Joan comes to the States from Tai Pei. Working hard at college, she strives not only academically but also to find her place in society. Falling for a handsome Chinese man, she marries Milton and believes she has reached what everyone around her seems to be striving for, only to hit a roadblock almost immediately. Joan's solution to her marital problems is liberating and a breath of fresh air. It sets the tone for the rest of this novel, which follows Joan through the whole of her life. Beautifully written, engaging and at times very funny, I really didn't want this to end.

The Satisfaction Cafe reads like a fictional memoir of the main character Joan’s quiet, ordinary life—which somehow felt anything but ordinary. There’s something deeply moving about the way the story unfolds: slowly, gently, and with emotional honesty. It reminded me of books like Stoner or Elizabeth Strout’s novels, but this one felt more intimate and tender.

As a woman, I saw parts of myself in Joan—her relationships, her choices, her quiet strength. The writing is deceptively simple, but there’s so much depth here if you take the time to read slowly and really sit with it. It’s not flashy or dramatic, but it lingers in your mind.

Also, the cover is absolutely stunning, elegant and perfectly matched to the tone of the book. I truly hope this novel gets the attention it deserves.

There are so many unexpected layers to "The Satisfaction Cafe" that I couldn't predict having only read the marketing description.

As readers, we follow the protagonist's, Joan, nearly entire life story. From her upbringing in Taiwan and adverse experiences that are mentioned almost in passing, through her first marriage and then the second one and the experience of motherhood and up to her end of life decisions. It's what I would call a gentle read, even though the many events in the story are far from being gentle.

There's so much strength in the fragmented story that only takes the readers through some part of Joan's life (as well as lives of her family) that invites us to fill in the gaps by ourselves.

There have been lot of comparisons to Ann Patchett or Elizabeth Strout - the detailed look at a person's life and the intricacies that form their world view - and while Wang's writing definitely fits in that school, it's also uniquely her own. She writes the characters with a lot of distance, so it's difficult to get into how they feel about things sometimes, but overall I enjoyed learning about Joan and her family

4.5! Subtle and deep study of family ties, from Taiwan to California. A strong woman's journey leads to a café where people find themselves through conversation.

The Satisfaction Cafe
by Kathy Wang

You might think this story is going to be set in a café, and looking at the absolutely gorgeous cover, you'd be forgiven for thinking that, but actually the café is so tangential to the main narrative, it's a puzzling choice for the title.

The first 20% of this story really captured my imagination. It describes Joan as such a ballsy character I felt sure we were going to have a lot of fun with her. Her deft handling of her first husband felt like foreshadowing, however she soon settles into a boring life of wifedom to a much older, much wealthier man, and the Joan I was eager to read about collapses into herself.

There are lots of cute moments in this tale of immigrant-made-good, but it's difficult to discern what the message is. I think it's supposed to be about being true to yourself, but that's so contradictory to how Joan is presented at first.

I think it's trying to say so much, it's failing to say anything coherently.

It is, however, a nice easy read, cosy and cute, which I'm sure many readers will appreciate.

Publication date: 26th June 2025
Thanks to #Netgalley and #LittleBrownBookGroup for providing an ARC for review purposes.

This is effectively the story of Joan’s Lifexas she moves from Taiwan to America for her education . It moves through the ups and downs she experiences throughout her lifetime her loves , losses and family. Told from various aspects

Kathy Wang's " The Satisfaction Cafe" came to me via a netgalley proof, thanks Little Brown and immediately drew me in with every page. 

Wang's writing and the composition of the  novel reminded me a lot of Ann Pratchett's  or Anne Tyler's work as Wang portraits the seemingly unexcited life of Joan Liang's:  from being the unimportant,  yet intelĺigent Taiwanese daughter who got lucky to become a Stanford student, to marrying husband no 1 who we know on page 2 will not survive that marriage.  Marriage no 2 to wealthy, older Bill is the true turnaround in Joan's life with many unexpected developments. I really became very fond of Joan as a character, her resilience through all the curveballs life throws at her, her love for Bill and motherhood until finally realizing her dream at a late stage in her life. Really loved Kathy Wang's excellent writing and this moving story.

I am really glad that I was invited to read "The Satisfaction Cafe" by Kathy Wang as it could have easily passed me by. It's not my usual type of book that I would pick up but I have been enjoying Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Strout books recently and this falls easily into a similar category. Quietly understated, about everyday people and life. You really get to know Joan as the book follows her entire adult life from when she leaves Taiwan for California and what happens in her two marriages. A lovely read!

In this quietly introspective book, we follow Joan for pretty much her whole adult life from the moment she moves to America from Taiwan.

Joan is quiet, shy and easily influenced at first, leading to a disastrous marriage to Milton.
She then meets Bill, an older wealthy man, and enters a marriage with him. Of course, her being of Chinese descent immediately sparks the stereotype that she married Bill for money and status. Despite her detractors, Joan begins to make a life for herself and Bill, and even starts to endear herself to his friends and some of his family.

But not all is rainbows and sparkles in Joan and Bill’s marriage, she begins to see his true character emerge over time.

The overall thread running through the book is the idea of satisfaction. In life, in love, in financial matters and so on so forth... How satisfied are we truly? Are we obsessed with achieving satisfaction? Could we release ourselves from the grip of specific insidious thoughts by releasing them somehow?

This book sinks its teeth in you from page one with a very compelling opening, and while the pace does slow down, I wasn’t once bored by it.

I found Joan to be an interesting character in that she seems to be an avoidant in some aspects of her life but is very present in other aspects. The contrast between her personality traits is insightful and astute. Everyone is after all some kind of walking contradiction.

