Heather Webber’s magical, beautiful, uplifting writing of stories continues to treat her readers with another wonderful unique story, At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities. Her characters, stubborn, strong, quirky. Their problems secret, hidden deep in their souls, but the love they have for each other obvious which makes the story so romantic.
Ava Harrison broke up with her boyfriend and then he died. She is guilt ridden. Unable to pick up the pieces of her life which according to her late ex is so predictable and without risk, she decides to try new things, one of which is to apply for a job out of her comfort zone. After her ex passed away, Ava found a note. It was a classified ad for a job as the caretaker of an elderly man in a seaside town called Driftwood, Alabama. She has no idea where it came from, but she decides to travel to Driftwood and apply for the job.
There she meets Maggie Mae Brightwell who runs the local coffee and curiosity shop named Magpies. It’s her father’s now, but it was owned by her mother, the light of Maggie’s life who went missing when she was a young girl. Her father, Dez seems to be causing an uprising in the town as the rumor mill believes he is getting ready to sell the beloved shop. Maggie begins to think Dez’s age has caught up with him as he lives alone in the family house, is a bit of a packrat and claims to hear ghosts up in the attic. He also lives with a crotchety cat named Molly who only seems to like Dez.
So, when Ava shows up out of the blue, Maggie is grateful to have someone watch over her father. Maggie likes to keep busy, very busy so she doesn’t have to think about her past and her mother. But when Ava and Maggie meet, they bond over the losses in their lives and seem to be two old souls who were somehow destined to meet.
Both are holding on to what has happened to them from years ago, with fears of what may come, with regrets for what they did or didn’t do. But with the help of Estrelle, a mysterious elderly woman who owns a local shop who seems to have insight into just about everything, and who is feared (in a good way) by just about everyone, those feelings may soon change.
And Ava and Maggie do begin to see their pasts and futures differently as they allow those who they have always kept at arm’s length into their lives. Although they are afraid, they begin to open their wings and fly like confident butterflies to help not only themselves, but each other and those they love in this small town.
At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities is an exceptionally joyful read with funny, adorable townspeople and a satisfying ending which will continue to make you smile even after you’ve put the book on your own shelf.
Thank you #NetGalley #ForgeBooks/MacmillanPublishing #HeatherWebber #AtTheCoffeeShopofCuriousities for the advanced copy.
Lisa's Cubby 