CB Lee’s upcoming young adult novel, Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, follows Brenda, a nerdy overachiever set on saving the world through science. After meeting Kat in a magical coffeeshop, they soon fall in love, with their destinies colliding. Brenda is a type A overachiever who has little to no chill, while Kat carries an overbearing prophecy that’s defining her destiny — which she’s been trying to run from so as to carve out her own agency.
The book hits the shelves on July 1, and Lee will host a reading at Third Place Books in Ravenna on July 18.
“That idea came from a daydream — just standing in a coffee shop and [wondering] what if this was a gateway to another universe?” Lee told the SGN. “I pulled from my family history and knowing that this is the type of business my grandpa had, and what it would have looked like for a generation of Chinese Americans whose families immigrated over during the gold rush.”
The novel takes place in modern-day Los Angeles but travels back in time to the early 1900s. Lee explained how she conducted much research and thought-mapping to create the alternate universe of where Kat lives in LA — the one without cars but instead a streetcar system that died out from the burst of automotive production.
“A lot of that research was really fun to do and to see when I’m building this alternate world, it’s like they don’t have cars because they have magic,” Lee said.
Lee, who is based out of LA, published her first book in 2015. She said she first thought of this novel idea in 2017 during an emerging LGBTQ writers retreat: she pitched the idea to her mentor, who loved it, and wrote the first two chapters during that time.
She’s been working on Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe on and off while completing other projects, like a Minecraft novel and A Good Kiss, which tells the background story of Star Wars character Chase Wilsorr. By 2018, editor Holly West had picked up the coffeeshop novel. After writing about half of the book, Lee gave birth to her daughter and took some time off.
“I actually finished writing the book last year, in 2024, taking that draft I started before I was pregnant and finishing it and getting it to the final stage,” Lee said.
Representation for Youth
When first launching her writing career, Lee wanted to create novels she didn’t have as a teenager. She explained how she didn’t read much Queer fiction as it wasn’t as accessible or available, and that romance novels were limited. Her intention is to bring Queer stories to teenagers who don’t always see themselves represented in historical fiction, noting how “we’ve always been here and existed.”
“That’s powerful — seeing the representation in the past and the future,” Lee said. “I also wanted it to be fun.”
The magic of Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe” doesn’t stop when characters walk through the shop’s doors: there are also pirates and superpowers in this sweet, fun, cozy, and Queer story. Lee’s research included Cheng I Sao (or Zheng Yi Sao), a Chinese prostitute who married a pirate, but after his passing, she far exceeded what her husband was capable of, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and about 80,000 men.
“That novel process was so entrenched in research and writing this very emotional story, and Coffeeshop feels like I get to write this very sweet and fluffy novel, but it’s also very much about defying expectations too,” Lee said.
Lee wants readers to feel butterflies and emotions, and to fall in love with another world after becoming immersed.
“I want every young person to feel validated, to celebrate themselves, and [know] that they deserve joy and happiness however and wherever they find it,” Lee said.
At 7 p.m. on July 18, Lee will host a free book reading at Third Place Books in Ravenna to talk about her new novel, alongside local author Julia Ember. For more information, visit thirdplacebooks.com/event/cb-lee .