Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop

 

Star rating: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this gifted digital copy! 

Summary:

Clairvoyance runs in Vanessa's family, and she inherited the gift as a young girl. She has always hated it, as her predictions are (ironically) unpredictable and often cause others pain. After a series of painful predictions, she finally agrees to let her Aunt Evelyn tutor her to harness control of her power, while also accompanying her to Paris to help with the opening of Evelyn's new tea shop. Once there, the unexpected happens - she falls in love. Between being in love for the first time and deepening her understandings of clairvoyance, Vanessa's life beings to change in drastic ways. 

Review:

This book is just absolutely lovely. Lovely and magical. And hunger-inducing. Oh, the descriptions of food! From traditional Chinese dishes to Parisian delicacies, food is a central theme of this book, with mouth-watering descriptions and reminders that food is a relationship builder, a way to express love and care for others. 

Now, the story itself. I was totally hooked from the beginning. I've never read a story that puts such a unique spin on clairvoyance. I instantly sympathized with Vanessa and her hatred of her power and was rooting for her to become empowered with it rather than keep resisting it. 

About halfway through, the story started to lose me. It felt like there were several plots all happening at once, and Vanessa's central role in the book felt like it got lost. The ending had a twist that I overall liked, but everything wrapped up a bit too quickly and perfectly, and I was left with unanswered questions. 

Overall, this was a fun, heartwarming, enjoyable read. I highly recommend for fans of Kevin Kwan, Amy E. Reichart, and Barbara O'Neal.