Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a free digital copy in exchange for my review!

This was a fun read, with a more in-depth storyline than I had anticipated. It took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed it once I got going.

There were a few things that felt kind of scattered or pointless — werewolves mentioned but not for any plot purposes, characters that didn’t really have a purpose, lots of typos or confusing sentences (at least in the ARC version), some repetitive descriptions, and some details that didn’t quite line up.

Overall, this is a fun fantasy read and I enjoyed the two main characters and their stories, and enjoyed the world building done in the book!

I will say- I didn't realize this was a young adult novel, so it took me a minute to adjust my expectations, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book. It does an excellent job of bringing us into two different worlds with two entirely different characters and identities. This was ultimately a really sweet sapphic story with an adorable giant cat!

From the premise alone I was always going to love Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe. It's not only about thin spaces between universes and a love of DND, but it's also about friendship and powerful love. It's about family, community, and what's right and wrong. Lee packs a whole lot into this YA contemporary fantasy. This dual POV combination allows us to see the differences and similarities in the worlds of Brenda and Kat. Sure there may be literal dragons, but there's also Chosen Ones, friendships, and community. Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe straddles this line between contemporary romance and also adventure story about the fate of their universes.

Look, at this point I'm used to marketing lying to me about a book being "cozy fantasy." I can work with that, although I wish they'd stop. However, blaming a book for it's bad marketing doesn't make sense (the book came first, and in the case of tradpub, the author isn't usually calling the shots on their marketing). But please know that when the blurb is like, "Cozy Coffeeshop AU!" that it's an inaccurate description of the plot.

ANYWAY. I was really on-board for the first half of this book, but at about 50%, the pacing gets real weird. There's the cute romance, which I'm here for. But there's also this other larger plot which starts to become more relevant, and it doesn't make the most sense. It's weirdly complicated, although it didn't need to be, because the actual reveal is pretty straightforward .However, the characters don't make much of an effort to solve it, even though it's presented as a life or death situation. There are also a bunch of places where off-page events are summarized, but then a whole lot of nothing happens in the developed scenes.

I could have still left this with a four-star experience, but then the author did a thing I cannot stand: we learn who the villain is, but the character who learns this info doesn't fully understand the implications. She then speaks to the other MC and tells her everything, EXCEPT THE NAME OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. And the other MC... doesn't ask? For what possible reason?

As a result, I spent the last quarter of the book feeling irritable. A bunch of dramatic monologues, and a moment that should have been really touching, were mashed in at the end of the story in a way that was borderline incoherent. I can't go into detail about how infuriating the climactic scene was, but I really wish there had been some structural changes to this book, because there is little that annoys me more as a reader than when the characters do silly and incomprehensible things for the sake of the plot. And it doesn't advance the plot! This just slows it way down for no discernable reason! *screams into a pillow*

The thing is, as much as the plot choices annoyed me, the world is so cool. I really enjoyed the concept, and there were some scenes that were really beautiful and lyrical, along with plenty of nods to other stories that inspired some of these moments. There are fun misunderstandings, and interesting scenarios where the characters engage with magic in different ways. It's not fully explored, but there's a suggestion that the stories of 'our world' (arguably not ours, for plot reasons, but the ones that most resembles ours) are inherently magical, and that engaging with stories increases one's ability to harness magic. That's beautiful. Not to mention all the little details that Lee includes about Kat and Brenda and their families. There's a lot to enjoy here, and I was all in for the first half of the book.

Lee mentions in the notes that this was originally going to be cozy fantasy, but then it morphed into something else. If this was going to stay cozy, I wish the plot had been ironed out. If it was going to go more epic, I'd have appreciated some editing for punchier pacing. As it was, there were times when the MCs sort of went, "Yeah, I know that our worlds are in trouble, but what if we did something cutesy and unrelated for three chapters rather than solving my mother's murder?" I think I found this book so frustrating because there were parts I thoroughly enjoyed, and then parts where I felt like I was slogging along in the hopes that something would eventually happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. My long and meandering thoughts are my own, and are being left voluntarily.

This ya sapphic contemporary fantasy is perfect for cozy fantasy and D&D fans (full disclosure: I don't play D&D, but it was mentioned a lot and I'm sure there are Easter Eggs in the book that a fan would understand)!

From the jump, I was into this story. Brenda is a perfectionist and needs scholarships to go to college. She has an application due, but her internet at home goes out. She stumbles into a coffee shop with Wifi where Kat is working. The two hit it off and decide to meet up for a date over the weekend, but neither realizes that there are alternate universes, and Kat's coffee shop isn't from Brenda's world.

This story was funny and sweet and suspenseful. I enjoyed watching the characters figure out there are alternate universes, why, and how that impacts their worlds. There's magic seeping from one world into the other. Portals that accidentally bring magical creatures to LA. Earthquakes caused by magic. And these teens are going to figure it out. I believed that they could!

