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At Cafe 64
Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people - and taking the reasons for this shocking act to the grave. Unable to locate any evidence of criminal behaviour or mental illness in Justin's past, and with no one left to prosecute, the police have no choice but to label it 'an isolated incident'.
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2025
8 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 23, 2025
“Sometimes the aftermath is louder than the crash itself.”
From the first page, At Café 64 had me completely hooked, the kind of book that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. I picked it up intending to read a few chapters and ended up finishing it in one sitting.
After a shocking tragedy at a café, three women are left to piece together their lives in the aftermath. Each perspective is raw, layered, and deeply human. Shaeden Berry writes with such emotional precision that you can feel the ache beneath every sentence. The tension simmers quietly, building toward revelations that land like a gut punch.
It’s not just a story about loss, it’s about the fragile ways we cope, the questions that haunt us, and how healing never looks the same for anyone. The writing is beautiful, restrained yet powerful, and full of empathy for flawed, hurting people.
I couldn’t put this book down, and I can’t wait to read more from Shaeden Berry, she’s a voice to watch.
Haunting, heartfelt, unforgettable.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Echo Publishing for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
4.5
From the first page, At Café 64 had me completely hooked, the kind of book that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. I picked it up intending to read a few chapters and ended up finishing it in one sitting.
After a shocking tragedy at a café, three women are left to piece together their lives in the aftermath. Each perspective is raw, layered, and deeply human. Shaeden Berry writes with such emotional precision that you can feel the ache beneath every sentence. The tension simmers quietly, building toward revelations that land like a gut punch.
It’s not just a story about loss, it’s about the fragile ways we cope, the questions that haunt us, and how healing never looks the same for anyone. The writing is beautiful, restrained yet powerful, and full of empathy for flawed, hurting people.
I couldn’t put this book down, and I can’t wait to read more from Shaeden Berry, she’s a voice to watch.
Haunting, heartfelt, unforgettable.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Echo Publishing for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
4.5
November 8, 2025
EXCERPT: It was Saturday. It was the end of the week. Another week, and she'd uncovered nothing.
She felt antsy. Everywhere she moved, everywhere she went, Henna was watching her. Henna with glass in her throat and tiny fragments embedded into her beautiful face, and her lungs crushed and blood in her mouth.
ABOUT 'AT CAFE 64': Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people - and taking the reasons for this shocking act to the grave. Unable to locate any evidence of criminal behaviour or mental illness in Justin's past, and with no one left to prosecute, the police have no choice but to label it 'an isolated incident'.
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
MY THOUGHTS: There are so very many different types of grief and just as many different ways to grieve.
Shaeden Berry explores some of the different aspects of grief through the lives of three women following a senseless tragedy. Maddie lost her fiancé in the tragedy; Flo saw the tragedy happen; Emily is sure she was the cause.
Guilt comes in just as many guises as grief and all three of the women feel the weight of that guilt along with their grief. Berry follows these women, picking up their stories almost two years later as they are struggling to make sense of their lives, and failing.
This is not a book that promises any answers or easy solutions. Nothing is tied up neatly with a bow. The pain of the characters is raw and very real.
A gripping and thought provoking read.
⭐⭐⭐.9
#AtCafe64 #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: SHAEDEN BERRY is a writer with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing. Her short stories have featured in anthologies such as Kill Your Darlings’ New Australian Fiction 2023, The Unexpected Party and Strangely Enough. She lives in Boorloo with her partner and their two cats, Frumpkin and George.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Echo Publishing via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of At Café 64 by Shaeden Berry for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
She felt antsy. Everywhere she moved, everywhere she went, Henna was watching her. Henna with glass in her throat and tiny fragments embedded into her beautiful face, and her lungs crushed and blood in her mouth.
ABOUT 'AT CAFE 64': Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people - and taking the reasons for this shocking act to the grave. Unable to locate any evidence of criminal behaviour or mental illness in Justin's past, and with no one left to prosecute, the police have no choice but to label it 'an isolated incident'.
