This review may contain some spoilers.

As excited as I was to get an ARC of this book since I've read other novels from this author and enjoyed them, this novel fell short for me.

The biggest issue I had was the lack of connection to either of the leads in this story. The female lead, Alyssa Harrison, left behind the sleepy town she was raised in for a better life working in Silicon Valley and from one day to the next found herself not only out a job but also part of an FBI investigation to the fraud her company was committing. Suddenly broke and desperate she decides she has no choice but to return to her hometown.

Despite a series of unfortunate events, like waking up one night to find everything she owned in her car had been stolen during an overnight stay at a cheap motel, then being received less than lovingly by the father she thought would be happy to see her, I wanted to feel sympathy for Alyssa and found it extremely difficult to do so. Quite frankly, I didn't care for her. She seemed to hold on to her pride in all the wrong ways and came off pretty shallow. I also didn't care for the strain in the relationship between Alyssa and her mother. Maybe it didn't help that I'd just read Regretting You and had experienced THAT mother/daughter discord which felt very realistic and even valid whereas it took a long time to get to the point of why Alyssa doesn't speak to her mother.

The male lead, Jeremy Mitchell, was also not as charming at first, but I'd begun to warm up to him when I decided to stop reading the book. Jeremy is a single dad and moved to the small town of Winsome with a dream of opening up a coffee shop as well as being closer to his daughter, who was adorable. He wasn't being too well received by the local residents with his modern (almost hipster) new cafe and his annoyance over this overshadowed his personality in the beginning. What really made him turn into a likable character was his love for his daughter. But that wasn't enough to keep me engaged.

In addition to that, there was essentially a long list of side stories and characters to keep track of and it just became too much to focus on without enough to care about. I was struggling to find a solid story. I was really bummed that I couldn't like the story more!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading a novel by Katherine Reay. It was a cozy read about second chances. .

I can picture the little square in Winsome, ILL where shopkeepers keep an eye on things and townsfolk can rely on being the same. Same routine. Same people. Nothing ever changing.
Except in this novel.
Katherine Reay takes us a second time to the town of Winsome, Illinois revisiting the places presented in her previous novel, The Printed Letter Bookshop. If you haven’t read the first one, you’ll likely find this second one confusing, full of characters that you can’t understand and don’t really know all that well. I’d only read a portion of the first book (my library time ran out), so I was familiar with a few characters but didn’t know their respective endings. It would have helped a lot reading this new story.
I found it difficult to connect with the main characters. Alyssa has a bizarre relationship with her mother and is an angry young woman. Of course she had a tough go of it in California and is under investigation by the FBI, but I just didn’t “feel” for her. She tended to be more on the immature side, which would explain why I didn’t connect with her all that well.
Jeremy is trying to start over and establish a relationship with his six year old daughter. He tries hard – maybe too hard, and it makes it a challenge moving from Seattle to Winsome. He buys a business and changes it so drastically, his investments bleed dry. Don’t change something in a town like Winsome. But his little girl makes it all worthwhile.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and some long drawn out scenes (which is not necessarily bad in themselves). I quite liked the description of the morning routine that the shopkeepers went through – every one checking on everyone else, waving and shooting the breeze.
There are some nice moments throughout the book, but it just didn’t grab my attention as I expected it to.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Though The Printed Letter Bookshop has been on my TBR list for as long as it's been out, I had not had a chance to read it yet...and to be entirely honest, until I was about three quarters of the way through this one, it somehow escaped my notice that Of Literature and Lattes was a followup to that book. Realizing that actually allowed me to appreciate this book a lot more and had me wishing that I'd started there. While it certainly CAN be read as a standalone, I found that for me the first part of the book was only eh... it took me a bit to get into the story, and frankly I felt a bit disconnected with some of the characters... as though I should have known their story better and been better able to keep up with the vast number of characters I was being introduced to. Upon realizing it was the second book, that made a lot more sense. Though I would still give it a solid 3.5 stars, I do believe it could have been higher had I already had some familiarity with Winsome and the people there.

That being said, despite my slow start into it... by the end I was really drawn into this place with it's small town charm and the people residing there. I particularly found myself enjoying Jeremy and his daughter. I got the impression that this wasn't quite the end of their story or the last we'd see of Winsome, Illinois so I do hope to have the chance to visit them again--- perhaps after going back to reread the first book first!

I didn't always care for Alyssa's character, particularly toward the beginning but she did grow on me as the story went on. I enjoyed the romance between her and Jeremy, though I didn't find it to be a major focus of the story. More than anything I enjoyed the stories of redemption and second chances--- and the unique love story between mothers and daughters.

Overall, this was a good book, but one that I would personally say should be read AFTER first reading The Printed Letter Bookshop to better appreciate the story.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

Welcome back to the town on Winsome, a place that seems like it would be nice to visit. I enjoyed the setting, characters, and story line in this book. There’s a fair amount of conflict and life learning lessons with the thread of good literature references used throughout. There’s definite growth for main characters Alyssa and Jeremy, plus a dose of romance. Recommended.

