This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Adele is down on her luck, but then inherits a coffee shop. Things seem to be looking up, except a worker from the shop, Ben, is quite the grump and there are some odd things happening in the shop. So, can Ben and Adele come together despite their personality differences, and can they come together to run the coffee shop despite all that is going on?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the differences between Adele and Ben, it added a fun dimension. And I loved reading about all the secondary characters in this book, which gave the book a lot of variety within the plot. The story focused more on the coffeeshop itself, which I found to be a nice departure from other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Musical theatre? Check. Coffee shop setting? Check. Cosy vibes with horror/crime themes? Check. Did I mention the coffee? Double check. With all of the above, this sounded right up my alley! I was not disappointed. 

When Adele vows to give up her Broadway dreams after yet another failed audition, she receives a mysterious phone call from a lawyer about an inheritance from a long lost great aunt. The inheritance? A failing coffee shop in a very strange part of New York, with stipulations that she must run the coffee shop for a year and she must keep on Ben, the barista no matter what. When she meets financier and Harvard business graduate Donny, who wants to wine and dine her whilst giving free business advice, she's clearly got it made right? Customers keep disappearing from the coffee shop, she has one business disaster after another and Ben won't even let her anywhere near her own roaster in the basement...

This was a definite easy read for me and very enjoyable. It takes heavy inspiration (it's essentially a re-imagining) from Little Shop of Horrors but in a coffee shop setting and instead of a killer plant, there's a murderous coffee roaster. Not going to lie, I loved every second of it. There's subtle nods such as musical references and the roaster, with more in your face/sledge hammer like references such as the giant pothos plant named Audrey 3.

It's not greatly horrific or horrifying if you are a typical lover of horror, but it is great fun, especially if you love Little Shop of Horrors and musical theatre. It has a brilliant mish-mash of characters or 'Riff Raff' to quote the name of the coffee shop, the kind you take into your heart as friends whilst reading a book (oh you don't? Just me then...), great autumn, cosy vibes especially if you want something with spooky horror undertones for spooky season. 

If this sounds like your bag of chips, definitely pick it up! I give it a solid 4/5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one; grumpy x sunshine and camp horror vibes? Very fun.

It was so different to what I would normally read and I did enjoy it, however I feel like how the ending was resolved and explained away was a little too convenient and predictable and a little bit cliche, which was disappointing.

I kind of wanted more of the creepy aspect and for the MMC to have more of a villain arc. I also feel like the enormity of the weirdness going on wasn’t fully addressed by the FMC - she just kind of accepted it and moved on with the story with very little consequence or emotional upheaval?

The creepy but cosy coffee shop setting and the found family trope made this a really comfy read that I found to be well-written and easy to read, however I probably wouldn’t jump to recommend this to someone - unless they were super into musical theatre (which I am not).

Struggling Broadway performer, Adele inherits a coffee shop from her eccentric aunt . Barista Ben. and boyfriend Donny help her try to make the café a going concern. A sudden twist in the plot changes everything. A wonderful, enthralling story with laugh out loud moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing UK for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was a fun read! A book about a musical theater actress inheriting a coffee shop alongside its grumpy worker. It was heavy on the musical theater references and proudly millennial which made it an enjoyable read.

The reason for three stars is, while this is a joyful fun read, the main character can be a bit grating. I found myself loving the secondary characters the most. The pacing seemed off with things not happening but then everything happened all at once. The twists were very predictable.

Regardless this was a fun read and I enjoyed it!

A quirky premise that is part supernatural, part eccentric but ultimately entertaining. It did lack slightly in pace as it was obvious what we were waiting to happen, it just seemed forever to get to that point but ultimately I was invested in this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors follows Adele, a down-on-her-luck musical performer who inherits a coffee shop and apartment from her mysterious Great-Aunt. This is just the chance she needs to start anew, but running the cafe poses its own set of unique challenges.

I thought that the concept of the book was so unique and fun. I love the trend of cosy, funny books about running coffee shops (and not just because I always read in Cafes). The light-hearted humour and elements of mystery in the book work really well. The cast of characters are also full of life and personality. Each of the patrons of Riffraff cafe make the story feel real and compelling.

Unfortunately though, I found that the humour wasn’t to my taste. It might be because of all of the musical theatre references, but I often found myself not understanding what the narrator was quoting. She repeatedly mentions musicals she’s auditioned for, performed in and loved; for someone who has very limited musical knowledge it was a bit hard to follow.

I also got a bit frustrated by the juvenile humour and actions of a character who is supposed to be over thirty. Within the first few chapters alone she steals clothes from her roommate, throws away said clothes because she got crumbs on them, tries to hitch a ride from a stranger in a taxi and answers the phone in the most ridiculous way (she sarcastically claims to be called ‘Seymour Butts’ which is a joke I can only accept from a twelve-year-old).

But whilst the writing didn’t really make me laugh, I can still see other people loving the out-of-pocket humour and ridiculous situations the main character gets herself into. The mystery was also suspenseful and I truly liked characters like Ben (the charming barista). If the cafe were real, I could see myself visiting it and trying to figure out what the noises in the basement were caused by.

Absolutely fabulous, a weirdly cosy and quirky romantic comedy with some supernatural horror elements. Most definitely redolent of Little Shop Of Horrors, if not inspired by, right down to the musical theatre element.
I enjoyed this so much, it was the perfect blend and the romance was nicely done, especially the secondary romance between Frank and Reba (my favourite characters, they really did steal the show)
Definite recommend, and just look at that cover!

This was a complete page turner!
I am thankful to have gotten the eARC for free from Netgalley and Avon Books UL so I can leave my voluntary review.

As a theatre lover this book was right up my alley! Since it’s a spin off on Little Shop of Horrors it’s not like anything is a surprise if you know the story but I loved the sub plots to see how it would unfold and how the author would translate the content.

It was really cute and I ended up setting other tasks aside to read it and finished it in the one day. I loved the references to other shows as well as other tropes that are common in the theatre world.

It’s a great book for spooky season as it has a coziness to it as well.. oh and a hot Australian.

It comes out soon on Sept 12 2024!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

A real quirky read with lots of humour which was very amusing. A great cast of characters too and a storyline which kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an E-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book! If you know me you know I love musicals which is what originally drew me to this book. I enjoyed the musical references throughout this book however I did find Adele a little annoying. I did like the horror aspects of this book. It wasn't too gory so I feel like would be a good introduction to horror. I would recommend this to people who want to read a horror comedy!

A remarkably funny book inspired by Little Shop of Horrors, this is set in a little cafe in Brooklyn. Ada, fresh of another acting disappointment, leaves the hopeful lights of Broadway behind her when she inherits a down on its luck cafe. With its eclectic group of regulars, a hot barista who roasts his own coffee in the basement, and a surprisingly thick pile of missing persons posters, what's not to love?
This book kept me on my toes on every page. While you know there's something in the basement, the tension, and the eventual reveal, was absolutely delightful.

A quirky funny read, it took me a while to get in to the authors writing style. I am glad I stuck it out, as this book is funny in all the right ways.

Who doesn’t love a cute little coffee shop where people go missing? I was unsure at first but I got the vibes of Little shop of horrors which I loves the romance was light but all in all a cute little read and definitely gave me cute cosy vibes

When Adele inherits a coffee shop and apartment from a great-aunt she never knew, the former coming complete with a distractingly hot barista, Ben, she thinks it must be too good to be true...

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors has a great premise, and the grumpy x sunshine trope works really nicely, as Adele and Ben try to get to used to running the coffee shop together. I also loved the coffee shop setting, with all its eccentricities (both supernatural and otherwise), and I especially loved the quirky cast of characters who peopled it. This is one of those books where you could easily imagine sequels being written about each of the characters, and I particularly loved the Fjutcha sisters, but I would also quite happily read more about Gracie Nivola. There is plenty of humour in this story, and I found the satirically realistic Donny - a coffee-shop customer, and property developer - highly entertaining.

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors didn't always work for me, as I found Adele a little frustrating as a main character and the supernatural twist a little obvious, which meant that I was never fully hooked by the story. But there is lots to enjoy about this book, especially if (unlike me) you're a musical theatre fan.

I liked the premise of the novel and the bookshop setting. However, I did not engage with the characters or the storytelling.

I loved this book from the start! It's like the book was made for me. I'm really into that old movie, Little Shop of Horrors, so this book was right up my alley. I almost started singing the 'Somewhere That's Green' song a few times while reading it, it's that good!

The two main characters, Adele and Ben, were really funny together. One was always grumpy and the other super happy. It was really cool. And the other people in the story were great too. They made the book even more fun.

The only thing I didn't like was the end. It felt a bit rushed and some parts didn't really matter. I wanted to give it a top score, but the ending stopped me.

I really hope there are more books like this. I'd love to read about the other characters.

Thanks for letting me read this book early!

3.5 stars
I highly recommend this book although it wasn't a full 5 star read for me.
It is full of surprises and blends magical realism and the mundane setting of a coffee shop well.
I was not in for the romance elements, but they were quite well done too.
Adele is a funny protagonist.
The coffee shop is a funny protagonist. Indeed, the setting serves like a character in this story.
There are several witty remarks and jokes, although some of them fell flat for me, and some of the satire towards "the types of people we see in an urban setting" felt a bit forced and did not always hit the mark, but I probably smiled at 70 % of the observations and exchanges.
What stood out for me was the fantasy/hyperbole and unexpected elements. It was wonderful to see that someone else had considered such a setting in a different perspective. My main reason for picking this book up is the coffee shop setting and I have two surreal every day life stories set in such an environment so I wanted to see what other writers come up with. I appreciate the author's imagination.

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I just knew it was for me.
As a massive fan of little shop of horrors this book held so much appeal, I even had to fight off the urge to burst into 'somewhere that's green' on several occasions but alas, this book is a hoot.

The grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Adele and Ben was brilliantly done, and the supporting characters were well fleshed out and really added to this story.

The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was that I was slightly disappointed in the ending and thought some parts were unnecessary as they felt too rushed to make much of an impact on the story and felt more like word filler.

I'm hopeful for more books in this series as there are certainly other characters I'd love to read about in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for this advance copy through Netgally.