The Perfect Matcha

Honey Springs #1

by Stevie Greene

🌸 🌺 Available to pre-order now, this spicy, enemies-to-lovers, small-town romance is perfect for fans of Laurie Gilmore and Bonnie Woods 🌺 🌸 ***

Will love brew in Honey Springs? Willow Davis has everything she should want. An impressive corporate job, a beautiful Seattle apartment, and an even more beautiful boyfriend to go alongside it. But when a quarter-life crisis hits and everything begins to fall apart, there's only one place she wants to go. Up to the mountains and to the small town of Honey Springs, where she's determined to lean into self-care and bring her love of matcha lattes with her.

Lucas Dawson is from the wrong side of the tracks – or at least, that's what the people of Honey Springs think. The grumpy, gritty and gorgeous diner owner's heart seems impenetrable, even when Willow, his warm-as-sunshine childhood bestfriend, returns to town.

But what is Lucas hiding … and why can Willow feel their bond stirring up more than just old memories?

Genres: Romance, Second Chance

Audible Audio

Expected publication May 21, 2026

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

This book was okay ?? An easy read and pretty short but I didn’t really feel strongly about anything ?

I thought the matcha van idea was so cute, especially set up in a small town, next door to our main characters childhood best friend 🥹. There was a cute cast of side characters from around the town that I’m assuming will get their own book 🩷.

However, I found both the main characters quite annoying 😢. Lucas was just so mean all the time, we barely saw him being a nice guy? And willow was just so infuriating with her ex, it really didn’t feel like she was moved on at all. I wished the book started like a year after they broke up or something rather than them breaking up in the book because this guy was in there so much and it was so annoying how Willow would fall for his shit every time 😤.

I also found that there really wasn’t that many positive scenes with the main characters apart from flashbacks so I wasn’t really rooting for them?

The premise of this was cute but sadly it really fell flat for me 😢.

[ThianeJansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Round up to 1.75✨

This is one of those books you read in one sitting have a nice time with… and then don’t think about much after.

Willow heads back to her small hometown after a bit of a life spiral and ends up starting a matcha van while reconnecting with her childhood best friend, Lucas. Cue small town vibes, a bit of healing and a maybe-more-than-friends situation.

Tropes & vibes
🍵 small town cozy
🌞 grumpy x sunshine
🏡 childhood best friends
💔 grief & starting over

There’s a lot to like here. The matcha van is genuinely such a cute concept and the whole story has that easy, cozy feel that makes it super quick to get through. I also really liked the small town cast and the sense of community because it felt warm and lived-in and you can tell this could easily turn into a series with more stories to come. The themes around grief and figuring out what “home” means were also a nice touch and added a bit more depth to what is otherwise a very light read.


That said, nothing really stood out or had me trying to stop time to read this faster.

The pacing felt a little slow in places, the romance didn’t fully hook me and Lucas was just a bit too grumpy without enough soft moments to balance it. Willow’s situation with her ex also dragged a bit and got frustrating.

Overall, this is a solid, easy read if you’re in the mood for something low effort and cozy but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

[michaella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Synopsis:
After years of living in the bustling city of Seattle, Willow finds herself both unsatisfied with the constant demands of her social media job and disillusioned with her boyfriend, Jake, who lately seems more preoccupied with his online engagement than their relationship. Sick of the old grind, Willow decides it’s time to ditch her current life in favor of pursuing her dream of running a matcha van back in her quaint hometown of Honey Springs, where life is slower, and old bonds, like her childhood best friend, Lucas, provide an opportunity to get back to a simpler life. Except, her hometown is struggling and Lucas, who was once her closest confidant, is extremely distant. In her pursuit of her matcha dream, can Willow somehow mend what broke with Lucas and bring the spark back to Honey Springs?

My Thoughts:
This was a cute read. First, the concept of a matcha van is adorable and immediately grabbed my attention. I would say the atmosphere and pacing of the novel are similar to that of the Dream Harbor series. The setting and story line are perfect for the Spring weather and I enjoyed the characters. Most of all, I appreciated the author’s themes of grief and loss experienced both by Willow and Lucas respectively. Aside from a romance, The Perfect Matcha explores the complexity of redefining the concept of “home” when the people who created that environment are no longer present. How do you fill the role of someone beloved by everyone? How do you return to a place filled with memories when the people you shared them with are gone? These are questions we all face and the author does a great job of showcasing how answering these questions is not a clean or linear process.

Now, while this was a fun read, there are definitely moments where I felt the romance between the two main characters were, at times, disingenuous. Much of the tension in the story stems from miscommunication. While this is a great plot device, the existing lack of communication taking place during certain times of intimacy made it seem rushed rather than a natural development. As in, “these characters have tension but they need to express passion for each other to progress the romance” rather than the scene just feeling romantic in and of itself, leaving some interactions feeling mechanical rather than swoon-worthy. Also, there are multiple “nods” from other characters to the micro tropes that the main characters are facing, which felt like an unnecessary breaking of the fourth wall. I imagine the author’s intention with this was to have an inside joke with the reader, but it took me out of the moment more than anything. However, despite these critiques, it was still enjoyable, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and fun springtime read.

[fariha ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC!

DNF @ 60%

‘The Perfect Matcha’ is a cosy, small town romance and had a good start — what had me hooked from the first few pages was the vulnerability of Willow’s emotions and how stuck she felt in life. For a reader navigating her twenties, this was very much felt and easy to relate with and I’d imagine a lot of young females in their 20s would feel the same!

The writing flowed, it was easy to read and follow along with. It draws on modern day concepts which made a lot of the characters and topics relatable. As someone who loves matcha, I was very much intrigued to see how the whole idea of Willow’s matcha van in her hometown works out for her. It was also lovely to read about her leaving her career behind to start up something else entirely and something she’d have more of a passion in.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish the book, no matter how much I tried to continue reading. I was starting to lose interest and lacked any sort of investment towards the romance part of the story due to how many filler pages there were. Some conversations with other characters felt unnecessary and often times I was a little bored. Not a lot was happening and I was already halfway through the book. A lot of things were being told to the reader rather than shown and there were one too many paragraphs spent in the character’s head.

I also feel like this would have been the perfect childhood friends to lovers/slow burn romance if there weren’t so many filler paragraphs in between it all. And Lucas (the love interest) was downright depressed rather than grumpy. Also, I have no idea why Jake (Willow’s ex) was still in the book — even 60% through. He should’ve been out of the picture completely before Willow left for her hometown or not in the book at all.

Overall, I did want to enjoy this book and I thought it was a great first few chapters!

[Kelsey-rose💘]

Pre read : this sounds like a cute book I won’t be reading it yet but I’m happy I got approved for it by hq

[BookishKB]

🍵 The Perfect Matcha

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.

📅 Pub Date: May 21, 2026

[Dotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stevie Green’s The Perfect Matcha is a hallmark-esque novel about a young woman who gets burnt out from her big city job and her social media obsessed boyfriend and returns to her small hometown to connect to herself again. Willow decides to open a matcha cart outside of the diner of her childhood best friend, Lucas. Lucas is two years out from his mother’s death and has had a hard time connecting to people, especially the old friend who he sees as abandoned him. The two try to navigate a budding friendship while also reflecting on their own issues.

The elements with the small town revitalization and the matcha truck felt well done and enjoyable. It was very set in the current era, with lots of discussion of social media influencers and YouTube takedowns and posting online with captions. The story uses those elements to bring life back into their small town community. It definitely sets up a series, with multiple relationships being teased, especially Lucas’ sister and two best friends and their various love interests.

I know that Willow’s relationship with her boyfriend is meant to push us away from him, but I genuinely couldn’t find any redeeming qualities in the boy. He’s social media addicted and self obsessed. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if Willow had made a clean break earlier in the story or if he had any kind of positive quality. The author doesn’t do a good job of explaining why Willow would have stayed with a guy who at best could be described as a douche. He’s the epitome of “big hotshot in the city boyfriend” from a hallmark movie, and it was hard to understand why Willow would consider a long distance relationship. It would be one thing if their lifestyles and goals were simply incompatible, but she seems to be treated poorly by him at every turn.

This book is billed as grumpy-sunshine, but Lucas is a bit too grumpy. He’s mean to Willow for a perceived slight a decade old, repeatedly shutting her out throughout the story. The man needs therapy, not a relationship, and it’s deeply frustrating to watch him snap at her repeatedly over a middle school crush. The book combines Lucas’s grief over his mom’s death with his frustration about Willow’s life choices, but it doesn’t endear me to him as a character. It feels petty and immature and not the behavior I want in my romance novels. I want grumpy but soft for her, not soft with everyone else and grumpy because of a middle school slight (that he mostly caused, by the way). Both of the love interests in this story feel very entitled to Willow’s affection and get petty when they don’t get what they believe they are owed. The book would have improved significantly if they had moved away from Lucas’s resentment of his middle school crush and focused on the grief storyline, plus them connecting as long-lost friends.

The book was often very self-aware in a way that felt annoying; Lucas and Willow are repeatedly told about various tropes and plot devices that usually happen in romance novels. I think it was designed to be a cheeky wink, but it felt forced and obnoxious. Once or twice would be okay, but multiple characters prescribe various romance plot movements to the two, and it feels too on the nose.

The book has one explicit scene, lasting a few pages.

Overall, this book was fun but with some real problems. If the second book gets rave reviews I’d probably give the author another shot, but there were too many problems in this book for me to continue. The premise seemed so up my alley, but there were some real problems in the development of the male characters that made this book less than enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced reader copy.

[Jenn Norris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of “The Perfect Matcha” by: Stevie Greene! This is my honest and completely voluntary review! 😊🖤

“The Perfect Matcha” follows FMC Willow Davis, a social media marketing agent, and MMC Lucas Dawson, a dinner owner, on a journey of self discovery and growth both independently and together. Willow and Lucas were childhood best friends, high school hit and the pair grew apart. Willow started dating Jake, the popular boy, and the two left Honey Springs as soon as they graduated. The story opens up five years later with her and Jake living in Seattle. He’s a first responder and she’s a marketing executive. Willow becomes burned out and decides to start a matcha business back in her home town of Honey Springs. Willow’s matcha business is being ran out of her van in Lucas’s (the diner’s) parking lot. Can they repair their relationship and be friends again or more? Only time will tell.

This book is sweet and a quick read. I enjoyed my time in Honey Springs. The relationships among characters are well written and you get completely invested in all of the characters lives both the main and sides. I truly want the best for all the characters. The one major irritation I had with the story was if the two MCs just had a conversation so much of the heartache wouldn’t have had to happen. It was nice that things resolved after the conversation(s) at the end but, with most of the issues being from misunderstandings and miscommunication, it was largely frustrating throughout. The town was a picturesque mountain town and sounded like the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Both MCs went through major growth throughout the story and you can really tell a difference in them between their staring points and where they ended up. Grief was handled beautifully in this story. The book was well written and has a bit of spice closer to the end.

I’d love to check out another story from this author. I’d happily pick up another story in this universe to see what happens with our characters. I enjoy my time with this story. I’d definitely recommend reading if you want a sweet romance story with a HEA!

3.5 🌟 (rounded down for Goodreads)/ 1.5 🌶️

[Jensen Potrykus · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Perfect Matcha is so very meh. The writing is very plain, with no depth to it at all. There is no emotion in the sentences, no feeling or anything. The author's style is very direct, no fluffy prose, no diversity in vocabulary used... which just reads as immature. Willow is described as giggling in many instances throughout the entirety of the book. I wouldn't have minded it if it didn't seem so grossly inappropriate in every instance, like you are "hate" making out with a dude that you were just yelling at and are giggling about him being hard? Grow up. Giggling in a boardroom because ypu started to doze off??

A lot of this story boils down to "why should I be nice to someone having a hard time when I am not being immediately rewarded for being a good person?" Willow refuses to acknowledge Lucas is struggling with the death of his mother, and instead yells at him constantly. He brings up valid points about social media / influencers and how The Diner is left out of a post that was supposed to include him, and Willow freaks out at how "mean" he is. Both sides are immature and selfish, and very blind to their own selfishness while going into a full rage whenever the other can't step out of their own worldview.

Also matcha is just kind of there to be there? I think it would've been more interesting to make Willow's introduction to matcha mean something for her, or like learning the proper techniques of making matcha and exploring the more ritualistic, meditative side to matcha and ceremonial tea with her own self journey. But no it just kind of feels like she just has a big bucket of matcha that she puts flavors in and is like "haha I'm so hip and cool for selling matcha, nobody else is doing this".

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for providing an eARC of The Perfect Matcha in exchange for this honest review.

[natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

i’ll start this off by saying that just because this one wasn’t necessarily for me doesn’t mean that it won’t be for you! so if you want to read this one, absolutely go for it!!

the premise of this book was absolutely adorable and had me so excited to sink my teeth into it because hello??? it has small town, childhood friends to strangers to lovers & slow burn so… what’s not to love?!!

however, i found that the romance between the two main characters that the book is actually about was focused more so on their past… and when it did focus on them in the present, he was just a grumpy, mean, and vindictive person while she was a pushover and weirdly stuck on the ex that she claimed to be over. i mean, the ex was still around until basically the last ten pages of the book and i have no idea why because it alluded to him cheating and being a conceited narcissist so i’m not exactly sure why they needed to continuously call each other and give frequent updates on their lives?? but i do get why the main love interest thought they were still a thing because WHY DID SHE KEEP HIM AROUND??

i just felt like the book focused more on the past and her broken relationship rather than moving forward and seeing the reconnection between her and her love interest. the only real reconnection i found between the two was in the big storm chapters, but he was still hot and cold in those too.

I’d like to preface this all by saying that i’m also a hopeless romantic who adores wholesome, sweet, and romantic stories where the love interest is actually kind (or at least becomes kind after she gets through his grumpy layer) to the female lead. but either way, if you feel like giving this one a go, absolutely do it because you may absolutely love this one 💕🫶🏻

& thank you to the publisher for gifting me an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willow left her small town of honey Springs was a high school boyfriend. Jake looking for a better things, can you move from their small town honey springs to the big city of Seattle- bear willow starts work at a at agencyand Jake becomes a first responder, but lately Willow feels disenchanted of the bigger city and longs for her hometown, working on the new ad memphane, she realizes, I bet she's burnt out.The only thing she likes about her job is going out for matcha- and her assistant Toby, when the opportunity arises for her to buy a van that she can sell drinks out of she decides to leave the big city and go home.And start a matcha van and Jake is less than pleased. I love the big city and loves social media. And all that it offers,, running a daily blog of his life as the first responder- unfortunately Willow has seen the destruction that social media can have on influencer so she just wants to go home- so off she goes while Jake stays in the city. They're going to try long distance. Because jake wants nothing to do with her hometown or his alcoholic father, who's still there - when Willow gets home? She finds that her best friend growing up. Lucas is running his mom's diner. Once you start to remember how good a friends, they were lucas is not excited to have willow back.He doesn't want change in the town nor does he want to deal with his feelings for willow- willow has to decide if she wants to stay in honey. Springs for good, i've worked things out Jake- this is a really cute romcom. Let's see it being a Hallmark movie for sure. Unlike the secondary characters as well, I don't want to give out too many spoilers, but the ending is really good. It's definitely a good read

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[Enna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Willow is tired of dealing with Seattle's coffee scene through her work as a social media marketer. Craving a slow-paced life filled with less coffee and more matcha, Willow moves back to her hometown of Honey Springs to open up a mobile matcha truck. The story takes off from there as Willow starts her new business and is reunited with Lucas, her childhood best friend.

As a self-proclaimed matcha lover, I had high hopes for this matcha centered romance. However, the clever title and colorful cover are unfortunately the strongest examples of the book’s matcha theme. Throughout the story, matcha is only of peripheral focus for any of the characters. The inclusion of matcha felt like a gimmick. It could have been replaced with any other food-based item, and the overall story would have remained unchanged. For example, Greene never once described the process of whisking matcha nor its rich cultural history. I would have been interested in learning more about matcha and other aspects of Willow’s business, such as where she sourced her matcha from and how she came up with new drink recipes.

Instead of the matcha focused plotline I was hoping to read, the plot centers around Willow’s attempt to bring tourism back to Honey Springs and her budding romance with Lucas. One of my favorite romance tropes is “friends to lovers”, and overall I felt like it was handled well. I liked the banter between the two love interests and seeing their romance bloom. My only criticism about the romance is that the “spicy” scenes felt awkwardly placed. Despite my complaints, The Perfect Matcha is a quick and easy read. I read it while I was sick and it was the mindless entertainment I needed at that moment.

[Chloe Janda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank HQ and Stevie Greene for providing me with an eARC of The Perfect Matcha via NetGalley to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Throughout the story, I found myself relating to Willow and her life. She was stuck in a job that she'd grown to dislike, and trapped in a toxic and loveless relationship. Hungry to change her life and start over, Willow makes plans to love back to her old hometown and to buy a catering van, with the intentions of opening a matcha business. Her growth in the book was good to witness as she becomes more free and embarks on some self discovery.

