AT THE COFFEE SHOP OF CURIOSITIES
Heather Webber, Author
Women’s Fiction

When Ava and Maggie are thrown together under some unusual circumstances. They become fast friends but each are hiding deep secrets. Will their friendship survive when they find out each others secrets or will it fall apart.

I adore Heather Webber with her witty humor and ability to weave a bit of magic into her books without some readers even knowing. I already have my mother reading this book and she loves the book as well. I would definitely give the book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Ava Harrison needs a change in her life and it looks like she's found just that. The death of her most recent ex-boyfriend has hit her hard and she is floundering when she receives a cryptic job posting to care for an elderly man half-way across the country. On a whim, she gets in her car and heads to the tiny town in Alabama hoping for a new start.

This story is sweet, heartwarming, and dreadfully slow. I almost put it down a couple of times, but I don't regret sticking with it. I was listening to it on a long road trip and did fear it would not keep me awake at a few places.

There were small mystical/supernatural elements, but they were not explored too deeply. There were fun, quirky characters that just weren't developed fully. I would have loved to know the elderly man Ava was caring for a little better. He was a fun one. There was too much focus on the everyday, mundane activities of characters.

Readers do not have to worry about any potentially offensive content in this one. It is sweet and simple.

The narrator was an extremely slow talker. Her voice was pleasant, but I had to listen at 1.6x speed just to hear a normal speaking pace.

The biggest appeal for me was the precious small town setting. It had all the elements of a Hallmark movie setting, kind and inviting residents, idyllic downtown, civic squabbling, and quaint festivities. I just wish this, also, was explored a little deeper. It was cute and sweet but it could have been rich and compelling.

What a truly wonderful book! I enjoyed this story in audio book format, and greatly enjoyed the story and the narrator. This was a fantasy/sci-fi story, and was very well written. Heather Webber has an incredible imagination, and managed to greatly surprise me with the ending. I can honestly say I was not able to foresee any of the great revelations of the ending, and this is fantastic! I love such surprises!!!

Thank you, Macmillan audio and Netgalley, for this opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet read! I liked it so much that I went out and bought Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe.

Ava receives a letter about a job,taking care of a cranky old man and his cat, available in Driftwood, Alabama. She thinks it somehow came from her ex-boyfriend who died a year ago. She decides it's time for a new and normal life and heads to Driftwood..

Maggie runs Magpies, a coffee shop in Driftwood that her mama started. She was worried about her father when she posted about the job but she immediately ripped up the ad. She has no idea how Ava got it.

Though everyone has secrets, Ava finds a family, including the cat, in the small town where magic happens.

I gave this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It had a little mysterious vibe along with some magical realism. It was definitely about found family and new beginnings. I loved the quirky characters!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very calm and low-stakes, and it was exactly what I needed this week. The ending was a little bit confusing for me personally, but overall, it was still a very good book.

The characters were well-crafted with backstories outside of the breadth of the novel. It was comforting, and I really sympathized with Ava, feeling like I'd been thrown into the middle of everything.

The narrators did a wonderful job, as well.

Life goes on. When a mysterious letter brings Ava Harrison to a small town in Alabama she will start living the life she never knew could exist. Pushing boundaries and coming to term with her needs brings a whole cast of characters to life. The descriptions of the various characters makes it so easy to visualize all of them in their unique and bigger than life personas. Great and fun read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ForgeBooks for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest and independent review.

What a beautiful menagerie of characters and plots. I was surprised by how this all fit together and I adored the magic realism that was included in the novel. The depth of the characters and the themes explored make this a wonderful book that elicits strong emotions from the reader. The happy ending is a nice bow on this present of a book.

This story begins rather strangely, with Ava spontaneously moving from Ohio to Alabama coast to apply for a job as caretaker of senior man. She knows no one and immediately realizes this town is "special" with lots of eccentric people, some of which appear to have special powers. Not unusual to Ava, though, as she also has some senses that are able to detect things others can't. Now some of you might just say "not for me, too much woo-woo!" I almost did, myself, but was held to the story by Ava's almost immediate attraction to a man named Sam and his adorable dog. The more I listened to this book, the more I began to love these odd characters and become engrossed in their stories. I'm not usually interested in the supernatural, but this book presents it as endearing and with positive outcomes. There are some heavy story lines--a child with a brain tumor, a woman not willing to address her grief after her mother's disappearance, and star-crossed lovers reunited after decades apart. But somehow, it all fits. Loved this book!

The only negative for me was the inability to clearly hear the narrator's portrayal of Sam's voice. It was low and very soft. While I really liked what that added to the character's personality, it was frustrating to have to keep turning up and down the volume (as Maggie's voice was very loud in comparison). [Even more so if listening while driving!]

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was originally interested in this book by the description of this being about two women dealing with grief, aging family, and life choices. I love a book that delves into emotional growth and change. I also typically love magical realism, so I figured this would be enjoyable for me.

Both characters are dealing with some difficult things. Ava is reeling with the grief at her ex boyfriend's recent death and Maggie is hurting from her mother's death and her father's possible decline. They are brought together by a mysterious letter sent to Ava about a caregiver position that Maggie posted and then almost immediately took down. The strongest characterization was Maggie, who felt older than her age because she's been forced to grow up by her mum's disappearance, having to run the family business, and her father's erratic behavior. I could just feel the level of exhaustion she was operating in. Ava on the other hand didn't really feel like a real person to me. Her character and responses to the situation she was in were a little strange to me. One minute she's telling us her ex boyfriend isn't right for her and the next minute she's grieving so deeply that she's starving herself,. It just came across a bit uneven.

The plot was fine enough. We have the mystery element with the letter sent to Ava. We have another mystery with Maggie's father and his haunted house. We have the personal situations that Maggie and Ava are going through and then we have two separate romance plots. At times, it made the book feel like it didn't have a clear focus. It made the pacing a bit uneven too.

And then there was the romance....I'm not a big romance fan at all, so I was a little bit nervous when it became clear that romance was going to play a large part in this book. That said, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would and found both relationships relatively wholesome. I don't know that they're entirely realistic, but they weren't insanely out there either.

I did listen to an audio ARC of this book and found the narrator enjoyable and easy to follow, I thought she did a good job of bringing the characters to life.

All in all, this was an enjoyable enough read. I won't be raving about it, but neither would I discourage anyone from reading it., If you're into magical realism, mystery, family drama, and romance, you may enjoy this book.

Ava has felt lost since the unexpected death of her ex-boyfriend, so when an anonymous letter with a mysterious job posting in Driftwood, Alabama appears in her mail, she surprises herself and decides to check it out. Maggie runs the coffee shop in Driftwood and has been refusing to let go of her past as well as overworking herself. The two women soon find friendship with each other and realize they have more in common than they thought. But will either of them learn to let go of their past and their regrets to embrace a more loving and hopeful future?

This ended up being a comfort read for me. I grew up in a small, southern town, and the author managed to perfectly capture what I always wanted from that experience. Yes, it was romanticized, but that’s part of what makes a comfort read. You won’t find much real smalltown drama here as everyone is rather wholesome/positive. There was also a hint of magical realism throughout the read, which I felt was incorporated well.

This was also a good character study, told from the dual POV of Eva and Maggie. I enjoyed the exploration of Eva’s personal history with an overprotective parent and her epilepsy, and how these things challenged her as well as shaped her life and her actions. I did find Maggie’s POV to be a bit repetitive, especially in the first two-thirds of the book. However, the character growth for both protagonists was well written, realistic, and relatable. I also enjoyed the varied personalities and backgrounds of everyone in the small town, with their quirks and how well everything came together.

This certainly was not a plot-heavy book, but it didn’t need to be. I listened to the audiobook version of this work, and thought the narrators did a good job, although they sounded so similar I didn’t realize it was two different people until the end of the read. If you like wholesome smalltown fiction and character-driven reads, you’ll likely enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Ava Harrison gets a job listing in the mail to move to a small coastal town in Alabama. She goes on a whim and gets the job working with Maggie and her father. I loved the town and the community. Sweet book.

Excellent narration by Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis.

Loved this story of Ava and Maggie. Heather Weber is a master of drawing you in and making you feel like you are a part of the story right there in the coffee shop. This is a heartwarming story of coming to terms with loss, regret and grief with just the right touch of magic to make it believable.

What a cozy, beautiful, character drive novel. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators really brought to life all these bright, interesting characters in this quirky town. Romance, a dash of mystery (and possible paranormal?) with dramatic histories, secrets throughout and a way of storytelling that frequently brought tears to my eyes. The writing is beautiful and even though the story is a bit slower paced, I could not get enough! I will officially read and listen to anything this author writes!

This was a good story with yet another great small town feel. I still loved Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe more but this was still well done

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Every year I look forward to the release of author Heather Webber's newest title. Her books always have a whimsical feel and the kind of characters you want to hang out with. Although I did like this story, it was not my favorite of all her titles. Regardless, it was a lovely story that kept me guessing until the very end.

A town you will dream of visiting with a crew of fun and eclectic characters you will fall for quickly. The perfect cozy, autumnal, wholesome story.

This book does so many things right: charming small town setting, quirky and loveable characters and a little bit of magic that just works perfectly in the story. There's also great disability rep! I was pulled in immediately and couldn't wait to see where the story would lead. I really liked both main characters, but especially Maggie. I was sold on At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities until the very end of the book ruined it for me a little. I'm sure not everyone would share my feelings about that ending and I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't go into detail. Overall, I enjoyed this one though!

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities comes out on August 1st!

A whimsical story with interesting characters. Ava receives a mysterious letter about an unusual job, which comes shortly after the death of her ex-boyfriend. Ava believes that the job will be the perfect opportunity to start over, even though the job is working as the caretaker of an old man and his grumpy cat. When Ava moves to Driftwood Alabama she meets Maggie, who is a cheerful ray of sunshine to everyone she meets. Deep down Maggie's cheerfulness covers up her sadness over the loss of her mother and having to care for her elderly father. Maggie and Ava discover what they both have in common while working through their painful past.
This book was okay, but not my cup of tea. I listened to the audiobook and did not care for the narration.

An absolute joy to listen to! This is one of the most descriptive, cozy stories I've ever been enveloped in. From the very start, the language and detail used to draw you into the world of this small town are just beautiful. You feel for each of the characters and the community built through the author's words. Very quicky, you begin to feel like you're a member of this community, this neighborhood.

There isn't a time throughout the story I wish it would hurry up and get to the point. I just wanted to get deeper into the minds of each character and know more about them.

An emotional story, with a wonderful twist to connect everything all together.

At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber is a humorous love story. This was my second audiobook and I loved it! I loved how unique every character was and how their lives were all intertwined living in a small town. Maggie, runs her family’s coffee shop that her late mother had opened and his hopelessly in love with Donovan, who works at the local bakery, though she won’t admit it. Her father, Desmond, who “sees ghosts” in his home is worrying Maggie. Ava, a young girl lost in regret and mourning a dear friend is looking for a fresh start in a town where she can just be “normal”. Sam, a retired musician who’d lost the gift of music when his ex-wife passed away and his dog Norman seem to be around every corner. And, of course, no small town would be complete without the crazy old woman with “magical powers”. These characters allow the reader to understand how Maggie, her father and all the people in the small town rally after Maggie’s mother disappeared off the pier over a dozen years before. They also allow the reader to understand the importance of keeping our loved ones close and to always be able to express ourselves freely. We, all too often, hold back from speaking our minds out of fear of being judged or pitied. However, those who love us unconditionally will always be there to provide support and pick us up when we fall. Maggie learns that lesson the hard way and is ultimately able to let go with the help of those around her. I found that the story moved me to tears as well as allowed me to shake my head and laugh with the absurdity of the situations Maggie finds herself in. It was slow at times but there was just enough mysteriousness to pique my curiosity to keep me listening. Overall, I would recommend to others who enjoy novels with family drama.