The premise of this jumped out at me: a redemptive character development tale featuring coffee plantations in Guatemala… such a unique and compelling hook!

What worked for me:
☕️ Some truly beautiful and delightful turns of phrase/descriptions
☕️ Pacing was pretty much perfect
☕️ Writing was refreshingly simple, straightforward, and succinct which really worked for me
☕️ While Jack didn’t feel as developed to me as some of the other characters, I really enjoyed and appreciated his development arc from soulless corporate robot to passionate coffee advocate
☕️ Certainly a bit intense at times, I still loved spending time with Hope; her relentless optimism and upbeat energy was refreshing
☕️ I liked Jack and Negasi’s relationship (their final scene together was beautiful)
☕️ Everything about coffee development and how exploitative this industry is - we don’t talk about this enough
☕️ An emotional climax that I genuinely didn’t see coming
☕️ The sense of place that Higgins illustrated in Guatemala was fantastic; I could picture the people, places, and weather perfectly!
☕️ The cover is stunning and I loved the reference to the title in the story, it really tied it all together beautifully

What might improve this further:
☕️ Dialogue felt a bit unnatural at times; this was amplified by the bland speaking verbs (a lot of said, replied, responded, etc.)
☕️ Jack and Hope’s relationship felt thin in terms of development, so when they jet off to Guatemala, it felt unrealistic and a bit intense; perhaps this ties into my next point because Jack mentions they’d been together for a year when I’d thought it was more like weeks?
☕️ This reader would have valued clear demarcation of time-slip, dream, and flashback sequences; sometimes these transitions happened in the same paragraph following on a ‘live’ sentence which was confusing as heck

Stupid Question: I didn’t go to university and I’m deeply curious about how Jack had a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. What’s arty about finance, creative accounting? 🙃

I could find approximately zero information on this book or author online. If this is a debut as I suspect, it’s a solid one!

I was privileged to have my request to review this book approved by Decadal Press on NetGalley.

An overworked, job weary man meets an enthusiastic barista at an airport coffee bar. She relates stories of her time on a coffee farm in Guatemala. Her desire to return coupled with his work weary mind bring them to exit life in the States and embark on a journey to change. The adjustment to life in Guatemala for him is arduous and good. Their love flourishes among the kind and generous natives.
To me, it seemed the relationship formed rather quickly with only twice a week meetings in the airport. Time jumped without due notice. What seemed like a week was a month, a month a year. The descriptions of Guatemala are wonderful. There is quite a bit discussion of coffee bean harvesting.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This had everything that was promised in the description and was hooked from the first page. The overall feel worked with the story and thought it worked in this universe. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked well in this story. Dylan Higgins wrote this well and am excited to read more.

I noticed right away from this book's cover that it was to take place in one of the best spots in the world, Guatemala! My son was born there, and we have visited many times. The beauty is unbelievable. I appreciated Higgins's story very much. I liked, no, loved the coffee angle! It was very interesting to read about. As a coffee lover, this storyline worked well for me. I found the book entertaining, and it's pacing enjoyable. I'll be letting the families I know with ties to Guatemala all about this title. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.