Library or Lattes? (Love in Oak Falls #1)
Lila Hazell
Pixel + Ink
Published August 25, 2026
About Library or Lattes?
A cozy, swoony autumn romance with a Sliding Doors twist, perfect for readers of Jenny Han and Lynn Painter. Like Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice for this fall!
One season, two choices for love…
Willa’s small town is at its best in the fall. Think crisp air, golden leaves, bonfires, hayrides, and pumpkin spice. It’s cozy and comforting, pretty much perfect, but sometimes Willa wonders if she’s destined for more.
Then she’s left some money by a distant aunt, with one condition: It must be used to see the world. The rest of the book unfolds in alternating chapters where she makes one choice or another about this inheritance.
In one strand, Willa decides to study travel journalism, but she has to hit the books if she wants to be accepted into a program. That why she spends her weekends in the library, where Theo, a grumpy out-of-towner, also hangs out. He may think everything in this town is beneath him, but… there’s something irresistible about him when he smiles.
In the other strand, Willa begins planning a perfect round-the-world trip. Meanwhile, she’s working at her favorite coffee shop… where she suddenly gets a new boss, monosyllabic James, who’s back in his hometown to nurse a broken heart.
Each potential choice leads Willa to love, and the final chapter is classic happily ever after.
My Review
This sweet fall romance follows two possible paths that Willa’s life could take, leading her to two different romances. In effect, we get to watch her fall in love twice.
The chapters alternate between “Library” and “Lattes” timelines. The Library timeline shows what happens when she gives in to her feelings for the surly architect research student who shows up at the library just when Willa needs extra study time. The Lattes timeline follows Willa’s adventures when she winds up working with her boss’s son to save their coffee shop.
Some elements remain largely the same between the two timelines. Willa’s quirky best friend Lennie appears in both timelines, and both are set in the same small town over the same time period. Willa and Lennie’s friendship faces challenges in both versions of the story as well.
I was surprised that both stories take place in the same town. For some reason, I expected at least one to be about Willa traveling, since a letter from her aunt challenging her to travel beyond the small town she’s always known is what sets the whole story in motion. It might have been easier to differentiate between the two timelines if they were set in different places as well.
That said, I thought both romances were compelling. I liked the fact that the story treated both relationships as equal possibilities for Willa.
One thing that gave me pause is Willa’s reaction when she outs someone. She makes a comment in public about a relationship that’s not public because she got flustered and forgot for a moment. She really wants to pass this off as a mistake, which I found hard to stomach. Yes, it was absolutely a mistake, but she had been told that one person in the relationship did not feel safe coming out. The choice to remain closeted wasn’t about preference; it was about safety. I didn’t feel like Willa really grasped what she’d done. Late in the story, the person she outed confronts her about it, and I think she seemed to realize the gravity of her mistake then. So, eventually, she understands and apologizes to the person she hurt.
Overall, this is a sweet romance that will make a cozy read this fall.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Willa outs someone (accidentally).
Drug Content
None.
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