I feel bad about this, but I absolutely hated this book. I had heard good things about Katherine Reay and this was the first book of hers I’ve read, so I was very excited, but it was a huge let-down. My biggest issue was that the characters were completely wooden. We’re told tons of stuff about their backgrounds and their problems and their motivations, but we don’t understand THEM. I never connected to them, never understood their personalities or their relationships or their connections to each other. The perspective also kept hopping at random from one character to another, which was very jarring, and I still don’t understand why we spent time on half these characters in the first place - like why are we randomly hearing so much about Zach, Margery/George, and Chris/Madeline? I couldn’t even keep them all straight and I also couldn’t bring myself to care. The romantic relationships all felt forced, the chemistry was completely lacking, and the emotional tension points were totally contrived. On top of that, the plot line was weak and full of tons of extremely convenient, unlikely scenarios that neatly solved everything. And some of them were so far-fetched, like what was even happening with the bizarre FBI plot line? And to top it all off, I found the writing trite and cliched, and some of the similes are unbearable - like comparing a tense conversation to the foam on an espresso? Really? Ultimately this book bored me and I had zero interest in any of the characters or in finding out what happened to them. I’m super disappointed but I don’t think I’ll be seeking out anything else from Reay.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this sequel to The Printed Letter Bookshop, and while I encourage you to read that first to learn more about some of the secondary characters, it isn't essential to read it before picking up Of Literature and Lattes. Bookstores and coffee shops are two of my favorite places, so a book that takes place in both is right up my alley. There were times when I became frustrated over Alyssa's immaturity, especially when it came to her relationship with her mother, but overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read.

Great book. The plot was interesting throughout. The story was well crafted and so was the writing. Overall a great light read.

I have not read any of Katherine Reay's previous works. Perhaps having done so, this book could have made more sense. I gather from other reviews that She has written at least one other book about Winsome, Illinois. That being said, this book was not marketed as part of a series, and could/ should work as a standalone novel.

I would give this book 2.5 stars. I was not very impressed overall. There were just too many characters to keep track of, and too many POVs given. The bigger issue, though, is that none of the characters were all that great. I really did not care what happened to Alyssa, who was set up as the MC. I will admit, I liked Jeremy/ Becca and their story line, but even he was kind of a mess with treating his supposed business partner like garbage and starting a coffee shop that only serves shitty box-mix muffins.

I feel like there were a lot of plot points that were not wrapped up in the end. And since there were so many characters, I'm not even sure if I have them connected right in my mind. So, did whats his name propose to that one girl? I don't know. I can't remember. I think one name started with M. Do I really care anyways? Nope, not so much.

It's not the worst book I've ever read, but it isn't one I will recommend to friends. I think a series on the people of Winsome, IL could be interesting if the books were more focused on one or two characters at a time (and the character need to be likeable!).

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I did not recognize the author or the title when I first came across this on Netgalley, but I was attracted to the colorful cover and the summary of the book. I am so glad I did judge a book by it's cover and took a chance on this new read. Of Literature and Lattes was a sweet story of coming home, forgiving, and trusting in new possibilities. I found the characters to be relatable with likable qualities but also flaws that made them human and gave depth to the story. I would love to read more by Katherine Reay.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

The story was a cozy feel about second chances.

There were way too many characters...but still worth the read!

#OfLiteratureAndLattes #NetGalley

I have read all of Katherine Reay's novels, this one was a hard one. This book is a sequel to The Printed Letter Bookshop, but can be read as a stand alone.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of. Alyssa comes home dejected and wanting a place to collect herself, after being investigated because of a prior job. Alyssa has a hard time forgiving her mom and their relationship is strained, because of her mom's affair.
Jeremy, moves to be closer to his daughter and opens a coffee shop. He remodels the coffee shop that was successful and the small town has a hard time accepting the changes he has made.
Alyssa and Jeremy's worlds connect when, Alyssa offers to do some accounting work, for Jeremy and a couple of other close friends. I have to confess that I've never even drank coffee before, and had a hard timeme connecting with some of the characters. This book was very different compared to the authors other novels.

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay
Source: NetGalley and Thomas Nelson
Rating: 4½/5 stars

I have to say clearly from the beginning, I don’t understand the Goodreads rating for this book at all ☹ This book is far better than its rating, in my humble opinion.

Here we go . . . .

Going home is hard to do; going home with your tail firmly tucked between your legs is damn-near impossible. When you add total humiliation, the possibility of jailtime thanks to the shady company you worked for, a complete lack of funds, and an estrangement from your mother whose house you need to return to, well, going home is most certainly a level of Hell. After a very, very long drive, being robbed, and generally dreading her reception, Alyssa Harrison is now firmly ensconced in her own personal level of Hell.

Alyssa has no intention of staying in her hometown for more than the summer, she has no intention of making nice with her mother, and she has no intention of going to jail. As the old saying goes, we plan, and God laughs! The first bit of laughter comes when Alyssa is forced, by her dad, to return to her childhood home where her mother still lives; the second bit of laughter comes when Alyssa’s car breaks down and she is forced to work off the repairs at the local service station, and yet another bit of laughter comes when Alyssa realizes the FBI has interviewed everyone but her and they have yet to reach out regarding her old company. To add insult to injury, as the days move forward, there’s a load more laughter coming Alyssa’s way before she finally gets her sh*t together.

One of the ways in which Alyssa finally begins to pull her life together is helping her friends with their accounting. One of Alyssa’s greatest strengths is her ability to see and understand numbers in a way many others cannot. To that end, her best friend not only hits her with a harsh dose of reality but employs her to review her restaurant’s numbers and see how and where they can improve their overall spending and saving. What’s more, Alyssa’s best friend also encourages her to do the same thing for the new local coffee shop owner, Jeremy Mitchell, whose grand new coffee shop is failing miserably, and he has no idea why.

Alyssa’s time at home is an awakening on so many levels. Though she spends a great deal of her initial weeks at home fighting everything and everyone, Alyssa has a scary moment of reality when she lands herself in the hospital. From that moment on, Alyssa truly begins to reassess her life, her position in other’s lives, and how she has behaved and contributed to her own situation. Once Alyssa makes the decision to right the wrongs of the past, her future suddenly becomes far more realistic and potentially very happy.

The Bottom Line: I reiterate, I feel like this book is far better than its star rating on Goodreads. I read this book cover to cover in a single sitting and regret nothing. While I have focused my review exclusively on Alyssa, this book is also the story of coffee shop owner Jeremy Mitchell and I found his story to be just as appealing and interesting as Alyssa’s. When their stories begin to cross over, the story becomes even more interesting and well-rounded. Make no mistake, this isn’t a silly or frivolous story, but the story of two very broken people trying to make sense of their lives and put all the wrongs to right. When you add in the minor characters, there’s a depth to this story that I really appreciated. In all, a fine read that is worth more than its rating suggests.

This was a comforting and challenging romp through the lovely new characters Katherine introduces us to invariably in all her novels. They are complex, deal with intricate and unexpected problems, and we feel their losses and triumphs keenly. The imagery creates a cozy world we are happy to inhabit for as long as Reay allows us to, and we begin to feel like part of the "cast". Love how she explores difficult and generational parent/child relationships and redemption/forgiveness as well. You won't regret picking up any of her books, this latest is no exception!

Although this book wasn’t like any of the other Katherine Reay books, I still enjoyed it. There were a few more characters in this book to keep up with, but they blended well. Several references to The Printed Letter Bookshop has encouraged me to read that one soon.

Review URL: https://www.thepagewalker.com/2020/03/book-review-of-literature-and-lattes-by.html
Review live on 3/16/20, 7:30 AM; Central Standard Time

Winsome Illinois is home to The Printed Letter Bookshop characters and it is lovely coming back to this community for OF LITERATURE AND LATTES’.

I think Katherine Reay is starting to be a favorite. I am captivated by her deep understanding of the community. For an immigrant like me, the need for kinship and inclusion is very acute. Everyone deserves a place to call home and a family to lean on, especially when things go sideways. Reay did her best to bring in real-life issues and avenues to address them, enveloped with acts of kindness and a good amount of grace, without being theatrical or desperately pious.

The characters are all relatable -you can be a father, a mother, a daughter, or a good friend- there’s a good chance you’ve been there too. I am drawn to their struggles and how they overcame them, to their mistakes and how they amenably acknowledged each. I am drawn to their transitions from a very rocky start to optimistic individuals.

I highly recommend this book that celebrates second chances and the birthing of a book club.

I loved traveling back to Winsome! For the record, you do NOT need to have read another Katherine Reay book before reading this one (though, if you haven't yet become a fan, you'll hunt down all of the copies of her books you can find after this one).

Things I appreciate about this book:
1. The major theme is deep philosophical Christianity rather than just "Jesus Loves YOU!", which sets this author apart from other Christian fiction authors. I have read that Mrs. Reay bases her thesis on a question of philosophy that arises from different C.S. Lewis books she's read. I need to read more C.S. Lewis books so that I can figure out exactly which provided her the beginnings of this novel.
2. The romantic relationships in this book weave into the overall plot rather than being the primary focus of the characters (although it's made clear that true sacrifice and true love are synonymous).
3. I want to live in Winsome, but only in the summer months, as this book is set.
4. Examples of ecumenicism. Holler.

Read this book if you're a romantic, but you want a clean, not-syrup-y-focused relationship on the page. Read this book if you have someone you need to forgive. Read this book if you want to see Love play out in many different ways, through actions of mistake and actions of valor.

Just read it.

DNF

I did not expect Christian Fiction when I started to read this book. I don't have anything against it, but it's not for me and I don't want to read a genre that I inherently don't care about.

I did not finish this book. I found there to be too many characters to keep track of, the coffee shop sounded hideous, the FBI scene was not realistic or believable in any way. Perhaps if I read this author’s first book I’d have caught on and piqued my interest! so I’m off to read her first book.

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC.
#ofliteratureandlattes