Her relationship with her children, Lee and Jamie, was also a personal highlight. I enjoyed watching their lives unfold alongside hers.

The titular Café does not come into play in the story until much later, so maybe keep that in mind when you pick this book up. It is primarily the story of Joan.

Overall, a very solid character study with a great cast of characters and an opening you are unlikely to forget.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK, Abacus, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

This novel was like a bustling cafe: so confident in its characters and adept at spanning the length of a life. It's propelled by an assured, kind protagonist whose complexities are obvious in the perspectives of others. It's not a novel with much interiority - we're told, rather than shown, what characters feel - but this didn't detract for me, instead making the story move quickly and smoothly. A lovely little gem. Thank you for this early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Abacus Books and Kathy Wang for sending me this ebook ARC - The Satisfaction Cafe is a beautifully written, quietly powerful novel and follows Joan Liang, who immigrates to California from Taiwan and starts her life in America from the attic of a house in Palo Alto, a place she could only afford thanks to doing chores for the widow who owned it. And then, she marries, and just six weeks later, stabs her husband.

That jaw-dropping opening hooked me instantly and sets the tone for a layered, surprising story.

Joan is a character you root for throughout, no matter the choices she makes or the relationships she navigates. The book spans two marriages with the first being dramatic and short-lived, the second longer and much more complex, as well as decades of parenthood, sacrifice, longing, and resilience.

What stood out to me most was how Joan always remained the emotional centre, even as the narrative shifted between the perspectives of those closest to her. I loved watching the dynamics of her family change, fall apart, and reconfigure around her.

Although it’s quite a slow-paced read, I never found it dull. A lot is unpacked without a lot happening in a traditional sense and yet, every chapter felt full. Kathy Wang captures the intricacies of family, the messiness of love, and the often invisible weight of expectations so beautifully. It explores how families come together and how sometimes, they just don’t.

And can we talk about the idea of the Satisfaction Café itself? Every town and city should have one; a place for everyone, no matter who you are, to sit with your doubts, your disappointments, your dreams, and just be.

This one will stay with me.

I really tried hard to finish Kathy Wong’s new novel but despite getting to around 60% I just could finish. I’m so sorry to say but I was just bored. I found the characters quite flat and I didn’t really care about their lives. I know this is a personal view as so many have thoroughly enjoyed this book but it just wasn’t for me.

When Joan escapes from a restricted life in Taiwan to go to University in America, it seems that she has a bright future ahead of her. However, she soon becomes trapped by convention and expectation into a life she was not expecting- speedy divorce from her first husband, marriage to a much older man, being a full-time wife, step-mother, mother and later carer. Facing prejudice as an immigrant and as a woman, she dreams of one day owning a cafe for the lost, the lonely and the unhappy to visit for talk and company. There was a lot to like about this book which portrays a certain time and lifestyle very well, and how this can be different for someone from a different culture. I would have liked there to have been more depth to the characters, as I often felt that I didn’t know enough about them and their motivations. I would love to visit somewhere like the Satisfaction Cafe though!

I loved this book. It is the story of Joan, who moves to America from Taiwan as a student, and makes a life there.
Joan is a kind and principled person, and puts other people before herself when her circumstances become difficult. Despite this, she is very determined. She is loved by the people who see her goodness and grace. This sounds a bit dry, but it is lovely, and I don't want to give anything away to spoil it for the reader. The writing style flows. I read it on the beach in a day, and couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended.

I enjoyed The Satisfaction Cafe. It avoided some of the obvious tropes, and wasn't as whimsical as the title suggests. It didn't move me or stay with me as much as Kathy Wang's other books and some of the set-piece scenes and storylines don't pay off as you'd expect. Still, it's absorbing with some engaging characters and would make a good holiday read.

I never really like comparing authors but there are definitely shades of Anne Tyler here who is one of my favourite authors so I absolutely adored this novel.

Definitely keen to read more

"Joan Liang’s life is a series of surprising developments...."
Brilliant story telling
Really enjoyed the style of writing. Can't wait to read more from Kathy Wang.

This is such a surprising novel which gently builds and broadens into a fascinating exploration of what it means to be happy, what constitutes a contented life.

Set in downtown America, the book charts the fortunes of a Chinese immigrant who leaves a troubled household to get an education and make a life. Her very different experiences of two marriages and lifestyles take up the majority of the book, as we see her adapt and fit into her idea of married life and an acceptable US citizen. Her struggles to blend in and be a good wife and mother are thwarted at every turn, and it is only when she is in danger of losing everything that she finally follows her own path.

The last part of the book develops her idea of the Satisfaction Cafe, which tries to help others to feel more comfortable and connected with life. It is poignant for her to discover this satisfaction just as she is coming to the end of her own understanding.

This is a steadily paced, subtle exploration of belonging and contentment, which surprises and fascinates as the plot develops. I really enjoyed this book. The ideas and its thought-provoking conclusion will stay with me for a long time.

I enjoyed The Satisfaction Cafe. Kathy Wang tells us Joan's story beginning in Taiwan and ending in California.
Her childhood comes across as one typical of that part of the world, but when she finds herself in California her life alters.

The start is a little peculiar although kudos to her for sticking up for herself. As we move through time exploring marriage, parenting and widowhood it's compelling.
In my opinion she lives in her husband's shadow until he dies. Of course Joan asks, what next. For me it was at this point when the story improves. How the writer explores loneliness and connection was really interesting and I think the world over would benefit from a real life Satisfaction Cafe.

There were a couple of opportunities for further explanation and I would have liked to understood more about some of the characters. Her sister-in-law for example.