Reading The Cafe of Hopes and Dreams, absolutely made my weekend! After a rough week, book 2 of The Dream Factory series was my mini-vacation back to the magical midwestern world of Gold Coast, Illinois.
The Dream Factory, book 1, introduces Alice, a young caretaker hitting the burnout wall hard. Escaping from her demanding and abusive mother, Alice finds out that a mysterious benefactor has left her a costume shop in the modern-day version of a one-horse-town.
Since I am a costume lover myself, following Alice as she meets the quirky townsfolk, gains confidence, and exercises her creativity, was a joyous read.
As Alice wakes up from years of drudgery, she learns that her visions give her the power to fashion a life she can actually enjoy living. With a little help from a glamorous ghost, Alice inspires the community around her to nurture a lively and economically viable town. In the process of organizing “The Thing,” Alice recovers her strength and is empowered by the word “no.”
Book 2, The Cafe of Hopes and Dreams, begins moments after the triumphant ending of book 1. With a shift to the point of view of Katrina, Alice’s older sister, we learn another side of Alice’s story.
Katrina begins the book shocked at her little sister’s “no.” She can’t believe that anyone in her family could have boundaries and put their own needs ahead of a squeaky wheel.
Seeing Alice happy helps Katrina realize that she too has become trapped by negative relationships. Her mother and husband constantly drain her energy. The effect isn’t supernaturally vampiric, but Katrina learns why “energy vampires” are dangerous to dreams: They cause complacency.
Katrina decides to overrule her husband, taking a much-needed vacation from their tedious accounting firm to visit her sister. The break becomes an opportunity to help the town attract a new owner for the main street cafe.
Relaxing with her favorite pastime, baking, soon Katrina is mixing up incredible cakes and reviving her plans to attend law school. Like her sister, Katrina has always had visions. As the townsfolk eat delectable slices of cake, Katrina senses their strengths. She can see the best possible outcomes of their dreams.
Although her magical intuition provides insight, it is Katrina’s years of experience in accounting and her business savvy that allows her to guide her new friends on paths toward achieving their dreams.
In alternating chapters, readers also get to see through the eyes of Katrina’s mother and husband. Katrina’s baked goods remind them what happiness is and what their dreams used to be. It is heartwarming to read books where every character is written with deep compassion and granted unique, satisfactory resolutions.
I recommend both books for anyone who enjoys novels about characters who benefit hugely from very little magic. Reading along for the ride while relatable characters make big life changes, grow as individuals, and listen to their intuition, makes The Dream Factory series a marvelous mental vacation.
What do you think?