This is a must read book. I cannot say enough good things about it. It touches on so many subjects. One of the things I enjoyed the most was that it was clean. This book will make you cry and laugh all in one sentence, I highly recommend it.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing e to read this title for an honest review.

This small town novel is set around three female friends. The book begins with a foreword that is set after the action of the novel. A man is watching two girls have a tea party at a gravesite. The story proper begins with their first meeting of the three girls when they were six just before starting school and had a tea party. It was also the day that Shannon's mother left, never to return.
The story then jumps to the point where the girls are starting their lives after high school. Shannon is following in her father's footsteps and going to a military college in Colorado Springs. Another friend of the girls, Jack Hutchinson, the man we saw in the foreword is also there a year ahead of Shannon. He was also inspired by her father Mack. Jack's family has a construction business and his two older brothers have gone into the business, but Jack has a passion for flight that takes him in a different direction. Shannon is focused on technology and learning the IT side of military work. Zoe is headed to New York City to attend dance school and try to make it as a dancer and actress. Zoe was raised by her mom Alex, who, several years ago, started her own bakery business in town, living in a small apartment above the shop. She's made the shop a success, but has aspects of the job that she isn't as enthused about like wedding and birthday cakes. Emily is still a shy and uncertain girl, but she's defied her mother enough to head off to a small Christian college. There is also a shy young man, Fuller, who has an interest in Emily's welfare and tries to keep an eye on her.
There are several romances in this book, but the underlying story is of the friendship of the girls and of the closeness of Zoe and Alex, and Shannon and Mack. As single parent households of only children, they both have a strong bond that is now a remote one as the girls head out to start their lives and there are some lonely times for them over the next few years. The story takes us through the four years of Shannon's schooling, and lets us see how their lives develop during that time and into the next step in their lives. We already know that one girl will not survive more than a few years, but it takes us to near the end to see who that is.
This was a feel good story for the most part, with some sad episodes. It speaks though to the lastingness of true friendship, friendship that survives distance and time to remain true.

The Little Teashop on Main was an okay listen for me, good, but not great. I wanted to love this one, the synopsis sounded like it had everything I would like in a story, but maybe there was too much. Zoe, Emily and Shannon were three friends who met when they were very young and were lifelong friends. I wanted the story to be about them. There was also Zoe's mother Alex and Shannon's father Mack, who played a large part in this story and Jack, a boy the girls also knew for many years. All of these characters were narrators of this story at one time or another. There was a lot of angst, which might be what I didn't like so much. I did finish it, although at times I almost turned it off, but I wanted to find out which character dies, as was shared in the prologue. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but I didn't dislike them. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for this one.

The Little Teashop on Main is a sweet novel of friendship and love. Filled with many characters and stories, this book was enjoyable, yet a tad difficult to keep track of at times for me. Thank you NetGalley the publisher and the author Jodi Thomas for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas takes us back to the cozy town of Laurel Springs, Texas, which we first visited in Mornings on Main. While there is some character overlap, this is not a sequel so much as a standalone story that expands upon the lives and relationships of other Laurel Springs residents.

Spanning thirty years, The Little Teashop on Main primarily tells the story of the forever friendship of three girls that began with a tea party prior to their first day of kindergarten. Zoe is the energetic dreamer, and the glue that holds them all together. Shannon is the daughter of a single military man, forced to learn stoicism at an early age. And Emily is the shy girl with a history of emotional/mental issues that are far from helped along by her stifling mother.

Then there is Jack, the unofficial fourth musketeer. He is best friend to the girls. The man who loves them all. It’s his viewpoint that opens the story while he watches a tradition play out after an event that changes their lives forever.

After the 2018 prologue, the author takes the reader back to where it all began in 1988 and slowly moves us forward through the girls’ lives. Every now and then we pick up a little more on the side characters who make their way to the center of the story. Zoe’s mom, Shannon’s dad, and Emily’s “shadow angel.” Although just a building, even Zoe’s mom’s bakery begins to feel like it’s a main character as the book progresses.

