I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. My library did purchase this title, and I do have readers who enjoy it, but I did not want the writing in this book.

A Fun Romance

Anita Bedford has had some challenges in life. One of her challenges was that she experienced difficulties during her school days. Another challenge is that she never quite feels like she measures up to her family's expectations which make her feel like she doesn't quite measure up to what they think she should be. And yet another challenge is her "unrequited" love that she has harbored toward Tanner Castillo, her long time friend.

Tanner has his own set of challenges one of which is his concern for his mother. He worries about her and how hard she works. He also has the challenge of dealing with a former love interest. And, he has the challenge of trying to figure out his friend, Anita.

Through it all, these two forge ahead on their friendship that has its ups and downs, but eventually begins to evolve into something more. As this happens, they each take on a new venture that makes for some interesting situations which ultimately impact their relationship.

Much Ado About a Latte is a fun contemporary Christian romance that is sure to be enjoyed by all. While the book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone.

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

Overall I'd say this is a super cute and sweet, closed door romance series. But I did have a couple issues with this particular story ...

1. I needed more from Anita and Tanner. All we get is their angst and frustration. I wanted to see more of them falling in love and showing their love for each other. I wasn't seeing the chemistry between them.
2. I had issues with Anita's scene where she eats TWO little debbie brownies and then feels so much regret. Even into the next day saying how stuffed she is and how that was such a gorge fest. This is major eating disorder triggering. It was two brownies - not two boxes.
3. We hear a lot how Anita has a learning disorder, and it's a big part of her. I would have loved to dive into that more. Show readers that you can accomplish your goals no matter what!
4. There's some really awesome female relationships in this series. I'd love to see more interactions with the friends encouraging one another and supporting one another.

Anita Bedford is happy in her job as a waitress at the Sunshine Diner in the small town of Maple Falls, even if it means working with Tanner Castillo, her high school crush and first kiss. But she wants to prove to her family and herself that she can do more, by buying the abandoned building next door to the diner and opening a cafe that sells proper barista coffee.

(I can only assume both rent and property are extremely cheap in Maple Falls, because every other novel I’ve read with a waitress as the heroine has shown her living paycheck to paycheck and barely able to afford rent, let alone buy a building. Or perhaps she’s got the only waitressing job in North America that pays a living wage).

Tanner Castillo’s father died when he was a child, so he and his mother have been working two jobs since forever to make ends meet and to give Tanner’s younger brother the opportunity to go to college. But he’s managed to save some money as well, because he wants to buy the Sunshine Diner and drag it into the twenty-first century with new decor and proper coffee.

Well, it’s not hard to see where the story is going and that there are problems ahead. There’s plenty of room for tension—romantic and otherwise. The story delivers that in spades, helped by two compelling main characters who can’t both succeed …

I had a couple of reservations about the novel. First, there is a scene where a character drinks three cocktails in a very short space of time, and there are the obvious consequences. I know many Christians drink and I’m sure some drink too much, but this scene felt out of place in what I thought was a Christian rom-com. Such a scene might have fit in a novel with a theme around the dangers of excess alcohol, but I didn’t think it fit here. Of course, that statement assumes the novel is Christian fiction. While it’s categorised as Christian romance, there was nothing especially Christian about it except one character who teaches Sunday School.

The other thing I didn’t like was the ending. It felt rushed, and I thought the epilogue felt forced.

But the other 90% of the novel was great fun, with plenty of humour and several excellent side characters. The romance builds well, and all the tension only makes the eventual payoff sweeter.

This is the second book in the Maple Falls series. I haven’t read the first, but this was a standalone novel and I didn’t feel like I’d missed anything.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Sometimes when you read a book, it is important to remember for whom the book is written. Much Ado About a Latte is directed towards younger women, probably late teens through thirty. When I completed the book, I realized it worked well for someone young, but for me, someone who has grown as a reader, the book was immature. Don't get me wrong, I love a good love story, love seeing a woman strike out on her own against all odds. This little book hits those marks but for a younger reader.

Our main character, Anita, feels like a loser in life as the only one in her family who does not seem successful. Instead of being seen as a free spirit, her family has made her feel like she will never be successful. Comments made by family members implying someone's lack of ability can haunt them forever. So, after years of waitressing, Anita wants to start her own business and in order to do so, has saved a considerable amount of money and has gotten business books to study on what to do. (Having a highly successful and well-known family was helpful in her business endeavor.)

We also have Anita's love interest, the boy/young man from high school on whom she has been crushing for ten years. He has proven himself successful as a cook and young businessman. Anita does all she can to deny the attraction yet the two of them keep getting thrown together.

