Bookstore Kisses & Small Town Wishes

by Nikki Bright

I was supposed to be building bookshelves, not feelings.

And yet, here we are.

I’m finally making my dream come true—a cozy bookstore café in my hometown, where locals can sip lattes and get lost in paperbacks.

Too bad no one warned me how much construction is needed to turn an empty building into a coffee shop.

(Weeps in espresso beans.)

With my brother—aka my biggest hype man and only surviving family member--working overseas, I’m facing this challenge solo.

Enter Nick Warner—my brother’s best friend and the town’s resident bad boy. Despite his reputation, he’s always been a cinnamon roll to me, and he has all the skills I need to fix up the building. Inconveniently, he’s also the kind of guy I find incredibly attractive.

But he’s a long-time friend, and I don’t want to make things awkward between us, so I resolve to shove my feelings down deep.

I am totally capable of ignoring my attraction to him. Absolutely. If he would just stop being so irresistible!

I thought my biggest challenge would be keeping my business from failing before the grand opening. Unfortunately, it seems like my heart found a way to unlock an even bigger falling in love with my brother’s best friend.

Bookstore Kisses & Small Town Wishes is a laugh-out-loud, small-town romantic comedy full of swoon-worthy moments, sizzling kisses, and cozy autumn vibes. It’s a closed door romance with mild swearing/language.

Genres: Contemporary

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2025

Reviews

[imanereads7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brother’s best friend, Small Town, Friends to lovers.
All three in one book 🫶🏻 i honestly didn’t expect this book to be this good 🤩 i devoured it but if only there was more yearning.
It was such a good read with Autumn vibes 🍂

[Less · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love itttt

ho amato questa novella prequel ( Grazie per avermi messo Logan in una scena) ed ho urlato quando ho visto le scene di Natalie e Samuel (A guide to fake dating your Enemy)

qui abbiamo:
- He falls First
- Brother's best friend
- Small Town
- No third Act
- Reformed Playboy

Per convincervi a leggere questa novella, Lauren vuole aprire a cozy bookstore café in una Small Town e il nostro protagonista Nick l'aiuta (aggiungo che mentre il fratello di lei e' fuori città ne approfitta per confessare ciò che prova)

🇬🇧

I love ittt

I loved this prequel novella (Thanks for putting Logan in a scene) and I screamed when I saw Natalie and Samuel's scenes (A guide to fake dating your Enemy).

Here we have:
- He Falls First
- Brother's Best Friend
- Small Town
- No Third Act
- Reformed Playboy

To convince you to read this novella, Lauren wants to open a cozy bookstore café in a small town, and our protagonist Nick helps her (I should add that while her brother is out of town, he takes the opportunity to confess his feelings).

[Karen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something so satisfying about reading a prequel novella after being introduced to the main characters in previously released books! So happy that Lauren and Nick got their story! Lauren returns to her small hometown to make her dream of owning a coffee shop into a reality, but her store needs a lot of work. Enter her brother’s best friend, Nick, who is going to help her fix it up. They skirt around their chemistry, and it’s heartwarming their closed-door romance develops. as with the other books in this series, I adored that this was set in Wisconsin, and the true and honest Wisconsin references that were sprinkled though out. A satisfyingly sweet closed door romance. 4.25 stars
Thanks to the author for the eARC.

[Bárbara Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

⃕ Nikki!! How much I missed your writing 🥹

︵‿︵‿୨🥨୧‿︵‿︵

➜ My heart is SOOO WARM RIGHT NOW!! Lauren and Nick are one of the sweetest couple I ever read about and definitely im deeply in looove with their love.
While I was reading and Overprotective Nick came to view 👀👀 (think about writing some dark romance, because i definitely felt the vibes coming from him😮‍💨) Nick Johansen took seriously the “A man who yearns Is a man who earns” 🙂‍↕️
I wished there were more details on certain chapters like chap.7 🥹 I wanted to know sooo much more and I thought that a paragraph or two wouldn’t hurt (it would’ve made me sob probably.)
There’s only one thing that made me unable to give the five stars..i kinda of saw a little red flag on Nick when he decided to spill their date for the people around them, like okay we get it that everyone knew he was head over heels for her but Lauren was visibly nervous and dare i say slightly uncomfortable with the amount of sudden attention.. i didn’t like that :(


ᥫ᭡ In general I think this book is such a cozy autumn vibes with a open door romance, it’s so sweet,funny and heartwarming that gives you hope in love. I think this book was written for the anxious people and the hopeless romantics🥹💘


ʚ ═══･୨🥨୧･═══ ɞ
̆̈ Take a look at my favourite quotes + Book tropes!!
(there’s so many that I had a hard time choosing🥹)


👩🏼‍🍳 —“ Even in her paint-spattered clothes and that ratty Fox Creek Fishing Tournament cap she'd had since high school, Lauren was stunning.
The smudge of blue paint on her cheek shouldn't have made my heart rate kick up, but it did.”—

🚜—”Not hardly. The whole town knows if Lucas isn't hanging around protecting his baby sister, Nick is
somewhere in the shadows ready to stab anyone who eyes you up."—

👩‍🍳—“ I’d realised I was head over heels in love with Lauren Brussels, and I'd also realized I wanted to be able to give her everything she deserved.”

🚜—“ I recognized when Mom was about to spill everything-how Lauren was the reason I'd straightened out, quit getting into fights, stopped being the town's resident troublemaker, all because I wanted to be better for her.”

