Where Viv Just Wants a Quiet Coffee Shop

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, yeah, I liked this a lot. And I didn't think I would.

It's the whole TikTok thing that put me off until now. People tend to hype things that I already know I didn't like much. Makes me not trust them, and people were hyping this. Somehow, I finally decided to take a look, and the good news is a surprise to me: they were right. This is a very good book, in ways new and traditional. 5 stars. It's cool.

I'm okay in general with the idea of cozy genres--cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, cozy romance probably--and not just for others but for myself, because there are LOTS of times when I don't want bleak reality, or grimdark fantasy brutality, or high-stakes tension that makes you (me, the reader) grit your teeth. This is especially true at night. (That's not just me, is it?) I'm cool then with light stories, even YA or middle grade stuff with lower stakes and less cortisol-raising stress. Unfortunately for me, most of the books that I've read that might have been aimed at adults and could be called cozy were kinda lame and not very fun to read. (Most of that was indie, which is always hit-or-miss. And I say that as an aspiring indie author. Some is great. Some not.)

This is smack in the middle of the cozy fantasy category, with low(ish) stakes, little violence (except for the threat of violence), and typical fantasy characters and settings, but with a sunny attitude and a better than usual chance for happiness. It almost looks like it's gonna be a comic fantasy, like Discworld or something, but it's still pretty much mainstream fantasy with just the normal amount of humor. What makes it work is that it feels rooted in something darker, with sadness, chaos, pain, and bloody violence lurking on the fringes of the story while the characters fight (metaphorically) for a better life. We have a kind of found family carving out some peace and some contentment in a small corner of a dangerous world.

This isn't a Pollyanna story (not that there's anything wrong with that), and though it's sweet in places it's not, IMO, too much. (Sweet has to be earned, and I feel like it's earned here.) It's more like a redemption story, and it gives a vibe like the scarred old relative who had a hard life and had a bad temper and wasn't always fit for family gatherings but lived long enough to acquire genuine wisdom and now teaches all the kids how to ride horses or fix their bikes or hit a softball or something and never gets tired and never gets impatient and is everybody's favorite. Know what I mean?

Maybe not.

Anyway, I liked it, and it didn't have any of the flaws I was afraid I'd find. Well written, optimistic, avoiding simple answers while making happiness seem possible, with genuinely varied and likable characters. All that with coffee and treats.

Recommended.

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