Book Review: The Espressologist

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Released: October 27, 2009
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pages: 192
Rating: 3 stars
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie.

Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee.

Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right? With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

The Espressologist was an cute, easy read. The premise was enjoyable, especially how Springer incorporated the different 'who goes with what coffee drink' descriptions. I'm not much for coffee, but it was fun to read.

The characters were lacking depth. I didn't really feel any connection to them. One thing I would have like to see was more interaction between Cam and Jane. Its hard to believe they even have a relationship because there are rarely any scenes with the two of them in it together.

Minus a few things, The Espressologist was an enjoyable read. Perfect if you're looking for something light, simple, and quick to read.


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3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hmmm...I like the concept behind the book but I don't like characters who are one-dimensional. Maybe I won't give this a try after all.

Tales of Whimsy said...

Great review! I always appreciate a good honest review.

Simcha said...

Sounds like a fun book though I need my characters to be fully developed in order to really enjoy a book.
Thanks for the review!

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