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
MY THOUGHTS: There are so very many different types of grief and just as many different ways to grieve.
Shaeden Berry explores some of the different aspects of grief through the lives of three women following a senseless tragedy. Maddie lost her fiancé in the tragedy; Flo saw the tragedy happen; Emily is sure she was the cause.
Guilt comes in just as many guises as grief and all three of the women feel the weight of that guilt along with their grief. Berry follows these women, picking up their stories almost two years later as they are struggling to make sense of their lives, and failing.
This is not a book that promises any answers or easy solutions. Nothing is tied up neatly with a bow. The pain of the characters is raw and very real.
A gripping and thought provoking read.
⭐⭐⭐.9
#AtCafe64 #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: SHAEDEN BERRY is a writer with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing. Her short stories have featured in anthologies such as Kill Your Darlings’ New Australian Fiction 2023, The Unexpected Party and Strangely Enough. She lives in Boorloo with her partner and their two cats, Frumpkin and George.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Echo Publishing via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of At Café 64 by Shaeden Berry for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 5, 2025
At Cafe 64 is a book club discussion waiting to happen!
Thank you to Echo Publishing and Shaeden Berry for providing me with an ARC! This book came to me at a time when world events got me thinking and talking about the impacts of a criminal act.
“What does it mean to be a victim? What happens to the people left behind in the aftermath of a tragedy?”
I took my time reading, drinking in the pain and ripple effects of one incident that changes the lives of all the people who attend the ‘Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy’ support group meeting almost a year and a half on:
Maddie - A fiancé left behind
Emily - A sister hiding in the shadows
Flo - A bystander who refuses to look back
Justin Kowalski left everyone who was at Cafe 64 and everyone who knew him and his victims in turmoil when he drove his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people.
But what follows is an emotional healing process for the victims and their loved ones.
This book covers everything: Grief, guilt, anger, shock, sorrow, confusion, despair, love, hatred, curiosity, acceptance, and more!
Told from 3 povs, while At Cafe 64 builds in tension, it will make you question who is allowed to grieve, and wonder if who we love or genetics can make you bad.
I compel you to pick up this intense and clever read till the last line (with a hint of We Need To Talk About Kevin) when your heart is strong and your mind craves a thought-provoking read. This one will make you tell whoever is around all about it and raise discussion topics you’ll want to talk about over dinner.
Jodi Picoult fans will love this one!
Thank you to Echo Publishing and Shaeden Berry for providing me with an ARC! This book came to me at a time when world events got me thinking and talking about the impacts of a criminal act.
“What does it mean to be a victim? What happens to the people left behind in the aftermath of a tragedy?”
I took my time reading, drinking in the pain and ripple effects of one incident that changes the lives of all the people who attend the ‘Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy’ support group meeting almost a year and a half on:
Maddie - A fiancé left behind
Emily - A sister hiding in the shadows
Flo - A bystander who refuses to look back
Justin Kowalski left everyone who was at Cafe 64 and everyone who knew him and his victims in turmoil when he drove his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people.
But what follows is an emotional healing process for the victims and their loved ones.
This book covers everything: Grief, guilt, anger, shock, sorrow, confusion, despair, love, hatred, curiosity, acceptance, and more!
Told from 3 povs, while At Cafe 64 builds in tension, it will make you question who is allowed to grieve, and wonder if who we love or genetics can make you bad.
I compel you to pick up this intense and clever read till the last line (with a hint of We Need To Talk About Kevin) when your heart is strong and your mind craves a thought-provoking read. This one will make you tell whoever is around all about it and raise discussion topics you’ll want to talk about over dinner.
Jodi Picoult fans will love this one!
January 15, 2026
Something one of my favourite tv shows of all time (My Mad Fat Diary) once touched on was the idea that we can’t slip out of this world and nothing happen because of it. No one gets to do that without it impacting someone. Whether it’s a romantic partner, a witness, a family member. That idea has always stuck with me, and I feel like this book is this same sentiment, fully realised.
When tragedy occurs, it really does create a ripple effect. A single loss can radiate outwards, effecting not only those closest to the deceased, but also peripheral figures who are forever altered simply by bearing witness.
In a situation like in At Café 64 – where mass murder occurs in the middle of an otherwise ordinary moment, like stopping for a coffee – that ripple effect can feel so much worse. The grief is layered with shock and the acute awareness that life can change (or end) in an instant. Even a mundane one.
Offering 3 different people’s perspectives, we’re not really looking at the event itself, but at the aftermath and the different ways grief and trauma can manifest in those left behind. Denial, guilt, rage, control, people pleasing – there are a lot of emotions on the table, and they’re all very real and very palpable throughout. I found myself really attached to all 3 girls in this one and it was hard to feel anything other than compassion for them. I was grateful for the last chapter that gave us some insight into their moving forward stage. It was nice to know they were all going to be okay, and it gave a bit of closure to a fictional story that felt incredibly real.
Very heavy subject matter, interspersed by an endless barrage of Simpsons references for some much needed comic relief and a very loveable cat named Buddy (who we also see experience some character growth), this is unputdownable and my first 5 star read of 2026.
When tragedy occurs, it really does create a ripple effect. A single loss can radiate outwards, effecting not only those closest to the deceased, but also peripheral figures who are forever altered simply by bearing witness.
In a situation like in At Café 64 – where mass murder occurs in the middle of an otherwise ordinary moment, like stopping for a coffee – that ripple effect can feel so much worse. The grief is layered with shock and the acute awareness that life can change (or end) in an instant. Even a mundane one.
Offering 3 different people’s perspectives, we’re not really looking at the event itself, but at the aftermath and the different ways grief and trauma can manifest in those left behind. Denial, guilt, rage, control, people pleasing – there are a lot of emotions on the table, and they’re all very real and very palpable throughout. I found myself really attached to all 3 girls in this one and it was hard to feel anything other than compassion for them. I was grateful for the last chapter that gave us some insight into their moving forward stage. It was nice to know they were all going to be okay, and it gave a bit of closure to a fictional story that felt incredibly real.
Very heavy subject matter, interspersed by an endless barrage of Simpsons references for some much needed comic relief and a very loveable cat named Buddy (who we also see experience some character growth), this is unputdownable and my first 5 star read of 2026.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2025
Genuinely sad to leave Maddie, Emily, and Flo. The depth Shae gives to her characters, even Buddy the cat gets a development arc, is really special.
A brilliant conversation about grief from three different perspectives. It felt like we got each major response - numbing with humour, rage and need for revenge, and becoming so small and insignificant so as to not make any waves ever again. I’m excited for the next one!
A brilliant conversation about grief from three different perspectives. It felt like we got each major response - numbing with humour, rage and need for revenge, and becoming so small and insignificant so as to not make any waves ever again. I’m excited for the next one!
October 6, 2025
At Cafe 64 is a multilayered look at the impacts of a spree murder event. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t put the book down as the story unfolded. Without warning Justin Koslowski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three others. Told from multiple points of view we get to know three women who are all linked to the event- Emily, Maddy and Flo. All three when were very well fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know each of them, their connection to the event and how it has impacted them.
The three women then meet at a support group for victims of the event. Their true identities kept secret. Maddy wants to produce a podcast of the event to find out why Justin did it and recruits the other two to go on it. It was fascinating to see how they all interacted and how their identities were revealed and its impact. Exploring the impact of such an event on the family of the perpetrator, loss, grief, PTSD, the hunt for justice and the need to understand why in a highly engaging and thought provoking way. I will think of these characters and their stories for a long time. For fans of Genevieve Gannon, Liane Moriarty and Kylie Ladd.
