The premise of this book sounded fantastic and I had high expectations, but unfortunately, the book just didn't reach them.

To begin with Adele, the MC is just not very likeable. Actually, I felt like I didn't even get to know anything about her except that she was a failed musical theatre actress, dated guys she even didn't like, ditched her friends even though they always seemed to turn up when she needed them. She felt so flat as a character and didn't have any kind of character journey.

The whole plot was just a bit odd. It wasn't really creepy or engaging and didn't really draw you in, there was very little suspense of any kind, considering how many people were going missing in the coffee shop!

There was ZERO spark between the two main characters. Adele spends most of the book dating a different guy just for business advice while talking about how hot the barista is. There doesn't seem to be any real attraction between any of the characters. If you are looking for any kind of romance this 'aint it!

The writing is also a little strange. I mean, I get it. It's the style. I think it's probably going to appeal to people who like quirky, weird styles (usually me to be honest) but this just had way too many music theatre references even for me, and I actually *am* am failed musical theatre actress, and way too many metaphors that felt like they should be cute and fun but just didn't seem to land.

Anyway, i could have probably overlooked ALL of that if it hadn't been for the judgemental tone towards vegans. One woman gets eaten by the roaster because she was a "Karen" (a phrase we really need to ditch imho) who asked for soy milk. There was a weird scene where there was a vegan character who was made out to be the most annoying person ever, even worse than actual serial killers. As a vegan I get enough hate from the entire world I don't need to be made to feel shit about my lifestyle choices when I'm chilling out with a book.

Also, goat yoga is getting shut down all over the world due to concerns about animal rights and exploitation. Of course, as an annoying vegan I would just have to point that out! 😅

Anyway, I was honestly just really disappointed by this unfortunately. The writing wasn't great, the plot was bizarre and the characters weren't very likeable. I wish there was more I could find redeeming about this, but it just didn't do it for me.

Oh gosh, this book is silly-fun.

As someone who used to be a barista in several "mom & pop" coffee shops as well as a couple of chain coffee shops, the life of a baristas far from easy - especially during the morning rush.

If you enjoy Little Shop of Horrors meets a bit of Sweeney Todd, this book might be up your alley as a read. Just be aware it does get a bit jumbled like beans in a hopper. There is A LOT going on in this book and that may be the biggest critique I have for this book. I think she tried to work in just a bit too may elements and too many "unique" characters who would frequent a coffee shop called Riffraff.

Otherwise, it's a cozy barista read, with some romantic tension (but this is not a romance book, I am not certain where that genre comes from). I would call this general fiction with some magical realism and a bit of mystery. The romance is cute and subtle and only small brushes of hands or glances.

If you walk into this book thinking it's going to be any sort of heavy, serious, or master crafted read, you will probably not get what you expect. However, if you pick this book up with the knowledge you are going to get a fairly cute book about a girl with tragic luck, a hunky barista she can't fire or date, and a rag-tag group of regulars who come in the coffee shop she inherits, then I think you'll have a really nice time.

It's not that serious, it's just a bit of coffee and a couple of dead bodies. How else do coffee shops in Brooklyn survive?

Adele, who dreams of making it in Broadway, is down on her luck. When the opportunity comes to take over a coffee shop she feels her luck may change, only the shop also comes with,grumpy but good looking, Barista Ben. When strange things start to happen they need to try to work together to fix the problems.

I found that the idea of this sounded really quirky and compelling so I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately for me, this was not what I was expecting. I had to put the book down for a while, as although I like musical theatre in small quantities, this book seemed to shove excess musical theatre phrases and references in just for the sake of it and I found it annoying after a while. There were a lot of characters, many with unusual names, and although I enjoyed some of the more eccentric ones, I found the main characters irritating, immature and not that likeable. This made it hard to connect to the story.

I thought I would be reading more of a dark horror novel, however it ended up reading more like a supernatural, young adult story with some romance thrown in. I’m not a massive fan of supernatural themes anyway, however the way it was done here seemed silly and uncomfortable. I am disappointed as I really wanted to love this but the whole story moved slowly and fell flat. This was a great premise which would have potential with some changes but just not for me at this time. I can see others who enjoy this sort of thing and musical theatre getting a lot more from it than me. 1.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Well. I didn’t expect to be rating this book 1.5 stars. I had high hope as I love anything coffee, and to add a little bit of spookiness to it, it should easily be a lovely read. However, I’m not quite sure what I actually read. The lack of character development was disappointing, and the premise of feeding a machine humans to create coffee beans was uncomfortable and screamed immaturity. I only finished the book so I could add it to my Goodreads goal because damn I was BORED.

A definite winner all around! A true homage to the classic "Little Shop of Horrors" with some nods to the inspiration that fans will love. Not the same, but the same overall feel and vibe of light and dark and just pure enjoyable dark humor fun. Especially if you love coffee, and a bit of romance, and really who doesn't?

Well this story was something else! The minute i read the blurb i knew i had to read this one and i am so glad i did, the story is fabulous and is definitely one i would recommend to everyone, perfect for the up coming spooky season.

This was bad. So bad. I had high hopes, spooky coffee shop and horror vibes? Sign me up! Can I return to sender?

It moves along at a glacial pace and there is zero character development and the dialogue was bland. Adele is insufferable and acts like she’s a teenager while being in her early 30’s. None of the characters were likable except maybe Ember the cat.

The roasting machine, ridiculous. No spoilers but it was so dumb. No rhyme or reason to it.

I will never get this time back.

I wanted to enjoy this book, but sadly I don't think it was for me. From the start, Adele - the main character - annoyed me. I hated the musical theatre references and I felt she was over the top sunshine. I personally couldn't get into the book due to Adele. Based on the title, I could guess what the twist was, and was kinda shocked that Adele accepted it without any sort of freak out. Personally, I liked the relationships Adele built with Gracie and others than she did with Ben. I was frustrated at the pace the moved but also how Adele just kinda accepted Ben's story.

It's a quirky, campy fall read. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

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.