pillow, a coffee/tea/cocoa of your choice, and join the fun...
Welcome to Fae Cafe! (Beware: Your beverage or pastry might be enchanted - Never trust the Fae)
If you need a cozy, fantasy romcom about fae being in a human realm where they definitely do not blend in (despite a human's best efforts to teach them how) - you'll love this book!
I will preface this by saying that this was not in my usual subgenre of reading material. Do I read fantasy? Yes, all the time. Do I read romance? Absolutely! Do I generally consume RomCom material in any form? Not to this extent, and not anything that is primarily RomCom as the main subgenre.
Now, for a bit more detailed - with some critiques...
First off, I love the dual POV of getting to see scenes from both Kate's and Cress's perspectives, even if some readers would deem it as a "rehashing" of information. To me, getting both sides of the story makes me love it even more, even if it means reading the "same scene" twice (realistically, in my opinion, they're two different scenes because of the difference in perspective, but I digress).
However, as someone who has read countless books from best-selling authors to self-published indie authors, and all sorts of authors in between, I do have a pet peeve for certain... linguistic quirks that are more common from indie authors... With this book, in particular, it was the overuse of the word faeborn. I won't lie, that is one that grated on me enough that I almost DNF'd the cozy, sweet, coffee-laced words because I will be honest - faeborn was used as often as a stereotypical valley girl uses "like" or at the very least, that's how it seemed. That is not to say that Jen's writing is bad by any means, just is a personal thing that did lower my rating of the book because it was enough that it impacted my enjoyment of the story. So if you're a reader with the pet peeve of a single word being overused - that is something to bear in mind when reading this book.
The pace is slow, it's gentle, and it's definitely softer than some popular best-sellers in the Fantasy/Romantasy genre, but that isn't a bad thing, especially if you prefer something that's not going to run you ragged through an emotional rollercoaster. It still has its ups and downs, it gets a little faster at times, and slow and steady at others. The ending does come across as a little rushed, and definitely leaves me with some questions, but it helps build anticipation for book number 2 of the High Court of the Coffee Bean!
With that being said - if you're looking for a cozy fae RomCom and the adventure of a human teaching four fae who came to the human realm with the intent to de-life her how to run a coffee shop and blend in the best they can, this is definitely the book for you! Grab a snuggly blanket, a pillow, a coffee/tea/cocoa of your choice, and join the fun...
Welcome to Fae Cafe! (Beware: Your beverage or pastry might be enchanted - Never trust the Fae)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis