The Baby Dragon Café - A.T. Qureshi
This book is centred around a loveable character, Saphira, who owns a baby dragon cafe. She adores baby dragons even though her skirts end up burnt and bitten and there are a few furniture burnings in the cafe, the hazards of baby dragons fireballs!
Unfortunately one day there is an immense fire that completely destroys her expensive coffee machine and Saphira, already struggling to pay her mortgage just can't afford to replace it. How can she run a cafe with no coffee?!
Luckily for her Aiden, owner of a very cute but particularly mischievous baby dragon, puts a suggestion to Saphira that could help her invest in a new machine. He would pay her to train his dragon, Sparky, left to him by his brother.
Saphira jumps at the chance and starts training straight away.
She quickly realises that Sparky is an intelligent little and he responds really well to his training. He's adorable, she's bonding with him and she feels very protective of him, she's confused however, why his owner, Aiden, doesn't want to join in with the training.
Will Sparky learn his training? Will grumpy Aiden loosen his collar? Can they work together? Will sparks fly ... between them?
This was a really cute read and if you enjoy cosy fantasy then it's definitely for you!
#thebabydragoncafe #babydragons #atqureshi

A Delightful, Heartwarming Fantasy – 5 Stars!

The Baby Dragon Cafe by A. T. Qureshi is an absolute gem of a book! If you’re a fan of cosy fantasies that are both charming and full of heart, this one will steal your heart in the most delightful way.

From the moment I picked up this book, I was transported to a whimsical world where baby dragons are the latest craze, and the problems they cause are both hilarious and endearing. Saphira, the cafe owner, is struggling to keep her business afloat while dealing with her fiery little dragon patrons who just can’t seem to stop setting things on fire. It’s a struggle that many can relate to—trying to keep a dream alive when it seems like everything is conspiring against you!

Enter Aiden, the local gardener with a gorgeous (but mischievous) baby dragon of his own. His solution? To hire Saphira to train his little fire-breather in exchange for much-needed cash to keep her cafe running. The dynamic between Aiden and Saphira is an absolute joy to watch unfold. Saphira’s sunny, optimistic personality perfectly contrasts Aiden’s more grumpy and serious nature, creating a spark (pun intended!) that makes their interactions utterly magnetic.

Their journey from business partners to something more is filled with humour, warmth, and the perfect amount of tension. I loved how their differences didn’t just create conflict, but also built a beautiful, slow-burn romance. The world-building is delightful too—Qureshi paints a picture of a magical world where dragons and humans coexist, and the café itself becomes a place where both the human and magical realms can connect.

What I particularly loved about this book was the sheer joy it radiates. It’s the perfect escape, with a lot of heart and a great deal of humour. The baby dragons are an absolute highlight—adorable and chaotic, they bring a playful energy to the story that’s impossible to resist.

If you’re looking for a feel-good, magical read that will make you smile from start to finish, The Baby Dragon Cafe is the book for you. I couldn’t put it down and was sad when it ended. A truly enchanting story that’s both cosy and fantastical—definitely five stars from me! 🐉🔥☕❤️

Rating: 3.5

This is a charming cosy romance with raucous baby dragons, a sunshine café owner who is trying to make ends meet, and a grumpy dragon owner.

It’s a sweet and easy read - I finished most of this in a day. I think this book is great for grumpy/ sunshine lovers looking for a low-stakes cosy read with a guaranteed HEA.

I do wish there were more fantasy elements, maybe more insight into the dragon racing! I kinda felt like the baby dragons could be swapped with dogs and the story would be largely the same.

As a lover of both dragons and romance, I was so excited for this book, but I have to say I was disappointed. The idea was cute, but the execution just wasn’t there.

The world building was stilted and lacking, with the same details being repeated over and over without getting to experience them, and there wasn’t a lot of depth to the characters or the writing. The baby dragons also read a lot like dogs, and I was really looking for something unique.

The romance was okay, but I watched both of them fall in love with the dragon more than each other, and there isn’t a lot of payoff when they finally get together.

I also really didn’t love how the societal gap between those with dragons and those without was handled. It’s a big deal for Saphira throughout the book, and then it just kind of gets swept away at the end without any real resolution.

Overall, I expected a lot more from this book and I truly believe it could have been so much better, but if you’re just looking for a fluffy, surface-level romance with dragons maybe this will hit the spot.

This was cute little fantasy novel, i mean come on dragons?!? perfect for readers who love fake marriage and small town romances and its just a fluffy read. No spice in this one, and very YA feel which is not a bad thing!!

Thank you Netgalley and AvonBooks UK for the arc

When Saphira opened up her cafe for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn't expecting it to be so difficult or expensive. The constant need to replace furniture is cutting into her savings. Aiden is having trouble with his disobedient baby dragon. When he stumbles into Siphira's cafe he has the genius idea of having her train Sparky and he'll pay her enough to keep the cafe afloat.

I was really looking forward to this one, what with it being pitched as cosy Romantasy. I was quite disappeared as there was zero fantasy to this book, you could have easily switched out the dragons for dogs & it would be completely contemporary. The book from start to finish was just so cringe. The FMC would constantly call the baby dragons "draggos" & I hated it. I feel like she was very juvenile and a little annoying.

Every single time a problem appeared it was solved in 0.2 seconds, to the point where it just didn't feel like a problem at all. Through the whole book it was pointed out how she wasn't from a dragon family & didn't fit, yet at the end she climbed a mountain & then was all of a sudden accepted?

This book just really was not for me and I'm very disappointed. However I have also seen people love this so it's definitely for someone.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the e-arc.

This book had loads of potential but fell very flat.

The characters were juvenile, and the insta-love trope did not work.
The MMC was a walking redflag.

There was a sentence that was repeated word for word in the book twice which hints to the use of AI.

It reads like she wrote it as a teenager and got it published now she is an established author.

Positive for representation.

Cute, easy read with a really cute premise. Reminds me of cat cafes and how cute they are to visit. Loved the developing relationship between the main characters as well as the ling standing friendships portrayed in the book.

2.75⭐️The Baby Dragon Cafe was a cute and cosy small town romance that was basically the book equivalent of a Hallmark film. It was lighthearted with likeable characters - the baby dragons were adorable and I love the idea of a baby dragon cafe.

I feel like this was much more of a romance than it was a fantasy and as this was marketed as a romantasy I think a lot of readers will be expecting a much more prominent fantasy element. ( I don’t think calling this a romantasy is necessarily mismarketing, I think there is an issue around the term romantasy and how undefined/subjective it is and how broadly it is used)

For me, I did struggle with the romance in this because I didn’t feel the connection as much as I would have liked to and I wanted it to be a bit more developed which is why I didn’t rate this higher but I know that it will be well loved by fans of cute instalove stories!

this is a ya cozy fantasy that I believe would be perfect for a younger audience so although I was't super impressed and at times bored, I'd still recommend it. A very warm and sweet story that feels like a hug.

I'm heartbroken to say that this book was really disappointing. The idea of a cozy dragon cafe was SO appealing and I was really excited for this one, however, the "tell-not-show" writing was so bad that I couldn't look past it. The first chapter alone went back and forth between the present and memories of the main characters grandmother urging her to start the dragon cafe, and it went in circles from sentence to sentence for most of the chapter. And look, I'm all for a good book with less than perfect writing (I loved twilight as a teenager and I just finished Onyx Storm which is not a literary masterpiece by any means but I gave it 5 stars), as long as the world, or characters can support it. I'm sorry to say that the characters in this book were incredibly flat and boring. The romance also lacked all appeal., it felt like I was reading a fanfic by a virgin teenager. As soon as I read the line "Then he gently pushed her on her back, covering her body with his as they kissed and kissed" I gave up all hope.

This book felt like a hug. It was so fluffy and cute, as well as magical. I absolutely can’t wait for the next ones.
I don’t have enough words to explain how much I loved Saphira, Aidan, Sparky and just all the characters, the world building, the atmosphere and the author writing is just flawless.
I flew through the pages. 🫶🏻

This one was incredibly sweet, but as other reviewers have noted, it reads incredibly young, pretty much middle grade, except the characters are adults and there's a chaste romance developing. In theory that should be fine, but I think the adults were too childish for my reading taste. Loved the baby dragons, though, of course.

[ 3.75 🌟 ]

First of all, the title is so cute (and so is the cover)! I'm very happy to say that THE BABY DRAGON CAFE *absolutely* delivered on the promise of a cozy story and a sweet romance. Qureshi also really knows how to write sweet romantic moments; I highlighted so many parts while reading! Plus, who doesn't love a book about dragons — especially when you know that the stakes won't get *too* high.

