Saphira has always dreamed of owning her own café. Not just any café though, no a café where baby dragons are welcome to enjoy some delicious snacks whilst their owners enjoy a drink of the vast café menu. Since Saphira was little, she knew that this is exactly what she wanted to do.

Aiden on the other hand, has a broken heart after his brother passed away 2 years ago. He left him a baby dragon and Aiden is not so sure what he is going to do now this little dragon is in his life. Especially since he’s still grieving. The only thing he does know for sure is that he wants to keep this baby dragon - the only thing still connecting him to his brother.

When one day Aiden runs into Saphira at her baby dragon café, the two of them agree that Saphira will assist to train the little baby dragon called Sparky. Will this arrangement between Aiden and Saphira be causing sparks? Or will they both end up burned?

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book! It’s such a cute, cosy, and heartwarming romance story, perfect to read when you’re curled up under a blanket on the sofa! I enjoyed both Saphira and Aiden as main characters. They each had their own, sometimes tragic, background story and I liked how their different worlds merged together. The side characters were a lovely addition to this story, especially Lavinia, Theo, Ginny, and Emmy. I do feel that certain topics could have been addressed a little more in this book, but overall I think it was written well.

Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No, but it’s a cute romance story with dragons so what more would you want?

Thank you to Avon Books UK for providing me with the ARC of this book!

This is an excellent novel. I really enjoyed reading it, and it was a nice take. Could see our students really liking it too.

I am new to the cosy fantasy genre and to be honest I don't think any of them could top the baby dragon cafe!

I mean a cafe.....for baby dragons? I adored every second of the book and Saphira and Aiden were such amazing characters,

Can't wait to own a physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an ARC of the eBook.

This book was as cosy and adorable as the title suggests. I loved Saphira as a character and how much love she has for these little baby dragons. Sparky had such a fun personality too. Cheeky and just how you would imagine a baby dragon.

I had already pre-ordered this paperback before being approved for the ARC so I can’t wait to add this to my collection.

Now off to work out how to turn my pet Leopard Gecko into a baby dragon!

A cute romantic novel that has the added bonus of being set in a world where dragons exist, and the protagonist runs a cafe for baby dragon owners. The dragons are not welcome in many establishments as they create chaos and carnage as they learn to use their power of fire. Saphira has had a lifelong dream to run a cafe and is able to due to an inheritance from her beloved grandmother. With no other family Saphira dedicates her life to her business with no time for fun. There is a system of hierarchy among dragon owners, with only rich and long established families are allowed to own dragons, Aiden inherited a dragon egg from his late brother and fears the family expectations involved with having a dragon. The two meet and start to become friends despite their very different backgrounds and place in society.

I found this a cute, easy read, with a slow burn sweet romance among the two main characters. A great book for young adults and those that enjoy character development with predictable buy enjoyable tropes.

oh, this book is the very definition of a cozy romance; it’s cozy, very low-stake, and a soothing balm to the heart. i wouldn’t say the romance between aiden and saphira was slow burn—at least, their love story wouldn’t be my definition of a slow burn romance. there was an instant connection between them from the moment they met, and their relationship progressed in a way that was so seamless and easy. i loved them a lot.

i also absolutely adored all the scenes involving their baby dragon, sparky! even though the book didn’t exactly go into super, in-depth detail of the lore of the dragons in their universe, but the basics are there, and you do get some idea of how they all operate. especially the baby ones. you don’t know the amount of times i squealed seeing sparky’s antics. i sympathized with aiden’s inability to control sparky but i couldn’t help but gush at how cute sparky was during his tantrum.

i think, over everything, this book is really about finding a place for yourself in the world, getting that sense of belonging, and a little bit about navigating grief of those who have passed, alongside a cute romance with our cutest duo and their baby dragon. just perfect. i can’t wait for the next book.

thank you so much avon uk and netgalley for the e-arc. i’m so grateful.

Unfortunately this was one of those books where I had to drag myself to the end for Netgalley purposes; while everything in concept seemed like a wonderful idea unfortunately it was just very plot-less and slow paced.

I don't have much to say about the book overall because I really just didn't enjoy it, it's taken me weeks and weeks to read it. I think if your thing is the slow paced thematic cafe based books I've seen floating around maybe it'll be your jam but this just wasn't doing it for me.

