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Quick answer: If you love Laurie Gilmore, read The Pumpkin Spice Café, then Emily Henry's Beach Read, Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners, Tessa Bailey's Fix Her Up and Ali Hazelwood. All are warm, funny small-town and contemporary romances with cosy settings.
Laurie Gilmore writes the Dream Harbor series of cosy small-town romances, which begins with The Pumpkin Spice Café and features cafés, bakeries, farms and a close-knit community. The books are sweet, funny and low on angst. The books below offer similar feel-good romances.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pumpkin Spice Café | Laurie Gilmore | Adult | Dream Harbor book one |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Adult | readers who like banter |
| Book Lovers | Emily Henry | Adult | workplace sparks |
| People We Meet on Vacation | Emily Henry | Adult | slow-burn fans |
| Happy Place | Emily Henry | Adult | readers who like second-chance romance |
| Funny Story | Emily Henry | Adult | readers who like fake dating |
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Adult | readers who like enemies-to-lovers |
| Love & Other Words | Christina Lauren | Adult | second chances |
| Fix Her Up | Tessa Bailey | Adult | readers who like fake dating |
| Hook, Line, and Sinker | Tessa Bailey | Adult | the direct follow-up |
| Love Her or Lose Her | Tessa Bailey | Adult | readers who like second chances |
| The Love Hypothesis | Ali Hazelwood | Adult | fake dating in academia |
| Love on the Brain | Ali Hazelwood | Adult | readers who like STEM romance |
| The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang | Adult | romance |
| Confessions of a Shopaholic | Sophie Kinsella | Adult | comic chick lit |
1. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
A café owner and a local farmer fall for each other in a small seaside town. Cosy, sweet and funny.
Best for: Dream Harbor book one.
2. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two rival writers swap genres for a summer. Funny and moving.
Best for: readers who like banter.
3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
A hard-edged literary agent and a book editor keep running into each other in a small North Carolina town. A smart play on small-town romance tropes.
Best for: workplace sparks.
4. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Poppy and Alex take a trip every summer. Friends to lovers across ten years.
Best for: slow-burn fans.
5. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn, a broken-up couple, pretend to be together at their friends' vacation. Full of friendship and ache.
Best for: readers who like second-chance romance.
6. Funny Story by Emily Henry
Daphne is left by her fiancé for his best friend and decides to fake-date the best friend's ex. Warm and funny.
Best for: readers who like fake dating.
7. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Olive and Ethan take a free honeymoon. Fast and funny.
Best for: readers who like enemies-to-lovers.
8. Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
Macy and Elliot were best friends as teens and meet again years later. The story moves between past and present with big emotion.
Best for: second chances.
9. Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
A former baseball star and his best friend's younger sister pretend to date. Funny and sweet.
Best for: readers who like fake dating.
10. Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
The next Bellinger Sisters book, with the same banter, heat and small-town setting. A natural next read.
Best for: the direct follow-up.
11. Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
A married couple in trouble tries to rediscover each other. Emotional and steamy.
Best for: readers who like second chances.
12. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
A PhD student fake-dates a famous professor. Funny and sweet.
Best for: fake dating in academia.
13. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
A neuroscientist works with her old rival at NASA. Funny and fast.
Best for: readers who like STEM romance.
14. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A woman with autism hires an escort to teach her about relationships. Sweet and tender.
Best for: romance.
15. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
A journalist with a spending habit tries to hide her debts. Light and fast.
Best for: comic chick lit.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Laurie Gilmore: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Laurie Gilmore. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For more Gilmore begin with The Pumpkin Spice Café and follow the series. For funny contemporary romance choose Emily Henry or Christina Lauren. For sports and banter pick Tessa Bailey. For romance in labs read Ali Hazelwood. Gilmore's books are cosy and gentle, so these picks suit readers who want comfort and charm. Cosy romance is a growing genre, and many readers pick up Gilmore's books in autumn for their seasonal setting. They are good audiobook choices, too.
Related: What Age Is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide · Printable List Victoria Laurie Books
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Laurie Gilmore?
An author of cosy small-town romance.
What is the Dream Harbor series?
A series of linked romances set in a fictional coastal town.
Where should I start?
With The Pumpkin Spice Café.
Is it spicy?
The books have some romance scenes but are generally sweet.
Are the books standalone?
Each can be read alone, but reading in order is best.
Is it a good autumn read?
Yes, the first book has an autumn setting.
Are there audiobooks?
Yes.
What should I read next?
Try Beach Read or Fix Her Up.
Which book here is best for slow-burn fans?
Try People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, which suits readers looking for slow-burn fans.
Which book here is best for readers who like enemies-to-lovers?
Try The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, which suits readers looking for readers who like enemies-to-lovers.