The Little Teashop on Main

by

Jodi Thomas

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction / Coming of Age

Publisher: HQN

Publication Date: May 7, 2019

Number of Pages: 336 pages

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A rainy-day ritual—a tea party between three little girls—becomes the framework of not only their friendship, but their lives.

Blonde, curly-haired Zoe is openhearted, kind and free-spirited, and dreams of becoming a famous actor in New York City. Shy Emily struggles with mental health but has the heart and soul of a writer. And Shannon—tall, athletic, strong—has a deep sense of loyalty that will serve her well when she heads off to military college.

As Zoe, Emily, and Shannon grow into women—forging careers, following dreams, and finding love—they’ll learn that life doesn’t always unfold the way they want it to, but through it all, the one constant is each other and their regular tea parties. And when the unthinkable happens, the girls must come together to face the greatest test of all.

A deeply moving novel about the family that raises us, the hearts that nurture us, and the great friendships that define our lives.

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Praise

“Heart-wrenching as well as heartwarming, the book reflects the experiences of these seven multifaceted and compelling characters as they journey through challenging years together.” — NY Journal of Books

“A comforting treasure for regular Thomas readers who enjoy the easy flow of her writing, a little steamy romance to spice things up, and the development of vulnerable, realistic characters.” — Booklist

This excerpt is from the beginning of the book and sets the tone for the rest of the story.  Enjoy!

Zoe O’Flaherty danced on the tile floor of the sunroom as if it were a grand stage. Her sun-streaked red hair floated like a cape as it brushed against multicolored geraniums in full late summer bloom.

In her five-year-old mind, today was a perfect day, even if it was raining outside. The best day in her life. Better than Christmas or even Halloween.

Today, Zoe was having her first real tea party. Mommy, or Alex as grownups called her, had decorated with paper stars hanging from the ceiling fan, and she’d bought a Cinderella tea set. They’d made heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches and tiny cupcakes with a cherry on top of each one. Choco¬late kisses sprinkled across the short table with three child sized plastic chairs. A small box sat on each plate filled with diamond rings as big as suckers and plastic necklaces.

“Now, Zoe, settle down,” Mommy said for the magillianth time. “You’ve got to welcome both girls when they arrive. You’re the hostess today. I’ll be in the kitchen with the mothers.”

“I know. I know.” She twirled. When she was a dancer someday, she’d never stop twirling.

The doorbell rang. Zoe squealed and darted to the door, her pink princess dress flying around her so lightly she could almost believe it was made of cotton candy.

“Hi,” she said, as a princess dressed in purple floated one step inside the house.

The mother behind her pushed the thin little girl forward. “You must be Zoe. I’m Mrs. Waters and this is my daughter Emily. She’s going to be in your kindergarten class. And I, for one, thank your mother for putting this party together so it won’t be too frightening for you girls next week. Emily will have two friends she knows in that petrifying environment.”

Zoe leaned down when Emily didn’t look up. This new princess had long brown braids and fear in her chocolate eyes.

Princess Emily sniffled, hugging herself as if she were cold.

Zoe had never thought about being afraid to go to kindergarten. Or that there would be someone who didn’t want to come to a tea party, but this purple princess did not look happy. “I’ve never had a tea party with anything but dolls. Have you?”

Brown braids slapped against Emily’s wet cheeks as she shook her head.

“I like your dress,” Zoe whispered. The new princess still didn’t look up, but her mother stretched her neck and looked around their room as if she were inspecting the small home.

“Interesting house,” Mrs. Waters said, her face wrinkling as if she smelled something unpleasant.

Emily finally raised her head and smiled a tiny bit. “I like your dress too, Zoe.”

Mommy came out of the kitchen and took Mrs. Waters away. Zoe was glad. She was probably nice, but if she’d brought a basket of apples like the queen in Snow White, Zoe wouldn’t have eaten one.

She took Emily’s hand and pulled her to the play table that was set for tea. “Do you like peanut butter sandwiches?”

“Yes, but I don’t like my crown. It’s too big.” Emily leaned sideways and it fell off. “My mommy says I’ll never find a prince if I don’t keep my crown on.”

“Mine’s too small.” Zoe shook her red curls and the crown bounced atop her head. “And I don’t want to find a prince. My mommy says I don’t have to find one if I don’t want to. She told me sometimes you have to kiss a frog to get one.”

Both girls giggled and switched crowns as Zoe’s mommy answered the doorbell.

This book has all the emotions running through it – from happiness to sorrow and everything in between.  It also speaks to friendships and how important they are in our lives.

I may have thought this was going to be a light read but the book surprised me as it was so much more.  I think what engaged me the most was the friendship of Zoe, Emma, and Shannon.  They were fast friends from kindergarten on and celebrated milestones in their lives by having a tea party.  I loved the tradition especially when they would have the tea party before leaving for college, when they came home, and for all milestones in between.  I marveled at how no matter what was going on in their lives they always found time for each other which is so very important.

Beyond the friendship aspect, this book also tied in mental health, illness, family, and that love can be right around the corner if you just take a peek and let it into your life.  It is also about chasing your dreams and living up to your potential.  Each woman’s personal story is woven beautifully within the whole story and there is even a storyline regarding Zoe’s mother and Shannon’s father.

This is probably one of the most heartwarming and heart-wrenching books I have read so far this year.  We give it 5 paws up and highly suggest you read this book!

With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 45 novels and 14 short story collections. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world.

In July 2006, Jodi was the 11^th writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. With five RITA’s to her credit, along with National Readers’ Choice Awards and Booksellers’ Best Awards, Thomas has proven her skill as a master storyteller.

Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, Thomas enjoys interacting with students at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence.

When not working on a novel, or inspiring students to pursue writing careers, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home, and “checking up” on their grown sons and four grandchildren.

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