The romance aspect I wasn't rooting for, the cafe I wasn't rooting for, I wasn't rooting for anything because I was entirely uninvested and I am devastated about it because baby dragons sounded so cute. Not enough sparks, fantasy or plot for me

The Baby Dragon Café is a cosy and comforting novel - with cute baby dragons. I adored our main dragon, Sparky, who was such a delightful creature! If you are looking for a sweet and soft fantasy novel with the most tender and adorable main couple then this is the book for you! The slow burn is slow but the feelings are very real, and the cast of supporting characters is a riot.

Thank you so much to the author and Avon Books for the ARC of this book - which also has the cutest cover!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this title.

I picked up The Baby Dragon Cafe because it sounded like just the thing I'd enjoy - a cosy fantasy with baby dragons. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. For starters, the logistics of the two main characters each running their own business, but then seemingly dropping everything on a whim to do up the cafe's garden didn't make sense. Their attraction was a bit too much insta-love for me, and the reasons for trying to ignore that attraction felt a bit contrived. The pacing felt off in places, and especially towards the end rituals were introduced seemingly at random.
Also, considering that such a big deal was made of the illegal dragon races, the way Sparky not getting involved in racing was resolved felt a bit anticlimactic.

Perhaps some additional edits could have helped it along? However, looking back at my highlighted passages, I noticed that I mainly highlighted passaged where I felt the language could have done with some polishing, and not really any inspirational favourite quotes. This wasn't for me.

This is such a cute book! I love the concept of dragons as pet, that makes me want to have one as well! The female main character is relatable in some ways and the way this book is written is so immersive!

Saphira's dream has always been to create a cafe where baby dragons would be welcome. She's known for years that this is what her heart wants to do. Aiden's heart is still broken from losing his brother, so he's not sure what he's going to do now that there's a baby dragon in his life. He doesn't have much heart to give the little guy right now. But fate intervenes; Aiden meets Saphira, and the two of them agree to Saphira helping train Sparky. Will Sparky ignite a flame between these two? Or will Saphira add another burn to her collection - on her heart?

This is my first Qureshi book, and I feel like it fits the Cozy Romance genre perfectly! It's definitely Romance Fantasy, not Fantasy Romance. The whole novel felt like reading a hug (for me it felt similar to reading The Spellshop). I really enjoyed the FMC's backstory (though tragic), and the sprinkling of her heritage in the story. I enjoyed the side characters, and can read between the lines to know that their stories will be coming at some point. This is absolutely a grumpy + sunshine trope book, along with a slow burn. Yes, the fake married trope does make an appearance, and it does stretch willing suspension of disbelief -but this is a story with baby dragons, chimeras and gryphons - I went with it and loved it! (Good ol' trusty one bed trope shows up too!)

While I do agree that there are a few places that exposition about characters or events was repeated (as seen in other reviews), it absolutely did not pull me out of the story, or interfere in my enjoyment of this book. I smiled so often at the antics of the baby dragons, or at the descriptions of the beautiful gardens. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Spice level (scale of 1-5): 1.5-2 (kissing, fade to black, and discussion of said activities)

Stars: 4 - I really enjoyed this and read it in less than 24 hours!

My thanks to Avon Books UK along with NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A really cute, cosy fantasy / romantasy set in a baby dragon cafe.
Saphira owns a cafe but is struggling to make it work as the baby dragons keep breaking things, but she loves them anyway. Aiden is now the owner of a baby dragon and has no idea what to do, so he employs Saphira to help train Sparky.
Sparks fly, ha sorry, anyway this was closed door romance, it was a lovely read and would be perfect to read whilst under a blanket on a cold day.
I thought the anxiety representation was good, and I liked how you got both POV in alternating chapters.

Saphira has made her dream come true - she's opened her café, one specifically welcoming baby dragons and their owners. Due to the very temperamental nature of baby dragons they tend to set things alight, so Saphira gets a small stipend from the town to repair damages. But she's running herself and Lavinia ragged. They really need a break and then catastrophe happens. A baby dragon takes out their fancy coffee machine!

