Cool Beans by Erynn Mangum

Publisher: NavPress (April 1, 2010)
Pages: 304
Stars: 5/5

Everything seems to be going perfectly for Maya Davis: She has a great job at a coffee shop, gets along with her parents, and is happily single. That is until her best friend unknowingly starts dating Maya’s high school sweetheart, her annoyingly perfect brother moves back to town, and her co-worker starts showing interest in her. What is God trying to teach her about life, love, and commiserating over coffee? [Back cover]

I. Love. This. Book.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Erynn Mangum. I read her other chick-lit trilogy, The Lauren Holbrook series, a couple years back, and I’m STILL in love with it. Cool Beans had the same effect on me that the Lauren Holbrook series did- it got me laughing. I was cackling at something on every other page. If it wasn’t Maya (though it was Maya, most of the time), it was Jack and his annoying parrot. Or Calvin and his quirks. I swear, I even laughed at Mrs. Mitchell. It’s apparent that Erynn has this incredible talent to make anything and everything hilarious. Which is exactly what us girls need sometimes- a different, more hilarious perspective on life. Maya didn’t have it easy. She had difficulties and bouts of depression, I’m sure (I mean, she’s female- let’s be realistic here). But she didn’t curl up in her bed and cry about it. She laughed it off, kept up her cheerful spirit, drank 11 cups of coffee at work, and when she got home at the end of the day, she curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream! *As a side note, don’t ever try and consume the amount of sugar or caffeine that Maya consumed…I’m pretty sure it’s life threatening.*

I loved Maya’s quirks (like how she was so addicted to coffee, she would seriously not be able to function properly without it) and her detestation of health food (I can totally relate). We can all learn something from her child-like approach to walking with God. (And I just have to say, even though it was apparent to me that Jack + Maya = heart by page 22, it didn’t bother me that it was obvious how it would turn out. J Some early-on spoilers are just plain ok, especially when we see it coming but the girl doesn’t. If that makes any sense…)

Anyways, to wrap up, Cool Beans was a wonderful read. It’s very light, fun, and puts you in a happy mood. You’ll find yourself giggling- at the dinner table, at school, during church- over something you read, and it’s pretty hard to stop. It’s one of those books that you want to read out of a little each day, just to make your day a little brighter. J I love all of Erynn Mangum’s books, and will read anything she writes! And get this: I don’t even like coffee. This book MADE me want to like coffee. I highly suggest Cool Beans (and its two follow-up, which will be ordered and shipped to me in the near future) to any and all young women who just need a laugh.

Quick Content Review:
Language: None
Sexual: None
Violence: None