Back in her hometown, Willow feels lost at first as she struggles to find her place. What doesn't help is the regular encounters with her childhood best friend, Lucas, that she had grown apart from, but also harbours deep feelings for. Physically, both Willow and Lucas are attracted to each other, but this doesn't progress far until later on in the book. I enjoyed seeing their relationship and chemistry grow, but it was slow to get there. On times, I hope they'd either just put their differences aside and progress their relationship, or call it quits altogether. Sometimes, Lucas' bad moods verged on red flag territory as well, although not to the degree of Jake, her self-obsessed and self-absorbed ex-boyfriend.

This book was a quick and fun read on the whole and I would recommend it to readers who love second chance romances, small town, grumpy x sunshine, and forced proximity tropes. There were many promising elements and lots of popular tropes to keep me hooked.

[Brina.readz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Stevie Greene for an advanced readers copy of this book for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed 'The Perfect Matcha' and found it easy to finish in one sitting because of how captivating it was. Willow was a fun character to follow around, although sometimes a little infuriating with how naive she was and I could essily relate to her. I was 100% rooting for her when she decided to move back to her small mountain hometown and open her matcha truck and as soon as her childhood best friend Lukas was in the picture I was sold on Honey Springs.

I wasn't surprised about how the story unfolded but entertaining nonetheless. Especially by all the other characters and budding relationships introduced.

The matcha story felt a little off to me, which had a lot to do with how little Willow actually talked about Matcha other than saying "it's good" or "it's healthy". After making such a big switch for a beverage she had apparently also just discovered I would have wanted more information on matcha from her. What is it good for exactly? Where is it from? Matcha tradition? Not only serving Matcha mixed with something etc. Things I wouldn't necessarily expect from a book about coffee but with the focus on matcha I find necessary. All in all, the book did not need the matcha story to be entertaining though.

[inmyreadingera321 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book! The title and cover are both so cute, and I figured a small town, childhood friends to lovers, grumpy x sunshine story couldn't fail me. Unfortunately, I think this book just didn't work for me. The writing was very matter of fact, in a 'telling not showing' kind of way that made the story slog a bit. The story itself had potential, as mentioned earlier, but I think it was just executed all wrong. I think the pacing was off, because Lucas and Willow should have been friendlier with each other by at least the halfway point to properly build up a romance between the two of them, but they were still so back and forth, hot and cold, that by the time they were actually trying to see if there was romance between them, I was confused because it didn't feel like they were on the same page at all. I liked Willow, but I think she needed to cut things off with Jake a lot sooner -- for her own sake and for Lucas'. And I wanted to like Lucas, but his grumpiness never receded, even for Willow, and that just made him a bummer to read at times. He was meaner to her at times than she deserved, and I don't think he really groveled in any way to make up for it.

Cute title, cute cover -- but those were the best parts about the book, sadly.

----------------

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC!

[Leanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc copy to read!

Everything about this read just screamed "okay." The romance was honestly kinda cute, but the pacing just seemed weird to me. Everything felt too fast and too slow at the same time. The overall chemistry between our two love interests did seem well done. I really enjoyed the town of Honey Springs and wish that I had seen more of it, but if this is to become a series as Goodreads says, then I'm sure I will get what I want. I do wish there had been more about the matcha van since that is what a lot of the book seems to be revolving around at first glance. There was a loss of focus on the van and more about town promotion rather than van promotion, which didn't take away from the plot itself but it was a little misleading. That being said, the plot was okay and interesting. It was a fast paced read.
As for the characters, I wasn't a big fan of Willow. She just annoyed me in the way she acted and talked, which I feel like it what brought down my enjoyment. Everything seemed too convenient and too artificially created regarding her relationships with her ex and her new love interest. The other characters were all well written, I thought. Willow just fell flat in my eyes.
Overall everything was okay, just not too memorable or stand out for a romance.

