Review: The Espressologist

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pub. Date: October 27, 2009
Pages: 192
Age Level: 13+

Synopsis
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.

Review
The Espressologist was a short and sweet read with characters and a story line that kept me smiling and entertained.

The characters were not the best developed characters I've ever come across but they were funny and very likable in their strange little quirky way. One huge thing I would have liked to have seen would have been more interaction between Cam and Jane. Their relationship just wasn't built on hardly anything.

I loved the premise for this story. The idea of Espressology is so original and fun and I loved how Kristina incorporated in the different 'who goes with what coffee drink' descriptions. It really makes me wonder what my coffee flavor says about me and it was also cool getting to learn new coffee terms. The writing wasn't exactly what I'd call stellar but it worked ok for this particular book, as did the ending, though I really wish this book had been longer.

All in all, The Espressologist is a fast-paced, enjoyable read that is perfect for when you want a book to lift your spirits or just to help you unwind. It is also a great book to read in between those really thick books or around the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. I know I'll be taking this one off my shelf to read again in the future.

Grade
Characters: C+
Writing: C+
Plot: B-
Ending: C+
Enjoyment/Likability: B-
Recommendable: B-
Cover: C (Like the cover in general but feel it doesn't really fit the tone of this book.)

Overall: C+