One bad decision ruined his life, but can Emet First find redemption at the aptly named café?

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About the Book

After his release from prison Emet just wants to get on with his life and with the help of Eden, owner of the Serve You Right Café, he just might get that chance. He learned to bake in prison and his skills are certainly welcome to Eden who has her own demons to fight. When Emet meets physical therapist Mercey things seem to be looking up. But Mercey’s brother has other ideas and soon Emet will be forced to make a choice that could ruin his chances before they’ve really begun.

My Review

Lots of colourful characters pass through the café and as we follow Emet’s journey in this sadly-too-short novel. Jacobs relates a patchwork of tales, some that mesh with the major plot line and others that don’t quite get there. All are interesting, however, and the style is warm and humorous with a twist of bittersweet. The prose is good, at times lyrical, especially the descriptions of weather and light. Despite its brevity, Jacobs makes us care about her main characters and I was a little disappointed when it ended, partially because I read an e-copy and didn’t realise I was nearing the end (!), and partly because the story seemed to be building toward a bigger climax. The vignette backstories are great and had these been woven more completely into the larger plot this would have been a five star read.

In her author notes Jacobs states the intention of the Serve You Right Café was to act as a meeting point for a collection of stories she longed to tell and which needed a home. In that context the stories work beautifully; the Serve You Right Café was a fitting home for all of them.

Second Helpings at the Serve You Right Café left me feeling uplifted, a little more informed about several issues, and wanting to know more about Emet and Eden. If you like your sweet treat with a little bite, definitely give this one a go.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Linden Tree Press for the ARC

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About the Author

Tilia Klebenov Jacobs holds a BA from Oberlin College, where she double-majored in Religion and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Following an interregnum as an outdoor educator with the Fairfax County Park Authority in Virginia, she earned a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Secondary School Teaching Certification from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Despite lacking the ability to breathe fire except in the strictly metaphorical sense, Tilia has taught middle school, high school, and college. She has also won numerous awards for her fiction and nonfiction writing. She is a judge in the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, and she teaches writing in two prisons in Massachusetts. Tilia lives near Boston with her husband, two children, and two standard poodles

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