The Little Teashop on Main is a full circle story. The reader knows right from the beginning what the big event is but isn’t privy to the details. This fact rests in the back of the mind as the girls, and their loved ones, grow up and grow older and sometimes grown apart.

This book is your basic small-town, mom-and-pop shop novel with a couple of twists and some Hallmark moments, and honestly, the twists weren’t that difficult to figure out. With that said, I enjoyed it quite bit. It’s not the type of book I normally read, but sometimes I want something a little more down to earth. A book like that can end up reading like a boring slice-of-life piece, and thankfully, this one didn’t. Did it have some saccharine sweet feel good moments? Sure, but other than one short chapter where Zoe waxed poetic to herself about the teashop, they were done pretty well.

Jodi Thomas writes books that have the kind of covers that make you want to walk into them and live in the cozy looking towns with the peaceful scenery. It’s good to know that the pages hold something that’s worthy of those covers.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

At the 90% point I would have given this book 3 or 4 stars. It is, for the type of story that it is (i.e., character driven Hallmark romance story) a reasonably good story. I liked the characters for the most part and did appreciate some of the conversations had regarding mental health and complicated family relationships.

There were definitely some moments where we would hit a plot point that I’d known was coming, and go ‘oh, guess we’re here already!’ The pacing was a little off at times and there were a lot of character stories to put together, but nowhere was this more apparent than at the end.

My spoilery review is posted on Goodreads, but the decisions made in the last few chapters of the book made me feel as if the author wasn’t certain what to do with a character that didn’t have a romantic subplot, and the end result was turning me way off to the book as a whole, unfortunately.

A bit flowery for my taste, but well written. I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone I know of personally, but it is worth its salt.

The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas
Subgenre: contemporary romance
Release date: 7 May 2019
Publisher: Harlequin
Format: print
Length: 336 pages
RRP: $31.99 (print)
Before I tell you about this book, I will tell you it is incredibly hard not to give spoilers, particularly one major one. I have spent a few weeks reflecting on how I could write this review without giving too much away, but also letting the reader know some information that might help them when they read. I certainly could have used it! This book really packs an emotional punch, and I was not prepared for some sections of the book. I laughed, and I cried.
The girls, Zoe, Shannon and Emily, have been friends since they were five years old. It was at their first tea party that the friendship was cemented. Zoe held the party, and invited Emily Waters and Shannon Morrell. On this day, Shannon’s mother left, and her father did not know what to do, but was grateful that this tea party would provide a distraction.
Many years on, the girls, who are now young women, are still the best of friends. They have continued their tradition of the tea party for any celebration but particularly when they leave the small town, or return to the town. But then Emily is in distress and both Zoe and Shannon wonder how they can help her.
There are many secrets that are revealed during the book but one of the nicest is the relationship between Shannon’s father, and Zoe’s mother. They are shocked to find themselves in this position, but make the adjustments, and then have to make a major adjustment.
As for Zoe, Shannon and Emily, they are there for each other through all events and celebrations in each other’s lives, this also includes the men who come into their lives.
I really enjoy reading a story by Ms Thomas, and look forward to each book. Her stories show the many different levels of relationships and how the female characters find their hero, and live their HEA. I really want to tell you more, but it would really spoil parts of the storyline. But if you want something with an emotional punch, this could be your book.
reviewed by Heather
A review copy of this book was provided by the author.

The LIttle Teashop on Main returns us to Laurel Springs, TX and we're reunited with some of the characters we've met before in the first book of the series,  Mornings on Main.  Main Street in Laurel Springs is like those in other small towns with lots of businesses that are family owned and the heart of the town.  The book spans thirty years and I loved seeing the characters at different places in their lives at various points of the story and how they continued to be an important part of each other's lives.  The foreward or prologue begins in November 2018 which is really the end of the story since the story begins thirty years before in 1988.  The story is told in four parts.

