A review by twistykris
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A cute, cozy, slice-of-life story about two women who give up their roles to open up a bookstore/ teashop/ bakery. I enjoyed the witty banter between Reyna and Kianthe, and I really liked many of the other characters. 

However, I found myself sort of dragging through it. At first I thought I was just in a reading slump, but part of the way through, I realized it was because I was looking for a little more excitement. The stakes didn't quite feel high enough for me. This is VERY slice-of-life and the main conflicts aren't truly much more than 15% of the plot. Some may find this to be a similar read to Legends & Lattes, but L&L just had *more* to it. L&L was cozy but it also had some darker, climactic moments.
The entire coffee shop in L&L gets burned to the ground by someone and part of the resolution is the group coming back together to build it from scratch. There was a true sense of comradery, friendship, and community in that sense.
The "climax" of this book didn't truly happen until the last 10% and while it wasn't "resolved" it felt kind of pushed under the rug until a later time.

I also struggled with understanding the characters at times; Kianthe is described as being shy and reserved, but comes across as hotheaded, bold, and bubbly multiple times. And Reyna is described as being charming and extroverted but seems to be more quiet and stiff in multiple instances. And while the romance was sweet (and I appreciated reading about a WLW romance), sometimes it felt shallow. I would have loved more backstory, more relationship- and world-building.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings