Beatnikki’s Cafe

by Renee James

Nikki Finch is a successful transgender woman with a thriving Beatnik cafe and a comfortable life until the first summer of the Trump presidency sets off a wave of violence against minorities. Nikki’s carefully curated world is shattered when a neo-Nazi thug attacks her business partner. She comes to his rescue, but her efforts launch a chain of events that imperil her and everyone she loves, especially her angst-ridden daughter, Morgan. Nikki will do everything she can to keep her loved ones safe, but as her civilized options begin to evaporate, she is left with no choice but to go places she’s never gone before.

Kill or be killed. It should be a simple choice. But it’s not that simple for Nikki Finch—it would have to be a cold-blooded murder and she’d have to get away with it. It could work, but what kind of example would she set for her daughter?

Genres: Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Lorie Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

BeatNikki’s Café may be one of the most relevant novels I have read this year, with its realistic portrayal of the horrific treatment of the transgender community in the US over the last few years. It is set during the first summer of the Trump presidency.

Nikki Finch is a trans woman with a successful business in Chicago—she owns and runs the popular Beaknik café called BeakNikki. But her life is turned upside down when neo-Nazi thugs attack her business partner and begin terrorizing her, her family, and her staff. And as if that wasn’t enough, her former wife is possibly dying from cancer, and their difficult teenage daughter Morgan has to move in with Nikki. Her relationship with Morgan has been bad ever since Nikki came out. Will being thrown together like this change that or make things worse? The trouble with the neo-Nazis ends up putting her daughter in danger, and Nikki begins to feel like her only option is to kill or be killed. But what kind of example will that be for her daughter? And can she actually go through with it? And is the new man in her life for real, or a part of a scheme to buy her building?

This was, at times, a very difficult book to read because of what Nikki goes through—but how much more difficult it must be to live as a trans person in this day and age. BeatNikki draws you in with wonderful, interesting, and diverse characters that you come to care about. The story is powerful and all too realistic. BeatNikki’s Café will break your heart but also have you cheering for Nikki and her friends and hoping they will beat the bad guys and be a part of a better future. Walk in Nikki’s shoes through these pages, and you will never be the same! I highly recommend this book. It may be an emotional roller coaster, but it is well worth the ride.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important new novel!

It would be difficult to find a book more pertinent to our current times than this excellent novel by Renee James. The author has created a triumphant primary character in Nikki Finch, owner of the Beatnik café, who against the threatening odds of minority safety challenges must take her stand for protecting not only herself, her business partner, and her daughter, but also her personal commitment to equity. Populated with three-dimensional, credible characters and an exacting eye for making visual the events of our day, this novel becomes an important landmark for addressing issues of significance. Very highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful storytelling with a great cast of characters, and a plot that's relevant to LGBTQ+ folks living in the US today. There are no easy ways to handle transphobia and/or homophobia. Reading about it is always painful too. I was so angry at some scenes and situations Nikki found herself in that I had to put down the book for a while. Thankfully Nikki's personal life had a heartwarming and uplifting ending.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written story of grief and loss, getting back up again, and facing hatred, prejudice, entitlement in all its forms. There's romance, betrayal, grit, and a teenager pushing everyone's buttons while learning about family and true love. Human at its core.

[Polly Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this novel accurately depicts what life was like for LGBTQ people during the Trump years in Chicago, then it was practically like a war zone, like Germany was leading up to WWII for the Jews. Nikki arms her cafe staff with pepper spray and teaches her daughter how to protect herself physically and sexually. She offers the kind of parenting I wish I had when I was a teen--frank and protective. And loving. I was riveted by the conflict and tension--between Nikki's ex-wife from when she was a man dying of cancer and her daughter coming to live with her for the summer to all the violence directed towards the cafe by Nazis, to Nikki's and her daughter's ribald jousting and both their sex lives. But I was troubled by the moral questions about violence. The police did nothing to protect Nikki and her employees but Nikki never tells the police that she's been threatened verbally, that they guy says he'd enjoy torturing and murdering her. I mean, I wanted her to. But that did add to the tension.
This is an unforgettable story.