Return to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome, where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change. After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having … Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup and move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.
Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money–and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them–but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.
With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.
- Sweet and thoughtful contemporary read
- Stand-alone novel featuring characters from The Printed Letter Bookshop
- Book length: 86,000 words
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
“In her ode to small towns and second chances, Katherine Reay writes with affection and insight about the finer things in life.” –Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party
“The town of Winsome reminds me of Jan Karon’s Mitford, with its endearing characters, complex lives, and surprises where you don’t expect them. Reay has penned another poignant tale set in Winsome, Illinois, weaving truth, forgiveness, and beauty into a touching, multilayered, yet totally cozy story. You’ll root for these characters and will be sad to leave this charming town.”–Lauren K. Denton, bestselling author of The Hideaway and Glory Road
“Like all of Reay’s novels, Of Literature and Lattes delivers a story with details so vivid you can feel the fabric slipping between your fingers, characters so rich they could slide into the booth across from you, and a message so hopeful and redemptive it will linger in your mind long after you turn the final page. Of Literature and Lattes brings the town of Winsome alive again, and I couldn’t wait to return and savor a story of forgiveness, of fresh starts, of literary delights, and of love.” –Melissa Ferguson, author of The Dating Charade
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This is a very readable story of families, communication, success, failure, books, and lattes. Taking place in the small fictional town of Winsome, Reay’s characters are both believable and realistic, like people you know and possibly even from your own family. It was easy to get involved in the various personal stories – long-time friction between mother and daughter, a father who wants to be an important part of his young daughter’s life, a young man with a second chance to start over after rehab. Using love, books, coffee and yummy treats, the book weaves together several plot threads resulting in a sweet, feel-good novel. This is the second time Reay tells the story of the town of Winsome with some of the same characters, but it’s not a sequel. If you like this one, you should also read “The Printed Letter Bookshop.”
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a digital advance reader’s copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
“She stopped at the intersection and pondered the conundrum that was Winsome.”
Alyssa Harrison had climbed to the top of the highest peak, only to plummet into the depths of the deepest sea; figuratively speaking, of course. Naturally, her only recourse was to limp home; broke, unemployed, under a cloud of suspicion, driving a car subject to a major breakdown and bereft of personal belongings that were stolen along the way. To make matters worse . . . .much worse . . . her father insists that she stay with her mother.
Jeremy Mitchell thought that opening an up-scale coffee shop in Winsome would solve all of his problems . . . or most of them, anyway. He could live closer to his young daughter, thus being able to spend quality time with her, and he could make a living selling something that he knew an awful lot about . . . coffee. But even though the small town is incredibly friendly and inviting, its residents are also resistent to change . . . . and “Andante” is a gigantic change from the “Daily Brew”. . . . . ooops?
There is so much to like about this story; which is both its strength and its weakness. Readers may find it incredibly difficult to choose who or what to concentrate on first, even though many of the characters are already pleasantly familiar from the author’s first excursion into Winsome. Curiously, Jeremy’s last name is listed differently throughout the book; first as Miller and then as Mitchell. Even though the name confusion is surely an editorial gaffe, it was quite distracting; Jeremy is a main character.
Ultimately of course, “Of Literature and Lattes” exhibits a great deal of proverbial wisdom; terribly damaged relationships take huge steps forward when those involved honestly and lovingly “try to understand each other”. And it works beautifully! Enjoy your visit back to a most beloved place!
I always enjoy Katherine Reay’s books. Her writing is hard to describe, but I’ll try. It’s rich, layered, deep, and colourful. I enjoyed revisiting Winsome and the friends I made there in The Printed Letter Bookshop. Each book of Reay’s is so different from the previous that it sometimes takes me a chapter or two to fully immerse myself. There were several point-of-view changes that caused me to stumble until I found the flow of the story. Despite that, I still give it five stars. I had a hard time putting it down. I teared up several times, completely taken by surprise with the touching fostering/adoption theme. As an adoptive mom, these scenes struck me deeply, and Reay wrote them well. I’m already looking forward to the next book and hope it might even be set in Winsome again!
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.
Of Literature and Lattes is the second book by Katherine Reay set in the mythical outside of Chicago suburb of Winsome, Illinois. In the first book we met Madeline Cullen and the ladies of The Printed Letter Bookshop. This edition focuses on artist Janet Harrison, but more precisely, her estranged daughter Alyssa.
Alyssa left the area three years ago, when the family was shattered, her mother to blame. Alyssa had jumped at the chance to work with Vita XGC, writing algorithms for their predictive health app. But when the bottom fell out and the FBI closed the company’s doors and began investigating employees, she was jobless and under a dark cloud of suspicion. After six months of being out of work and seemingly a pariah in the industry, Alyssa reluctantly heads cross country with her few belongings, which are stolen along the way. Upon arrival at her Dad’s apartment, while happy to see her, he says she must stay with her mother rather than him, hoping for a healing between mother and daughter.
With Alyssa’s best friend, Lexi’s, help, she is able to come to terms with her return home, meet exciting new people, and move toward something she thought would never happen, forgiveness. This is a lovely second installment set in this lakeside small town and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first. I do recommend this book!
A cozy second chance at life and love novel:
I had difficulty connecting with the many characters in this book and didn’t really feel that I became invested in their lives or journey. I found the first half of the book sluggish and certainly enjoyed the second half better. Overall I found myself getting annoyed with Alyssa but found Jeremy and his daughter more likable.
I did enjoy the message of forgiveness and coming together to support and help one another move forward through life. I would classify this book as more of woman’s fiction with a small side of romance. It is the second book in a series and I would recommend reading them in order.
3.5/5 stars
I would definitely recommend reading the previous “The Printed Letter Bookshop” before this follow-up, as I had to remember characters from a year ago to keep up. While this one was fine, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much or feel as engaged as in the first.
Centered around the small town of Winsome, IL, the main story is about 31 yo Alyssa who returns after 3 years in CA. She’s lost her job, she’s broke and needs to start over. She also needs to heal a rift with her mom. Jeremy moved to Winsome to open a coffee shop and be nearer his young daughter and has issues to solve with his ex and his new business.
While I enjoyed seeing how they worked through their problems, I was also a little annoyed by Alyssa’s selfish and immature attitude at times, and there were, in my opinion, a bit too many other characters with stories that proved to be distracting at times. But overall a good story with nice resolutions to some rather hard issues.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
At first, I wanted to read this book because the title intrigued me. Katherine Reay is a new author for me and I have to admit I enjoyed her style. Of Literature and Lattes is a wonderful story of how one truly can come home again, but it won’t be easy. Alyssa is a complex character who had her world turned upside down when her job seemed to dissolve like a cube of sugar in her latte. Silicon Valley was supposed to help her make her mark in the world. It was only coming home and resisting that ever abundant humble pie when she found all of the things she longed for when she left this life behind. Stripped of all her layers, she had to begin again.
Jeremy’s dream of opening a premier coffee shop in Winsome seemed an opposite journey than the one Alyssa experienced. Everything was going to right itself. When his grand re-opening didn’t wow the town, he regrouped and made some improvements to get to that next level. Sometimes, we have exactly what we need in front of us although we often just can’t see that.
I enjoyed this book for several reasons, first and foremost, the characters are complex, just like real life. They had some things to work out and I felt their pain. I also soared along with them on the good days. Both Jeremy and Alyssa exemplified how difficult relationships can be. They also prove that it is what you do about those complications that matter.
I can easily recommend this book for anyone who likes well written fiction with believable characters. The ending will be so worth the read. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.