A down on your luck want to be broadway star and an Australian barista, what a recipe for fun. Adele inherits her great aunts coffee shop right when she thinks she’ll need to pack up and leave New York. I had such high hopes for this, I love a spooky romance especially with Halloween approaching but there were many moments that fell flat for me. The execution of the story could have been carried out better.

Adele is a struggling Broadway actor who inherits a coffee shop from her eccentric aunt. Barista Ben & boyfriend Donny help her try to make the café a success. Nothing is straight forward. A great story with laugh out loud moments, worth a read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me read this weird little book. I really loved this one.

Adele is the typical struggling broadway actor who is starting to give up on her big dreams of being on stage when she unexpectedly receives a blessing? In disguise which is a very strange little coffee shop from an estranged aunt. This seems like a dream come true except it comes with terms - one being that she must keep on Ben, the very attractive barista that currently works there. Things get off to a rocky start but all seems well until Ben refuses to let her go down to the mysterious and noisy basement and some regulars start to go missing.

If you are a fan of musicals then this book will be for you, it is absolutely packed full of musical references which meant I had a permanent smile on my face throughout. The book is very fast paced and almost jumps around a bit, think of Lorelei from Gilmore Girls but the broadway version. Audrey is a happy, bright and (luckily for this plot) a go with the flow character who loves to sing and talk to anyone. A perfect contrast for Ben, the sexy, mysterious and secretive barista who is very much the opposite of this. I love a good grumpy/ sunshine trope and their banter and dynamic was really fun to read.

One highlight of this book for me was the side characters that really shone through, I don’t think this book would have been half as good without all the zany coffee shop regulars that we get to know and love and their side storyline was a nice contrast to the more chilling and darker main plot line.

This book manages to mix the absurd overzealous comedy of broadway with the strange macabre of a horror B movie. The horror storyline did seem a bit secondary to all the other weirdness that went on but I didn’t mind that because I was having such a good time. I did like the reveal of what was in the basement I just wish that we got more of an explanation as it seemed wrapped up quite quickly which was slightly disappointing. Its a truly unique book though and so much fun.

“In truth, she was anxious about what she might find below. Like armchairs made out of human skin. Or a shrine to a football team.”

This book was wonderful! It was perfect for the spooky season with equally humorous and spooky scenes. The characters pull you in and refuse to let go! Add to your October TBR now!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun quick read. I liked the coziness and its silliness. There were times the main character frustrated me a lot because she was so naïve. I think this is a book you should read if you are in the mood for a fall cozy vibe mystery to read in one sitting.

My favorite part of the book was the cat who lived in the cat and was a menace in the best way!

Perfect cozy Fall book. Loved all the tropes for spooky season. So nice to curl up with a cup of coffee and read. Hope to see more from Graves and next time a longer book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
🌶️ 1/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Hazel Graves for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and share my thoughts with other readers.


This book had all the pieces to be really great. I love musicals, spooky season, a little murder mystery, coffee, cats and any reference to Little Shop of Horrors. It just fell so flat for me in the execution. There were a handful of sections that felt a little off topic from the plot and ended up giving a “this is what happened next in her day” vibe. I almost entirely lost interest at 70% and if I wasn’t so stubborn about not DNF’ing I would have just called it quits.

Like I said above, it just didn’t hit and I can’t quite put my finger on it. The writing style was just a bit slow? It wasn’t bad though, each individual aspect was good but I didn’t really get to know or care about any of the main characters. Adele was a bit annoying and clueless ( not in a good way.. in the annoyingly naive way) and Ben was just flat. He was supposed to be this sexy, spicy mysterious barista/manager and he was just kind of void for me. There was no spark for me between these two either. If anything, it was awkward and a little workplace harassment vibes.

I wanted to love this one so much but I just didn’t. I hope that someone else can give it the love I can’t though!

This is a cute, quirky, quick Halloween romance. While it had many elements I typically adore (grumpy vs sunshine, eclectic characters, coffee) this just didn't quite hit for me. That being said I'm sure this book will find and resonate with many people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

This was a tough one for me as it sounded brilliant but took forever to get going and for me to get into. I loved since of the colourful characters though and was an enjoyable read in the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #AvonBooks #TheLittleCoffeeShopofTerrors #HazelGraves

Title: The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors
Author: Hazel Graves
Format: eBook
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 12, 2024
Themes: Family, friendship, human as monsters, murder, ambition
Trigger Warnings: cannibalism, murder, death,

This book was totally different than I expected. I was expecting campy horror and silliness. Those things were there for sure, especially the silliness, but I wasn’t expecting a light romantic comedy. That’s how I would ultimately classify this. Above all else, it’s a romantic comedy with some very, very light elements of ridiculous camp horror. This book is about Adele and her surprise inheritance of an unusual coffee shop. Misadventures ensue.

The main protagonist, Adele, is a failed Broadway actress with a passion for musical theater. This can also describe me. Right away, I liked and related to Adele. My favorite thing about this book was the many, many references to various musicals throughout. It was fun spotting them. The author and I would get along well, I bet.