Without giving too much away, the story moved along nicely until it neared the end then it seemed to suddenly end. I wanted a bit more description of the events happening. I felt the ending of the story was within sight and the author wrapped things up too quickly.

I was given this book by #NetGalley and #ThomasCollins (Harper Collins) #KathleenFuller

We return to Maple Falls where we reconnect and catch up with characters from the previous book. This book focuses on Anita and Tanner. Tanner is Hayden's best friend. Anita has had a crush on Tanner for about 10 years. She tells herself she is over it but not really. They work together and Tanner is starting to view her as much than a sister type They are both crazy about each other and everybody in their small town notices that there is chemistry between the two but they won't admit it to each other. What I liked about this book and series is the small town atmosphere and the lasting friendships that happen. Loved the humor in the book. I like it that both Tanner and Anita were hard working people with goals in mind. I loved it that Tanner felt a responsibility too look after his mother and younger brother after his farther had died many years ago. Tanner was just a stand up guy. What I didn't like it was Anita getting drunk at her friend's party after drinking three too many Cosmos. Overall this was a good romantic story and I look forward to reading Harper and Rusty's story will will be out this summer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.

This is the second in a series but it can be read without having read the first book and you won't be lost. It was a very sweet romance with some great messages spread throughout.

This story is the second book in the Maple Fall series by Kathleen Fuller but can also be read as a standalone. I loved the friends to lovers premise of this story, although this story also deals with themes like overcoming self doubt and following your dreams. Anita struggles with her learning disability and the way that impacted her during high school. Tanner has known Anita for years but is unaware of her romantic feelings for him at first. While the pacing started off slowly, I appreciated the way that the story enabled the two characters to become more open and vulnerable with one another. I enjoyed the small town and diner vibes in this story, and the way it reminded me of an entertaining, light and sweet Hallmark romance. While the characters in this story struggled at times with communication skills, they ultimately found their way to their own unique happily ever after. Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this story, all opinions are my own.

Content: clean/wholesome romance

I have a few authors that I read whatever they write and Kathleen Fuller is one of them. Much Ado About a Latte takes readers back to Maple Falls where waitress Anita Bedford has been pining for Tanner Castillo since he tutored her in math in high school. Afraid of losing his friendship, she's kept her feelings under wraps. Working side-by-side with him at the diner these last three years has only made her heart hurt more. While she sees, and loves, everything about him, Tanner only sees a good buddy when he looks at her. Deciding she needs to move forward with her life and her dream of owning a coffee shop, she buys the building next door to the diner. Then, her mother gets involved, contacting the mayor about her "new business" and things spiral out of control.

Tanner Castillo has been taking care of his mother and younger brother ever since his dad died when he was 8. He knows he has no life outside of the diner and the new catering business he recently started through the diner, but he has good friends in Anita and Hayden. Buying the diner and transforming it into a nice restaurant is his dream, and when the owner decides to sell to someone else, he frantically offers more than he can afford to get it for himself. The more he's worked with Anita these past three years, the more his feelings for her have changed, deepened. Unfortunately for him, he has a hard and fast rule about dating his employees, and now that he owns the diner, dating Anita is off the table. When he discovers - at a town business owners' meeting - that Anita is planning to open a café right next to his diner, he can't believe she would compete with him that way, since he already has machines ordered to add a coffee bar in the diner. Anita is heartbroken at Tanner's reaction. Can they ever get back the friendship - at the very least - that each has come to depend on?

While overall, I enjoyed Anita and Tanner's story, I will say that this wasn't my favorite Kathleen Fuller book. It took me a long time to "get into it" and seemed to be a lot of retracing the same feelings over and over. I've seen other reviewers describe Anita as "wishy-washy". I didn't see her that way as much as I saw her as very insecure. She grew up in a home where she was the only underachiever. Her father and brother are doctors, her mother a psychologist, and her sister, a lawyer. She barely graduated from high school, and has worked as a lowly waitress ever since. She gets a steady barrage of criticism anytime her mother sees her - from her job, to her clothing, to the way she wears her hair, to the fact that she's not married or seeing anyone - nothing about her life suits her mother. She stays in the background, not wanting to be noticed, then is surprised and hurt when Tanner doesn't notice her.

I gave this three of five stars, and can still recommend it. It is book two in Fuller's Maple Falls series.

In this cute must-read romance by Ms. Fuller, readers will be transported to Maple Falls, a charming town. Readers will be able to catch up with previous characters in her previous book. This book focuses on Anita and Tanner. Both of them seem to constantly be working or focusing on their career aspirations without sharing with anyone what they plan to do. They discover that they both have plans to compete with one another. If you are looking for a sweet romance novel, then this book is for you! I highly recommend this book and know you will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.

