Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Just in time for hot chocolate and mini marshmallows, I’m reviewing a sweet novel perfect for the holidays, Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors. The book, set in the Norwegian-influenced town of Nordby, Washington, revolves around Katrina Svenson and her grandmother’s coffee shop. Katrina, who spends every afternoon working in the coffeehouse, feels like she doesn’t have a direction in life. Her best friends, Vincent and Elizabeth, already have their futures planned out, but she doesn’t even know what she likes to do, besides work in the coffeehouse. However, her life turns upside down when she nonchalantly gives some food to a guy she finds sleeping in the alley beside the coffee shop. The guy, Malcolm, finds her at school the next day, begging her to be able to grant her greatest desire, but Katrina just thinks he’s crazy. To get him to leave her alone, she lies to him, resulting in two wishes that cause unhappiness in her life. Malcolm refuses to leave until he finds out Katrina’s “true desire”, and she begins to realize that Malcolm isn’t exactly human, but possibly an angel. In addition to giant rats, traitorous best friends, and villainous next-door neighbors, Katrina now has to deal with something even crazier: falling in love with an angel.

While often sweet and heartwarming, this book has both its upsides and downsides. When I first saw the cover, I felt like it was screaming I AM CLICHÉ at me. However, you should ignore the strange long-haired, glowing boy on the cover, as the book is not actually that bad. As I began to read, I found that I actually did like it. Katrina is sweet and realistic, and her two best friends are developed well. The plot is an interesting concept, and the small-town setting really adds to the book. However, as I continued reading, a few things started to bother me. Katrina began to seem whiny, as she constantly moans about her “lack of talent” and uncertain future. Since when is everyone supposed to know exactly what they want to do with their life when they’re only in 10th grade? The rest of the book is enjoyable, even though it can be a bit uneven. It’s hard to believe that a book that features such hilarious thoughts as “Is it easier to kick a guy in the balls if he’s wearing a kilt?” could be the same book that contains the horrendous sentence “His thighs spread out like corduroy logs”. The only other thing that bothered me was the ending. Everything works out much too perfectly, giving the ending an almost fake feel. However, Coffeehouse Angel was a fun, quick read, and I would recommend it for anyone with some extra time on their hands.

~Angela

P.S. You can buy Coffeehouse Angel here.