True love is almost as hard to find in a book as it is in real life. Dozens and dozens of lesfic romances try to get it right, but often fail. That is why authors like Gun Brooke are so valuable to the genre.

The earnest, heartfelt writing appeals to me, sometimes speaking to personal experience that cuts quick to one's very core:

..."During phys ed, when the other girls talked about their latest crush on a boy, I felt nothing. Instead, there was a girl.” Manon smiled as if she could see her. “Funny, I can’t even remember her name, but she was shy and really pretty. I liked to watch her play basketball—the way her body moved, and how she beamed after she scored. I exchanged maybe ten words with her, but the fact that I found her cute and attractive…and had nobody to talk to about it scared me to death."...

Coffee Sonata is beautiful and sweet, sometimes so much so it makes your heart hurt. And there's certainly lots of love to go around, even if that is what contributes to the one weakness in this novel: too much story and not enough time to tell it.

Vivian and Mike, Manon and Eryn...four wonderful women, all unexpectedly falling into relationships they never see coming. Of the two relationships, I cherished the one Vivian and Mike share the most. They feel so fiercely and fear so much.

Manon and Eryn are great as well, but the "coming out" issues and family concerns hit just a bit too close for me. As terrific as the book is, Coffee Sonata bites off more than it can chew at times. It might fare just a tad better as two separate romance novels. ( )