The coffee shop was a wonderful setting. I could picture all of it and I wish one like it (well, mostly like it) existed in real life. It was very pleasant meeting each of the regulars and their individual personalities. Ben, the barista, made a great contrast to sunny Adele. Their opposite personalities made each one pop in a fun way. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this story would work just as well without the horror elements. There was very, very little horror to this book. It would be perfect for someone who wants a horror sample but isn’t a big horror fan.
Normally, I say that horror makes everything better. This book is an exception though. I loved it.

The one criticism I have here would be that the story took awhile to get going. The twist was a little too obvious. Luckily, I didn’t mind because I enjoyed the characters and musical theater references too much. I could see this being frustrating for some, but I still enjoyed it.

Overall, this book is light-hearted, fun, silly, and uplifting. Those who are looking for horror won’t be satisfied but those looking for a feel good romantic comedy will find a lot to love here.

A coffee-laced remake of Little Shop

Full of too many terrible musical/coffee-related puns, mysteries upon enigmas upon coffee-related disappearances, and a slow-burning romance, this is a light read that will give you the shivers, the thrills and the gasps as failed musical star Adele skirts around the truth behind her newly inherited but lightly badgered coffee shop.

The thing about stereotypes is that they’re funny because they’re true. Even so, Graves has great writerly fun in skewering the ranks of yummy mummies, lumberjack hipsters, laptop warriors and yuppie financiers who frequent coffeehouses, whilst also slathering a whole lotta love on the charming individuals who make up the found family of Riffraff Coffee Co. Not quite cosy crime, not quite comic horror, not quite even opposites attract romance, this is all those things and worth a couple of hours of anybody’s time.

Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.

I could not get into this book, I tried on four separate occasions and finally finished it, not because it was bad but because it’s slow. There is really no paranormal freaky stuff, I feel like the book would be better as marketed as a friendship/found family book.

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves is the perfect book for spooky season. A light hearted horror delight with a sprinkling of romance and cozy charm. It follows Adele, a down on her luck aspiring Broadway actress who unexpectedly inherits a coffee shop and apartment after her mysterious great-aunt dies. There are some strings attached, Ben must stay on and no one but him is allowed in the basement!.

Lots of quirky and fun supporting characters and Adele is a main character you can root for and get behind. I loved the magical world the Hazel Graves created right in the middle of Brooklyn. Following Adele as she begins to uncover the mystery of the shop, it's disappearing patrons and it's suspiciously earthy coffee roasts is addicting and I didn't want to put the book down.

A fun read that I hope will become a series! I loved ember the cat and the cover as well!

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Hazel Graves' The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a delightful blend of humour and quirky character dynamics. The relationships between the eccentric café regulars and the equally odd staff create hilarious and heart-warming moments throughout the story. Graves excels at bringing out the humour in everyday interactions, with each character's unique personality adding to the comedic chaos. While spooky elements add a fun twist, it’s the witty banter and charmingly awkward relationships that make this book a truly enjoyable read.

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors
by Hazel Graves
Cozy Mystery Paranormal
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Sept 12, 2024
Avon Books
Ages: 14+

Failing her latest musical audition, Adele is about ready to pack up and head back home, but when an aunt she had only heard about left an apartment and a small coffee shop to her, Adele thinks this might be a way for her to stay in the city.

But there are conditions... Ben, the handsome barista, who also lives in the apartment above the coffee shop can not be fired and she has to keep it up and running for two (?) years before they officially become hers.

But there are weird noises that vibrate the building which Ben blames on the subway and the smoke from the coffee roasting machine in the basement, but Ben keeps the basement door locked up under six (?) padlocks, and he is the only one allowed down there to roast.

Then there are the rude people who appear to be missing.


I would call this a slow cozy because not much happens that an avid reader wouldn't figure out within a few chapters, which made this boring, so I had to start skimming.

I feel that this book is centered on found family and friendship more than anything paranormal, which, I firmly believe, was just thrown in because that genre is very popular right now. (And no, this book is not like 'Little Shop of Horrors'! That has some tension to it, this does not!)

While there is some colorful language, this book isn't graphic, scary, or intense, so it's suitable for readers fourteen and older.

2 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available now!!

This is a kitschy weird but cute little Halloween romance read. That being said I was not enthralled with this book. It was too cute and too fluffy for me. However I do feel there is an audience for this. Definitely recommend it to those who enjoy the fluffier romance reads.

An unfortunate DNF at 11%.

I wanted so much to love this book as a spin off type read from Little Shop Of Horrors musical.

However it was just too confusing for me to get into. Lots of things happened yet nothing happened and I was left with a headache.

And honestly if I had to read ' that's how music theatre types are' I would have thrown my kindle out the window.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for granting me access to this E-ARC.

Unfortunately, this one is not for me, even though I usually enjoy the grumpy versus sunshine trope, magical realism and musical theatre. I didn't invest in the characters or the humour.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A spin off from Little shop of horrors.

Adele inherits a coffee shop but strange things start to happen. She enlists the help of Ben, a barista, to solve these issues and find out what’s going on.

A lot of great humour throughout.
Loved the little references to musicals and other shows.

Didn’t take long to read as couldn’t out it down