The Reluctant Fortune-Teller by Keziah Frost is one of my favourite 2020 reads.

This book is a serious contemporary gem. When I start reading it, I got instantly hooked and needed to binge the whole thing. It's not only a very sweet story with great themes, but it's also just a fun ride!

Norbert Zelenka is older gentleman who lives with his dog in a tiny house. He's quite lonely and sticks to his regular routine. One day, he finds that he's struggling financially and coincidentally three women from his local art club present him with an opportunity. Nortbert becomes the reluctant fortune-teller, despite his incredible abilities. Once he embraces his great advice giving ways, he steps into a whole new world of fortune telling. Then, his abilities become greatly needed when a local girl goes missing...

This book is a lovely little drama. It's not super dramatic though, it's simply very sweet. There's gossip, there's a little tension, but it's mostly Norbert being a sweet man and trying to figure out his passion in his seventies. I hate to say it's a very "grown up" book, but it felt like the type of book I need as an adult.

The themes in this book are magical: finding one's passion, doing what's right, finding one's own way and the power of doing good. I love that this book is all about nice things. Sometimes, you just need a book about positivity! Sure, there's some dubious older ladies making crazy plans, but everyone needs a little drama and gossip to spice up their life.

Overall, this book is charming! It's a great tea drinking read and is the perfect way to relax.

Five out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads ( )

This a delightful novel about a lonely elder man who finds his path and changes the course of his life, after a bit of well-intentioned meddling by 3 women of his acquaintance. It was just the sort of uplifting read I needed. ( )

Three older women decide to take on an older neighbor and his pet chihuahua as their "project" when they notice him leaving a food bank with provisions. They intend to teach him card reading so that he can make money as a fortune teller in their small touristy town. However, he has a strong intuition and a knack for fortune telling, and soon is building a reputation. This is a light-hearted read with several nicely developed characters and a positive emotional center. The card-reading theme was well done and presented a certain synchronicity, since I had taken up card reading as a hobby before my book club chose this book. I listened to the audiobook, and I thought the reader, Carly Robins, had a good sense of the characters' voices and set a pleasant pace. ( )

THE RELUCTANT FORTUNE-TELLER is a great fun ride as passive accountant Norbert is led by the dynamic controlling
Carlotta and her Club of supporters to become a highly intuitive Fortune-Teller. It is enjoyable to see how Norbert grows
stronger mentally and spiritually as he and his Chihuahua, Ivy, make friends and have a good time influencing people!

The only overly predictable disappointment was the ice bridge episode. ( )