The three women then meet at a support group for victims of the event. Their true identities kept secret. Maddy wants to produce a podcast of the event to find out why Justin did it and recruits the other two to go on it. It was fascinating to see how they all interacted and how their identities were revealed and its impact. Exploring the impact of such an event on the family of the perpetrator, loss, grief, PTSD, the hunt for justice and the need to understand why in a highly engaging and thought provoking way. I will think of these characters and their stories for a long time. For fans of Genevieve Gannon, Liane Moriarty and Kylie Ladd.
November 30, 2025
📚At Cafe 64
✍🏻Shaeden Berry
Blurb:
Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people - and taking the reasons for this shocking act to the grave. Unable to locate any evidence of criminal behaviour or mental illness in Justin's past, and with no one left to prosecute, the police have no choice but to label it 'an isolated incident'.
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
My Thoughts:
At Cafe 64 is a multilayered look at the impacts of a spree murder event. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t put the book down as the story unfolded. Without warning Justin Koslowski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three others. Told from multiple points of view we get to know three women who are all linked to the event- Emily, Maddy and Flo. All three when were very well fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know each of them, their connection to the event and how it has impacted them.
The three women then meet at a support group for victims of the event. Their true identities kept secret. Maddy wants to produce a podcast of the event to find out why Justin did it and recruits the other two to go on it. It was fascinating to see how they all interacted and how their identities were revealed and its impact. Exploring the impact of such an event on the family of the perpetrator, loss, grief, PTSD, the hunt for justice and the need to understand why in a highly engaging and thought provoking way. I will think of these characters and their stories for a long time. For fans of Genevieve Gannon, Liane Moriarty and Kylie Ladd.
Thanks NetGalley, Echo Publications and Author Shaeden Berry for the advanced copy of "At Cafe 64" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#EchoPublications
#ShaedenBerry
#AtCafe64
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Shaeden Berry
Blurb:
Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people - and taking the reasons for this shocking act to the grave. Unable to locate any evidence of criminal behaviour or mental illness in Justin's past, and with no one left to prosecute, the police have no choice but to label it 'an isolated incident'.
Almost two years later, three women walk into a meeting being held by the 'Victims of the Cafe 64 Tragedy' support group.
A fiancée left behind. Maddie, consumed with an all-encompassing rage, on a desperate hunt for the truth.
A sister hiding in the shadows. Emily, wracked by guilt, being eaten from the inside out by the secrets she keeps.
A bystander who refuses to look back. Flo, with her mask of optimism firmly in place, who insists to anyone who will listen that she is fine.
When these three come together, the fallout will rock the foundations of their shaky, precarious lives, forcing them to confront the truths, lies and questions that surround that deadly day at Cafe 64. Can any horrific event truly exist in isolation? How do we cope when the nature of our loss is not so cut and dried? In the aftermath of a tragic event, how do we define a victim - who do we allow to grieve, what are we allowed to grieve, and where do we place blame?
My Thoughts:
At Cafe 64 is a multilayered look at the impacts of a spree murder event. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t put the book down as the story unfolded. Without warning Justin Koslowski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and through the front wall of Cafe 64, killing himself and three others. Told from multiple points of view we get to know three women who are all linked to the event- Emily, Maddy and Flo. All three when were very well fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know each of them, their connection to the event and how it has impacted them.
The three women then meet at a support group for victims of the event. Their true identities kept secret. Maddy wants to produce a podcast of the event to find out why Justin did it and recruits the other two to go on it. It was fascinating to see how they all interacted and how their identities were revealed and its impact. Exploring the impact of such an event on the family of the perpetrator, loss, grief, PTSD, the hunt for justice and the need to understand why in a highly engaging and thought provoking way. I will think of these characters and their stories for a long time. For fans of Genevieve Gannon, Liane Moriarty and Kylie Ladd.