I thought the relationship between Saphira, Sparky, and Aiden was so sweet, and I absolutely loved any description about Saphira's cafe! I felt like these were the moments I was most enveloped in the story, if that makes sense. I could clearly picture the setting and the vibe, which is a testament to Qureshi's writing!

However, I was a bit disappointed that the majority of the writing style often fell flat for me. It felt like a lot of telling and a bit of info dumping/repeating, i.e. the MC would be working through an obstacle but then that obstacle and the explanation would be mentioned multiples times pretty close together. I'm also not positive that a third person POV was the best choice for THE BABY DRAGON CAFE — even though we get both Saphira and Aiden's perspectives, it, again, just felt like a lot of telling over showing. This could definitely be a me thing!

Regardless of some sticking points, I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a cute romance, a cozy setting, and — of course — dragons!

I’m a little late to the party but now that I’ve read this one, I’m glad that I got the opportunity to! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Baby dragons (draggos), coffee, tasty bakery treats, beautiful flowers, a natural and enchanting love connection… what more could I ask for?

Other than realising that I may actually be a baby dragon, with the tantrums and snack eating, I really liked this world I was thrown into! I found the descriptions of the scenery of the valley and the dragons were so consuming for me too.

I did find that the dithering of the feelings on both sides of the MC’s a little blah because I just wanted them to confess their feelings or kiss or something much sooner, but I did enjoy their journey.

Sparky is a gem and I need him in my life, but I’ll settle for my orange floofy cat instead!

Would recommend for anyone looking for some cozy vibes, small baby dragons causing trouble and a natural romantic connection.

The Baby Dragon Café by Aamna Qureshi is the cozy, whimsical read you never knew you needed, perfect for fans of Pumpkin Spice Café and Legends and Lattes. The story follows Saphira, an optimistic café owner who runs a quirky establishment catering to baby dragons and their humans. However, despite her good intentions, things aren't going as smoothly as she hoped—baby dragons are more destructive than she anticipated, and the cost of replacing charred furniture is burning a hole in her pocket.

The plot is charming, and while the setting is delightful and the baby dragons are absolutely adorable, the book sometimes feels a bit predictable. Saphira’s sunny disposition is endearing, but Aiden’s brooding nature leaves much to be desired in terms of character depth. The romance, while sweet, doesn’t quite hit the emotional highs one might expect, and the pacing occasionally lags in the middle.

That said, The Baby Dragon Café is a heartwarming and fun read, with just enough magical charm to keep you turning the pages. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a light, easygoing story with a touch of fantasy.

3,5 rating

This is the very definition of cosy fantasy. The little dragons were so cute and the romance came about so easily. The writing style seems a little ya, but this definitely helps to make if easy to read and understand. A great transitional read for any romance readers wanting to dip into a bit of fantasy.

This was really a cute cozy fantasy read, but the pacing could've been a little bit more faster. Great for those looking for a slow/medium modern romantasy book.

This is the 1st book I have read by A.T Qureshi and i liked it!

I saw the cover for this book and i had to immediately sign up! Although I stand by the saying never judge a book by its cover, this one matches perfectly!

This story is a cute and cozy slow burn romance with no spice which honestly was a refreshing change!

I really liked this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy slow burn romance with no spice.

Set in Starshine Valley, "The Baby Dragon Cafe" follows the cafe’s owner, Saphira, who is trying to keep her recently opened cafe afloat. Saphira’s cafe caters to baby dragons and their owners, but the baby dragons are rather destructive, so she’s had to dip into her savings more than expected for constant repairs. Enter Aiden and his baby dragon, Sparky, who is out of control but immediately takes to Saphira. Aiden is Sparky’s owner, but they don’t have a good relationship, and Aiden needs someone to train Sparky. Saphira seems like the ideal person for the job, and since she really needs the money, she agrees to do it. I really enjoyed learning more about these characters and following along with Sparky’s training. The writing is good, the author captures the main character’s emotions in a heartfelt way, and the storyline progresses at a good pace. The side characters are also very entertaining, and I’m glad to know this is just the first book in the series. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the rest. If you’re looking for a lighthearted read and love baby dragons (I mean, who doesn’t?), this is the book for you.