I loved this book so much. It came at a time where I just needed a heartwarming, easy to get through book, and it was exactly that.
I loved the characters, the animals, the setting, and every tiny detail in this book.
I wasn't satisfied with the ending though, and I didn't really like how the small mysteries wrapped up, but the twist was good.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

I've read a handful of Heather Webber's work by now, and with each subsequent book, I fall a little more in love with her writing. "At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities" is just as delightful a blend of magic and realism as her previous novels have been, and it goes down as smoothly as I imagine a latte crafted lovingly at Magpie's, the coffee shop at the heart of the book, would. I could not stop turning the pages, I cheered and laughed - and even got a little teary - alongside these beautiful, vibrant, quirky, lovable characters, and wish I could have spent more time in the little town of Driftwood. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I can think of, because it's exactly the kind of slice of goodness that the world needs right now.

Learning to let go of the past is at the heart of this wonderful novel by Heather Webber. Ava and Maggie both must learn to leave regret behind and let change move them into the future. Heartwarming read set in a charming small town with characters that will touch your heart.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. It was my first time reading a Heather Webber book and now I am itching to read the rest of them to see if they all make me feel as cozy and whole.

This story features a wonderful coastal
Small town filled with even an even quirkier cast of characters. I loved that we got POVs from Maggie and Ava, two characters that were brought together but also had different journeys to fulfill.

The strength of this book was in its whimsy and its magical realism with just a dash of romance. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

This was such a sweet book. I read Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by this author last year and it was a favorite, so I was excited to read this one. It didn't disappoint!
I haven't read very much magical realism, but Heather Webber seems to have found her niche with this genre.
1 love how she keeps you guessing throughout the story…..Are ghosts real? Are there really magic powers?
Is the town kook really all that kookie?
Beautiful story, and I loved how it wrapped up
I got both the audiobook and ebook formats for this, and I loved the audiobook. The narrator was great!
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to review this book!

3.5 stars

This is a sweet feel-good story in the Hallmark-Steel Magnolias vein. Very readable with interesting characters that have some depth to them. Sometimes you want to pick up a book where everyone gets their happy ending.

Ava receives a mysterious note telling her to leave Ohio and go apply for a caretaker job in Alabama. She is struggling, because her ex-boyfriend died quite recently and because she had severe health problems as a child and young adult (epilepsy and seizures) and was protected to the point of being smothered. There is a hint of other worldliness that runs through the story.

In a bold move, she decides to go for it and heads off into the unknown. She ends up in a magical little town filled with eccentric characters, neighborliness, downright nosiness and affection. One woman in particular, old Estrelle, seems to have some sort of second sight and is given to making mysterious pronouncements that have heavy impact on residents.

Ava winds up working at the local coffee shop Magpie's for Maggie. Maggie is also struggling -- she originally placed the caretaker ad that Ava unbelievably responds to. Maggie's mother disappeared in the ocean when she was a girl and she and her dad Dez have been trying to cope ever since. Maggie is seriously overextended in an effort to keep herself busy after her only son goes off to college.

Emotional courage is a theme here -- being brave enough to open your heart after it has been broken. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Life is hard, and I want to believe in magic and miracles, serendipity and serenity. Heather Webber gives me these things every time. I love how she incorporates magical realism in small ways that make me think, Yes, that could happen.

Like all her books, this one gives us unforgettable, quirky, lovable characters. Where else can you find a dog that quabarks, a pet chicken, a mysterious old woman who wears a birdcage on her head, and a man whose method of flirting is to consistently order an item not on the menu?

But this book is not all light and fluffy. The complexities of issues such as grief, loneliness, and insecurity wrap around the story with thoughtful insight.

If you’re looking for a feel-good story about friendship, love, and small-town magic, this one’s for you.

I adored this newest book by Heather Webber. Heartwarming and full of characters who are finding their "brave." Family, friends, new chances, and choices. This book has it all. I can't wait to re-read it and absorb even more of its charm.

Magical realism! Found family! Love in unexpected places!

Seriously Heather Webber just became one of my new favorite authors and I will be buying all of her books because of this one. If that is not enough of a review from an a I’d reader I can’t tell you what is.