Thanks NetGalley, Echo Publications and Author Shaeden Berry for the advanced copy of "At Cafe 64" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#EchoPublications
#ShaedenBerry
#AtCafe64
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 24, 2025
At Café 64 by Australian author Shaeden Berry is a moving fictional story of life, death, tragedy, and connections.
Trigger Warnings: The novel contains sensitive themes, including driving occasioning death, emotional trauma, grief, and loss, which may be distressing for some readers.
At the heart of the story lies Café 64, a small, unassuming place that becomes a refuge for people seeking solace and understanding after a shocking tragedy where Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and crashes through the front wall, killing himself and three others. His actions are unknown and with lack of evidence and prosecutorial discretion it is labelled as an isolated incident.
Two years later, three women Maddie, Emily, and Flo meet through a victims’ support group. Each of them carries their own kind of pain. Maddie, the fiancée of the man behind the wheel, is angry, confused, and desperate to understand why. Emily is weighed down by guilt and secrets she cannot share. Flo, a survivor who insists she is fine, hides wounds that have not healed. Their stories intertwine beautifully, showing how grief connects and divides people at the same time.
The plot is less about what happens and more about how lives intersect, how people find solace in ordinary spaces, and how small moments of connection carry deep emotional weight. Themes of grief, loneliness, belonging, and the passage of time emerge naturally as each character’s story is revealed. Over time, the reader sees how the café becomes a place of emotional refuge, subtle connection, and personal growth.
The pacing is slow and thoughtful, which gives the reader time to sit with each character’s story and really feel their emotions. By the end, I was not just reading about them I was grieving with them and hoping for them to find the peace they were looking for.
At Café 64 is beautifully moving and deeply human story. It shows that everyone's life is a different journey. Just like two people can read the same paragraph and come away with a different meaning, it is the same with life experiences. We each handle situations differently from each other. Life can cause one person to carry a torch of anger, while another may experience bouts of depression, and for others, they may exercise an element of forgiveness that allows healing to begin.
It made me cry, it made me think, and it reminded me how fragile and precious life really is especially what happens after a tragedy, when the spotlight fades and people are left to pick up the pieces. This novel will resonate with readers who appreciate character driven stories that linger in the heart and mind. I highly recommend.
Thank you, Beauty & Lace and Allen & Unwin, for the opportunity to read and review.
Trigger Warnings: The novel contains sensitive themes, including driving occasioning death, emotional trauma, grief, and loss, which may be distressing for some readers.
At the heart of the story lies Café 64, a small, unassuming place that becomes a refuge for people seeking solace and understanding after a shocking tragedy where Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle across a line of traffic and crashes through the front wall, killing himself and three others. His actions are unknown and with lack of evidence and prosecutorial discretion it is labelled as an isolated incident.
Two years later, three women Maddie, Emily, and Flo meet through a victims’ support group. Each of them carries their own kind of pain. Maddie, the fiancée of the man behind the wheel, is angry, confused, and desperate to understand why. Emily is weighed down by guilt and secrets she cannot share. Flo, a survivor who insists she is fine, hides wounds that have not healed. Their stories intertwine beautifully, showing how grief connects and divides people at the same time.
The plot is less about what happens and more about how lives intersect, how people find solace in ordinary spaces, and how small moments of connection carry deep emotional weight. Themes of grief, loneliness, belonging, and the passage of time emerge naturally as each character’s story is revealed. Over time, the reader sees how the café becomes a place of emotional refuge, subtle connection, and personal growth.
The pacing is slow and thoughtful, which gives the reader time to sit with each character’s story and really feel their emotions. By the end, I was not just reading about them I was grieving with them and hoping for them to find the peace they were looking for.
At Café 64 is beautifully moving and deeply human story. It shows that everyone's life is a different journey. Just like two people can read the same paragraph and come away with a different meaning, it is the same with life experiences. We each handle situations differently from each other. Life can cause one person to carry a torch of anger, while another may experience bouts of depression, and for others, they may exercise an element of forgiveness that allows healing to begin.
