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If you’ve been around Bonus Action for any length of time, you probably know we love our cozy management sims around here. Personally, management sims are my go-to kind of cozy game, especially if there’s a bakery involved. I’ve also recently started getting more into reading cozy books with similar vibes, and it occurs to me that there’s a lot of crossover between cozy fantasy and management sims. In fact, some of my favorite cozy reads involve running a shop of some kind.
Whether you’re looking for a great audiobook to pair with your favorite management sim or are just in need of a good book rec, there are plenty of great reads with serious management sim vibes. And it turns out, I’ve read quite a few of them already. So I’m here to pass on a few recommendations for you, with cozy shopkeeping vibes that basically capture the best of a good management sim in book form.
**Bonus Action is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. That means buying items from the Amazon links in this article will help support our writers via a small amount of money earned per purchase.**
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Price: $17.99 via Amazon
This feels like kind of an obvious pick at this point, but I can’t leave it off the list. If you love cozy management games and you haven’t read this one, stop right now. Go find a copy. Read it. I’ll wait. But in all seriousness, Legends and Lattes is a masterclass in cozy fantasy that also basically follows the plot of any good management sim. Liv wants to open a coffee shop, but to do it, she has to befriend the locals and barter with them in exchange for their help. Over time, she adds to her menu and expands the shop.
Reading the book is basically like watching Liv play a medieval coffee shop sim, and yes, I do mean that as a high compliment. The prequel, Bookshops and Bonedust, also has a nice cozy shop sim vibe. But this time, we’re in a bookshop. So if you like Legends and Lattes, you’ve got another book to pick up next. That’s two recommendations for the price of one.
Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
Price: $8.99 via Amazon
Most people know Kiki’s Delivery Service best by Miyazaki’s iconic animated adaptation. However, Kiki’s Delivery Service got its start as a YA novel. The original Kiki’s Delivery Service was released in 1985, and it remains a classic coming-of-age story to this day. But it’s also got some serious management sim vibes, which is probably why it has actually inspired several management games, including The Witch’s Bakery.
In the book, as in the movie, Kiki starts her own delivery service. To make her business soar, she needs to gain the trust of the locals. Hello, management sim situation. With a witch, a talking cat, and general cozy vibes, this story is one you absolutely must read if you love a good cozy management game.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Price: $19.99 via Amazon
At this point, Sarah Beth Durst has crafted her own cozy fantasy universe. But it all started with The Spellshop, so that’s where I’m telling you to start, too. This cozy fantasy follows a librarian who finds herself forced to flee her home with a magical plant and books in tow. Upon returning to her childhood home, she decides to set up shop selling “jam.” In reality, she’s selling spells, but it’s all hush hush since magic is illegal.
Like a cozy management game, we get to follow Kiela as she moves in and figures out how best to set up her shop. And did I mention the talking, magical plant? Because yeah, that’s a highlight. There’s also a bit of romance and just the right amount of drama to keep it interesting, but still laid-back. And if you like it? There are already two more books in the series, with another on the way. And I don’t know about you, but the upcoming Magical Cheese Emporium sounds like a game I sure want to play.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Price: $20 on Amazon
You didn’t think I’d fail to include a caravan cozy management sim comparison title, did you? Shopkeeping on the go is a top-tier management sim trope, and this book captures that in cozy fantasy form. The Teller of Small Fortunes follows a fortune teller who’s sworn off big predictions. She keeps moving, telling small fortunes for money, then taking the road before anyone gets too familiar. But life has a way of forcing us to make connections, even when we avoid them.
Admittedly, this book focuses a bit less on the shopkeeping of it all. But it’s got good found family vibes and a caravan that slowly expands its business opportunities and its characters. It’s also just plain wholesome and cozy good reading. And there are delicious baked goods, because is anything really cozy without them?
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Price: $19.99 via Amazon
Last but certainly not least, we’ve got a couple who run away from their old lives to open a tea shop in a remote village. Similar to Legends and Lattes, this one takes us through the whole process of fixing up the location and setting up shop. It’s also got quite a bit more magical shenanigans and a slightly heavier dose of plot, while still delivering the cozy shop management vibes. And of course, our duo must win over the locals and forge trade deals to make their shop a success.
For me, this series gets a bit muddled after Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. But the first book? Absolutely worth a read, and finishes up in a satisfying enough way that you don’t need to read on if you don’t want to. It’s got adorable magical pets, a loving relationship, found family, and lots of tea. What more can you want?
**Bonus Action is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. That means buying items from the Amazon links in this article will help support our writers via a small amount of money earned per purchase.**
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