Book Review: Espressologist by Kristina Springer

What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

I picked this book up because I saw the word Espresso in the title. I had to read the book because it dealt with coffee. For some reason I did not notice the froth on the cover was in the shape of a heart nor the little phrase that says, “Get a little love with your latte”. I was oblivious to these things. They all made sense when I started to read about Jane and her matchmaking skills in love/relationships based on coffee drinks. This was a fun read. I am not into love and romance books, but I found myself really enjoying this novel. I think because coffee was involved and how she recorded the people who ordered certain drinks. Or the way that the author made everything light hearted and enjoyable, but not too cheesy. How can you turn away from a book that starts with an opening paragraph like this:

Large Nonfat Four-shot Caffe LatteCocky sex-deprived butthead guy drink. Expect only the utmost stupidity to come out of his mouth. So-so body, could stand to work out more. Crappy dresser. Dramatically stares at a woman who comes in with a boob job. He looks like he is going to hurt himself in the contortions he is twisting into…

I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down for some reason. I can honestly say this is the first time I actually enjoyed reading about people hooking up and dating and/or falling in love. I was intrigued by the descriptions of the people based on their drink choice. I lived in coffee shops while in high school so I can just imagine this actually taking place. I am interested in knowing what I am based on my coffee drink selections. I am definitely a mocha cappuccino when I order at a coffee shop. However, when it is cold and snowing, then it is nothing but peppermint mocha. I will have to see what I can find out about myself based on my drink selections or try to interview the author. I have been told and also have read online that this book has overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma. I have not ready anything by Jane Austen as that is not my cup of joe, but I know some of you are avid fans of Jane Austen and thought I would share this with you.

If you want a fun, easy, enjoyable read that deals with caffeine, coffee, and love, then give this a try. I guarantee you will be pleased with your selection. And by the way, I did drink a pot of coffee while reading and am drinking coffee now while I write this review.