Review Detail

Matchmaking based on coffee drinks instantly drew me to this book. I thought what the heck, it's not even 200 pages and I'm in the mood for something short and sweet. That's exactly what Kristina delivered.

However, because the novel was SO SHORT, I felt like a lot of aspects fell flat. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, they all fit so perfectly into specific roles leaving barely any room for real development. Everything that was going on with Jane, the main character, was simply a product of her own creation. She didn't care about anything besides her best friend, and her coffee matching. And personally, having gone through the whole applying for college thing last year and then again last month for transfers, Jane annoyed me. She has dreams of getting into this great school, but absolutely NO drive. I understand getting burnt out, I do, but some explanation for her apathy would made me like her more.

Another issue I had with the length was that it hurt the plot development and pacing. There were so many little mini subplots and avenues for drama packed into the story that only one of them could be flushed out. And that was the whole espressology thing - which is actually pretty cool. Everything else was resolved in a manner of paragraphs. Finally, the relationships between the characters were rushed and left me wanting a lot more. Just as I started getting attached to a couple it was over. I wish the book was a little longer, because I think Springer could have thickened the plot and cemented the characters with just a bit more description.

I think younger readers (12-) would love The Espressologist. For me, it just didn't dig deep enough. If you're in the mood for a fast and silly story that you don't have to think about that much, pick it up. It's a cute one.