It made me cry, it made me think, and it reminded me how fragile and precious life really is especially what happens after a tragedy, when the spotlight fades and people are left to pick up the pieces. This novel will resonate with readers who appreciate character driven stories that linger in the heart and mind. I highly recommend.
Thank you, Beauty & Lace and Allen & Unwin, for the opportunity to read and review.
November 4, 2025
3.75 Stars, so I have rounded up.
A Quiet Unravelling of Grief, Guilt, and Unexpected Connection
This story really stayed with me. It starts with a shocking moment: Justin Kowalski drives into a café, killing himself and three others. There’s no warning, no clear reason why. But rather than focusing on the crash itself, the book explores what happens after, the ripple effects, the grief, and the lives left behind. And that’s what made it so compelling for me.
We follow three women, Maddie, Flo, and Emily, each of whom is touched by the tragedy in different ways. Maddie lost her fiancé. Flo was a bystander. And Emily? She’s Justin’s sister, caught in the impossible space between guilt and grief, trying to make sense of her brother’s actions and her own right to mourn.
What stood out to me most were the different ways each character deals with their trauma. The survivors aren’t just grieving — they’re also trying to figure out how to live with what’s happened. The guilt, the anger, the confusion, it’s all there, and it doesn’t get wrapped up neatly, which makes it feel believable. Emily’s part in the story brings something different, too. Her experience isn’t like the others’, and that contrast made her chapters really hit hard. She’s not a victim in the traditional sense, but she’s grieving too, and her pain is just as valid. That contrast between the survivors and the sister of the man who caused it all was what hit hardest for me.
The relationships felt grounded and emotionally messy in the way real ones often are. Flo and Maddie have entirely different ways of coping, and Emily’s isolation is heartbreaking but understandable. Their paths cross in ways that feel believable, not forced. The book doesn’t offer easy answers, and I appreciated that. Healing, if it comes at all, is slow and complicated.
The pacing was solid, neither too fast nor too slow, and I never felt like the story dragged. It’s not a thriller, as such, but it has thrilling elements, and it keeps you engaged with the emotional stakes and shifting dynamics between the characters.
If you’re drawn to stories about grief, trauma, and how people stitch themselves back together (or try to), this one’s definitely worth a read. It’s not flashy or dramatic. It’s thoughtful, layered, and deeply human. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys emotionally driven narratives that explore what it means to survive not just physically, but also emotionally.
Thank you to NetGalley and Echo Publishing for supplying me with the e-ARC of Cafe 64 in exchange for my honest review.
A Quiet Unravelling of Grief, Guilt, and Unexpected Connection
This story really stayed with me. It starts with a shocking moment: Justin Kowalski drives into a café, killing himself and three others. There’s no warning, no clear reason why. But rather than focusing on the crash itself, the book explores what happens after, the ripple effects, the grief, and the lives left behind. And that’s what made it so compelling for me.
We follow three women, Maddie, Flo, and Emily, each of whom is touched by the tragedy in different ways. Maddie lost her fiancé. Flo was a bystander. And Emily? She’s Justin’s sister, caught in the impossible space between guilt and grief, trying to make sense of her brother’s actions and her own right to mourn.
What stood out to me most were the different ways each character deals with their trauma. The survivors aren’t just grieving — they’re also trying to figure out how to live with what’s happened. The guilt, the anger, the confusion, it’s all there, and it doesn’t get wrapped up neatly, which makes it feel believable. Emily’s part in the story brings something different, too. Her experience isn’t like the others’, and that contrast made her chapters really hit hard. She’s not a victim in the traditional sense, but she’s grieving too, and her pain is just as valid. That contrast between the survivors and the sister of the man who caused it all was what hit hardest for me.
