I’m such a city girl, but after reading this, I want to go find my own small town and open a bookstore or coffee shop in it. It was very cute and amusing. I wish it focused on the two main characters more so we could see the relationship blossom, but also being able to see the insights of all the people was enjoyable. It made you really feel like you were a part of the town. Overall, a good and happy read.

If you have books and coffee right in title, isn't it already tempting to pick up the book and escalate direct into a really comfy zone nearby a fireplace and sit with a cozy cuppa and a cozy book about that cozy cuppa.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and I am utterly delighted after reading this book. The book has strong but imperfect characters which one can related with easily. The story revolves around several important characters which makes it a bit difficult to know which one is the main character.

But I found Alyssa to be the main character and also its her character with which I was able to relate with tremendously. Alyssa has always lived that perfect life where her mom likes to be in control of everything and is counted among good ones. She has parents who are in love, who love her. Siblings as well as a best friend. Some would really cherish this background; but not her.

Alyssa felt trapped and in a consistent need to pretend to be the perfect person her parents wanted her to be. She always felt the need to flee from her family and live an independent life and so she did at the first chance she got. Her mother made a mistake which broke the family and that was the best chance to flee away.
She lived an independent life, worked in the analysing logistics department but soon she found that the company was fraud.

Left with no money, no job, no probability of getting any job, no friends or family, and a possible police case against her, she is forced to return back to her parents. She though still hates her mother and cannot be bothered to even hold a decent conversation, returns to her home after her dad forces her out from his place. She finds various small jobs to survive.

Meanwhile there are the already introduced characters Janet, and Seth, Alyssa's parents who are going through a broken marriage but are still very much in love and trying to get back. Janet has her own monsters to deal with. She always pretended to be someone else, a good mother, a good wife but lost herself and so it happens, nobody even liked the pretentious body anyway. She finds she is at the end of the day, a chaotic, vulnerable person. But a real person.

Other main character is Jeremy who came to the small town after his ex wife and his child. He wants to be a dad to his daughter. His daughter is the best thing to have happened to him in a long time. He buys a cafe but is unable to run a well functioning business, he is like a foreigner, unwelcome and has to become better at his business, better at parenthood. Since his business is really slow, Alyssa decides to help him with logistics for free and well, a lot more happens between them from there.

Lexi, Madeline, George, Chris, Jill, etc are various other characters in the story who are portrayed in a really superb supporting role and they make the idea of the town more lively than ever. These characters really aid and elevate your imagination to a higher level and makes the story more real. As a reader one can even see themselves caring for them apart from the main characters.

In totality the book is a really delightful read and I had a good time. I would recommend the book to teenage and above age groups. It falls in genre of romance, family, drama, etc.

I’ve read several books by Katherine Reay, and have given all but one two stars (“it was okay”). This is one of the two star reads. It was hard to follow. There were characters who were made to seem like they should be an important person to remember and by the end they had nothing to do with the main story. The main story jumped all over the place. I didn’t feel like I was being led. I liked the premise but it wasn’t executed well.

I'm not sure why I thought this was going to be a mystery, but it was not. I cannot decide if I enjoyed the book or not. Alyssa has fled California for her hometown of Winsome, Illinois, after her pharma company tried to defraud people with fake test predictions. She wonders why she hasn't been interview by the FBI, and quite frankly so do it because she was heavily involved in writing the algorithms. The scene with the FBI, when she is finally interviewed, is totally unbelievable. I liked her parents Janet and Seth and the portrayal of how her mother's own anxieties and quest for perfection influenced her actions. As for the side story of Jeremy and his coffee shop, he did not strike me as someone who had enough business sense to spend the kind of money he did on a coffee shop and then not know how to operate it. Really would like to give this book a 2.5 star rating.

In May 2019, Katherine Reay's novel The Printed Letter Bookshop was published.  The new book, Of Literature and Lattes can be read on its own but will be enjoyed most by those who have read The Printed Letter.  The setting in Of Literature and Latte is the same town as in the prior book and readers catch up with the lives of some of the characters from that book as well.  However, the novel also has its own plot and some new characters.