This book gave me everything I needed to get out of a reading slump and I need more Heather Webber writing before I end up in another!

I’ve always seen people ask what they would consider their comfort books and I have never had a good answer. I can think of a plethora of shows or movies that I would call comfort. Now I can say I have found a comfort read.

At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber is like a hug. It is the most charming story I’ve read in a long time. The characters feel like they would be friends. The small town is a place I would want to live. The coffee shop is a place I would want to be (even without matcha on the menu). The houses all sound fabulous with their ocean views, chaos, quirkiness and heart. The pets are delightful. The butterflies are magical. The supernatural mystery is intriguing. The love stories are heartwarming. This story is everything you could want that’s warm and fuzzy in the pages of a book.

I have posted this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvaEsn8rihA/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5733290762

And Amazon.

Hi, have we just met? If so, then you might not know of my love for Heather Webber’s books. But if you’ve followed me for a bit, you know how I feel about her stories. Love, love, love.

Add another to the list to love!

Ava Harrison has lived a sheltered life due to her health issues. She’s also wracked with guilt over the death of her boyfriend, Alexander. She feels like it was her fault he was hit by a car and killed. So when a mysterious letter with a job offer shows up, she wonders if he’s speaking to her from beyond the grave. In an uncharacteristically spontaneous move, she packs her things and heads to Driftwood, Alabama, hoping for an interview.

Maggie Brightwell is the proprietor of Magpie’s, the local coffee shop. In addition to serving great coffee, Maggie also matches people with the “curiosities” she keeps in the shop – little things she finds here and there that call to her. She has the uncanny ability to match people with the curiosities, giving them just the thing to spark interest in something they’d forgotten, or point them on a path they didn’t know they needed to travel.

When Ava arrives and inquires about the job, Maggie is taken aback. The ad Ava shows her is one she drafted, seeking a caregiver for her aging father. His behavior has been a little strange lately, and Maggie has concerns. But she’d then quickly discarded the listing. Yet here it is, in Ava’s hands. But Maggie thinks Ava will be good company for her father and hires her.

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities is delightful. Warm, inviting, with friends you didn’t know you needed to meet. Ava and Maggie are both wonderfully written. Life has tossed them both some challenges, but they haven’t let those challenges break them. Maggie’s father is quite the character, and his cat Molly (who becomes Ava’s cat, because cats) steals the show at times. Estrelle seems very intimidating, and her gift of seeing tends to make people nervous. But behind that veil and that dour exterior, is she as scary as all that?

Ava and Maggie each have unresolved issues to deal with. Ava’s health has kept her cocooned from life. She desperately wants to be normal, not pitied because of her condition or looked at differently because of her extraordinary abilities. She’s also dealing with the guilt of Alexander’s death, wondering whether she could have – should have – done anything differently. Maggie has never quite come to terms with her mother’s disappearance. The coffee shop was her mother’s passion project, and she keeps the shop going like she’s expecting her mother to walk in and pick up where she left off. Can Maggie see that perhaps she’s been hanging on for the wrong reasons all this time?

This book has everything: learning to let go of the past, taking a leap of faith, dreams deferred and then realized, romance, and Webber’s trademark touches of magic and whimsy. There were also some plot twists that had me just agog. I love it when authors throw in surprises that I don’t see coming. I’d recommend it for anyone who loves a well-told story in a charming Southern environment with characters you can root for. And every time I see a butterfly now, I may pay it a little extra attention.

Magical realism, found family, and love and joy after loss and grief are the themes in this novel from Heather Webber set in a small beach town where everyone gets up into each other's business in the sweetest of ways. Ava receives a mysterious want ad after her ex dies that leads her to Maggie's coffeeshop. Maggie "matches" people with "curiosities": small items that seem to vibrate for a particular person. In alternating chapters, these two women and the people around them learn when to hold on, when to let go, and when to risk a leap of faith into a new adventure.

The small town vibes and loveable characters keep the sadness of some of the characters' back stories from overwhelming the lovely sweetness of the overall feel of the novel. Webber writes places I would love to visit and people I wish I could meet. (Who wouldn't want an Estrelle looking out for them?)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for my review copy.

Heather Webber has written another story that keeps your heart warm as a cachemire blanket in winter
A story about following your instinct, moving on and leaving the past behind.
A cast of great characters, excellent storytelling and a sweet story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Heather Webber has written magic! Ava, Maggie, and Estrelle are some of the most memorable characters... they will stay with you long after you read At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities... I don't want to give anything away - this book is pure magic. Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! It is definitely not the type of book I typically read, as I tend to lean much darker when reading adult books, but its charm completely won me over. Part of my love for this book is subjective - the fictional town in which the story takes place is located in the area of the country where I'm from - the FL/AL Gulf Coast. References to towns like Mobile, Daphne, and Perdido Key just made my heart so happy, and made me more than a little bit homesick.

The story centers on two main characters, Maggie and Ava. At first glance these two women might not have much in common, but as they are drawn together by outside (ghostly?) forces, it becomes apparent that they both struggle with loneliness, pressure to please others, and debilitating fear of risk. As the story progresses, these two women find themselves connected and also begin to dig deep for the things in life that give them happiness. Yes, there are several romantic interludes with different men in town, but I felt that the crux of this story was the friendship between the two women and their personal growth. That focus probably has a lot to do with my enjoyment of the story, as I typically can't do sweet romance at all.

I would liken this book to a Hallmark movie. The arc is fairly predictable, and it's not going to strain your brain or heart. But you will find yourself rooting for the main characters and the happily ever afters they all deserve. This would be a great book to read on vacation - bonus points if you're reading it while sunbathing on the magnificent Gulf Coast of Alabama!

This was a cutie of a little book! Magical and nostalgic and sweet - it’s a nice break from all my normal reads. Not typically by genre (I need more drama and more conflict and tension) but I welcomed it like a breath of fresh air! Great palate cleanser and a little pick me up if that’s what you need.

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities was an absolutely creative and delightful story. I could not pick a favorite character even if I tried. Estrelle was magical and mysterious. Maggie was devoted, driven, and helplessly in love. Ava was thoughtful and resilient while Sam was shy and reserved with his adorable dog Norman. The characters were flawlessly written and the magical elements were seemlessly incorporated. I loved this book.

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities solidified my theory that I am just not a “cozy” fan. If I couldn’t like this book, then it’s because I don’t like the genre, not because anything about this book needed to be changed. It was cute and well written with interesting characters set in a vibrant beach town. I just wanted more of the “magic” and less of the “realism.” I didn’t really care about all of the quirky neighbors and their relationships, or the small-town drama that needed to be solved. There were a few plot twists that I did not see coming, but maybe I would have if I were paying closer attention or felt more connected to the characters. Romance, self-acceptance, and overcoming past trauma were the main themes of the story. Overall it was a good book, just not for me. It would be best marketed as “women’s fiction,” “family drama” and “romance” as opposed to ”magical realism.”

Thank you to @NetGalley and @TorBooks for this eARC!

I loved the cozy vibes and characters of this book! But the writing style just wasn't it for me unfortunately. I came into a bit of a slump halway through the book, but managed to finish it anyway. Because of this, I'm only giving this book 3 stars.

When I need a comfort book I turn to magical realism so when I read the synopsis for At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities I was all in. The story revolves around a small town in Alabama where Ava, having recently lost her boyfriend in a tragic accident, moves to after receiving a mysterious job description promising happiness. The town has all sorts of characters. Maggie runs the coffeeshop which is the heart of the town and has a corner where knickknacks remain until she finds the right owner for them – the person for whom the piece inspires and leads them to their life’s dream. Ava begins to work for Maggie’s father who needs a caretaker since he has not been himself lately (e.g. he is insisting there is a ghost in his house). Ava has been trying to avoid her past, her epilepsy which left her with heightened senses, and Maggie has been doing the same – avoiding the deep loss she feels from losing her mother to the sea at a young age. Together they find ways to move forward and find love, friendship and new definitions of family.

I liked the novel and the characters but it was a little too sweet for me. As I am a sucker for the magic side of things and I love a quirky character (and there were many in the town) I did enjoy the book and read it really quickly but it won’t be a book that will remain with me. It was a nice read while I had it but I didn’t fall in love with it.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for the opportunity to review