One Trick Pony (review)

That perfectly brewed coffee can be a bit of heaven seems indisputable, but this novel, centered on a new owner of a local coffee shop and a quartet of its teen regulars, questions whether it can actually change the lives of drinkers. Jesse, Abigail, Kate, and Randall, the four teens, have been friends for years, and each is at a crossroads. Abigail and Randall must sort out their long-standing friendship from their newly heightened romantic feelings, Kate is realizing that her blustery confidence and obsession with being perfect may not lead her to happiness, and Jesse can no longer find comfort in his one-night stands. Luckily, the mysterious and gorgeous Caroline, the coffee-shop owner, has advice and personalized coffee drinks for each of them; whether it is the advice or the beverage changing their personalities seems only clear to Caroline herself. Brodsky realistically explores the normal ebbs and flows of this four-person friendship, with each teen emerging as not only part of the group but also sometimes as the outsider within it. Unfortunately, the pseudo-mystical touch of (perhaps) magic coffee beans minimizes the hard-won growth of each of the friends in its suggestion that whimsy was as likely a catalyst for change as bravely discarding old protective shells. In addition, the budding romance between Caroline and Jesse, with his immediate rejection of all old relationship habits and slavish dedication to fulfilling her needs, is awkwardly rushed (and perhaps overly hopeful for a relationship between a seventeen-year-old boy and his his twenty-two-year-old boss). However, teens who frequent coffeehouses themselves will see a familiar cast, and they will revel in the idea that their next cup of caffeinated joy could actually transform their lives.