There was a time when I was unaware of how awesome coffee and coffee shops were. I like to recall that time as the “dark years.†Now I can start a work day without my morning coffee, although I do miss going into Starbucks every morning and seeing the dynamic that happens there.
This led me to think of all the YA books taking place in or featuring coffee shops. There are a lot of books out there, but I can’t remember the one book that inspired this list. I can recall all the details, but the title, author, or any of the character’s names. It’s driving me crazy. While I rack my brain trying to remember, here are some of books that feature coffee, coffee shops, or those amazing people who make our coffee, baristas.
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman (2010 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults)
In this retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, Geena is looking forward to a summer of working at the local coffee shop with her cousin Hero and best friend Amber. But as soon as Geena arrives home from boarding school, she falls in love and realizes her friendship with Amber might be over.
Birthright: Darkest Fear by Cate Teirnan
Vivi seems like a normal 18-year-old girl, but she and her murdered parents are haguari. Once she moves to New Orleans, she meets a dreamy coffee shop owner while trying to deal with horrible truths that put her in danger.
Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder
Rae’s life isn’t easy. Her stepfather is verbally abusive, her mother turns a blind eye to his actions, and her seeming ‘hot’ boyfriend is turning into a nightmare. Things escalate when Rae’s stepfather loses his job and starts stealing her paychecks and gets into shady business dealings. Rae finds solace in writing poetry and a kind coffee barista.
One or Two Things I Learned About Love by Dyan Sheldon
Hildy has never had a boyfriend, but all that changes when a cute barista asks for her number. Hildy suddenly has a boyfriend and everything is great until she starts blowing off her friends. Then her boyfriend starts to get really jealous and possessive when Hildy isn’t with him, leaving her wonder what love actually is.
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
After Jane fixes up two of her regular customers based on their drink order, she decides to become a matchmaker. Too bad she can’t see the perfect match for herself.
-Faythe Arredondo, currently drinking coffee and looking for her next read
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn?
Also by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Naomi and Ely’s no kiss list : a novel – there are plenty of coffee shop (specifically Starbucks, if I remember correctly) scenes in that book, and discussions of why the hang out in coffee shops but don’t drink the coffee.