Rating – 3.5/5 stars
Recommended for – fans of family drama/self-rediscovery journey with a side of rom-com and a dash of magic
Disclaimer – A review copy of this book was provided by Netgalley. All opinions stated here are my own.
First, intriguing title. Certainly, piqued my interest. I’m always up for magic and good beverages.
Okay, I must get this off my chest. This book demanded a lot out of me. If a trial of patience was part of the initiation to a coven of witches, I’d be one of the sisters by now. It took me more than a month to get through the first half of the book. The story up until then was nice but only nice. I didn’t feel connected to the plot or the characters until the halfway mark. Then I finished the second half within a day.
The story felt all over the place, especially in the beginning. And the plot resolved in the most unexpected way. Might even call the ending a bit rushed. Normally this would be a bad sign. But in this case, it mirrored the journey of the main character (MC). Florence Mackenzie.
When we meet Florence, to be polite, she was a hot mess. On every page, she seemed frantic and frazzled. In one instant, we find her yelling at her ex in the middle of his store. And at some other people (we’ll get back to these other people later *side-eye*). Her vibe screamed slightly overdramatic and manufactured drama. I felt exhausted just reading about her.
Now, let me backtrack a little. Florence is a barista. She got fired from her job at Sam’s ‘Spresso (a huge coffee cart chain in Portland) just before her Christmas break because the owner listened to her evil co-workers. So she carts herself off to her seaside hometown, Windia, to lick her wounds and figure out her next move. Windia, where the Mackenzie family runs a coffee shop nicknamed “The Yurt”. The Mackenzie family consisting of our MC Florence, her niece Diana, her sister-in-law Mia, and her witchy grandmother Pearl. On a side note, Pearl gave me major deja vu for Betty White’s character in the movie The Proposal (the one starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds). Any Betty White character really. Wise and slightly crazy. Okay, back to Witchy Coffee.
Enter our romantic interest, Samson Richards. Sam’s son. A.k.a. the Sam-that-fired-Florence-from-Sam’s ‘Spresso’s son. And as if that’s not enough cause for Florence to have beef with him, he’s rolled up with an offer to buy The Yurt from the Mackenzies. Suffice to say, that does not go over well. Flying baked goods were involved. And he is one of the afore-mentioned "other people".
Then, to give a taste of healthy competition, Samson sets up a coffee cart in the town square. And the Mackenzies (and Florence’s best friend Harper) take up arms to meet the challenge. Said arms involve Wiccan magic and a new coffee blend that seems equivalent to a love potion. And the other "other people" is a mysterious fairy godmother-like character (although Pearl uses the word enchantress) selling the magic coffee beans. The Mackenzies’ mission – to drive Samson Richards out of town.
Although the cover and description give the vibe of bewitching romance, I found that this was more in line with Florence running away from herself and her hometown after the deaths of her mother and brother. And rediscovering herself and the magic she left behind. Her family is the bridge that connects her to herself. And Samson is the catalyst, that pushes her forward on her journey.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book.