We have the same characters with a few more to the mix which worked wonderfully. I thought this was a great story and i didnt want to put this down.

I was utterly captivated by The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, so was extremely delighted to find out that there was a follow up and it hasn't disappointed as I've been captivated again by the characters and storyline. I don't care how insensitive it makes me, I find the way women are treated in many countries outside of the oblivious western bubble absolutely and utterly disgusting, and I actively support and invest in organisations that are working to bring an end to this. There's a point in the book where Layla says something to the effect of 'It's not true that men are abusive. They only get mean like that when women do something shameful to make them act that way.' Ach, who would want more than one?" [...] "But it is also true," [...] "that without us, these men who are so valuable would have no sons. Heaven is under the Mother's feet, so treat her kindly. Have you not heard that said? Our tradition tells us that women should be given kindness, love, and respect if a man truly wants to be righteous."Zara is a character I didn't see coming. While I do feel her whole arc feels more like it is forming the framing rather than allowing her to be an independent character, she is still a good character. This is a time when we are seeing the consequences of an arranged marriage. To a degree her arc lets us see that process, something I didn't know. Even if Rodriguez is using an extreme or old school example seeing that as a piece of culture felt important. As the blurb may indicate Zara has the worst of the endings, though there is a silver lining of a sort there. It's along the lines of Isabel from The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. A reminder that life is messy, imperfect and can be truly ugly. Ahmet: Didn't believe his sudden transformation. Came out of nowhere and didn't ring true. Played to the reader, not to the character. Really enjoyed this book that is a reminder of life in Kabul for Sunny. The whole host of characters were reintroduced- without too much of a recap but enough to refresh memories after a while. Interesting stories about love and loss are intertwined and there are new, fresh characters to meet and enjoy. The characters are brought to life and the episodes were vivid and contributed to the storyline. MY COMMENTS: I struggled somewhat with The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul when I read it some months ago. My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... but I had hoped for the answers to some of my questions in the follow up book. Sadly, it was not to be. The author tends to gloss over things, important things, like Layla's abduction.

There are so many people like Kat and others like Layla, different flowers that bloomed from the same soil.All in all an enjoyable book which has enhanced my enjoyment of the previous books written by this author The correct response to this (which was noticeably absent in the novel) is THERE IS NEVER A REASON TO TREAT A WOMAN LIKE THAT. There is NEVER a time to treat women as lesser, as something that needs to be kept in line, diminished, abused or hidden away. ZARA, promised in marriage to a violent man she's never met, arrives at the coffee shop seeking sanctuary.

While you will be eager to know what will happen next, thanks to Zara who maintains this feeling throughout the book, the previous characters of Sunny and Yazmina won't appeal to you that much. Even Halajan, who was like a neighborhood badass, is a notch down in the story. Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul could have definitely used some more twists and turns, but what I read was not that half bad. Also, if you think that reading the first book is important to understand the story, do not worry. Rodriguez has made sure to cover important areas and has not left the reader in the dark. I loved the change in Ahmet's personality and how he became somehow open minded, and that speech he said when he held his daughter was so touching:").Sequel to the Kabul Coffee Shop series, Return to the Little Coffee Shop Of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez gives you glimpse into the life of Sunny, Halajan, and the new generation. A generation living away from Kabul, trying to adjust on the another side of the world, a world without bullets and bloodshed. And not just the young ones, the grown ups now need to find a new path towards their life as well.