CB Lee’s Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, as the title suggests, takes place in two worlds, both very different yet full of similarities. In one, overachiever Brenda has developed a 19-step plan to use science to save the world from climate change. In the other, Chosen One Kat just wants to forget about the prophecy that will see her dead to protect her world from the increasingly dangerous mana surges that plague it. When a random quirk of fate aligns their universes long enough for the two girls to meet in (you guessed it) Kat’s family’s coffeeshop, they find connection, but nothing is simple when they must rely on finding the right portal to even be able to see each other.
From the description, I was excited for this book, and it gave me pretty much exactly what I asked for, a sweet and whimsical YA romance across alternate universes. The romance was indeed sweet and there was certainly whimsy, but I was surprised to find, however, that it also had quite a bit of plot and higher stakes than the blurb suggests. Both universes are in peril, and the fact that they are colliding on top of that is less of a narrative quirk to allow for the romance and more an active factor in the danger they face.
I am not typically a worldbuilding-heavy reader. I like characters first and foremost, and I don’t mind a bit of handwaving if the book’s focus likewise lies elsewhere. With this book, though, I actually found myself quite excited by the worldbuilding, and even though I read this book two months ago, I still remember why. While Kat lives in a fantasy setting, it is a modern fantasy world that is similar enough to the “real” world that Brenda, who lives in this book’s version of our world, does not immediately realize the difference. It is the parallels between the worlds that I find so fascinating, from climate change in our world and mana surges in Kat’s world to the way magic has basically become like technology, with a small amount of people who actually use magic to write and power spells for the rest of the population to use without having to think too hard about how it works.
I also thought this was a really interesting take on a Chosen One story. Reluctant Chosen Ones are common, but this one felt unique from the beginning because Kat was not supposed to be the Chosen One in the first place; it was her mother who passed the role down to her after dying in the act of fulfilling it herself. In addition to examining the violent pressure of being a Chosen One, this book also makes room for the people who are not Chosen but still want to do whatever they can to fix whatever they can. It is a theme that always works for me, but especially in YA.
While I predicted some twists very early on, there were still plenty of surprises as well, in the world, in the characters, in the thoughtfulness. In general, this book surpassed a lot of my expectations for it, and I had a blast reading it. For teenage and adult readers alike, I highly recommend CB Lee’s Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe.
