The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a fun and unusual mix of fantasy and subtle horror, with a touch of magical realism and musical theatre. It’s a unique read that’s hard to categorise—think Little Shop of Horrors set in a cosy but slightly creepy coffee shop.

The story centres around Adele, a struggling actress who has just about given up on her dreams of making it as a Broadway star after her latest failed audition. Sub-letting the kitchen area of a cramped studio apartment, where her shoes are kept in the oven and her clothes in the fridge, she's desperate for change. Her life changes dramatically when she unexpectedly inherits a coffee shop from a great-aunt she never knew.

At first, the inheritance seems like a great opportunity, but Adele soon finds out the coffee shop is far from ordinary. At the centre of the shop is Ben, a mysterious and undeniably attractive barista who seems as crucial to the shop as the coffee itself. His vague and evasive explanations about the mysterious locked basement, where he supposedly roasts the coffee beans, only add to the intrigue. The shop is filled with strange magic, quirky customers, and a growing sense that there's something more sinister than coffee brewing beneath the surface.

As Adele settles into her new life, she becomes immersed in the shop’s oddities. From customers who mysteriously vanish to the coffee with otherworldly qualities, the shop literally rumbles with magic, secrets, and an increasing sense of danger, keeping you hooked to discover what really happens during Ben's roasting sessions.

If you love Broadway, Theatre, and NYC then this is your book! THe entertainment references went a little over my non-theatre kid head but the characters were still enjoyable!

Just not for me - DNF’ed. It’s for a certain type of reader that enjoys a certain type of theatre kid. It’s full of musical puns and broadway references, and comes off very manic pixie dream girl with the main character.

I appreciate the chance to read the ARC, so thank you Net Galley and the publisher.

3.5 stars
Even several days after reading this book, I am still a bit confused what to really make of it... We start with Adele who is a bit down on her luck with work and accommodation. She has failed in her latest audition and is currently living in one room of an acquaintance. Until, one day, she is contacted out of the blue and told that a distant (ish) relative has just left her everything. Everything turns out to be a house and a coffee shop. Two from two on her needs list! Ok so the house turns out to be a bit (lot) cluttered and the coffee shop is a wee tad on the weird side, and goes with the condition that she must retain barista Ben as an employee and leave him to his own devices, but what will be, will be. It helps that he is very easy on the eye indeed!
And so begins our story which starts off well enough, but swiftly gets a bit dark with certain shenanigans centred around the coffee bean "roaster" that only Ben is allowed to operate, and which makes some very strange noises indeed...
Notwithstanding certain concerns I have about this book, I did have a bit of a good time reading it. It was definitely a bit quirky and not at all taxing to read, but not quite enough for me to round up my rating. The shenanigans with the roaster were a little weird to try to get to grips with, but when the secret finally comes out and the whole truth explained, well, it does all make sense. I do have reservations about Ben's selection process and think often he was a little harsh, and probably he should have had some comeuppance, but... he's smoking hot, so...!!!
Other characters included managed to keep the book on an even keel mostly, probably due to their own idiosyncrasies which kept me chuckling. Adele herself annoyed me on occasion, and I failed completely to gel with her.
All in all, this book had some good points and some bad. None bad enough to make me quit, nor bad enough to never read the author again. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a delightful concoction of romance, mystery, and a dash of supernatural elements. Adele, the newly acquired owner of a Brooklyn coffee shop, finds herself entangled in a world of peculiar occurrences and brewing attractions.

The author's writing is witty and engaging, creating a charming atmosphere that draws the reader in. Adele's character is relatable and endearing, with her passion for music and her determination to make the coffee shop a success. Ben, the grumpy but undeniably attractive barista, adds a layer of complexity and tension to the story.

The mystery surrounding the coffee roasting machine and the disappearance of regular customers keeps the pace moving and the reader guessing. The supernatural elements are woven into the narrative seamlessly, adding a touch of magic and intrigue.

If you're looking for a fun and heartwarming read with a dash of mystery, A Little Coffee Shop of Terrors is a perfect choice. It's a delightful escape that will leave you craving more.

that… was everything i ever wanted. the cover is so perfect this truly is one of those times i judge a book by its cover. and the story did not disappoint!

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.