Have You Read the Small-Town Romance Series BookTok Is Loving?
BookTok is going crazy for a cozy small-town romance series. Now, two things are clear about books right now.
First, the romance genre–and romantasy in particular–are the hottest genres around. Readers are snapping them up, bookstores are devoting entire prominent displays to them and publishers are thrilled.
Second, TikTok and more specifically the fans who congregate around BookTok are powering sales for the authors and titles they rave about.
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So when those two worlds collide, when someone on BookTok champions a romance title and others say “Yes!” and “Oh, yes” and “Loved it” and then thousands and tens of thousands (and more!) chime in, why you’ve got yourself a hit.
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore ($18.99; One More Chapter) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Have You Read the Small-Town Romance Series BookTok Is Loving?
Book lovers, head on over to the small town of Dream Harbor. That’s the setting for The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore ($18.99; One More Chapter). The story seems crafted for maximum seasonal appeal. Cozy setting! Pumpkin spice wafting through the air! A perky city girl inheriting an adorable cafe. A grumpy local farmer is hot but ornery and wants nothing to do with this perky girl who is kind and sweet and makes a killer pumpkin spice latte. Really, nothing at all. Gilmore says the books are steamy so you’ll find both sweet and spice (and not just pumpkin spice).
Are you starting to get some Stars Hollow vibes? Well, that’s no accident. The author has no photo displayed and we can only assume her name Laurie GILMORE is probably a pen name…especially since she namechecks the romance at the heart of Gilmore Girls, namely the adorable romance between perky Lorelai GILMORE and Luke Danes. (Heck, even the imprint publishing them has a cute name: One More Chapter.)
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe came out last fall and even made the UK bestseller lists. (Do they love Gilmore Girls too? I mean, doesn’t everyone?) Now thanks to an explosion of interest it’s hitting the Publishers Weekly trade paperback bestseller list, enjoying viral attention on BookTok and seeing that enthusiasm spread to GoodReads, where it’s approaching 50,000 reviews and counting.
Wait, didn’t I say “series”? Why, yes I did. Just out is Book Two in the Dream Harbor series. That would be the equally caloric sounding title of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store ($18.99; One More Chapter). I mean, selling books and cinnamon buns is evil personified…and a really, really good idea. In this book, the owner of an adorable bookstore pairs up with a (hot) local fisherman on a scavenger hunt spurred by the mysterious clues left in copies of books at her shop. It just came out Sept. 3 but looks determined to catch up to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe in popularity.
Related: The 32 Best Romantasy Books of All Time
And since two is never enough, author Laurie Gilmore has two more titles in the Dream Harbor series ready to go. The Christmas Tree Farm hits stores Oct 22 and then–cruelly–fans must wait until March of 2025 for The Strawberry Patch Pancake House. I imagine the Dream Harbor cookbook will follow soon after that.
P.S. The real Lorelia, namely actor Lauren Graham is also a writer! She has two very good memoirs (most recently Have I Told You This One Already? ($18; Ballantine Books), a book of inspiration drawing on a commencement speech she gave and an excellent work of fiction. That’s titled Someday, Someday, Maybe ($18; Ballantine Books) and was a New York Times bestseller. It’s about an actress living in NYC, dreaming of her big break and facing a make-or-break showcase with all the humor and heart and charm you’d hope for from Graham as a writer. Everyone should read that too and Graham should write another one soon!
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore ($18.99; One More Chapter) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store ($18.99; One More Chapter) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Christmas Tree Farm ($18.99; One More Chapter) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House ($18.99; One More Chapter) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham ($18; Ballantine Books) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham ($18; Ballantine Books) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Related: Author Jodi Picoult Shares Her Favorite Books Of All Time
