This book gives an interesting look behind the scenes at coffee production and the eco-tourism business. It also did not go in the direction I thought it would with one of the main characters, so it definitely threw me a surprise.

Dee is a passionate activist and very idealistic. She’s also very impulsive, accepting a job in Costa Rica that she is not qualified for to escape controlling pressure from her family and ex-boyfriend. She’s out of her depth, but her heart is in the right place.

Dee initially isolates herself somewhat in Costa Rica, aside from emailing with Matias. But then she meets Adrian and starts touring coffee plantations with him and visiting other sites in Costa Rica. She also meets a professor who is a well known activist through her connections with Matias. They, along with her “host mother” and a teenager from one of the plantations, form her core support system.

As Dee learns more about the coffee business, her ideals and beliefs are challenged. She finds support in unexpected places, and is betrayed by people who turned out to not be who she thought they were. I was surprised by some of it, but not all of it. And the romance part of the plot took a different turn than I expected.

But all in all, I enjoyed the story and was somewhat inspired. If I drank coffee, I would make sure to check the sources for an ethical supplier.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration though NetGalley, on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.