I picked this book up after seeing a lot of reviews calling it super cozy, wholesome and comforting. Those reviews are correct, but in my opinion, sell the book short.

Viv is an orc looking to leave the warrior life expected of her as a big monster, and pursue her new found passion for coffee. While some people are making this complicated, we are mostly following her tale of building up the coffeeshop from scratch.

And that tale is very cozy and wholesome, but I would never think to reduce it to that. Viv searches for a new life, a life that will give her the kind of happiness and fulfillment that her old life never could. She's genuinely passionate about coffee, and despite her rugged appearance and violent background, is so so gentle. And the book doesn't sell her struggles short at all: Starting a new life, forming a new self, that isn't easy, and it takes Viv time and understanding.

It also didn't go past me that the main characters are all creatures with some negative connotations: Viv is an orc, Tandri is a succubus, and two more protagonists not pictured on the cover are a Hob (which I imagine stands for Hobgoblin) and a rattkin. Everyone has their own story and their own struggles, but they all in some way or another don't quite fit into the expectations of others and have to fight prejudice, and they come together to build a place where they can follow their passions and find happiness without being judged for who they are. There are multiple moments where Viv struggles with other's perceptions of her, and the story is also her story of leaving what is expected of an orc - by orcs and non-orcs - for a life that is wholly hers.

All of this adds so much depth to this already amazing story. The cover says "high fantasy and low stakes", but the stakes never felt so low, they felt higher than some battles over entire kingdoms or worlds that I've read, because in every conflict, we understand what is at stake: The coffeeshop, the people around it, and Viv's entire new life and identity - her possibility to change and make her life hers.

The long and short of it is that this book is so much more than a cozy read. It's an amazing story of creating the life you want, in spite of everything. The world is described so vividly, and the cast is instantly endearing. I will marry Viv, by the way. If you like the part in D&D where you all start out meeting in a tavern, this is the book for you.