While the writing was great overall, there were a few things that bothered me about this novel. I could definitely relate to that, and it was fun watching as she eventually figured out what she wanted to do with her life. I loved her “closet of failure” or whatever it was that she called it, which was filled with projects she had started and given up on when she figured out that that wasn’t her talent. That said, most of the novel did focus on Katrina, and it was nice to read about a character who didn’t have it all figured out yet. Everything doesn’t revolve around Katrina and her problems, which was nice. They all have distinct personalities and their own problems going on. I could picture all the people and events, and it felt like a real place. They live in a small town in the Northwest that still follows Old World traditions, and Selfors did a great job of describing the town. I’ve always considered world-building a fantasy/sci-fi thing, but it definitely applies here. The characters in this book are fantastic, as is the world-building.

Everything wraps up a little too nicely in the end, but I’m still impressed overall. The different threads weave together nicely. It sounds like there’s a lot going on, but I think it works. The fourth focuses on Katrina’s relationship with Malcolm, the angel. The third focuses on friendship and betrayal, as Katrina’s best friend starts hanging out with the daughter of the owner of a rival coffee shop. The second focuses on family as Katrina and her grandmother try to save their old world coffee shop. The first follows Katrina as she tries to figure out who she is and what she wants out of life. The romance was actually a much smaller part of the novel than I expected. This book was definitely different than I expected it to be, though not necessarily in a bad way. It sounded like a cute, silly romantic story, and that was what I felt like reading at the time. I bought this book on a whim a few weeks (possibly months) ago, and I’ve been reading it a little bit at a time since then. How can she tell him the truth, when her heart’s desire has become Malcolm himself? But after two botched wishes, Malcolm knows Katrina is hiding something from him. When a random act of kindness involves Katrina with Malcolm, a handsome teenage guardian angel intent on fulfilling her greatest wish, fame and fortune seem like the most obvious requests.

Coffeehouse angel by suzanne selfors