The next time you order a coffee at Gloria Jeans or Michel’s, watch to see whether there’s someone behind the counter taking notes. Especially if it’s a place you visit  regularly.

Well, that’s what they should have warned the patrons of Wired Joe’s cafe… Jane works at Wired Joe’s – pocketing her notebook as she serves the regulars, and pondering what their taste in coffee might really tell you about their character. Her notes take on meaning when she uses them to form a little matchmaking. Then the success of this leads to some interesting dilemmas – has she really picked the right match for her best friend Emma? Is she ready for the ideas her boss pitches her way when she’s promoted to assistant manager? And what about the planned ‘Gabby Girlz’ session?

Jane is an average 17 year old, facing the usual angst and trials of adolescence, while sorting through her various relationships – old and new. She struggles to find her niche in life.

As a skim capuccino drinker, I found that ‘The Expressologist’ provided an interesting insight into lots of different types of coffee that might be created in the States. With a couple of ‘Wired Joe’s’ recipes at the end of the book, there’s a hook for coffee lovers (well, at least those who like lots of cream and syrup). But the main hook of the book is to get you questioning Jane’s theory of being able to judge a person on the basis of their preferred drink – then the matchmaking can begin!

It would be interesting to know how strongly ‘the Expressologist’, set in the US, might appeal to Australian students.

I think it’s a quirky book. It’s easy to read, and worth curling up with for a bit of light distraction. Lots of reviews, with varying star ratings can be found at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5576654-the-espressologist.

With which reviews do you agree? What would be your star rating? Is the American teen portrayed very different from the Aussie teen?