In Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim, Vanessa can see the future. Sometimes. Usually unreliably and without specificity. If she catches a glimpse of the beverage someone has been drinking, a prediction will burst forth unbidden and unexpected. It may be a nice thing, like winning the lottery, but in most cases it is disappointing or traumatic information that Vanessa has no way of controlling. It should be easier for her, but when she was a child she gave up on the lessons with her Aunt Evelyn who has the same gift. When life isn't working out the way she'd like and the predictions are causing more and more trouble, Vanessa agrees to accompany Evelyn to Paris where she is opening a new tea shop in hopes that she can resume her lessons.
This was a cute, easy read and more of a romance than I had anticipated. Magical Realism is one of my favorite fun genres and this one fits squarely in that category. There were, however, a few things that bugged me. First of all, the title is too long. The Magical Paris Tea Shop would have been better. And then as you read the book, you discover that maybe even that would be a misnomer. Also, I'm all for adding texture by including all five senses, but the amount of time the author spent describing gourmet foods didn't match with this plot very well, as if it was just something fun to add, but not really necessary. And finally the love interest is, in my opinion, too flawed. I won't get into why for fear of spoiling it for you.
Luckily for me, this book came at just the right time when a light, fluffy novel was just what I needed. These are stressful times so if you are also in need of this kind of read, may I recommend this one?
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