***Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people's fortunes. Or misfortunes, as the case so frequently was. Having the gift of prediction since before she could remember, Vanessa has dedicated her life to shunning the ability she believes is a curse. Predicting the demise of marriages or failed promotions or other dire news has put a serious damper on her love life and her relationships with family and friends.

After predicting a death for the first time, she seeks out help from the family clairvoyant, her eccentric and elegant Aunt Evelyn, moving to Paris for her training. It is there that she confronts her destiny and comes to realize that fate isn't always immutable.

I'm a sucker for magical realism and Roselle Lim immediately drew me into her world where certain women of the Yu family (among others) are gifted with clairvoyance. As someone who frequently bangs her head against the wall of well-meaning family expectations, I identified immediately with Vanessa. Burdened with a gift she never wanted, and desperately wanted to lose, her journey of self-discovery is one that I couldn't resist diving into.

This is a tale of the enduring nature of love, be it romantic or familial, and the ways in which we sacrifice ourselves to fit the love we think we deserve. Vanessa and her aunt Evelyn learn what it means to take control of one's future, prophecies be damned. This book is one that will stick with you -- and in a time when things feel most out of control? That's a wonderful thing.

CWs: Incurred racism and xenophobia, some descriptions of graphic injury and mentions of gambling addiction

This is such a soft fabulist romance accented by heavenly food imagery and a celebration of family! Vanessa's journey was so fascinating to me because it shows how self-denial and shame about our differences will only bring us pain. Vanessa has spent most of her life fearing and resenting her fortune-telling ability, which is exactly why it twisted itself into something horrible, and frightening.

Through being mentored by her aunt, she learns that if she stops actively holding herself back, her fortune-telling could become something that is helpful to other people. But the story goes even further than that in allowing Vanessa to actively shape her own destiny and ultimately change how she wants to use her magic once she has more clarity about what exactly she wants.

There are these "ancient rules" that have applied to fortune-tellers throughout
the ages (most relating to fortune-tellers being passive, objective observers and non-participants), but Vanessa is challenging them. She wants to use her gift for joy, she wants to involve herself, she wants to pursue romance and happiness for herself on her own terms. And in challenging these traditions, she is able to make new ones, which is so powerful.

This is a story about being there for family when they need you most, protecting what you care about, and actively pursuing joy. The romantic gestures and confessions were a little over-the-top cheesy sometimes, but overall I found this to be a fun, thoughtful, and delightful romance that uplifts all kinds of relationships. I will definitely be reading more from Roselle Lim!

This book is sweet, and frothy, and I loved it. Despite the magical realism, this character felt realistic and somehow relatable. I loved her family, too.

This. Book. Is. Everything. I was really looking forward to this one because I absolutely adored Natalie Tan's Book of Love and Fortune, and I was happy to request Vanessa Yu in celebration of Asian American Heritage Month. This one was even more romantic and sweeping! I was just delighted the entire time I was reading it. Paris has never really been on my bucket list for travel, but I felt like this book really sold the city to me. Lim's descriptions and atmosphere are just incredible and transportive. This book made me feel like I was on vacation, and I feel like we could all use a little bit of that right now.

Vanessa Yu’s mythical powers were first noted at an early age. Fearing the effect they have on the people around her she takes a trip to Paris and thus begins a journey of discovery. This book is filled with colorful and delightful characters who all want to help in their own way. All of the elements of a great read are brewed together to create a story that enchants and entertains. Old love, lost and found again, new love, found in the most unexpected places, and a tea shop set in Paris makes this book a memorable journey for characters and readers alike.

The story is charming and original, but very well written. The overuse of adjectives and cliches should be addressed by an editor. There is unrealized potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

I had high expectations going into Roselle Lim's sophomore novel, and I was not disappointed. This book is Lim's love letter to Paris, and you can definitely tell. Every scene in Paris is infused with so much atmosphere and description that I almost felt like I was there!

I've been to Paris twice, but I never quite got to experience it the way I wanted (mostly because I was too young to appreciate it). Reading this book, I experienced not only the sights and sounds of Paris, but also its food. You can't talk about a Roselle Lim book without mentioning food. While the main character of Lim's debut book, Natalie, loved to cook as well as eat, Vanessa Yu isn't quite as adept in the kitchen. I loved this, because I am exactly the same way: a deep appreciation of all different kinds of food, but not nearly enough skill to recreate those foods in our own kitchens. (I'm sure I said this in my review of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune too, but it bears repeating: make sure you have snacks on hand while reading this book because you WILL get hungry!)