When Zoe, Emily and Shannon meet for a tea party on a rainy Saturday before they are to start kindergarten no one knew they would become lifelong friends and that their families would be intertwined as well.  Zoe's mom and Shannon's dad are single parents and bond better than anyone knows.  Emily's family is a little dysfunctional since her mom thinks she can't take care of herself and is always there telling her what to do.  It's not a healthy situation and Emily pays the price for it.  Good thing she eventually gets a wake up call and with her friends at her side and the support of their families and also their friend Jack she manages to thrive.  Her relationship with Fuller is unexpected especially since he's from the wrong side of the tracks but it's heartwarming to see their friendship and how he's always there for her.  But with the secrets they're keeping, can it go anywhere?

The characters had such a depth to them and didn't always do or say what I expected.  I loved the friendships that were shared not only between Zoe, Emily and Shannon but also with Zoe's mom and Shannon's dad, and their friend Jack.  There is a love between them that is strong to begin with and only continues to grow stronger.  It was hard to watch Jack's love for the girls not reciprocated but especially Shannon who he felt more for and how she always pushed him away.  When she seemed to want more, Jack wasn't on the same page, or was he?

There are many emotions surfacing through the book not only with the characters but also those resonating with me.  There was so much love and strength but also darkness and weakness too.  There is love and happiness along with illnesses and injuries, devastation and loss but also some silver linings.  The friendships never wavered and the tea parties were a special part of their lives.  The story flowed smoothly from Texas to New York, Colorado and Washington, D.C. but most of the story takes place in their small town.  I liked that different chapters were told by different character's points of view. There is closure with sadness and happiness and I loved the unexpected twist at the end with the tea parties.

Ms. Thomas has long been one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints.  I get caught up in the stories and the characters lives and never want the books to end.  I'm happy to see this is a series since I thought the first book was a stand alone.

"The Little Teashop on Main" is a good rainy day or beach read. The story chronicles the lives of three friends, beginning with their meeting as little girls and continuing throughout their lives. Readers are encouraged to bring along lots of tissues when reading this warm, quick, and friendly book.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Three young friends started out life having tea parties together. They have kept the tradition alive all through their lives. Many life changes and challenges have come their way. They have always been there for each other. Then the biggest challenge of all hits them hard.

Zoe, Emily, and Shannon are three best friends. They have been friends since kindergarten. They each have different family lives and different issues and I loved all three of these young ladies. Each lady has a unique personality but somehow these three are a perfect mix. Zoe moves to NYC to try and become a broadway star. Shannon is following in her dads footsteps and goes into the military. And my favorite character of all is Emily. She wants to be a writer. My heart goes out to this shy, introverted young woman.

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It is a lightening fast read full of fantastic characters, true emotion and unique situations. I read this in one sitting. It just hits you with all the feels and you don’t want to end.

Don’t miss this one.

I received this novel from Harlequin for a honest review.

The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas is A heartwarming story of the timelessness of friendship. Decades of friendship, devotion, and family all rolled into one yummy book. A very sweet must read in women’s lit.

Sweet beach read (bring hankies for the ending). The friendship between Zoe, Emily and Shannon feels so real, from the start as they prepare for school through their growing older. The romances in also feel real and well-paced. My biggest quibble is with the lack of recipes!

eARC provided by publisher.

Very few authors can dream up characters and bring them to life on paper like Jodi Thomas. Want to be affected by a character and simple conversation then look no further than something from the pen of Jodi Thomas.
In THE LITTLE TEASHOP ON MAIN we meet three girls, instant friends from the time they were five going into kindergarten. At first glance they didn’t seem to fit – odd pieces of a larger puzzle, but Jodi Thomas had a vision and in short work Zoe, Shannon and Emily were BFF.
Fast forward to the point when these three are set to go off and follow their own visions, dreams or plans and we find ourselves enmeshed in various dramas. Life is now more complicated, dreams are less clearly defined somehow. And visions of a future are cloudy at best. These are the realities for each of the three woman Zoe, Emily and Shannon.
But one of them is truly having trouble maintaining a grasp on life. She is troubled. Her friends aren’t sure they are enough to help but they are there and will do anything.
Then there is the character in the shadows, a dark angel they think, but we know better. Jodi Thomas introduced him early on. He is important and yet feels invisible. Another character who diminishes his own worth.
Let’s not leave out a very important part of this grand puzzle Jack. Jack is the guy friend to all three of the BFF’s. He is the friend that they take turns leaning on when life gets weird. The backbone of this group and Jack is crucial to their well-being.
And then we have the parents. Single mom Alex owner of the bakery and Zoe’s mother. Single dad Mack career officer and father of Shannon. And Mrs. Waters, Emily’s mother. Mack calls Alex Red. Theirs is an unusual relationship that will make you ponder the possibilities. I love these two amazing people whose children have meshed their lives together forever – like marriage but only somehow better.
So welcome to the world of Lauren Springs, small town America at its best and enjoy watching Zoe, Shannon and Emily discover who they are meant to be. Quite a journey. Enjoy.
THE LITTLE TEASHOP ON MAIN is now officially my favorite book by Jodi Thomas. That is a very challenging conclusion to arrive at since I have absolutely loved my ongoing relationship with this prolific author. Jodi Thomas has given us some of the very best stories that will live on forever. If you are new to Jodi Thomas then THE LITTLE TEASHOP ON MAIN is an excellent place to join the journey.

This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, love, sadness, and growth. This story follows the lives of three girls as they grow into wonderful women. Zoe, Shannon, and Emily started out as friends at a tea party. Every year they get together to reconnect with a tea party and stay connected. This was a good read. It had a few too many characters' views in my opinion, and I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. That said, if you enjoy women's fiction, it is a beautiful story and you should check it out.

Utterly charming. Jodi Thomas never disappoints. A celebration of lifelong female friendships that is sure to resonate with readers.

The Little Teashop on Main proves that it is the ordinary events, the special relationships, and every single heartbeat that make life worth living. The emotions flow freely and abundantly throughout this sweet story, reminding us that the time to live, dream, and love is right now.

The overall plot is actually about everyday moments and about people navigating the pitfalls of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, friendships, and family dynamics. This story is about reaching for the stars without a safety net and recognizing true love sooner rather than later.

Instead of being fast paced and full of non-stop action, The Little Teashop on Main is a character-driven fiction about three girls, Zoe, Shannon, and Emily, developing a lifelong friendship at a simple tea party for princesses when they are only five years old. What happens after this first tea party is the natural progression of life as these girls grow into adulthood and face challenges that test their hopes and dreams but never their friendship. The bond they formed on that special day long ago is unbreakable, no matter what, with many more tea parties punctuating the important moments over the years.

All the other characters crisscross in their relationships with Zoe, Shannon, and Emily. Jack is the funny one and the best friend to all three girls. Mack (Shannon’s father) and Alexendra (Zoe’s mother) form a lifelong friendship at that first tea party as well, sharing in the struggle of parenting solo. But it is Fuller Wilder who might be the most interesting of all the characters. In the beginning, Fuller has the shadowy, shy, and caring qualities of Boo Radley from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He silently and invisibly watches over fragile Emily until she can open her heart, shed her clipped wings, and soar toward the happiness that has been there all along. Jack and Shannon are friends but have a tumultuous relationship that mocks them with both animosity and attraction throughout the years. Zoe independently grabs her dream with both hands in New York City, living life in double time, faster and faster and faster.

Family and friends are at the heart of The Little Teashop on Main. They both wound and heal with each passing chapter, but they are always there, they always love, and they always listen, even when it is hard or when it hurts or when their own lives are falling apart.

Jodi Thomas’s The Little Teashop on Main and Mornings on Main (2018) both take place in Laurel Springs, Texas, and have a minor overlap; however, both books can stand alone. Jodi Thomas’s writing style is quite lyrical and hauntingly beautiful. The Little Teashop on Main flows smoothly across the years, gently pushing the reader toward an ending that is both heart wrenching and lovely because the bond of friendship will always remain strong, and the tea parties will always continue, no matter what.

Having had the opportunity to read another of her books, I must say that Jodi Thomas continues to weave such heartfelt stories that truly touch the soul. From the mysterious and intriguing foreword to the full circle conclusion, this one stands above the rest!

The Little Teashop on Main follows the enduring journey of friendship between three girls as they navigate the course of their lives from early childhood to young women. Spanning decades and alternating perspectives, readers begin to feel a part of the inner circle that is forged between Zoe, Emily, and Shannon. Their pledge of forever friendship over a tea party bonds them to one another in a way that I find incredibly fascinating to read about. While the tea set may mature from plastic to fine china, the ceremony remains steadfast, and as someone who was not graced with the gift of a strong, lifelong friendship, I have increasingly become captivated by the experiences of people who have. But ultimately what I found made this a compelling, multilayered, and delightfully complete work of art was becoming privy to the worlds surrounding the girls as seen through the eyes of important secondary characters, including a few young men, Shannon's father, and Zoe's mother. Each woman is rendered so distinctly that there is a sense of either knowing one of these ladies in your own walk of life or actually being one of them yourself!

"'Watching them like this, I can almost telescope their whole life. The little girls, the young women, the mothers.'"

I was charmed to discover that although this story brings us back to Laurel Springs, Texas, we were in fact following events years ahead of Mornings on Main, making them well done companions. This continues to be an idyllic place to be transported to that certainly creates an inspiring and everlasting image.

As an Army veteran, I would be remiss to mention that a minor gripe I had was the use of the word "soldier" in its many word forms to describe characters who are in the Air Force. These individuals would be Airmen. While I feel that its use is strictly to provide a reference point to describe someone in the military that any reader would largely understand, it would definitely be a noticeable error in description to service members across the branches. Additionally, Shannon's father, Mack, was given the rank of "Master Chief" when the actual rank is Chief Master Sergeant. Unfortunately, this should not have been missed. In the end, however, the spirit of the story and its larger meaning left a far greater impact on my reading experience and overall enjoyment.

With all its highs and lows, this story will remind you of life, so grab a cup of tea, settle in, and sip away to the lives we've led, the lives we lead, and the lives yet to be lived!

In The Little Teashop on Main, Jodi Thomas invites us to visit Laurel Springs, Texas, where most people don’t bother to lock their doors, and three little girls who meet at a princess-themed tea party grow into lifelong friends.

Zoe, Emily, and Shannon each represent a different kind of femininity, but remain strong women as well. Zoe is wild and free-spirited, determined to pursue a stage career. Emily is quiet and shy, a voracious reader, with mental health issues that have her flirting with death a little too closely. Shannon is the only child of a single father – a military man who raises her to be fiercely independent. Separately, each woman is interesting and each has a compelling story, but together, they form a trio of friendship, loyalty, and chosen family that is inspiring.

With three primary characters, plus Zoe’s mother Alex, Shannon’s father Mack, the girls’ childhood friend Jack, and Emily’s newer friend Fuller, Thomas has a lot of perspectives to juggle, but she doesn’t just weave a colorful tapestry, she braids together a comfortable rag rug that makes you want to toss it on the floor in front of the fire, and sprawl on it with books and tea and a dog for hours on end.

What I really loved was that Alex’s bakery, which eventually morphs into the eponymous Teashop, is a character in its own right. The baked goods that come out of the ovens there – holiday pies, thumbprint cookies, scones, and even cookies shaped like books for a bookstore event – feature in the plot, adding a hint of sweetness and comfort just when they’re needed most.

If a cup of coffee or tea and a sweet treat is comfort for the stomach, this novel is comfort for the mind. Through all the family trials and drama associated with girls growing into women, and single parents learning to find their own lives after their children are grown, author Thomas never overwhelms us with angst, but keeps her story emotionally truthful.

This book is a charming, delightful read, and Laurel Springs is one of those fictional towns I’d love to visit again.

Goes well with Nepali Breakfast Tea (a chai blend) and almond sugar cookies.