When reading a book, you always start with the cover. When I saw it as an online reader, the cover image was just a thumbnail for The Brunch Shift. I did not think I was going to like it based on the cover alone as unfortunately, there did not seem to be anything grabbing me. I figured I knew the story, “Mom was at the restaurant while the child was home with dad or grandparent (other adult) and waiting. It would be a story about waiting and the fun they have when mom gets home. And while some of that is in Adrienne Thurman’s story, there is more as well.
The child of the story gets up early on Saturday morning to go to work with her mom. The owner pretends he does not see her, but somehow still makes too many pancakes just the way she likes them. She pretends as she watches the customers. She helps her mom when she can. During breaks the two pretend to be knights saving dragons or chasing art thieves. Then, on their way home even the magic potion (a milkshake) does not chase away the blues of wanting a “normal” Saturday. But mom always knows what to order to make the day perfect.
It is cozy, allows us to see how some people need to spend a Saturday (in a non-stereotypical way) and has representation (the pair are POC). It makes me thoughtful, warm, and I really like these characters and want to be friends with them. This is partly because that cover that did not grab me, has some nice illustrations for companions done by Mags DeRoma. The cover gives you the idea of what you will find inside, but there is more pop and as you move along, your setting does not change a lot, but the scenes do. It is colorful, that not exactly realistic quality allows whimsy to come in, and while things are not overly detailed, nothing lacks either.
Due later in August 2026, put this on your TBR list for something different to read with your own special partner in imagination and fun.