[Inga · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a a cozy small town romance, childhood friends to lovers, second chance story and enjoy some good Matcha this book is for you.
You can tell if a book is going to be good on the first few pages. I knew that this book would not be for me. The writing is good but the third person is not doing it for me in a romance book. I liked the cover and the blurb of the book and was hoping to get into a cozy small town romance.
Sadly I couldn’t get into this book at all. I was hoping to become more invested in the characters and the world by continuing to read, but unfortunately this didn’t happen. The storyline was well thought out and there were some cute romantic scenes between the characters. The childhood best friends and second chance romance was a cute plot and made sense for the characters. They could have had more depth to them, then I would have been more invested and felt with them. The thing were the scenes Happen twice was not doing it for me as well and threw me out of the moment. The POV could have been connected better and the repeating of scenes in the other persons POV made the plot stop flowing and harder to follow.
Overall this is a love story readers who enjoy these tropes might like.

[chelseabrookelikesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Perfect Matcha and found it really easy to finish in one sitting because of how quick and cozy it was. Willow was a fun character to follow, although at times she could be a little frustrating with how naive she was. When she decides to leave Seattle and move back to her small mountain hometown of Honey Springs, I was immediately rooting for her. And once Lucas, her childhood best friend, came back into the picture, I was completely sold.

The friends to lovers romance between Willow and Lucas was definitely one of my favorite parts of the story. Their banter felt natural and it was sweet watching their relationship slowly shift into something more. I really enjoyed seeing their connection grow as they spent more time together again.

The story itself is very cozy and has strong small town rom com vibes. It honestly felt like something that could easily be turned into a Hallmark movie. The pacing did feel a little slow at times, and while the plot was enjoyable, nothing about it really stood out in a big way.

Overall, it’s a quick, light read with a sweet romance at the center.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Publisher.

This story is a bit slow and felt kind of like it dragged on. It is a cozy romance novel but I just felt like it was missing something to captivate my attention.

The plot is good but there isn't anything that makes it stand out. The writing is okay, like I mentioned, there wasn't anything that is captivating to really make this book stand out.

Lucas and Willow used to be friends and both left the hometown but came back. Lucas struggles to handle all his responsibilities and trying to keep the diner afloat. Willow, a city girl losing the spark in her marketing job and feelings for her Jake. Okay, her relationship with Jake is a bit frustrating, he's over here lying about ordering expensive wines in French when he got the cheapest, and Willow just sits there and lets him. She's not even trying to work this relationship. Also, when he drops her off at the train station? C'mon, ugh it was frustrating how things were left and Willow doesn't speak up. Lucas and Willows story is sweet but plot wise its still not captivating.

[Caitlyn Stern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating:⭐️⭐️.5

The Plot:
Willow is tired of her fast paced life in Seattle as a social media marketer and decides to move back to her hometown on Honey Springs and open a matcha truck. There, she reunites with her childhood friend Lucas and their friendship slowly kindles into something more

The Review:
I really wanted to like this book but sadly it wasn’t for me. Just within the first couple of pages I was getting a “telling not showing” vibe which just got worse through the book and made it drag on. The writing itself to was very awkward and stilted and it was just impossible for me to stay invested in the story itself.

Lucas and Willow are a cute couple, but their characters could have used a bit more fleshing out in my opinion. I LOVE the friends to lovers second chance romance trope and I think that was actually really well done, but the surrounding narrative really made it not worth it for me.

[Lra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willow tiene lo que siempre supo lo que quería para el futuro. Vive en Seattle, trabaja en marketing para una marca de café y comparte su vida con Jake, su novio desde hace años. Sin embargo, detrás de la rutina llena de campañas publicitarias, redes sociales y presión laboral, comienza a sentir un vacío que ya no puede ignorar. La muerte de su abuela y el ritmo agotador de su trabajo la obligan a preguntarse si realmente está viviendo la vida que desea.

Cuando surge la oportunidad de comprar una vieja furgoneta para vender bebidas de matcha, Willow toma una decisión impulsiva que cambia todo. Renuncia a su trabajo, deja la ciudad y regresa a Honey Springs, el pequeño pueblo de montaña donde creció. Allí espera encontrar tranquilidad, un nuevo propósito y quizá una versión más auténtica de sí misma.