👩‍🍳 “It was almost painful how much loved her. I loved the way she hummed under her breath when she was concentrating, loved how she got excited about new tea flavors or coffee drinks, loved that she trusted me enough to fall asleep on my shoulder like this.”

🚜 “"So you'll be my girlfriend, Lauren Brussels?"
"Yes, I'll be your girifriend if you'll be my boyfriend, Nick Johansen.”


ू♡ Tropes🚜
👩🏼‍🍳Brother’s best friend
🚜-Small town
👩🏼‍🍳-Reformed Play Boy
🚜NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!! (We won)

[Lou Li Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're going back to the beginning for this one. Lauren and her bookshop/café has made appearances in the Warners family books previously and now we get her story with Nick! As her brothers best friend, Lauren has had a hidden crush on town bad boy Nick for years so when Nick helps get the bookshop up and running, its harder to deny the attraction. It's a slow burn closed door romance with banter you come to expect from Nikki's books and I just loved Lauren and Nick's attitude, being honest and real.

I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy of this book provided by the author. The opinions expressed are my own

[SDreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute light read about twenty-something’s who grew up together finding their way in life. I appreciate the quirky characters and the small town supporting cast. The romance was slow to percolate in this book, and I wanted to tell the characters to just talk honestly to each other and get on with it! But it is refreshing that long-term gain was prioritized over immediate gratification. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. Good choice for a weekend or vacation escape with humor and positive vibes.

[Laurel Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, cute, cute.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this from being part of Nikki Bright's email list.
it's so cute and sweet! I loved it! finished it in two sittings because I didn't want to put it down. And it ends right where the first book starts.

[Rachael Patera · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cute and Cozy small town romance that is perfect to put a smile on your face.

I loved returning to the town of Fox Creek and entering the Mann-Warner universe again, this time as a prequel!

Lauren wants to open a bookstore cafe but she never anticipated how much work it would take and what all needed to be done. Enter Nick, known as the town bad boy but to Lauren he's always been her brother's friend, someone who supports her, and someone who she has always had feelings for.

While Lauren's brother Lucas is out of the country for work, Nick steps in to help Lauren get the bookstore cafe up and running. He's always had feelings for Lauren and just hasn't found a way to cross that threshold and make his move. He's been patiently waiting and while everyone in town seems to know about his crush, Lauren is oblivious to his attention.

This short story follows Nick and Michelle as they spend time together and how they both finally are able to lay out their feelings and start dating for real. But when Lucas returns home, will he approve?

This small town romance was just the sweetest thing I've read recently. With the stolen glances and chemistry I really enjoyed this novella and it was perfect to read on a fall cozy weekend. The town of Fox Creek is so endearing and reminds me why I love to pick up a small town, closed door romance book every once in a while. They are like a cup of hot cocoa, delicious and warms your soul.

Huge thanks to Nikki Bright for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelsey Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren is working to open her dream bookstore and cafe in a small town. Her brother’s best friend Nick is happy to help however he can. Is Nick just being nice since her brother is out of town?

I liked this one. I am a big fan of all of Nikki Bright’s other books. Her series is seriously some of my all time faves. There was a lot of the same small town hijinks in this one.

Nick and Lauren were cute together, but it just was not on the same level as the other couples in the series for me. Nothing was wrong-just not as memorable as the others. No spice at all-just some kisses :)

Overall, a really sweet book about a girl making her dreams come true and the boy who not so secretly loves her.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick & Lauren (and her brother) have been friends for years. Although both of them secretly have a thing for each other they never cross the line. But when the brother is away for an extended time the lines begin to blur. Sweet, closed door novella.

Nothing over the top memorable, but sweet nonetheless. The brother needs to take a step back though. It’s a fine line with protective and being a jerk and this toed the line a few times.

For me, nothing beats Nikki’s first book in this series. A definite must read. I wouldn’t skip this one, but it was middle of the road for me.

3.5 rounding up because I do love the series and the writing.

[Sarah Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lasted around chapter 4 and just lost interest; the blurb is enough: reformed bad-boy falls for best friend's little sister, who is opening a cafe/bookstore in their small hometown. There's the grumpy business owner down the street who wants the shop for his fix-it shop storage, meddling town grandmothers, and a text thread between the main characters and the brother they seemingly share, who is working as an overseas doctor. The third-person narration in the past tense threw me off, since most romcom novels are first-person, alternating POV in present tense, which makes it flow a tad easier.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC REVIEW*

This is a solid 4.8 for me 🩶

Lauren dream is also my dream and I'm so happy I was able to live it through her, she's a beautiful character.

Nick is also one of those books boyfriends I'll miss when I decide my next reading because he's so wholesome it pains me 😭💕

I love the we-both-are-nuts-for-each-other-but-have-to-act-like-we-are-not trope. Which one of them will make the first move?? Y'all need to read it to figure it out (but yes, for me it was a sweet as I needed because I LOVE cows)

Short, closed door, funny and heart warming 🩶

[Kate Williams-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prequel Novella from Nikki about the wonderfully delightful Fox Creek, with some of our favourite characters getting mentioned too.
Such a sweet read for a rainy weekend here in the Cotswolds, I swooned at how it told the story of Nicks secret love of Lauren, who was completely oblivious despite the whole town knowing for years! Seeing it all come together was just heartwarming for me.
A must read if you have read The Warners series previously.