Aiden may be from a prominent dragon-owning family but he's much happier pottering around in gardens. After the death of his brother he inherited his dragon egg, which has now hatched. Sparky is cute as a button but Aiden finds himself struggling to bond with the baby. Saphira however, seems to be able to get the little menace to behave and Aiden persuades her to help him train Sparky - with a cash injection to her business.

Whilst Aiden, Saphira and Sparky are the main characters in the book, the secondary characters of Lavinia, Theo, Emmy and Ginny are all worthy characters. They help to move the story along and flesh out our MC's world and family. The story is most definitely low angst and no spice (only a bit of lip locking and everything else is essentially fade-to-black). This could be a contemporary romance as without the dragons everything else felt very real world and contemporaneous. However, I think that this would be a great introductory book into fantasy for older children/teenagers or anyone who is unsure if they would like a heavier fantasy storyline.

That said there are some big themes couched in cosy terms such as being seen as the outcast/other, not fitting in, grief and stress.

Saphira is like human sunshine and optimism. Aiden is cranky, principled and out of his depth. He's also deep in grief and can't quite work out his feelings over the death of his brother and trying to keep Sparky out of the family "business".

I was happy to see that there are going to be more books in the series featuring some of the secondary characters. My only real criticism is I would like to have seen more done with the possibility of Saphira's father and her mother's death. It would have added a bit more body to the story I think.

What a cute and cozy book! I absolutely adored the characters and their cute love story. The baby dragons are cute and rambunctious. If you’re looking for a cozy read with love and dragons, this is your book.

The cover for this is arable and what drew me in! Such a cute and cozy read! I loved the baby dragons but otherwise this was light on the fantasy. It did feel a bit repetitive but I did enjoy both main characters and their relationship. Sparky was an adorable little menace. I would’ve loved to see a bit more of other baby dragons and their riders. This was a cute, quick read!

DNF at 65%

I really wanted to love this one and I honestly really tried but the writing style just wasn't for me, it seemed the characters were portrayed a lot younger than adults with their own businesses, things were very over explained and it was very light on the fantasy considering this is a world full of dragons.

This was such a cute and cozy read. I wish I had a dragon cafe to go to! Thank you NetGalley for the arc! :)

(4.5 rounded down) This was such a sweet, heartwarming read - the literary equivalent of gobbling down a frosted cupcake. The book is light romantasy, revolving around a world in which dragons are pets and a part of daily life, and an extremely lovely young woman is the owner of a struggling cafe that provides treats for the townspeople and their baby dragons. She meets a man with little interest in training his own dragon, so the two reach a bargain - Saphira, our main character, will train the dragon (Sparky!!) and Aiden, the love interest, will help her keep her cafe afloat. The story is extremely low stakes. The best comparison I can think of would be Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - cozy fantasy with a food component. I had a delightful time with this. The cover is also perfect and so cute. I would pick it up for the cover alone. I really hope Aamna Qureshi continues to build her fantasy world out further. Will definitely read on, if so!

3.75⭐️ thank you Netgalley and Aamna Qureshi for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I won't lie..mainly read this for the dragons...that was worth it. This was a strong debut novel!

Sapphira was a sweet character, and she was very inspiring. She chased her goals of being cafe owner and I loved it for her. I did feel like she was easily disheartened, especially by the end. She felt like she had to prove something to everyone else, just because she wasn't a dragon rider or part of a dragon family.

Aiden, again, was a sweetheart. Shy, and a little grumpy and sometimes harsh with Sparky (the baby dragon). But you see him come out of his shell a lot.

T R O P E S
💙slow burn
💙close proximity
💙he falls first
💙no third act breakup
💙found family.

This was a lovely quick read.

Not sure how I feel about the nicknames for Sparky ("sparky-poo")... and even for the baby dragons in general, "draggos"... just sounded a bit strange.

And you can get a feeling for the next couple of books... book 2 = friends to lovers, book 3, maybe business rivals/ enemies to lovers (?)... I can't wait to visit this world again !

I sadly DNFd at chapter 5

The consistent describing of the same thing over and over again was extremely grating and some points I thought I was reading the same page.

The premise of this book sounded amazing and I was so excited for it but sadly the execution fell flat for me.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for future books from this author but this one was a miss for me