Love & Lattes by Beth Reekles – A Charming YA Office Romance

Love & Lattes by Beth Reekles is an irresistible Young Adult romantic comedy that blends the excitement of a summer internship with the complications of a workplace romance. The story introduces Annalise, a driven, perfectionistic first-born daughter who constantly strives to meet the expectations of others. Just before starting her dream internship at a prestigious company, Anna has a chance encounter with Lloyd, a charming young man, and sparks fly. However, the next morning brings a shock—Lloyd is none other than the owner's privileged son, complicating Anna's feelings and her carefully structured life.

As the story unfolds, Anna navigates the ups and downs of her internship, facing internal struggles with her insecurities, tension with her parents, and, of course, the undeniable attraction to Lloyd. Throughout her summer, Anna is forced to confront her need for perfection, her relationships with those around her, and the reality of her growing feelings for someone who’s far more complicated than she initially thought.

Reekles skillfully captures the emotional rollercoaster of young love and personal growth in a workplace setting. Love & Lattes offers a delightful mix of humor, romance, and relatable struggles, making it a perfect read for fans of YA romcoms.

I will say, I wish the title of this was more reflective of the subject matter contained - the title and cover do not depict that this is an office romance.

A cute little will they won’t they, forbidden love in the work space romance! I always dip my toes into romance when I need a little breather between thrillers and this was the perfect pallet cleanser. It was refreshing, lighthearted and cute. The characters were fairly straight forward but had some underlying dynamics that were fun to ingest.

More on the young adult end, and not any spice at all, so I think appropriate for all!

Initially, I put off reading this because I thought it would be a typical, cheesy teenage romance, but I’m so glad I finally gave it a chance. It turned out to be so much more than I expected!
The characters, especially Anna, were wonderfully written. I loved how she changes and grows throughout the story. It was truly a joy to see her evolution from start to finish. The romance has just the right amount of spice without ever overshadowing the plot, and the balance you struck between heart and humor felt just right.
I also appreciated how relatable the characters were, which made the story even more enjoyable. All in all, I ended up enjoying Love and Lattes far more than I anticipated, and I can’t wait to see what you write next!

This was a really quick and easy read.
it was just what i needed, I enjoyed it a lot.
I highly recommend to anyone looking for a quick read which some romance!

You just know when you kiss someone on the first day of your internship that they'll end up your boss. (Just asked Meredith Gray. Or, in this case, Annalise Sherwood).

Annalise is your prototypical eldest daughter of a distant mother who is determined that work hard, work harder will get her where she wants to be—a role at her new company. But when she disconvers that the mystery guy she kissed is Lloyd, the company CEO's son, her dream gets complicated—fast.

Part enemies to lovers, part coming-of-age separation from a domineering parent, this is a lovely, fresh romance with a great MMC and some fun and funny moments of comedic world forces pushing Annalise and Lloyd toward their ultimate destiny.

This book centers around Anna and Lloyd, two characters who meet on a night out and quickly feel the spark of attraction. Despite their chemistry, Anna focuses on her internship, only to discover that Lloyd works in the same office. As they navigate their professional lives and growing personal feelings, the tension between them intensifies. The workplace setting brings a mix of romance, slow burn, and emotional highs, but there are also frustrations as both characters make questionable decisions that slow the pace and create confusion, particularly Anna’s fluctuating emotions toward Lloyd.

While the premise of a slow-burn office romance with enemies-to-lovers elements was engaging, the execution faltered. The romance felt underdeveloped, with both characters showing selfish tendencies that made them hard to connect with, especially toward the middle of the book. Anna’s changing behavior and Lloyd’s increasing irritability detracted from the enjoyment, leaving the reader exhausted by their indecision. Some elements, like Anna’s email drafts, felt unnecessary and clunky, making the story even more disjointed.

For readers who enjoy young adult angst and office romance dynamics, this might still appeal, but those looking for a more substantial and passionate romance might find this lacking. Overall, while the book has a strong start and interesting potential, the repetitive back-and-forth between Anna and Lloyd, paired with underdeveloped storylines, left much to be desired.

Annalise is an overachiever who never truly just relaxes and has fun, too focused on her future. Before starting a new summer internship program, she lets a little loose with friends where she meets Lloyd, who she seems to have an instant connection with and has the best kiss of her life. Little does Anna know, Lloyd is the son of the CEO of the company she will be interning at and he too works there! The story between Anna and Lloyd has it's ups and down as the summer goes on. This was a quick and easy college new adult read.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was a fun and quick romance read, a perfect way to wrap up school vacation and my yearly reading challenge. The characters were relatable and witty and I ,love a good work place romance trope. I did find the speed of the story to be a bit slow but overall I liked it.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was so cute, but, I feel I’ve read many similar stories so I am somewhat desensitized to its charm.

