Part 2 Review of The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer

I just finished the book called The Teashop Girls, by Laura Schaefer. The beginning of the book was very interesting and really intrigued me. Annie, one of the main characters, seemed like a strong character who was going to make a difference in her community. Her grandmother's teashop, the Steeping Leaf, was in danger of being shut down because of high rent and not enough business. Annie and her two best friends Zoe and Genna decided to work together to find ways to save the shop from closing its doors forever. I imagined that they would come up with a creative and intelligent way to save the Steeping Leaf. I kept waiting page after page for some scheme but nothing really ever happened. The story never developed fully and kept bouncing back and forth between many different themes. While it was fun to read about Annie's secret crush on the other barista at the Steeping Leaf, it did not really fit with the rest of the book. It was distracting at times to read about the crush on Jonathan because I wanted to know what was going to happen with the teashop. It turned out that Annie was not the strongest character. Her relationship with her grandmother grew a tiny bit stronger after she made the effort to try and save the teashop. The author never developed the friendship among the three girls in a satisfying way. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the end of this book. It was hard at times to keep going because of the lack of focus and the bland bits of the book. One thing I really enjoyed were the quotes of famous people at the beginning of each chapter. I cannot recommend this book even though at times I enjoyed it. I think this book would be good for a reader who does not need just one theme that is developed during the course of the book. I decided to pick up the second book in this series called The Secret Ingredient and will read it. I am curious about it. Overall this book was an ok read, but it was definitely not one of my favorites.

Book Review of The Teashop Girls By Laura Schaefer

I am currently reading a book called The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.(By the way this is the first time I have read a book by her. I am excited!) Similar to other books I have chosen this year, this book focuses on strong female characters. The main character is a girl named Annie, who I really like so far. She comes from a big family just like me with one sister and two brothers. She has a great relationship with her parents. She also has a very good relationship with two other girls named Zoe and Genna. They have been friends for their entire lives. The most interesting relationship that Annie has at this point in the book is with her grandmother Louisa. Her grandmother owns a tea shop called The Steeping Leaf. Her grandmother seems very funky and cool. She wears lots of scarves and has a great sense of humor. She is very into tea and the relationship between tea and how you feel and act. Louisa is a very likable character. I cannot wait to read more to see how her relationship grows and maybe changes with her friends and her grandma through out this book. I do not want to be a spoiler but there are many interesting events that occur between Annie and the Steeping Leaf. (She has a secret crush.) Through out the book there are interesting quotes and recipes at the beginning of each chapter that I think is really fun! I chose this book because I also like tea and I thought the title was very catchy and creative. This is a book for someone who enjoys reading about very strong friendships, and a very tight family. I hope that everyone will stay tuned for my follow up blog that summarizes the plots and adventures in the book. In the mean time, enjoy a cup of tea and pick up this book.