The relationships felt grounded and emotionally messy in the way real ones often are. Flo and Maddie have entirely different ways of coping, and Emily’s isolation is heartbreaking but understandable. Their paths cross in ways that feel believable, not forced. The book doesn’t offer easy answers, and I appreciated that. Healing, if it comes at all, is slow and complicated.
The pacing was solid, neither too fast nor too slow, and I never felt like the story dragged. It’s not a thriller, as such, but it has thrilling elements, and it keeps you engaged with the emotional stakes and shifting dynamics between the characters.
If you’re drawn to stories about grief, trauma, and how people stitch themselves back together (or try to), this one’s definitely worth a read. It’s not flashy or dramatic. It’s thoughtful, layered, and deeply human. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys emotionally driven narratives that explore what it means to survive not just physically, but also emotionally.
Thank you to NetGalley and Echo Publishing for supplying me with the e-ARC of Cafe 64 in exchange for my honest review.
December 27, 2025
It was strange reading this book in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attacks because, while a completely different scenario, it outlines another event where innocent people are killed while going about their lives. Berry does such a fab job exploring the lives of some of those victims as well as the killer, making this a book that’s hard to put down.
We follow three different narratives, all people who attend a support group meeting for the victims of Cafe 64 on Perth. There’s Maddie, whose world has fallen apart following the death of her fiancé; there’s Flo, a bystander who’s keeping it together telling the world she’s fine when she may not be; and there’s Emily, who’s living with the guilt of knowing someone who was there that day.
The clever thing about this narrative is how Berry brings the three stories together and melds them into one compelling tale. This is not really a plot driven book, it’s character driven. And Berry gives us three vastly different characters who each have a great backstory that gives them a real depth that makes you hate them at times and want to cry for them at others. And she handles the massive topic of dealing with grief in three very different ways.
I had no expectations for this book, just an interesting jacket blurb, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the ending which brings everything together perfectly.
We follow three different narratives, all people who attend a support group meeting for the victims of Cafe 64 on Perth. There’s Maddie, whose world has fallen apart following the death of her fiancé; there’s Flo, a bystander who’s keeping it together telling the world she’s fine when she may not be; and there’s Emily, who’s living with the guilt of knowing someone who was there that day.
The clever thing about this narrative is how Berry brings the three stories together and melds them into one compelling tale. This is not really a plot driven book, it’s character driven. And Berry gives us three vastly different characters who each have a great backstory that gives them a real depth that makes you hate them at times and want to cry for them at others. And she handles the massive topic of dealing with grief in three very different ways.
I had no expectations for this book, just an interesting jacket blurb, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the ending which brings everything together perfectly.
November 25, 2025
At Cafe 64 is the story of a fateful day that Justin Kowalski drove his car into cafe, killing three and the driver, injuring some and affecting many. This is the story of how survivors, loved ones and connected people react and then interact. This story is about Maddie who is angry as a loved one was killed, Emily who is connected to the driver and feels guilty and nervous and Flo who had just been at the cafe and is trying to stay positive in the aftermath. The three women all attend a support group for people involved with Cafe 64 and we get to see how even this affects them all.
This book feels like a journey that people would take after such an act and the feelings, emotions and actions are just as messy as real life. There were also the connections made between the three main characters even with such different experiences. This is a very thought provoking book and a great book for a book club with just as many questions coming out of it as were answered. It shows healing, if it happens, as something which can't be rushed.
This book feels like a journey that people would take after such an act and the feelings, emotions and actions are just as messy as real life. There were also the connections made between the three main characters even with such different experiences. This is a very thought provoking book and a great book for a book club with just as many questions coming out of it as were answered. It shows healing, if it happens, as something which can't be rushed.
January 16, 2026
3.5 stars
Borrowed from the library, my first book as part of the Books in the Brewery bookclub.
A lot of the characters frustrated me to begin with. Why apologize so much? Don’t make yourself so small or quiet! But as the story unravels I understand why the characters are acting as they are.