The novel begins with an intriguing premise: two strangers share a kiss and later discover they work at the same company. However, the conflict between Annalise and Lloyd felt a little forced. Annalise’s anger at Lloyd for pretending they didn’t know each other seemed unfair; his reasoning was valid. By keeping their connection hidden, Lloyd allowed Annalise to prove herself based on her skills, ensuring her success wasn’t linked to him. The tension created from this felt unnecessary and contrived, imo.

I liked their banter, but sometimes I felt like they didn't have the best love connection, although they had so many cute moments. I loved getting to know these characters!

Overall, I enjoyed most of it. I definitely loved the authors writing and am looking forward to reading more from them!

I was so excited to read this new story by Beth Reekles!! I have read Beach Cute, and all of the Kissing Booth books and seen the movies too many times to count, so I was so excited to be back in a universe that she created and this one did not disappoint. If you’re a fan of Kate’s you will love her descriptive storytelling and amazing character development that just immerses you into the story fully. Thank you so much for this early copy!

This book was such a fun, sweet read! I absolutely LOVED the flirting between Annalise and Lloyd—it was playful, cute, and had me grinning the whole time. You could tell it was love at first sight for Lloyd, and honestly, I’m such a sucker for a story where the guy falls first. It just adds that extra bit of swoon to the romance.

Their chemistry made it impossible to put the book down. Lloyd is the perfect mix of charming and genuine, and helped Annalise open up and let loose a little. Plus, add in the forbidden office romance trope and it was a chef’s kiss!

I wasn’t interested in this from the beginning. The FMC feels very one dimensional, immature and her mental talk is exhausting. There’s a huge focus on her internship and how she ended up there, but despite her acceptance she isn’t overly confident. She’s very hot /cold with Lloyd, and very immature, which makes the slow burn unenjoyable, and the plot didn’t feel like anything was happening. Overall, it missed the mark for me.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beth Reekles’ Love & Lattes is a warm, delightful romance that brews up all the right feels. Set in a cozy café, this sweet story about love, second chances, and following your heart is perfect for anyone craving a feel-good escape. With relatable characters and a dash of charm, Reekles serves up a heartwarming read that’s sure to leave you with a smile. A must-read for fans of lighthearted romance!

For me personally, I feel I’ve read a lot of stories in this category (new adult, workplace enemies-to-lovers), and because of this my experience was just ok. I loved how the story started out with the MCs having “the perfect night” we all dream about, and how it quickly dissolved into the workplace enemies-to-lovers trope I love.

I was not the hugest fan of the FMC, Anna. While she had a lot of character traits I can identify with (an overachiever who burns herself out, someone who would rather stay at home than go out with her cohort, etc.), I felt she was very one-dimensional and very selfish which made me not like her overall. I asked myself at one point in the story when I was particularly not loving her “Would I feel this same way if these traits were put on a man?” And my answer to myself was, yes, I would. Hence why I started not liking Lloyd about ¾ of the way through the story. He started as this confident, almost cocky, boy who you could tell was hiding behind a flashy smile. I sympathized with him and liked him quite a lot during the first half or so, but his character deteriorated as soon as he starting snapping at Anna and also being equally selfish.

If you like young MCs with angst and a dash of spice, this one may be for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance, and Beth Reekles for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

I think this book hits for a little later in life then high school so I don’t think I’d add it to the collection.

This book was just eh for me. It definitely navigates a weird time in life for most people. Going from school to your first real job. Not the most exciting for me unfortunately. The writing is good just the story fell flat for me.

It may resonate better with someone who is actually going through that time in their life 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

(2.5 stars rounded up to 3)

This book had a hard time figuring out if it is a YA book or not. The writing screamed YA but the story itself felt older. The characters were a little annoying, and boy was Anna dumb for using her work email for drafting love notes.

Love & Lattes is a fun, lighthearted new adult rom-com. The characters are well developed and the romance is cute. I’m never really a fan of third act conflicts but this was one especially unnecessary (why not remove the emails entirely and just have the mom stuff be the third act conflict??? Anna isn’t stupid enough to use her work email and the random emails every couple chapters served absolutely no purpose). The book also drags a bit in the middle.

If you're looking for a fluffy, feel good romance (which I was), this is for you. If you’re looking for a plot that makes a lot of sense and moves at a fast pace, this is definitely not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC.

My first Beth Reekles story and I did enjoy her writing style. The book was very cutesy and it was a comforting read. Both Anna and Llyod experience their own inner struggles with identity and hold secrets from not only each other but their friends and family as well. Their relationship was definitely a rollercoaster but Anna's internal thoughts and second guessing herself I think was par with her age and it was fun to see her gain confidence and grow up while working at the internship.

The relationship between Annalise and Lloyd seemed to be well-developed, and the book was enjoyable to read. I thoroughly loved reading a book about a young woman who was undeniably motivated and eager to achieve her goals. You should definitely read this if you enjoy contemporary romance with office gossip and banter.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Beth Reekles for an eARC copy of ‘Love & Lattes’.