When Adie Raven starts the European trip she has dreamed of for forty years, she hopes for new sights, new memories, and plenty of fun. With her dear friend Trudie beside her, Amsterdam seems the perfect place to begin. But, when the two women stumble across a forlorn little café in a quiet corner of the city, their plans take an unexpected turn.
Frieda van Esseveld is lonely, overwhelmed, and mourning a lifetime of lost opportunities. As she fights to withstand the disapproval of her overly critical father, she also feels powerless to save the little business that means so much to her. Drawn to her plight, and her quiet desperation, Adie and Trudie resolve to help her turn things around.
But, just as their plans take shape, Trudie is dealt a devastating blow and she must grapple with a grief that's complicated by separation, guilt, and unresolved emotions. She insists on returning home alone.
Abandoned in Amsterdam, Adie is forced to put her own emotions aside and refocus. But, as the little café begins to transform, among coffee cups, canal views, and confessions, an unexpected friendship deepens and becomes far more meaningful than she ever could have imagined.
Warm, hopeful, and heartfelt, Crisis at Canalside Café is a novel about friendship, complicated losses, healing fractured families, and the formidable power of women to help one another find their feet again.