This is another great book by Kathleen. I didn’t realize it was is a series, I read the first book but this could easily be read as a stand-alone. The previous books are referred to but don’t play an impact on the plot of the story.

I was surprised to see a main character, who is a Christian, get drunk. Usually authors stay away from that if the character is a Christian. However, it does happen and is true to life for some of us. She definitely regretted it.

I had trouble believing that Tanner and Anita had worked together for three years and they had no attraction to each other in all of that time. It just didn’t seem realistic to me since they had a moment when they were younger. But again, I guess it could happen.

With all that being said, it was an good read and I enjoy visiting the town of Maple Falls. If you like contemporary romance I am sure you will enjoy this book.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I've been looking forward to Much Ado About a Latte since reading Hooked on You last year. This novel brings us back to small town Maple Falls, this time with Anita and Tanner's story.

Anita has had a crush on Tanner since high school, when he was her math tutor. Not to mention, the first boy who kissed her. But that was just a dare right? There's no way he'll ever see her as anything other than a friend. Years later, she's long given up on being noticed and has decided to focus on starting her own cafe. Little does she know, Tanner has similar plans and friends soon turn into rivals. Can they continue to be friends while competing for business? And will Tanner finally see Anita for who she is--or did he notice her long ago?

I enjoyed the premise of the novel, but struggled with the main characters. Anita's actions often seemed quite immature, especially with the way she went about opening a business. I appreciated that learning disabilities were a part of the story since that isn't something I see often in novels, however, Anita seemed to use it as a crutch and often blamed her bad decisions on it instead of seeing them for what they were. I also had a hard time believing in their romance, since it seemed very up and down for most of the book and then very rushed at the end. All in all, I would give Much Ado About a Latte 3.5/5 stars. I'd also like to note that despite being part of a series, I think this novel could also work as a standalone.

*I received a complimentary copy of Much Ado About a Latte through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨!

This was a really cute and fun to read story. Friends to lovers, beautiful small town setting, lots of banter and likeable characters. A delightful read.

Thank you TLC Book Tours and Thomas Nelson & Zondervan Fiction for this gifted copy.

Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller released January 4, 2022.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

This was a cute story. I enjoyed getting to know Anita and Tanner. Watching them interact with each other was fun. Its always best to communicate with each other or chaos happens. I liked most of the characters but a couple were just not easy to like. This book really had a small town feel to it. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie. It's one of those books you can read and relax too.
The only thing that bothered me was that it seemed like the doctor broke HIPPA rule. He shared info about a patient to someone who was not medical personnel or the patients family member. Even though it helped thd story flow, it just felt unrealistic to me.

It was a lighthearted love story where you can escape reality for awhile.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My thoughts  




Narrative and Plot  




Much Ado About a Latte is a story that stays true to its title, to say the least. I haven't read the first book but the narrative easily pulled me into this world of Maple Falls. Clearly, there are returning characters from the previous books, but it doesn't make you feel amiss.

The overall tone of the story is a sweet and innocent romance which is quite adorable. The narrative quite well takes that series of misunderstandings coming through creating much ado about nothing after all. However in this case it is not nothing but a cafe.  







Characters and Conflicts  





Anita and Tanner are the main characters in this contemporary romance. Anita is a simple and sweet woman who is kind at heart. She has her own insecurities and has her own goals that she needs to overcome. Tanner is an ambitious chef who wants to fulfil his dreams. However, when it comes to expressing their feelings both of them have been holding back a lot.

The confusion that arises due to them holding is the central conflict of the book. Misunderstandings are common in life, however, when both the protagonists struggle to communicate sometimes the things that come out seem too harsh. The only thing that I felt was there wasn't a conscious effort from either of them to make up for the hurt they've caused each other. Things kind of resolved in the end but it would have been quite satisfying if there had been a gesture of faith, not created by their situation. 





Conclusion  






Overall, this is a simple and adorable romance in a quaint small town that gives you a pleasant vibe like Stars Hollow ( from Gilmore Girls).  It can be a comfort read for you when things get hectic in life.

After reading and adoring book 1 in this series last summer, this one was high on my list. While I didn't love it like "Hooked On You," the story is cute. Anita and Tanner are interesting characters and I enjoyed seeing other familiar faces from the first book in the series. Fun read.

