I either adore Patrick's stories for cannot find my way into them for anything. Unfortunately, this is one of the latter... I just could not connect with Greta or find her situation compelling enough to drive my interest in the overall story. It is unfortunate, because it was a clever and interesting concept but for some reason just did not resonate with me at all.

At this point I'm about 50/50 with her novels. Her genre and writing style are not ones that I am naturally drawn to, but I adored The Messy Lives of Book People and The Library of Lost and Found, so keep requesting her new titles in the hope of reconnecting with her writing. Unfortunately, this is the second title now with which I have had absolutely no luck (the other was The Year of What If). I'm starting to think I should stop requesting her new titles and wait for them to come to the library...

Wow, this book was the most perfect mix of cozy, heart warming, and tear jerking. I smiled and cried at different parts of this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The Time Hop Coffee Shop is a beautiful exploration of appreciating the time we have with loved ones, but also understanding the desire to sometimes visit a fantasy land. Greta goes on a path of self exploration, with the help of a little magical coffee, and realizes she’s right where she was meant to be. This book was beautifully written, and I could absolutely not put it down. I read the entire book in one sitting, and can say without a shadow of a doubt it has changed my perspective on my relationships and what we take for granted everyday.

I am a fan of Patrick and her world and character building. I'm always drawn in and become invested in her characters. Great is no exception. Dealing with her aloof teen, separation from her husband and a dwindling acting career she is floundering. So when the chance to find the perfect blend of coffee to make her wishes come true, she jumps. But a long the way, she learns what is truly important to her. Lovely quick read.

This sort of reminded me of Before The Coffee Gets Cold. I enjoyed it, and would love to read more from the author in the future!

This book was super cute. I did enjoy it but it took me a while to get through and that’s why I rated it a 4. I was hoping that it would have grabbed my attention more at the beginning. It was a little slow. But once it picked up I liked it. Will be reading more from the author.

THE TIME HOP COFFEE SHOP
PHAEDRA PATRICK
DECEMBER 9/ 25

Greta, her husband Jim and their daughter, Lottie, were the face of Maple Gold Coffee for many years in commercials on tv and they were instantly recognized and Greta got very used to that famous life style. Now she and Jim are taking a break to find out where their marriage is headed and their daughter is now a teenager, and she is a grumpy one.

Greta is given the opportunity to make a wish and it could change all their lives, for the good or not? Will she take the chance to go to a magical, wonderful place where there are no troubles and the coffee flows like water?

Time travel, parallel universes, alternative dimensions, time slipping and time hopping all play a part in this magical book where Greta is at a crossroads in her life.

I really loved the concept of The Time Hop Coffee Shop and went in wanting to love it. A magical coffee shop that lets you step into a dream life? Totally my kind of hook. But I just never connected with Greta. Her struggles felt surface-level, and I found myself not caring much about whether she stayed in Mapleville or went home. The pacing dragged, and some scenes especially early on felt repetitive without deepening the character or stakes. For such a fun premise, it left me wishing for a main character I could actually root for.

Greta is an actress whose marriage has been falling apart and a daughter who she is struggling to connect with. Greta is yearning to relive her glory days when she was the actress in a well known series of coffee commercials. Greta discovers a coffee shop whose brew can transport her to the perfect world of her previous coffee commercials and gives her the chance of living out a perfect life.

The world she enters gave Pleasantville vibes but in a cozy way. I loved the overall premise and underlying message of the book however, I had a hard time connecting with the characters which kept me from being full invested in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc of this book.

The Time Hop Coffee Shop was a cute and quick read. Kind of reminded me of Midnight Library with its alternate life and the main character realizing that an imperfect but real life is 10 times better than a seemingly perfect but fabricated and scripted life. The beginning of the book was a bit slow but it picked up about half way through.

It was interesting to see other people (Millie) in this fabricated Mapleville that Iris’ special blend coffee allowed Greta to visit. And I was glad to see Millie made it back to the real world too. Edgar was a lovable character as well.

The premise of the book sounded promising. A charming coffee shop with a magical brew that can make all your wishes come true? Our main character, Greta, has struggles with how her life is currently going. It seems like her better days are far behind her. Her career, marriage, and family are all in disarray, and she has a hard time coping with it. Is it too good to be true that she stumbles upon a weird coffee shop that sends her into a different place where she can relive her hay days? Everything seems perfect and just how she would want her real life to go, or is it?

Her journey is a little slow and unrelatable to me. I had a hard time getting sucked into the story, and it seemed to drag on. Cozy mystery stories are normally not my cup of tea. The fact that there were no really high stakes kept me from really enjoying this book as much as others. I would give this book a 2.75 out of 5. I didn't feel like Greta's issues were all that immense. Her complaining left me feeling a little annoyed. There was no positive outlook she seemed to have for a majority of the book. The issues just seemed a little shallow. I was hoping for a little bit more out of the story, and was a little disappointed since there are some really great themes in this story. It just wasn't able to shine through enough for me.

The premise of this book sounded interesting to me: a former coffee commercial star ends up transported into a dream world after she wishes to live in the fictitious town of her coffee commercials. However, I failed to get into the spirit of things and DNF'd a third of the way through. The character of Greta is such a dishrag, and her first foray into the made-up town of Mapleville was so cringy. None of the characters were likeable to me. I'm sure Greta grows and finds herself, and hopefully grows a spine, but I couldn't seem to make myself care enough to find out. Since I didn't make it more than a third through the book, I am not rating it on Goodreads. I believe this book has an audience, it's just not me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.