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The Cracks That Form Us
Kyra Bennett can’t stand coffee.
But for her, there’s no avoiding the stuff, not if she wants to help her dad get back on his feet and save their failing coffee roasting company after her mom abruptly packed her bags and left the family. But helping out and being okay isn’t as easy as she hoped it would be, especially when they’re floundering without her mom’s expert business skills, her friendships have become distant and strained, and her sister can’t keep her intense emotions to herself.
When her dad announces that in order to save the roastery, they have to move it into a local coffee shop, Kyra doesn’t hesitate to help out. Kyra is determined to keep her ironic hatred of coffee and her family’s situation hidden from the tight-knit crew that runs Clara’s Coffeehouse. But it doesn’t take long for her to be sucked into their orbit, or for Jason—a coffee-obsessed and highly intuitive barista—to learn her secrets and set out on a mission to change her perspective.
As Kyra spends more time at the shop and even starts to come around to Jason’s point of view, she finds it increasingly difficult to ignore the feelings creeping up inside of her. And when two parts of her life start to intersect in ways she couldn’t have predicted, and her dad brings more shocking news to the family that throws her for a loop, Kyra has to decide whether to run and hide or to let herself truly feel it all.
The Cracks That Form Us is a heartfelt and tender coming-of-age novel filled with heartwarming friendships, sweet romance, and (of course) lots and lots of coffee.
But for her, there’s no avoiding the stuff, not if she wants to help her dad get back on his feet and save their failing coffee roasting company after her mom abruptly packed her bags and left the family. But helping out and being okay isn’t as easy as she hoped it would be, especially when they’re floundering without her mom’s expert business skills, her friendships have become distant and strained, and her sister can’t keep her intense emotions to herself.
When her dad announces that in order to save the roastery, they have to move it into a local coffee shop, Kyra doesn’t hesitate to help out. Kyra is determined to keep her ironic hatred of coffee and her family’s situation hidden from the tight-knit crew that runs Clara’s Coffeehouse. But it doesn’t take long for her to be sucked into their orbit, or for Jason—a coffee-obsessed and highly intuitive barista—to learn her secrets and set out on a mission to change her perspective.
As Kyra spends more time at the shop and even starts to come around to Jason’s point of view, she finds it increasingly difficult to ignore the feelings creeping up inside of her. And when two parts of her life start to intersect in ways she couldn’t have predicted, and her dad brings more shocking news to the family that throws her for a loop, Kyra has to decide whether to run and hide or to let herself truly feel it all.
The Cracks That Form Us is a heartfelt and tender coming-of-age novel filled with heartwarming friendships, sweet romance, and (of course) lots and lots of coffee.
- GenresRomance
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2023
4 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Abby Peek
2 books11 followersAbby Peek is an avid reader, writer, and overall lover of stories.
Abby writes heartfelt and tender novels with the hope of making her readers feel seen, understood, and loved. Her debut novel, The Cracks That Form Us, is releasing in September of 2023.
Abby grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri but now resides in the Kansas City metropolitan area with her husband and their black cat, Spooky. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her working on a puzzle, playing all kinds of games with her family and friends, wandering through a museum, or watching reality TV.
Abby writes heartfelt and tender novels with the hope of making her readers feel seen, understood, and loved. Her debut novel, The Cracks That Form Us, is releasing in September of 2023.
Abby grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri but now resides in the Kansas City metropolitan area with her husband and their black cat, Spooky. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her working on a puzzle, playing all kinds of games with her family and friends, wandering through a museum, or watching reality TV.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 26, 2023
Such a good book! I feel in love with all of the characters, the town, the coffee shop, all of it! As a Missourian, it was a joy to read a book that takes place here. Definitely recommend!
October 1, 2023
I absolutely adored this book 🥹❤️
This book has:
+ a relatable, lovable main character
+ a focus of healing from one’s past and present
+ cozy coffee shop vibes
+ summer in a small Midwestern lake town
+ families learning to heal together, therapy!
+ friendships forming, a sweet romance!
Overall this book felt like a warm hug to my soul 🤗
This book has:
+ a relatable, lovable main character
+ a focus of healing from one’s past and present
+ cozy coffee shop vibes
+ summer in a small Midwestern lake town
+ families learning to heal together, therapy!