I wanted to like this book. The main character, Anita, was incredibly sweet. I liked the fact that she was faithful in her position. She was loyal and kind.
By starting the book out during high school, I feel like that connected me to both characters in a unique way. But then these two who were friends in high school seemed to live parallel lives rather than connected ones. Although they both work at the same place, they really hardly associated with each other. So to go from light contact to an intense romantic relationship did not quite work for me. I could see them having the potential of being a good couple, but how they got there did not seem sequential to me.
Although Tanner did seem to appreciate Anita's heart, there were also more mentions of him appreciating her assets. And some of the physical affection made me feel squeamish (he nipped at her lip?) and felt too intense for what was presented to be a sweet romance. I would not call this a Christian romance. But it lacked a bit on the inspirational aspect that I think the author was going for.
I liked the storyline start about both of them trying to move on and start their own businesses. But she did not really seem to have the expertise or knowledge to even move forward. And their lack of communication resulted in a lot of extra work for both of them.
I will probably read the next book in this series. I do like the community of characters. But this book could have been more in my opinion - I was longing for more realistic connection between the two characters. My final rating: 3.7 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

In Much Ado About A Latte, Kathleen Fuller brings us back to Maple Falls, where they're preparing for Riley's wedding and the focus is on Anita's story. Anita works at the local diner and has never felt like she had the intelligence to do much more. She had difficulty in school and Tanner was her tutor. She secretly had a crush on him, especially after a party where he kissed her. That kiss stayed with her and the crush just got worse. When he returned to Maple Falls and started working at the diner, things just got worse for her. Anita had a dream though, she wanted to buy one of the vacant building in town and open a cafe. She felt this would prove to her parents that she was good for something, like her siblings. However, in doing so, she might be ruining any chance she could ever have with Tanner, so are her dreams worth it?

Thanks to the author, Thomas Nelson, Fiction and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Much Ado About a Latte is the second book in the Maple Falls series. I definitely can be read as a stand alone book. Characters from the first book show up here, but I never felt like I was missing anything. This one is Anita and Tanner's story.

I did ultimately enjoy this one. It's an adorable friends to lovers romance. Frustrating at times, but really sweet and adorable. I say frustrating because Tanner and Anita clearly are into each other and it seemed to take forever for them to get together. When they finally did, it was really sweet. The opening scene in the closet was very cute.

My only issue with the story was the portrayal of Anita's learning disability. She was in remedial math and English in High school. She kept harping on that as if it was a valid excuse for certain mistakes. Like not really being remotely prepared to open a business. That was really lack of planning and research. Despite that, I loved watching Anita and Tanner work through their feelings for each other. This is a clean and sweet romance and one I do recommend.

Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller is the second A Maple Falls Romance. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone. I enjoy reading Kathleen Fuller’s Amish novels, so I wanted to check out her Christian romances. I found Much Ado About a Latte to be different from her Amish novels. They contain good writing, but I thought the characters were lackluster and flat. Tanner and Anita have been attracted to each other since high school, but neither of them has acted on their feelings. Ten years later, Anita and Tanner work at the Sunshine Diner and their feelings are still present. We get to hear how Anita likes Tanner’s looks (over and over) and Tanner finds Anita to be pretty (numerous times). Tanner also likes Anita’s personality. Tanner wishes to purchase the Sunshine Diner and elevate the food. He has plans to give Anita a promotion. Anita wants to purchase building #3 next to the diner and turn into a café where people can get quality coffee drinks and delicious pastries. Anita figures the diner, and her new enterprise will complement each other. Neither Anita nor Tanner have told each other about their plans. Tanner and Anita need to work through their feelings, their doubts, and insecurities before they can move forward personally. They also need to admit how they feel about each other. Tanner and Anita are friendly characters, but I was not a fan of either of them. I wanted to like them, but they drove me nuts (especially with Anita constantly obsessing over Tanner). Anita is portrayed as a woman with a learning disability (who never received the help she needed to conquer it). She is a wishy-washy woman who I wish had pulled herself by the bootstraps instead of needing a man to help her. I did not feel any chemistry between the pair (no tension or burning love). I was glad when the pacing had a slight uptick in the last half of the book (it was so slow in the beginning). The story had a good ending. Much Ado About a Latte did not feel like a Christian novel. There is a drunken episode that is completely out of place (as well as the comment about knockin’ boots). It was missing the Christian element completely (“thank the Lord” does not cut it). Much Ado About a Latte was not the right book for me. I will stick to Kathleen Fuller’s Amish fiction which she does very well. Much Ado About a Latte is a fluffy romance novel with good food, diner drama, a wonderful wedding, a startling smooch, fine friends, and a meddlesome mother.