In this book Alyssa has left a job with a company that seems to be based on Theranos and that similarly explodes for Alyssa.  With nowhere to go and under investigation, she returns to the town where her parents (characters in The Printed Letter) live.  Alyssa has to figure out what to do with her life and with her unhappiness.


Jeremy has come to Winsome to run the kind of coffee shop that many of us dream of, one that values community and great beans that make great drinks.  However, the shop is struggling as is Jeremy.  One ray of brightness is his daughter but his daughter's mother is threatening to leave town.


Janet, from the prior novel. is trying to have a life in which she has stronger relationships with Alyssa and Seth, the man she first married, and is again seeing.  It is complicated.


The stories of these characters come to life and I think that readers will care about them.  I did not find Of Literature and Latte to be as strong a novel as The Printed Letter but I am pretty confident that this author's many fans will be eager to engage with this title.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.  By the way, I love the cover.

I give the three and 1/2 stars.

Katherine Reay is an author who consistently delivers stories that render a thought provoking punch. This latest release, Of Literature and Lattes, is no exception. Brimming with memorable characters, introspective depth, and a plot that leaves you rooting for the impossible, Reay’s novel clenches your heart.

This book, though slated as a standalone, follows in the footsteps of Reay’s previous book, The Printed Letter Bookshop. I do recommend reading that book first, as that backstory provides so much more insight and richness to this novel. And fans of Reay will be delighted in this sequel! Loose ends are tied up although some new ones are created...

If you enjoy stories of coming to grips with failure or complicated relational layers, this is the book for you! Not lighthearted, but perfectly complex in its own way.

I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Another wonderfully written involving novel by this author.Love the characters the town was so happy to visit there again,Second in this delightful series grab this book sit back and enjoy.#netgalley#thomasnelsonbooks,

I have some experience of cafes—as a customer, not as an owner. In my view, a successful cafe needs repeat customers, which means having:

- decent coffee (and a range of other drinks). If the drinks aren’t as better than McDonalds or the petrol station, people won’t come back.
- Good food—home made is better than something out of a packet. People will forgive average coffee if their muffin is amazing (and vice versa).
- An inviting ambience—one that invites people to come and to stay (and therefore spend).

Location also helps, but it’s probably the least important factor—I’d rather drive ten minutes to a great cafe than drive five minutes to a bad one.

Why is this important as part of a book review? Because Jeremy took a successful business and spent a small fortune renovating it to take away the ambience (and the interesting name), add in bulk-buy packet mixes for muffins, and not replace the coffee machines. As such, it’s hard to get behind him, because he's done everything wrong (and not in a bad-boy-turned-good and seeking redemption kind of way. More in a TSTL way).

I didn’t find the other characters any better. None of them engaged me, and the result is I couldn’t be bothered to finish the book, because I couldn’t bring myself to care about what happened to any of them.

I’m disappointed, because I’ve enjoyed Katharine Reay’s previous novels (and I’ve read them all). I hope her next novel will have characters I can better engage with.

Did not finish.

With Reay's customary flavour of intelligent romance, cast of unique and memorable characters and to-die-for Mitford-esque setting, "Of Literature and Lattes" is an ode to the spaces in which we forge family and friendship, the corners of our world where great discussion transcends the problems of our every day.

Told with vignette-like resonance, "Of Literature and Lattes" once again firmly plants Reay in the spirit of high concept classical tropes: for while the coffee flows freely, so do the literary references that have long delighted her readers ( and were culminated ten fold in last year's bestseller "The Printed Letter Bookshop." Like many heroines before, Alyssa is lost in a high power job until she finds the root of her heart in a small literary-infused circumstance. Therein, her financial problems and her rift the family ties fraying at her seams are made whole through brilliant discussion, in between worn pages and caffeine and most manifest in the figure of Jeremy who matches Alyssa in wit, intellect and pursuit of love.

Another escape that makes you want to steal into the nearest bookshop, Of Literature and Lattes continues Reay's brand of infusing the old-fashioned into our every day: where moral conundrums are found in classics and love stories are merged much as they were a hundred years ago--- timeless and soul searching, realized in the quirks and foibles of the brilliant everyday.


