Following the lives of people within America adjusting to not being in Kabul anymore was not as interesting as I thought it would be. 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.' I loved this book. I really did. I loved the characters, the storytelling, the settings, the themes the book explores, everything. I loved it all. 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.

The ending of Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul feels fitting. Pushing the idea of finding a home, connecting to your roots and making yourself whole. There is so much strength in this book. Even Zara who goes through a lot, suffers, blames herself for so much pain and suffering is strong. The whole thing ends on a tone of optimism as is only right. All that said I did have a little lingering disappointment over the ending, but I'm unsure why. "Life it goes on." [...] "You find new things to keep you busy, new friends to help you pass the time, new ways to make yourself feel happy. And when life gives you lemons, you make wine." — Joe 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. There wasn't much of Yasmina in this book compared to the prequel but I gues what was included was enough.Some of the favourite characters from the first book return in this and it is fascinating to see how events have changed their attitudes and outlooks and even though a lot of the book isn't set in Kabul anymore, there is still plenty of visits there to see how life has changed, if at all, for those trying to get on with normal lives and we see different aspects of the culture explored in a striking way.

There are so many people like Kat and others like Layla, different flowers that bloomed from the same soil. Ahmet: Didn't believe his sudden transformation. Came out of nowhere and didn't ring true. Played to the reader, not to the character. It is not necessary to have read the previous book, as there is enough character description and history mentioned within the narrative for new readers to be able to follow along. It is also suitable for book groups as it contains a series of reading group questions at the end of the novel.Fabulous sequel to Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. So rich in narrative that I felt like I was part of the scenery. The author is so descriptive that you feel you know all the characters personally. All in all, this book was superbly written, and is a must read for every woman. If for nothing else but to remind the us for how blessed we are us are to lead such privileged free lives, with the right to education, the right to dye our hair, the ability to go out for coffee on our own, to write and read, to paint our nails, to speak up and have our voices heard. To remind us to never take it for granted. 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." And then there is Zara, who is about to be forced into a marriage with devastating consequences, even for Halajan's family. In their respective lives, these women will learn a valuable lesson from Halajan;

Rodriguez's strength as a writer is her ability to conjure up vivid, endearing-but-flawed characters, whose lives are not without their upsets and challenges. She avoids being too saccharine and predictable, and drops several heartbreaking twists along the way. ZARA, promised in marriage to a violent man she's never met, arrives at the coffee shop seeking sanctuary. 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. The honest, entertaining and life-affirming sequel to The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, featuring the same loveable cast of characters, from internationally bestselling author Deborah Rodriguez.First of all, I honestly can't believe that people like Faheem exist, he has a very disgusting personality and people like him just waste oxygen. 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.