A Latte Like Love by Michelle C. Harris
Most love stories are predictable and ordinary, but this debut novel, A Latte Like Love, by Michelle C. Harris is anything but traditional or ordinary. I thought this was going to be a typical romance of boy meets girl and they fall madly in love, but instead it was a delightful surprise that felt like sipping your favorite hot latte.
We meet Audrey, a struggling engineering student working part-time as a barista at Deja Brew, a cozy shop known for its hospitality. Audrey knows every one of her regular customers by name as well as their usual orders — until one day, Theo walks in. Theo is new and mysterious, wearing an N95 mask long after COVID. He is clearly hiding something, and Audrey goes out of her way to make sure he feels welcome at Deja Brew. For weeks, Theo walks into the coffee shop at the same time each day. Each time, he orders an extra-hot large Americano but never drinks it while he sits in a corner sketching in his notebook for forty minutes. As the days pass, we begin to notice how Audrey’s kindness slowly starts to break through the mysterious wall Theo has built around himself. He is hiding something, but all Audrey sees is a handsome, well-put-together man who needs compassion and kindness.
After a terrible event happens at the coffee shop, Theo’s mask is ripped off and his scars are revealed to everyone, resulting in people staring and recording the altercation, which soon goes viral through Reddit threads and social media. Theo runs out with no desire to return — until Audrey realizes he left his sketchbook behind. Audrey knows just how important the sketchbook is, having watched him sketch in it for hours while his coffee went untouched. When Audrey goes home, she decides to open the notebook and discovers a breathtaking sketch of herself working in the shop, surrounded by the scent of the coffee she would make for Theo. Determined to return it, she begins tracing Theo’s steps and one day finally spots him walking in a crowd, following him to his therapist’s office. Audrey hesitates before leaving her information with the secretary, but soon she is able to connect with Theo and return his sketchbook. With the simple exchange of a phone number, Theo and Audrey begin to realize just how much they like each other — while also recognizing how complicated their lives truly are. As readers, we are given a front-row seat to their lives as they unfold.
When Kindness Breaks Through the Walls
We are later introduced to Audrey’s troubled past as a foster child and Theo’s own struggles growing up feeling unwanted by his family because he didn’t fit in. Theo was an only child who was different from the lawyers in his family — he dreamed of a life as an artist — while Audrey’s life had been anything but easy.
What I loved most about this story is the way it explores the intricacies of their traumatic pasts and allows us to witness their authentic healing as they not only give love a chance, but also allow themselves the space to be loved. Audrey’s compassion and kindness reassure a struggling Theo that there are still good people in the world and that he is not the monster he has convinced himself he is. Audrey’s life had mostly revolved around school and her college roommate, Violet. The two move into a tiny studio apartment in New York, and somehow it works for them. As Theo and Violet get to know one another, their connection develops slowly and naturally. Nothing is rushed, and that is what makes the story feel so real. This isn’t a story about two strangers instantly falling into emotionless intimacy — it is about a genuine connection unfolding before our eyes.
A Love Story About Healing, Not Just Romance
The pacing feels appropriate and satisfying for anyone looking for a romance with a deeper plot. My favorite aspect of the novel was the inner work Theo and Audrey must do to allow themselves to love and be loved. Watching them unpack and confront their trauma makes for an emotional reading experience — one that may have you reaching for a box of tissues. At times, the story becomes difficult, as it deals with traumatic events related to death, suicidal thoughts, grief and the struggles of growing up in foster care, as well as strained family relationships. This book truly has everything packed into it.
So if you are looking for a simple, quick romance filled with instant love, this may not be the book for you. Instead, we see the good, the bad and the ugly in Theo and Audrey’s journey — but in the end, we are gifted something beautiful. We are shown what true love can look like when two people allow themselves to grow, heal and become better for one another. Both Theo and Audrey once misunderstood home as a physical place, but together they discover that home can be found in each other. Through sacrifice, vulnerability and healing, they finally find their forever home.
About Michelle C. Harris:
Michelle C. Harris grew up deep in the heart of the Central Texas Hill Country, devouring as many books as she did tacos. By day, she wrangles academics at a university, and by night, she pens stories about love, magic and men who yearn under the intense supervision of her Shiba Inu, Pippa. In her spare time, you can find her playing volleyball, buying more tea than she could ever possibly drink and writing fan fiction about star-crossed space wizards on AO3.
