At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities: A Novel
by: Heather Webber (Paperback)
After the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, Ava Harrison is reeling—not just emotionally, but also from the realization that she’s spent much of her life inside her comfort zone, held back by fear of change. One month after the tragedy, a mysterious letter arrives offering her a job she never expected: to be a live-in caretaker for a grumpy old man (and his cranky cat) in a seaside town called Driftwood, Alabama. It’s far from what Ava has ever done, but she sees in it a chance to start over.
In Driftwood, she meets Maggie Mae Brightwell, who runs Magpie’s — a coffee shop of curiosities, a place full of odd bits, cherished items, and customers with stories. Maggie is outwardly bubbly, keeping busy with her shop, but she’s quietly carrying grief over her mother’s disappearance at sea and guilt about her relationship with her aging father, Desmond. The coffee shop, the curiosities corner, the coast all form a backdrop for Maggie’s longing and for all the little ways people try to hold on to what’s lost.
Ava and Maggie become friends, discovering they have more in common than they initially thought—regrets, fears, hopes. Through their developing relationship (and with the help of quirky townsfolk, a very odd cat, and the odd magical or uncanny moment), both women begin to confront what they’ve been avoiding. They learn, slowly, that letting go of the past doesn’t erase it, but it can make room for healing, new purpose, and perhaps even love.
The tone is gentle and comforting, with a small-town, seaside setting, eccentric side characters, and a subtle blend of magic realism. It’s less about big external conflict and more about inner transformation, found family, second chances, small daily miracles, and what it means to belong.
Genre(s): Contemporary / Magical Realism / Small-town fiction with light romance and found family themes.
Page count: 320 pages
Goodreads rating: 3.93 / 5
by: Heather Webber (Paperback)
After the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, Ava Harrison is reeling—not just emotionally, but also from the realization that she’s spent much of her life inside her comfort zone, held back by fear of change. One month after the tragedy, a mysterious letter arrives offering her a job she never expected: to be a live-in caretaker for a grumpy old man (and his cranky cat) in a seaside town called Driftwood, Alabama. It’s far from what Ava has ever done, but she sees in it a chance to start over.
In Driftwood, she meets Maggie Mae Brightwell, who runs Magpie’s — a coffee shop of curiosities, a place full of odd bits, cherished items, and customers with stories. Maggie is outwardly bubbly, keeping busy with her shop, but she’s quietly carrying grief over her mother’s disappearance at sea and guilt about her relationship with her aging father, Desmond. The coffee shop, the curiosities corner, the coast all form a backdrop for Maggie’s longing and for all the little ways people try to hold on to what’s lost.
Ava and Maggie become friends, discovering they have more in common than they initially thought—regrets, fears, hopes. Through their developing relationship (and with the help of quirky townsfolk, a very odd cat, and the odd magical or uncanny moment), both women begin to confront what they’ve been avoiding. They learn, slowly, that letting go of the past doesn’t erase it, but it can make room for healing, new purpose, and perhaps even love.
The tone is gentle and comforting, with a small-town, seaside setting, eccentric side characters, and a subtle blend of magic realism. It’s less about big external conflict and more about inner transformation, found family, second chances, small daily miracles, and what it means to belong.
Genre(s): Contemporary / Magical Realism / Small-town fiction with light romance and found family themes.
Page count: 320 pages
Goodreads rating: 3.93 / 5