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Cover of The Book of Reservations

The Book of Reservations

by Laura Buchwald

🥛clean·spoiler

Why Read This?

A refreshing take on ghost stories that avoids horror tropes - instead exploring grief, found family, and the weight of supernatural gifts through the lens of a struggling NYC restaurant. Literary and atmospheric.

Synopsis

Between the living and the lost, one woman delivers the truth. Josie Gray has always believed Miss Sylvie’s Bistrot could be a sanctuary for the living… and the dead, with whom she can communicate. As the restaurant struggles to survive in Greenwich Village, the challenges of running a kitchen collide with the demands of her gift, and Josie finds herself stretched thinner than ever. Her partner, Derek, is becoming distant, unable to reconcile Josie’s insistence on setting the ghost table each night with the practical realities of their business. The tension between them grows, threatening the dream they once shared. Meanwhile, the staff begins to unravel, caught in the schemes of a manipulative new manager and a mysterious sous chef, and the spirits Josie communicates with grow increasingly restless. Pulled into the unfinished stories of the living and the dead, Josie is tasked with delivering long-buried truths and messages that could alter lives. Each encounter forces her to confront what she owes to others and to herself, and to question whether she can remain anchored in a world that rarely believes in the things she sees. In the second installment of The Ghost Table trilogy, Josie discovers that every haunting begins with a longing to be heard. Amid the clatter of the kitchen and the whispers of the departed, she must learn how to nourish not just the living, but her own restless heart.

At a Glance

4.33 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingestablished relationship
Energymedium

Top Tropes

found familyworkplace romancesecond chancesgrief and healingsupernatural elements

Mood

atmosphericbittersweetheartfeltintrospective

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.33 ★

Page Count

278 pages

Published

2025

Primary Genre

Paranormal Romance

Pairing

M/F

POV

Third Person

Romance Pacing

Established Relationship

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

No

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

literaryatmosphericcharacter-driven

Story Pacing

medium

Emotional Weight

heavy

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

cozy restaurantghostly encountersNew York City nightsNew Orleans-inspired warmth

Characters

FMC Archetype

caretakerartist/creative

MMC Archetype

dark/tortured soulgrumpy protector

Relationship Dynamics

established couple facing challengescommunication strugglesbalancing supernatural gifts with reality
deathgrieffamily estrangementterminal illnessbusiness struggles
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World & Setting

World Type

contemporary with paranormal elements

Primary Setting

Greenwich Village, Manhattan

Fantasy Creatures

Representation

neurodivergent coding (spirit communication as gift/burden)

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

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