This is a truly special story. Pick it up for a magical time!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was SO unique!!! The world building was really cool, and I loved the blending of cultures within and across both worlds. I’m not the biggest fan of insta love but Brenda and Kat were just too sweet that I couldn’t help rooting for them! If you’re looking for the perfect, cozy YA sapphic fantasy (with the cutest dragon🥰) I recommend picking this one up!!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me, but mostly because I'm not in the mood for cozy YA fantasy right now. I also balk slightly at calling this cozy since the stakes are higher (city destroying magic surges don't quite make for cozy vibes), but anyone looking for a story involving a reluctant chosen one and a cute sapphic romance will have a good time.

This was a really cute book. The fantasy elements were really well done and I love how it just added to the universe. Brenda and Kat are adorable and I love how they are kind of awkward at first but settle in to it pretty fast.

I received an arc through netgalley.

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Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. LeeCoffeeshop in an Alternate Universe
by C.B. Lee (Goodreads Author)
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My rating:
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3.5 ⭐️ — a cozy, funny, and sweet romcom across dimensions!

I enjoyed the premise of this story quite a bit, it’s very creative and fun. There has been a trend of multiverse storytelling (mostly in film) lately but this use of the multiverse feels very individual. If you love Dungeons and Dragons or Doctor Who, you’ll find your place right in this story.

i was charmed by the fantasy world in the book and how the author decided to approach the wordle differences between the dimensions. The magic was unique, and though at times it took me awhile to follow the rules and worldbuilding for the magic of Kat’s world, I think the author knew when to give explanations without info dumping. There was one time that when recounting an event, we literally go through Brenda’s notes after the event just happened but honestly it helped since all the multidimensional drama can teeter on confusing.

There are a lot of side characters in this book so at the beginning it was difficult keeping track of Brenda and Kat’s friends or circles since they do have speaking parts or are notable in some capacity. I wasn’t sure about Brenda at first as her narration wasn’t exactly my cup of tea (or coffee I guess) but later in the story as she grew I liked her a bit more. YA voice is difficult to nail but for what Brenda’s character was, sometimes she was almost too childish. I think the setting over the characters themselves were more compelling for me.

The pacing also was a bit here and there for me. At the beginning it took too long for me to get into because of the melding of the multiverse timeline but then at times I also wanted to explore just some of the random bits of the world more. There is a bit of info dumping at times, even if I find the worlds very creative. But that may just be me!

I did think it ended a bit fast and with so many things you could’ve explored, it left me wanting more but also feeling like the more interesting parts of the worldbuilding could’ve been focused on further. There are some things where I’m like “how does this work…” in terms of worldbuilding since like both worlds have their own version of Target if like there are very specific circumstances in which Target was invented. Like sure any universe has a coffee shop but how did the magic dragon place invent Target (and I was kind of annoyed at how many times Target was mentioned like yes I get it we are in Target).

Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

Brenda is a girl from our world, trying to get into college, and worried about climate change. Kat lives in an alternate version of our world, full of magic. When they stumble into each other thanks to some portals, they find themselves at the center of saving both their worlds and magic in Kat's world becomes more and more unstable, creating consequences for Brenda's world. Oh, and while they're at it, they fall in love.

Both girls are such awesome leads, I loved following their parallel but also unique struggles. I also enjoyed their individual relationships with the families, and their friends. Watching Kat cope with the looming chosen one life, or death, and how it impacted her relationships, made an interesting story to follow.

The world was also fantastic. Brenda's is, of course, very recognizable, but Kat's was incredibly interesting. How the magic replaces technology, the ways their world grew and changed to be so similar and yet so different from our own, the one Brenda lives in.

While not nearly as cozy as I expected (saving the world will never feel low stakes), I did still enjoy this. The magic system was a little difficult to follow at first, but I think I got it sorted out, and the sweet romance between Brenda and Kat was a good counter to the less cozy aspects of the book. I always love interesting takes on Chosen One narratives, so Kat's arc was interesting to me, and Brenda's overachieving focus spoke to my teenage self.

I will say, I did have some things that I didn't love as much - the way too easy acceptance of magic was a running theme and I found the villain to be a little too predictable - but all in all a solid book.

3.5/5

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley for the eARC!

Brenda has an exhaustive plan to achieve academic perfection and ultimately save the world through science. Kat is a rebellious Chosen One, and she's absolutely sick of everyone leaning on her to complete the ritual that already killed her mom. The teens' contrasting personalities mesh beautifully, but their budding relationship is hampered by the fact that they live in parallel worlds: Brenda's is mundane but Kat's is full of increasingly unstable magic. The plot alternates between their adorable dates every time they find a portal and the quest to save Kat's world. It's sweet, and Fancy is a very good kitty.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I think 3.5 stars? The cover for this is so pretty and it really liked our main couple. And this concept is so unique. I just want feeling connected to anything. And the more it went on the more I felt like I couldn’t fully invest. I don’t think this is at fault of the book, however. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I also have come to understand I’m not a super huge fan of DND books. I have read quite a few of them but they don’t really appeal to me that much. I have a few that I really enjoyed in the genre, but most of them I skip the DND parts and just don’t really resonate with them. But thank you again for this ARC. I loved this author’s Remixed Classic book and I’m looking forward to whatever they do next!

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up

A cute, soft sapphic YA cozy fantasy about two girls who fall in love in a magical coffee shop in alternative universes. Super cute concept, and the plot started decently interesting, but I struggled to finish it and almost DNFed. I wanted to see more relationship development, the pacing became slow, and there were several references that took me completely out of the “cozy fantasy” (“Fox News”?).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for sending me an ARC! My review is 100% my honest thoughts and opinions.

Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe is a fun fantasy novel about a pair of high school seniors who live in parallel universes, each living her own life, until one day, Brenda accidentally and unknowingly crosses over from her world into Kat's world. The two young women connect and exchange contact information - but Brenda's world (presumably our own, or very similar) runs on science, and Kat's on magic - and Brenda's cell phone won't connect with Kat's runebook. Each one shows up for their scheduled date in their own universe, and thinks the other has stood her up, until they meet by accident in Target - this time in Brenda's world. Each world is hurtling toward a potential cataclysm - an earthquake of tremendous proportions for Brenda's world, and a conflagration of magic for Kat's world. Add teenage angst - and a first love for Brenda - and things get just a bit complicated.

This is a fun and engaging novel, and will appeal to a wide range of readers. Appropriate for middle school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this so much! The concept is brilliant - taking the ever-popular concept of the "coffeeshop au" and making it a literal coffeeshop in another universe is pretty much guaranteed to be great. This is the second book of C.B. Lee's that I've really enjoyed, and one of my favorite cozy novels.

Brenda and Kat are both loveable and easy to root for. They have great chemistry and it was such a joy to watch their excitement an they learned about one another's worlds.

Brenda's friend group are fantastic and fit seamlessly in with the couple as they work to save both of their worlds. The idea of taking a DnD party and informing them that, hey, magic is real in another universe, is highly entertaining.

I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time I was listening. It was great.

The audiobook narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I'm not usually a fan of Emily Woo Zeller, in fact I spent years actively avoiding anything she narrated, but I didn't mind her voice here, and actually think she did a great job. Maybe because I have since learned that I can speed up the narration until the voices sound natural to me.

Absolutely 100% recommend, especially if you love stories involving DnD friend groups and/or fanfiction aus.

*Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Brilliance Audio for providing an early ecopy and audio copy for review.

DNF. Not really in the mood for modern, cozy fantasy at the moment, and the two worlds don’t feel all that distinct.

4.5 stars

On an important deadline when the internet goes out, Brenda stumbles into a coffeeshop she had never seen before. A coffeeshop that just happened to have a cute girl, Kat, and the two form a connection. But when Brenda goes to find the coffeeshop again--she can't. Turns out that Kat and Brenda are from different universes. And in order to go on another date, they'll have to find a portal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced copy of Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by CB Lee to review! Always on the lookout for new cozy fantasy; bonus for fantasy that is set in a coffeeshop. Who wouldn't want to accidentally find out there's another magical universe out there when they stumble into a coffeeshop?

The world building in this book was fantastic. Both Kat and Brenda's worlds parallel each other in ways that were just similar enough that it took a little bit to figure out the mystery at the beginning. And then the magic system was so fascinating! I am always here for an interesting magic system, especially when it means a non-magical character discovers magic. Brenda's friends also discovering it was so entertaining. One of my favorite scenes was with the dragon and the cat. You'll know when you get there.

In addition to such a wonderful world, the character development is on par with it. Brenda and Kat are wonderfully complex, in addition to their friends and family. All around, there are a lot of great characters to love in this book.

If you like D&D, I think this is a book you'll also love! Especially if you were to suddenly find out that some of the magic in D&D was real. If you like queer cozy fantasy, definitely check this out when it comes out in July!

with an adorable love story, a twist on the chosen one trope, and a mystery that spans two universes, this was a fantastic, adorable, cozy read! for anyone who loves CoffeeShopAU fics, this is the novel for you! the Coffee shop is literally an alternate universe, but so is the Target! with two young girls exploring love for the first time, as well as struggling with where they fit into the world, what they want to do with their futures, and figuring out the mystery that is afflicting both their worlds with terrible natural disasters. between the meet cute, the first date, and the working together to alter both their fates, this is a fantastic cozy fantasy, Sapphic, YA romance for anyone who likes the cozy ghibli films.

A soft sapphic cozy fantasy about two people who find a way to fall in love in a magical coffeeshop despite being frmo two different universes! This was a very cozy sapphic romance that was an easy read. I do think that this could be a easy read with low stakes for fans of cozy books. This was definitely very YA and I do think younger YA readers who want a sapphic cozy romance can have fun reading this one. I might have wanted a bit more, but that's just me.

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending. mean arc in exchange for an honest reiew*