Audiobook Review: At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)

A mysterious letter. An offer taken. And the chance to move forward.

When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing—a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama—is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.

On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth—keeping busy is the best way to distract herself from the lingering loss of her mama and her worries about her aging father. No one knows better than she does that you can’t pour from an empty cup, but holding on to the past is the only thing keeping the hope alive that her mama will return home one day.

Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted—not by spirits, but by regret. They must learn to let go of the past to move on—because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.

Maggie is the heart and soul of Magpie’s Coffee and Curiosity Shop. The shop had belonged to her mother, who was caught in a riptide, disappeared years ago, and is presumed dead by everyone but Maggie. Although her father has been talking about selling the shop lately, Maggie is determined to hold on to Magpie’s, which she still considers her mother’s shop. Maggie also has concerns about her father’s strange behavior lately and is thinking about hiring an aide to live with him. She creates and then discards an ad for someone to care for a cantankerous old man. When Ava receives a strange letter and a crumpled advertisement for a job as an aide to an older man in Driftwood, Alabama, she decides this is the perfect fresh start after the death of her ex-boyfriend. Ava closely guards two secrets. She had epilepsy as a child, and she developed some extrasensory abilities after her last grand mal seizure.

I loved every bit of this book, from the coffee shop, to the town, to the quirky characters. Driftwood is a typical small town where everyone is in everyone else’s business, but it also has some very unique residents. Estrelle, who always dresses in black, might just predict your future or give you bad breath if she chooses. Maggie has a gift for picking out the perfect “curiosity” for friends and customers, and the newcomer Ava’s gifts are special indeed. In addition to gifts, the town holds many secrets, and so much love that the reader will feel pulled right in. There is romance in every corner, but the themes of loss, trusting others, and moving forward shine through. I hope there will be a sequel, because this town already has a place in my heart.

The narration of the audiobook was very well done by Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, who perfectly captured both the characters and magic of this small town.

I received a free copy of this audiobook via Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Webber, aka Heather Blake, is the author of more than twenty-five novels. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book.

HEATHER’S SOCIAL MEDIA: INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

ABOUT THE NARRATORS

Hallie Ricardo

Originally from Bloomfield, New Jersey, Hallie was introduced to the performing arts by her Broadway performer parents. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Southern California’s School of Theatre in Los Angeles and now works as a professional film and television actress and audiobook narrator. She has narrated over 100 titles over the past five years across various genres, including  bestselling series Ivy+Bean and most recently the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award winning series Beak and Ally. Hallie is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and is unabashedly obsessed with her two cats, Vinny and Josie.

Stephanie Willis is a professional actress, instructor, and voice-over artist. She is a graduate of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and has taught with Georgia Shakespeare and several other performing arts schools. She also records narration for videos and audiobooks.

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