What if?...in a coffee cup
Book review: The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick
The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick
Published: December 9, 2025 by Park Row
Buy this book at: Bookshop.org
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Synopsis:
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory.
When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back?
Rating:
Review:
Once upon a time Greta Parks was a television commercial icon. She starred in an iconic coffee commercial with her husband and her daughter. Everyone remembers her fondly and she has been living in the glory days of that fame ever since. But, things aren’t like they are on television. Now, Greta is in a failing marriage and separated from her husband. Her cute, adorable daughter is now a teenager and behaving…..well, like a teenager. Greta finds herself falling into reminiscing about the way things used to be and how different she wanted her life to be.
Then she stumbles across a coffee shop that promises to make her dreams come true. She can have the life that she wants. Well, for the short term anyway. There are a few rules. She can only visit for a limited time and has to answer a few questions about her experience for the shop owner when she returns. She drinks the coffee and finds herself in the town that her Maple Gold commercials were set in. And she has the wonderful marriage and perfect child that she’s been dreaming about. As her real life slowly falls apart around her, Greta is increasingly drawn to the perfection of Mapleville and wants to never leave.
This book was perfectly cozy and a genuinely fun read. We have all sat and looked at our lives and wondered “What if?” And this book gives us a thoughtful and sweet answer. Perfect might be nice to visit but it can’t replace the real people that you love. If you’re looking for a quick, fun little journey into magical realism then this is highly recommended. My only gripe was that it was a bit predictable. But it’s a cozy, it wasn’t meant to be groundbreaking or shocking.