( featured on twitter and instagram)

Although this book is a stand alone I found out after reading that it's a companion novel to "The Printed Letter Bookshop." I think I may have enjoyed it more had I read that book first.

What a delight to return to Winsome, Illinois, the home of quirky folks and a cozy bookshop. In the previous novel, The Printed Letter Bookshop, we met Madeline who inherited her aunt's bookstore along with eccentric employees, Claire and Janet. The bookshop is running well when Janet's daughter, Alyssa, returns to Winsome. As much as she doesn't want to, she moves in with her mom. As Alyssa tries to come to grips with the mess called life, she meets Jeremy. He needs a friend and some good business advice. Reay's Of Literature and Lattes is another charming story of hurt, hope, and healing. I've enjoyed every one of her books. I look forward to the nod to literary references she sprinkles through her stories, as well as her lovable characters. A little bonus, her books have gorgeous covers. I hope she'll visit Winsome a third time. I'd love to catch up on more of the folks from this lovely town. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A book set in the same community as The Printed Letter Bookshop, which I only realized a few chapters in. When I did, it was like pulling up a chair for a coffee with a friend - delightful. I enjoyed this dip into the lives of a daughter and mother (and her mother), a man negotiating a new life with a new coffee shop while reconnecting with one close to him, and a myriad of other characters. Sometimes the viewpoint changed suddenly, which threw me a little, and much of the denouement I could guess. But on the whole, a gentle, enjoyable escape that raised some good questions to ponder about ethics, life, relationships, and faith.
Lovely.
3.75 stars

Of Literature and Lattes by @katherinereay takes place in the sweet town of Winsome, IL. Alyssa never thought she’d return home after leaving for CA three years before. In this book she’s finds her self back home trying to move ahead while still trying to deal with her past and her strained relationship with her mom. Jeremy also recently found himself in Winsome and is trying to figure out his life and how to be a dad to his young daughter. I was cheering for everyone in this cozy town (except maybe Jeremy’s ex who I wanted to shake). They felt like friends by the end of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay is a small town story. Alyssa left 3 years ago after a fight with her mother. She never looked back until she lost her job and is now being questioned by the FBI. to make things worse her dad is forcing her to stay with her mom. Jeremy moved to Winsome to be closer to his daughter and open a coffee shop.

This is a book about the town of Winsome and the people who live there. There are multiple storylines about the residents. Most of the story takes place in the coffee shop and the bookstore. The people care about each other and look out for each other.

While I loved the residents of Winsome and their relationships, I struggled with following the storylines and characters. I wish I had known about and read Katherine Reay's first book about Winsome, The Printed Letter Bookshop, before reading this one. I think it would have helped me to keep the stories and characters straight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Romance
Release Date: May 12, 2020

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. This was a great, lighthearted novel. It was easy to read and the plot was enjoyable and easy to follow. Characters were very endearing and believable. It's a great feel-good novel!

I found this book quite endearing. The beginning was a little difficult because it was confusing but once I got past that I was warble to enjoy the plot as well as the characters. I would definitely recommend this for a book club read. It has something for everyone and leaves you in a good place.

I enjoyed this second book in the series by Katherine Reay. I loved going back to the idyllic town of Winsome, Illinois. I would love to live in this small town. Katherine Reay's characters draw you in and make you care about their struggles. The healing of the relationship between Janet and her daughter Alyssa was heartbreaking at times. I loved how throughout the chapters focusing on the point of view of Alyssa, Janet, and Jeremy, Reay includes brief vignettes of other people in the town that flow from one perspective to another. I look forward to more books by Katherine Reay.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I always love a good story involving a small town and for some reason they left it only to return to find love and reconnect with the small town vibes. Definitely recommend this cozy book.

I couldn't follow this book. I even tried to start over reading it but that didn't work. i didn't seem to be into it. Don't let it discourage you from reading it. Each person has their own opinions. I am grateful that netgalley, the publishers, and author gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately, this book is just not for me. The beginning was so darn confusing with the switching of POV's in the first few pages that I was so confused and it left a poor taste in my mouth. I felt like the characters were very one dimensional, bland, and just not interesting enough for me to care much. I really wish I could have liked this because the premise sounded super cute and I love small town romances.