The question of who is a victim and what does it mean to be a victim is explored within this novel, focused on one incident with three totally different and unique perspectives.
The focus on Justin the instigator of the incident fades, or in my mind becomes less important. You are far more focused on the three women who have been impacted by his actions.
Borrowed from the library, my first book as part of the Books in the Brewery bookclub.
A lot of the characters frustrated me to begin with. Why apologize so much? Don’t make yourself so small or quiet! But as the story unravels I understand why the characters are acting as they are.
The question of who is a victim and what does it mean to be a victim is explored within this novel, focused on one incident with three totally different and unique perspectives.
The focus on Justin the instigator of the incident fades, or in my mind becomes less important. You are far more focused on the three women who have been impacted by his actions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2025
Oh my goodness this was a let’s read a little bit oops I read a lot and then re read again.
This book will need a warning settle in and get comfortable as once your in you won’t stop until the last page.
How on earth can this happen it’s great story that has you drawn in with great characters and an ever burning question. No spoilers no hints just grab and settle in on the journey. Great book for the book clubs as so much discussion is needed.
This book will need a warning settle in and get comfortable as once your in you won’t stop until the last page.
How on earth can this happen it’s great story that has you drawn in with great characters and an ever burning question. No spoilers no hints just grab and settle in on the journey. Great book for the book clubs as so much discussion is needed.
December 28, 2025
4.5⭐
I was so pleased when the publisher allowed my request to review this book, as it completely spoke to me. It was a beautiful read, written with a deep yet understated exploration of grief, highlighting the complete lack of feeling the right to feel the feelings given the complexity of the tragic way young lives were lost. Told from three perspectives, each woman has starkly contrasting beliefs on how the tragedy ‘should’ be felt, or considered, and each of them have their strength in why this is so. This was a heavy literary offering, which was thoughtful and burdensome in equal measure, and it was heart warming to watch the sparring sides creep closer to acceptance, kindness and empathy. The backstory to the character responsible for driving his car into a cafe, and the gentleness of each character killed, mixed with the glaringly obvious failures of the constabulary made for a wholly thought provoking read. It was kind and harsh, and completely well written. Each main character and those supporting each were so worthy to the sad story, I loved reading them all.
With my big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a physical copy, isn’t it a glorious cover?
I was so pleased when the publisher allowed my request to review this book, as it completely spoke to me. It was a beautiful read, written with a deep yet understated exploration of grief, highlighting the complete lack of feeling the right to feel the feelings given the complexity of the tragic way young lives were lost. Told from three perspectives, each woman has starkly contrasting beliefs on how the tragedy ‘should’ be felt, or considered, and each of them have their strength in why this is so. This was a heavy literary offering, which was thoughtful and burdensome in equal measure, and it was heart warming to watch the sparring sides creep closer to acceptance, kindness and empathy. The backstory to the character responsible for driving his car into a cafe, and the gentleness of each character killed, mixed with the glaringly obvious failures of the constabulary made for a wholly thought provoking read. It was kind and harsh, and completely well written. Each main character and those supporting each were so worthy to the sad story, I loved reading them all.
With my big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a physical copy, isn’t it a glorious cover?
November 17, 2025
A senseless act of violence. Three women…one lost a fiancée, one insists she’s fine, one thinks it’s her fault.
This book proves we all process grief differently, there is no right or wrong way! All painful. A powerful look at how lives are changed, not just for the victims families but also the perpetrator’s family. Characters are well developed…their grief is so real, their healing so freeing. Raw, emotional, thought provoking read. I look forward to reading this author again.
Thanks to Echo Publishing and Net Galley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.
This book proves we all process grief differently, there is no right or wrong way! All painful. A powerful look at how lives are changed, not just for the victims families but also the perpetrator’s family. Characters are well developed…their grief is so real, their healing so freeing. Raw, emotional, thought provoking read. I look forward to reading this author again.
Thanks to Echo Publishing and Net Galley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.
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