+ friendships forming, a sweet romance!
Overall this book felt like a warm hug to my soul 🤗
April 7, 2024
"and that was when i knew i had become the type of person i never thought i'd be: a coffee addict."
the cracks that form us was such a cozy read. set in a small town coffee shop, you get transported to another place where your only problem is whether the coffee bean roaster is working or not...
unless you're kyra. in which case, you're also dealing with your parent's divorce, your family business moving, having to make new friends and reconnecting with old ones, learning to deal with your emotions rather than bottle them all in, and a certain coworker who's a little too observant...
kyra is quite the character. she thinks she's helping people by hiding her feelings, and it takes a while for her to realize that is NOT the case. she opened up the jason really fast, which i'm not complaining about, but the complete 180 she took at the end...not my favorite. i would have liked to see her grovel a bit more, lol.
jason is just a nice guy. not in a red flag kind of way, but genuinely. i don't have much to say about him... he's obsessed with coffee and tries to get kyra to like it too, because spoiler alert (but not really), even though kyra's dad roasts beans for a living and is constantly drinking coffee, she hates it. and someHOW has never heard of a mocha. I BEG TO DIFFER. anyway- jason did have an america's got talent sob story that they bonded over, (that's what led to kyra opening up to him easier), but we don't get much else. honestly, not much else from kyra too, other than that she loves to read. ig they didn't feel completely real in my head. i don't know if this was just a problem on my part. it could have been.
moving on,
the rest of jason's coworkers--olivia and ryan--were side characters, but ryan was a SIDEEEE character, if you know what i mean. my guy was so sidelined 😭✋ midway to 2/3 of the way through, him and kyra act like best buddies, but i never saw that happen 🤨 olivia, on the other hand, had a personal mission to make kyra join her bookclub, that kyra actually founded back in the day, lol. not sure why the book club was such a big deal and viewed as such a big commitment, but it was, and i digress.
the family drama in this... ooh boy. idk who her mom thought she was, but she was at least three coffee beans short of the perfect roast when it comes to entitlement, if you catch my drift. props to kyra, her dad, and her sister for getting through that👏👏 (yay therapy!) there's a strong current of forgiveness throughout this book, which is always a great theme and i think it was handled well. while we're on the topic of family, i was looking forward to meeting her sister's boyfriend...☹️ it never happened. so sad. i'd honestly love to read a book from her sister's pov. AND one from ryan's pov. (i have a small feeling that ryan may not actually be named ryan. im sorry if ive been saying the wrong thing 💀).
i think those are all my thoughts for now... overall, it was a sweet book :) i wasnt blown away by anything, but i enjoyed myself, and i'm looking forward to seeing more from this author!
2.75 rounded up!
I FINISHEDDDD
rtc!!
the cracks that form us was such a cozy read. set in a small town coffee shop, you get transported to another place where your only problem is whether the coffee bean roaster is working or not...
unless you're kyra. in which case, you're also dealing with your parent's divorce, your family business moving, having to make new friends and reconnecting with old ones, learning to deal with your emotions rather than bottle them all in, and a certain coworker who's a little too observant...
kyra is quite the character. she thinks she's helping people by hiding her feelings, and it takes a while for her to realize that is NOT the case. she opened up the jason really fast, which i'm not complaining about, but the complete 180 she took at the end...not my favorite. i would have liked to see her grovel a bit more, lol.
jason is just a nice guy. not in a red flag kind of way, but genuinely. i don't have much to say about him... he's obsessed with coffee and tries to get kyra to like it too, because spoiler alert (but not really), even though kyra's dad roasts beans for a living and is constantly drinking coffee, she hates it. and someHOW has never heard of a mocha. I BEG TO DIFFER. anyway- jason did have an america's got talent sob story that they bonded over, (that's what led to kyra opening up to him easier), but we don't get much else. honestly, not much else from kyra too, other than that she loves to read. ig they didn't feel completely real in my head. i don't know if this was just a problem on my part. it could have been.
moving on,
the rest of jason's coworkers--olivia and ryan--were side characters, but ryan was a SIDEEEE character, if you know what i mean. my guy was so sidelined 😭✋ midway to 2/3 of the way through, him and kyra act like best buddies, but i never saw that happen 🤨 olivia, on the other hand, had a personal mission to make kyra join her bookclub, that kyra actually founded back in the day, lol. not sure why the book club was such a big deal and viewed as such a big commitment, but it was, and i digress.
the family drama in this... ooh boy. idk who her mom thought she was, but she was at least three coffee beans short of the perfect roast when it comes to entitlement, if you catch my drift. props to kyra, her dad, and her sister for getting through that👏👏 (yay therapy!) there's a strong current of forgiveness throughout this book, which is always a great theme and i think it was handled well. while we're on the topic of family, i was looking forward to meeting her sister's boyfriend...☹️ it never happened. so sad. i'd honestly love to read a book from her sister's pov. AND one from ryan's pov. (i have a small feeling that ryan may not actually be named ryan. im sorry if ive been saying the wrong thing 💀).
i think those are all my thoughts for now... overall, it was a sweet book :) i wasnt blown away by anything, but i enjoyed myself, and i'm looking forward to seeing more from this author!
2.75 rounded up!
I FINISHEDDDD
rtc!!
March 30, 2025
This book was such a sweet read and I fell in love with all of the characters. I looked forward to each time Kyra was in Clara’s because it had such a warm feeling to it. Her friends, her journey as a coffee hater in a coffee shop, and of course Jason. This book felt like such a comfort read in the best way. It touched on real topics and the complexity of healing and walking the line of vulnerability. Abby Peak’s writing is the perfect balance of sweet and serious and I can’t get enough of it.
March 28, 2024
I devoured this debut novel last night (as the dark circles under my eyes can attest). It was a sweet debut novel, but ready to tackle big topics in a redemptive way. No swears, no sex– this is a high school romance I would feel good about putting in the hands of an actual high schooler. Bring on the coffee and oversized sweatshirt, Jason, I need to tackle this day.
September 29, 2023
What a wonderful debut novel!!
I ate this book up in 2 days. It was a good mix of lighthearted but also emotional. Following Kyra through the life events happening hit so close to home for me. I just loved it all so much
I ate this book up in 2 days. It was a good mix of lighthearted but also emotional. Following Kyra through the life events happening hit so close to home for me. I just loved it all so much
April 4, 2024
While there are a handful of writing/editing critiques I could offer, what I want to emphasize most is this is exactly the sort of YA book I want to see more of on the shelves. And I also really hope to get a book about Melanie and Caleb!
April 6, 2024
This was a very sweet book and a true YA book that you don’t see much of. This is a perfect book to recommend teens or those who don’t like spicy books. The book centers around a 16 yo who is dealing with her parents going through a divorce while trying to find her voice, friendships and love.
March 29, 2024
Very good!
January 19, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ amazing/want to read it again/loved it
I read this book SO fast. I’ve felt like since I started mainly listening to audiobooks that it takes me FOREVER to actually read a book, but this wonderful YA novel was an exception.
Maybe it’s just my progression into adulthood, but YA novels have started to irritate me. The main character, often female, tends to come across as dumb and over dramatic, cause that’s “just how teens are” lol. But, this book, while YA, made the main character feel relatable. Kyra’s feelings felt realistic and like totally normal responses to what her family was going through. A refreshing difference from many other books in the genre. While I often internally yelled, “Nooooo don’t do that!” I at least felt like Kyra’s actions were not overly stupid or juvenile.
I also loved the relationship between the coffee shop employees. It gave such a happy picture of true friendship and what opening up to others can do.
I read this book SO fast. I’ve felt like since I started mainly listening to audiobooks that it takes me FOREVER to actually read a book, but this wonderful YA novel was an exception.
Maybe it’s just my progression into adulthood, but YA novels have started to irritate me. The main character, often female, tends to come across as dumb and over dramatic, cause that’s “just how teens are” lol. But, this book, while YA, made the main character feel relatable. Kyra’s feelings felt realistic and like totally normal responses to what her family was going through. A refreshing difference from many other books in the genre. While I often internally yelled, “Nooooo don’t do that!” I at least felt like Kyra’s actions were not overly stupid or juvenile.
I also loved the relationship between the coffee shop employees. It gave such a happy picture of true friendship and what opening up to others can do.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews