Down on her luck Adele feels like the broadway career she always dreamed of isn’t working out. One phone call however changes everything and gives her a new beginning in a strange little coffee shop with some quirky customers and a terrible secret.

This book reminded me at times of the sort of story Grady Hendrix writes. Quite bizarre at times with some darkness as well as some humour. The story was great and moved along well keeping me drawn in and the characters were brilliant. I loved Frank and Reba, two customers who certainly brightened up the Riffraff coffee shop. Definitely a coffee shop I’d love to visit, even with is dark secret.

A cute cozy rom com set amid a musical theater and coffee shop world with some campy horror vibes.


While I'm not big on rom cons, I did like this story. I liked the regulars of Riffraff and their interactions with each other. I liked the Aussie humor from Ben. I love musical theater, so I enjoyed that aspect a lot too. Each chapter titles is a bad coffee pun, so that's amusing. (Rage Against the Espresso Machine is my personal favorite.). Could have used more of the horror vibes (the evil roaster is interesting (and very Audrey II) and I think it was a little under utilized. B

The cover definitely reminded me of Little Shop Of Horrors and I ended up loving this book too. I really loved the characters, it has been my perfect read for my favourite autumn season.

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a cosy mystery perfect for this time of year. Adele is a down on her luck actress whose life changes when she inherits a coffee shop from a long lost Aunt. Riffraff attracts loveable, though peculiar, regulars, has a cheeky live-in cat, and an unexpectedly loud roaster in the basement.

Adele and Ben are very much a “grumpy x sunshine” pairing. Adele did break out into song more than I expected, and there were so many musical theatre references that I often felt myself being pulled out of the book because I simply didn’t understand them.

The pace of this one was quite slow. Things picked up a little around the halfway point, and what really kept me going was learning more about the delightful cafe regulars, and the question of what was going on in basement. The punny chapters titles also made me laugh!

Overall, this is a lighthearted read that will be perfect for pumpkin spice season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Book Review!

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves


3.5 / 5⭐️

1 / 5 🔥


Thank you @netgalley for this advanced reader copy of The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves. Release date : September 12,2024.


Before I even got to the first page I was giggling to myself at each chapters title. There are two things I love and they are coffee and puns. The author caught my love immediately when she combined those two!

I loved Reba and Franks side character dynamics and as someone with an Australian husband the Aussie jokes for Ben were a comfort to my heart (specifically the drop bears 😂).

The book started to lose my interest slightly around the 60-70% mark but reeled me back in quickly with some heartbreak and a lovely ending.

This book is for you if you like :

Coffee
Lovable side characters
Cute shop cat
Love triangles






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I love the Little Shop of Horrors so naturally I was excited for this book. However, it fell flat big time. The writing was not good and left a lot to be desired which is sad because there really was so much potential here.

Little Shop of Horrors is a childhood favorite and one of the few musicals that I will still sing along with. So, color me excited when there's a book, with a coffee shop rather than a floral shop, with the same concept. But the book is not good--so sad. Adele is a sweet and pretty actress who can't get an actual acting part in a musical. She inherits a coffee shop and apartment from an unknown aunt just in time to save her financially--except the shop isn't actually financially stable. The shop comes with a hot Australian barista Ben. He's the best thing about the book. *Spoilers ahead. Instead of an alien plant eating people it's a bean roaster in the basement. It's kind of clever except the writing is not great. There are so many references to other things--like constantly trying to make a funny statement funnier by referencing a movie or play, etc. But all it does it just drag out a scene. And this is the writing style in the entire book. This should have been a much shorter book. And Adele is so dumb, which Audrey is in Little Shop but Adele's stupidity angered me. The constant bashing of capitalism is overkill. It's mentioned at least 4 times. This book could benefit from some major editing. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

I’ll start by saying that Little Shop of Horrors is one of my favourite films, so I was looking forward to this. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me though.

Big Thanks to Netgalley & Avlon Books UK for the ARC of The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves!
Release date: 09/12/2024

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves is a delightful tale that follows Adele, an aspiring Broadway star who unexpectedly inherits a charming coffee shop and an apartment from a mysterious great-aunt she never met. Sounds amazing, right? But you know what they say—if it sounds too good to be true…

I had such a fun time reading this book! It was lighthearted, oddly cozy, and just the perfect easy read that didn’t take itself too seriously—definitely made me smile! The grumpy vs. sunshine dynamic between Adele and the Australian barista, Ben—who, thanks to her aunt's will, is sticking around—really hits all the sweet spots. It’s especially entertaining as he teaches her the ins and outs of running a coffee shop, considering her background in musical theater. Just a heads up though, it’s definitely a slow burn with minimal romance; the quirky, loyal coffee shop characters and their everyday adventures really take the spotlight.

I loved witnessing the friendship grow between Adele and Gracie. At first, when the Niovla sisters showed up, I thought, “Here come the antagonists!” But as the story developed, Gracie became an essential part of Adele’s support system at the shop. I particularly appreciated their conversations about Gracie's photography and that moment when, completely unaware, she helped Adele out of a tricky situation involving her so-called “boyfriend” Donny.

Speaking of Donny, hats off to Hazel Graves for crafting a character you just want to shake up. Not that I usually condone violence, but wow, this guy…

If I’m being a bit picky, there were moments in the book I felt could be trimmed down, as they didn’t significantly impact the story. While I appreciated the supernatural twist that popped up in a romantic comedy, it didn't quite resonate with me, personally.

I look forward to hopefully seeing more books in this series, possibly focusing on other characters or diving deeper into Adele and Ben's blossoming relationship!

would rate this a ⭐⭐⭐.75/5 (rounded up to 4⭐ on Goodreads)

Spice - 0.5🌶️/5.

How could I not love a book with the words 'coffee shop' in the title?
And I do love it.
The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a highly enjoyable read, set in a fictional suburb in New York city, where a dream coffee shop has been inherited by Adele. Adele has dreamed of becoming a musical theatre star since her childhood, but her dream is slowly fading and she grabs this new opportunity with excitement. Never mind, that she has no idea of her benefactor, but the coffee shop RiffRaff seems like fun and the regulars are a true bunch of characters so she decides what could go wrong?
Well, a lot actually.
A grumpy (but utterly gorgeous Aussie) barista, missing regulars, a cantankerous boyfriend, a warring couple and a missing dog all add to the hilarity of this brilliant storyline. And plenty of musical theatre references.
My only disappointment is that Adele and co did not break out into song on a few occassions!

ARC Review

The little coffee shop of terrors
By Hazel Graves
Publish date: Sept 12, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for allowing me read and review this book.

Adele a struggling broadway singer inherits her great aunts coffee shop. With 3 conditions: 1. Can’t sell it in first year 2. Must run it 3. Ben stays With Adele being down on her luck she feels like this is the perfect opportunity. What happens when this cute cozy coffee shop isn’t what she thought it was.

I was drawn in from the start with the creepy vibes and people (customers) disappearing.

I wish there was more character development between Ben and Adele and I found it a little weird how quick she was to accept what was happening at the end.

I absolutely loved the coffee shop cat and how it played a role in the selection.

This was quick, cozy, slightly creepy read. Perfect for the fall and spooky season.

This was an absolutely delightful start to spooky season and the prefect kind of banter meets hijinks that I die for. I wish I could read this again for the first time, it was so FUN.

What a quirky, fun, and cosy read!
I loved every bit of this book. From the front cover to the references of films and shows to the names of the chapters titles. I really enjoyed meeting the eccentric, odd, and interesting cast of characters that made this story come alive. I have to mention Ember the tuxedo cat too. As i have one of my own.
A slow-burn plot that I couldn't get enough of, a real page turner.
The romance was a small part of this story. As I'm not a big romance reader, I loved what it added to the overall story. Many times, I found myself laughing out loud or giggling to myself whilst reading this. The humour was definitely up my street.

A perfect lighthearted, feel-good and weirdly wonderful read for you to get lost in.

Thank you, Avon Books UK, for my advanced copy.
My opinions are my own.

3 ⭐ 0 🌶

There was a lot I really enjoyed about this book, but unfortunately a lot left to be desired too. The story was really quirky and fun, but it was soooo slowww. This long of a book normally takes me about 4-5 hours across one day, two days max and I feel like I've been reading it for a week straight. It was just a lot of mud in the beginning...

Thankfully it picked up at the end and while it was a lot of information in a small space, I much preferred that. I loved watching Adele figure out what was going on and this story kinda ended up with a little life lesson before going off the deep end of quirkiness all over again. There was a little bit of sadness and a little bit of romance in this otherwise cozy merdur mystery.

So many theater and musical references are stuffed into this book, it is perfect for any fan of theater or even pop culture. I devoured this book in two days. The ending was a little brutal for my taste, but overall found it to be humorous, touching, and overall an entertaining read.

The daily grind can be a real killer!
This was a fun and cosy (yes, the story is both 'murdery' and cosy) spin on Little Shop Of Horrors, but in a coffee shop setting. While I did feel that the story took a while to get going, it still kept me interested enough to keep reading, because I became quickly invested in the characters' lives and story lines. As you're reading you know where the plot is going, but that doesnt make the experience any less enjoyable. The cast of characters is quirky and fun, and while the romance is but a small part of the plot, it is still an element of the story that I enjoyed and I was waiting for the moment that the tension between Adele and Ben resolved itself! Overall, this is a great one to read while the weather is changing and things are starting to feel more autumnal. Definitely one to add to the fall reading lists, and to be enjoyed with a lovely cup of.coffee.....just look out for how the beans were roasted!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hazel Graves for an advanced copy in exchange for my review!

I loved the premise but this book wasn’t for me at all.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy read that isn’t too involved, this is perfect.
There’s some romance. Some horror, and a heavy helping of puns.

This is a hoot. Adele was surprised to inherit a coffee shop and even more surprised that it has a haunted roaster. No more spoilers from me! This is a slow roast romance between two opposites in Adele and Ben as well as a nice it takes a village look at the shop's regulars, including a romance between two of them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

First off I absolutely loved all the chapter headings. They were so creature and some of the puns had me laughing out loud.

I honestly don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before! The plot was a lot of fun and had a great mix of romance (including one of my favourite tropes grumpy/sunshine!), intrigue and wackiness!

The two main characters bounced off each other really well and I loved their banter. The humour was great and really helped to pace the romantic elements.

It also had a great array of side side characters which really added to the cosiness/found family nature of the coffee shop. I was especially a fan of Ember the cat!

The plot did feel a tad slow to build up the the 'terror' part but once it did it was such an unusual story element. I just wish it had happened a bit sooner so it could have been explored a little more (if it had this probably would have been a 5 star read for me).

Overall I really enjoyed this authors writing style and would definitely be interested in reading more by them in the future.