One of my favorite things about this book is the interweaving of magic into everyday life. This book is filled with small, magical moments that everyone just accepts as the norm, but it adds a whole extra layer to the story, I think. Clairvoyants are normal (every family has two!), and sometimes clouds appear indoors, but no one bats an eye. And I love it!

If you enjoyed Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune, you will definitely like Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop. And if you haven't read Natalie Tan yet, go do that now! Then you'll be ready to read all about Vanessa's adventures when this book comes out in August.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Lim's previous book, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune, I absolutely loved the follow-up. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop is a very loose companion novel to Natalie and follows Vanessa Yu as she struggles to deal with her gift for seeing the fortunes of others. Or her curse, as Vanessa sees it, and one final life-shattering prediction is enough to push Vanessa to get a handle on things once and for all. Her decision leads her to Paris, where she discovers that sometimes you have the chance to change your fate.

VYMPTS falls into the genre of magical realism, and while these books are usually hit-or-miss for me, this one was a definite hit. Maybe it was the fact that Vanessa's gift was something that ran in the family or that clairvoyants and matchmakers and the like are part of the Chinese culture, but Lim did a fantastic job of making Vanessa's predictions seem realistic. The fact that Vanessa as well as her Aunt Evelyn can see bits of the future is special but not abnormal, and I love the way that Evelyn points out that people can hear their predictions and simply choose to believe they're not real or that the predictor is crazy. It made me wonder if things like this could happen in the real world and that people just ignore it or chalk it up to coincidence. Regardless, it made the magic side of the story feel more natural and helped immerse me more into the story.

One of my favorite things about VYMPTS, aside from Vanessa herself, are definitely the descriptions of Paris. The sights, the sound, the food--I've never been to Paris, but Lim's depiction made me wish yet again that I could travel there if for no reason other than to visit all the cafes and boulangeries and restaurants! I also loved how food in general served as important marker for the Yu family; food is used to celebrate, apologize, and placate in the family, and it shows that a good meal is one of the things that can bring people together regardless of mood.

My other favorite thing was the aunties! This group of ladies are the perfect balance of overwhelming, nosy, and loving. Their rivalries, collections, and gossip provide perfect moments of humor in the middle of Vanessa's craziness, and their inclination to meddle helps put the pieces of Evelyn's past together despite the invasive nature of their investigation. I do think that having them chime in from across the ocean keeps them from being too much, and they are the perfect bunch of secondary characters.

Without giving anything away, I will say that I enjoyed the ending. I did feel that things were perhaps a little rushed, but I think Vanessa and Evelyn's abilities helped push things along to a point where I didn't think things were wrapped up the way they were just because they were expected to be. I think the epilogue helped and added a nice little bow to the story.

All in all, I loved VYMPTS and I can't wait for its release so that I can push it on everyone who comes to me for recommendations. If you enjoy stories with magic, romance, and Paris, Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop is the book for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Californian Vanessa Yu has an unwanted gift for fortune telling which gives her headaches and sometimes heartaches. She goes to Paris to learn her craft from her aunt Evelyn, but a near-death experience makes her realize that her true gift is for matchmaking. The author does a good job describing the Asian family with all its meddling aunties, but the ending seemed illogical to me. Would Vanessa really plan her future with a man who admits to a gambling addiction, and takes her to a game on a date? Even though he promises to get online help, I wouldn't trust a guy like that!

Having read Roselle Lim's debut novel last year, I knew exactly what I was getting into with this newest novel. When you're looking for magic, romance, and escapism, this is the novel for you. While I found the story slightly rushed (for no real reason), I liked the characters and rooted for them. The descriptions of food were delightful, and now I'm aching to go to Paris on a food tour.

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop
by Roselle Lim
Berkley Publishing Group
You Like Them
Berkley
Multicultural Interest
Pub Date 04 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 04 Sep 2020

Delightful romance! Easy to read and I enjoyed the Paris descriptions. We will have to get there someday after covid19. I didn't really connect with the main characters but it was a solid 3-star read.
Thanks to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop was an absolute delight for the senses from the very first page! Filled with vivid imagery and delicious descriptions of food and sights, I was transported immediately and did not want to leave these characters behind. Vanessa Yu has the unique ability to read tea leaves, but is resistant to embracing what her family sees as a gift. After one too many prophetic disasters and being told she must give up on romance entirely, she realizes she must finally come to terms with her ability which means traveling to Paris to learn from the clairvoyant aunt she has actively avoided. This feel good, familial novel is filled with strong female characters, rich culture, and is a foodie’s dream! I loved this story and can’t wait to read more from Lim.

This was a delight to read. Ms. Lim has created a book about the challenge (and success) of creating your own personal truth when faced with familial and self-inflicted obstacles. Vanessa Yu loves her family, but can't come to terms or accept her strengths or her prospective fate. She takes the time to face these challenges in an effort to identify and create the life she wants and to help others do the same. It's very easy to see yourself in Vanessa, or any one of her colorful family! While Vanessa takes center stage in this novel, her Aunts, particularly Evelyn are lovely as well, and Evelyn's story is equally enchanting. (I would honestly love to read more about them both!) I love reading about strong women and this filled the bill. Additionally, I loved the imagery. I could see the fabric, flowers, food and tea. I swear the fragrance nearly lifted from the pages.

Delightfully crafted adventure in the city of love, Paris. Readers met a young lady destined to never marry BUT spout fortunes aloud (let's just say she turns a few heads) even though she wills them to stay silent (chuckle). She does not want this dismal future as a spinster so when she meets young Marc she hopes her own fortune has changed?! Tradition...who says?!

A story of the close kit Yu family and finding a way to be an individual while still being part of the family. Vanessa has a gift that she does not want and after a prophecy at a cousin's wedding she realizes that she needs to take control and learn more about her gift. She travels to Paris to learn from her aunt and help her open a tea shop. She learns things about herself and her family that she never expected but will she be able to live and love with her ability?

I loved the writing in this book - the descriptions of Paris were so beautiful it felt like I was there with her and experiencing all of the same things. The magical realism in this book made this book fun to read and very sweet. The story was better than the characters. Vanessa herself was stubborn, which was frustrating at times, and the family dynamic was overwhelming, but the Aunt was refreshing and inspiring.

Overall a charming and unique read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one.

Thank you for this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher!

I liked Roselle Lim's first book and I enjoyed this one too!
This was cute and I loved the tea shop and all the food had my mouth watering. It seemed a bit rushed with the romance between Vanessa and Marc but it was still really sweet. I also really enjoyed the relationship Vanessa had with her Aunt & her family. I think a lot of people can relate to the Aunties and have people like that in their family. I felt some things weren't fleshed out fully. But I still found this an entertaining read and was a nice escape.

This was not a bad book but I didn't really connect with the romance. It was manufactured so it took all the suspense away and it was just kind of...there. The secondary characters' romance was much more interesting and I cared more about it than Vanessa's. There was also nothing special about her matchmaking skills. If you look at this book from the family aspect it was great, but the main romance seemed to weigh it down. I will say there were a lot of lines that really hit me hard and spoke to me on a personal level and I do think people who enjoy light, airy romances (with a dash of magical realism) will enjoy this. The author's writing is charming. A solid 3 stars.

A lovely novel from Roselle Lim. This book is perfect for reading on a sunny afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for this chance to read and review!
Description: "Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people's fortunes—or misfortunes—in tealeaves.
Ever since she can remember, Vanessa has been able to see people's fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.
After her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa sees death for the first time. She decides that she can't truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric Aunt Evelyn shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to California and bonjour to Paris. There, Vanessa learns more about herself and the root of her gifts and realizes one thing to be true: knowing one's destiny isn't a curse, but being unable to change it is."
This book was a whirlwind of a read, it went by fast and it kept me entertained! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing, funny, and adventurous tale.

I loved Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune and have really been looking forward to this read. It didn't disappoint at all! It was sweet, whimsical, and often hilarious when I least expected it. And so much heart, too. I didn't want to finish it because it was so enjoyable living in Vanessa's world and such a great break from the craziness going on in the world right now.