Via Dalton has sworn off men to focus on the two things she loves most: her quirky cat café, Pawsitive Vibes, and the charming town of Pecan Corner, Ohio. But her peaceful world is shaken when Earl Brewster, the owner of the beloved Second Chapter Books next door, passes away. Via is determined to buy the shop and preserve Earl’s legacy, but her plans hit a snag in the form of a tall, handsome, and completely unexpected heir.

Leo Brewster’s life is thriving in LA, and the last thing he needs is an inheritance in the middle-of-nowhere, Ohio. But the alternative–letting his estranged mother inherit–has him packing his bags to receive the inheritance, quickly sell it off to the highest bidder, and hightail it back to LA. What he didn’t count on was the list of stipulations in the will that has him staying in the small town for a month. Oh, and the determined, sunny café owner next door who refuses to let him destroy the town’s heart without a fight.

Desperate to convince Leo the bookstore is vital to her community, Via challenges Leo to complete her Autumn Bucket List. As they navigate corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and fall festivals, Leo begins to see the magic in Pecan Corner–and in Via. Despite her vow to stay single and his plan to leave, the attraction between them simmers like hot cider.

Can a season of small-town charm convince a city boy to stay, or will Via lose both the bookstore and her heart?

My Review

This story immediately drops us into the small town of Pecan Corner, Ohio, where everyone knows everyone. Via owns Pawsitive Vibes, a business she loves, and she has her eye on the bookstore next door. Then hotshot Leo comes into the picture. He’s in town to settle his uncle’s estate, and his rushed behavior, fish-out-of-water attitude, and the new constraints he suddenly has to deal with bring some chemistry and plenty of forced proximity into Via’s small-town life.

This is a clean romance, so when we finally get there, the romance is limited to kissing. It’s very sweet and cozy, with the town’s characters and the cats playing a big role in the story. I absolutely adore the concept of the autumn bucket list. The story is slow-paced, though, with lots of different POVs, conversations, and side characters. I found myself skimming through some sections just to get to the parts that held my interest. I’m about 40% in, and while I do find the story intriguing, I’m mostly reading it to check off a state. And I have to say, the cover is absolutely adorable.

This book is embracing the slow burn hard. The friend zone becomes a real thing, and there’s a valid reason for it. Their chemistry is good, but at times it also feels a little forced. I really like the forced proximity, small-town setting, and autumn vibes, but the romance is making my brain wander a little.

We finally start to get somewhere as the end of Leo’s time in Pecan Corner approaches. His lies are coming out, along with some of Via’s secrets. The book has stayed very mature and clean so far, but I’m just not finding it as exciting as I had hoped. Maybe it will pick up during the last bit of the story. It definitely has a Hallmark vibe, but unfortunately, it just didn’t capture me the way I wanted it to.

While this did end happily, getting there felt like a bit of a slog for me. I appreciated the found family, opposites-attract romance, cozy small-town setting, and autumn atmosphere, but ultimately, the pacing was just too slow for me.

If you would like to read Autumn at the Cat Cafe by Kathleen Fuller, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories:Autumn, Neighbors to Lovers and Small Town.