[Liz Sturg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc read from NetGalley. This was a cute little book. In some parts I felt like the FMC was just a push over for her ex boyfriend and the MMC. He would go off on her without so much as really explaining to her what was wrong. It felt like they were constantly having miscommunication issues and then they would let the doubts over take them. I liked how she followed her dream of leaving the corporate world and taking a risk of opening a matcha van. She was very optimistic about things looking up for their hometown. It was very swooning when the FMC goes looking for the MMC since her annoying ex made it look like they were getting back together. When she goes looking for the MMC and then they finally get it together and she says she picked him and isn't going no where. Over all the story was sweet.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy from Netgalley

Disenfranchised with marketing and social media (and a boyfriend who is increasingly into both) Willow dreams of returning to the picturesque town she grew up in. And then there's Lucas...

The Perfect Matcha has all the makings of a cosy romance: Corporate girl returns to roots, adorable local businesses, crazy small town characters. And touches on an incredibly tough stage of grief, anger.

However, exploration of the other characters feels brief and often shallow, presumably because they'll be more involved in other parts of the series, but it leaves the novel feeling very unfinished.

Having said that, it was an easy read, and I believed in the chemistry between Willow and Lucas. Recommended for fans of Laurie Gilmore and other cosy series.

Thank you again to HQ and Netgalley for this ARC

[Carys Oldall · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars! Okay so whilst the cover of The Perfect Matcha pulled me in, I was left wanting a lot more! I’m a matcha girlie, so I really wanted to love this one. I also love a cosy small town romance... and Honey Springs definitely had that comforting vibe.

This was a fun, easy read overall, but I did find myself wanting a bit more from the story. The romance and plot felt quite simple at times...and I would have loved a little more depth with the characters and their journey. That said, it’s still a cute, cosy read and would work well as a palette cleanser if you’re coming off something heavier and just want something light and quick.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

IDK how to explain this... but the book felt like a movie script??? Like it was just a whole bunch of words and actions slapped on a page, but there were no actors to give them emotions/life. I felt literally nothing towards the characters, their problems, and the plot. The writing probably could've gone through some additional revisions beyond what I already said; it just wasn't very developed. It was so bland, and I don't care about the book at all??? Also, the MMC is just a dick. I'm so sick of authors writing an absolutely awful character, but then brushing off their shittiness with "oh they're just grumpy". NO!!! Not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[❤️Tina❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy little small town romance, and based around my favourite drink!

When Willow's feeling burnt out from her big city marketing job she decides to return to her hometown of Honey Springs to set up a Matcha wagon. Bringing her back into close proximity to her childhood best friend Lucas.

This was a cute read but I did find myself getting a little frustrated with the constant miscommunication. I don't mind a little bit but there just seemed to be a lot of it in this. I did enjoy the small town setting and the sense of community though!

If you're looking for a quick pallete cleanser read that's not too deep this is a good choice.

Thank you to HQ for the arc for my honest review 🫶🏻

[Lolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Stevie Greene for the ARC!

I have to admit I was slightly disappointed by this read for a few reasons.

At first overview, it had the chance to be a great story but personally my main issues were the following:

- The dual POV chapters in the 3rd person. Why? This was really off putting for me as I personally LOVE dual POV stories.

- There was so many different romance tropes and storylines, it felt like there was too much to going on to focus on.

- the MMC’s both were quite irritating (but that’s definitely a personal opinion 😂).

Overall I did enjoy the pace of the book but it wasn’t a story I really enjoyed.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the eARC; all opinions are my own.

I think this is a REALLY cute premise, and even though I don't personally like Matcha, I think the idea of a matcha van is SO great!
I do wish this book had started a little later than it does. I didn't need to read about her life with her boyfriend before she opened the van - we could have gotten that same information from a flashback or some gossip between friends. I think actually reading her interactions with her boyfriend was painful, and it made Willow feel too negative.
Once we get to the van, the book opens up and is much more fun.

[Violetdazey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for the arc of the book !!
»»———　ᢉ𐭩　———««
Spoilers ahead !!

This was such a cute and adorable read, the concept of matcha cart and our fmc leaving her job to open a small business where she sells matcha, honestly totally relatable with what I wanna do as well, the mmc was a little complicated character with the things he was struggling with, but I am happy he overcame them decided to tell her how he feel, plus childhood friends turned enemy and then lovers was just the perfect trope in my opinion.

[Alysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written in third person, which I wish I knew before going into reading this story because I am personally not a fan of third-person books. This may have made me a bit biased from the very first page (the very first word), but I personally found it difficult to connect to the characters and the story. It's disappointing that I feel this way since I love the cover. There was a lot of telling rather than showing in this book, which could be attributed to the third-person writing style.

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC!