Breakaway Books

Authored by C.B. Lee; Published July 2025; Fantasy

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️

The fantastical concepts at the heart of Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe are fascinating—so much so that I could have done with a lot more magic and a little less teenage romance.

In Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, Brenda has a plan for how she wants her life to go: admission into UCLA, followed by a life of saving the planet from climate change. But when she meets the very cute Kat in a local coffee shop, she gets sidetracked from her plan and decides to enjoy a little fun. One problem—Kat seems to reside in a parallel universe filled with magical spells, dangerous creatures, and mana surges that threaten to destroy their version of Los Angeles. Maybe Brenda can put her dedication and planning to good use saving Kat’s LA from destruction.

I loved the concept behind this novel. One world, torn into two parts, one magical and one non-magical, because of capitalistic greed, with their inhabitants forced to spend decades deciphering and suffering from the after-effects. The number one thing I wanted from this novel was: more. I wanted to understand more about the system of magic, more about how the initial split took place, more about its consequences and the re-integration of the worlds. I had so many questions about the details of the split between the two worlds, and it felt like a rich enough story to fill more than one novel, so surely a few more details in this one would not have been remiss. The author’s take on magic was unique, as well. Yes, magic is cool, even mind-blowing, for the non-magical version of the world, but in the magical society, it’s like math—undergirding everything but considered too boring to learn about in detail. I loved this concept.

I did not love the teen romance and the general teen social dynamics of the novel. Okay, yes, I know that this book is aimed at young adults, but other YA novels have not made me experience the full awkwardness of high school relationships. As much as I love the absolutely excellent group of friends that Brenda has, it also struck me as wildly unrealistic for them to have as little tension as they do in their group. (Am I cynical? No. High schoolers are just that dramatic.) Brenda, as an ultra high-achieving teen, both stressed me out and felt relatable to me, but in a way that I would rather not relive. Truthfully, the novel touched on a lot of parts of high school that I would rather not relive, specifically the pressure-cooker, must-get-into-the-top-college environment. My only other real quarrel is that the introduction of magic to a solidly non-magical world goes over far more smoothly than is even a little realistic, especially when that introduction comes via an invading dragon.

Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe has a great concept, and the magical storylines are fascinating. If you don’t mind some awkward teen romance, you’ll enjoy this one!