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Verdict: A wholesome, cosy second-chance romance between a fiery small-town librarian and the globe-trotting photographer who left fifty years ago, reunited to save the library — warm and touching, a love letter to libraries, though some readers found the romance gentle to a fault.
Best for: Readers who want both heroines in their seventies, a small-town community cause, and a low-heat, low-angst love story.
Heat level: Low (no explicit sex, per readers; no romance.io rating)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5 — a 4.03 Goodreads average across 143 ratings and 3.83 on StoryGraph from 126 reviews)
Tropes: Second chance, childhood friends to lovers, both 60+, small town, save the library, grief, found community, series.
Of Love and Libraries is Brenna Bailey’s 2023 contemporary lesbian romance, the second Juniper Creek Golden Years book. Dylan Lavoie, head librarian for four decades, has one month to raise enough money to save her library. Frankie Chan, the childhood confidant who fled town fifty years ago, is back for her mother’s funeral.
It holds a 4.03 average across 143 Goodreads ratings, with 73% of them four or five stars, 3.83 on StoryGraph from 126 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 25 Amazon ratings.
What Is Of Love and Libraries About?
Dylan won’t take retirement sitting down. After forty years as head librarian, the septuagenarian must save her sanctuary — and her job — within a month. Not even the unexpected return of the adventurous friend who once abandoned her will get in her way.
Frankie fled heartbreak in Juniper Creek half a century ago to become a wildlife photographer. Home reluctantly for the funeral of a mother who disowned her, she finds her beloved library under siege and the snarky bibliophile she still pines for fighting its closure. As they fundraise through the Pumpkin Days festival, can they forgive their painful past and find a second chance before it is too late?
What Makes This Mature Romance Work
- A love letter to libraries: Letters from townspeople about what the library means to them run between chapters, and readers adore them.
- Maturity: There is awkwardness and regret, but no deep grudge or pettiness — readers found that refreshing.
- Grief and family: Frankie’s complicated relationship with the mother who shut her out is, for some, the book’s highlight.
- The town: Juniper Creek feels like a character; one reader compared it to Three Pines without the murder.
- Representation: 98% of StoryGraph readers who answered call the cast diverse.
Book Synopsis
The thrill-seeking photographer. The fiery librarian. The hometown hardship that finally brings them together. After four decades as head librarian, Dylan Lavoie has one month to raise enough funds to save her library and her job — and not even the unexpected return of the childhood confidant who abandoned her can stop her.
Fifty years ago, Frankie Chan fled heartbreak in Juniper Creek to chase excitement as a wildlife photographer. When she reluctantly returns for her mother’s funeral, she finds the only woman she has ever loved fighting to keep the library open. How can Frankie ignore the chance to reconnect — even if she can’t stay?
My Review
This is a gentle book about two lives that went in opposite directions: Dylan stayed, married, raised daughters and came out; Frankie left and saw the world. Bailey lets their history and hurt sit alongside the easy warmth of a small town rallying for its library. The emotional core is Frankie’s grief — she cannot even step through the door of her mother’s house at first — and Dylan’s steady support. Readers call it wholesome, sweet, and in one case tear-inducing.
The main reservation is about intensity. One 3-star reader found the romance merely fine and the yearning lacking, and felt the heroines could have been in their forties or fifties from how they talk. Others note the book is gentle by design: no villains, no violence, no explicit sex. Many reviews come from ARC readers and book tours, so the evidence leans friendly.
My honest note: If you want comfort, community and a love story for the golden years, this is a lovely choice.
| Element | In Of Love and Libraries |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Dylan Lavoie (head librarian) & Frankie Chan (retired wildlife photographer) — both in their seventies |
| Core tropes | Second chance, childhood friends, save the library |
| Setting | Juniper Creek, a small town, during its Pumpkin Days festival |
| Heat level | Low — no explicit sex, per readers |
| Length | 247 pages |
| Series | Juniper Creek Golden Years #2 — reads as a standalone |
| Content notes | Death of a parent, grief, homophobia, mild racism |
How Spicy Is Of Love and Libraries?
Not very. One reviewer specifically notes there is no explicit sex, and romance.io has only two ratings and no steam level.
Content notes submitted on StoryGraph include death of a parent, grief, homophobia and lesbophobia, and racism, described by one reader as mild. Frankie’s mother disowned her after she came out.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want heroines in their seventies, second chances and cosy small-town community. It is on our mature lesbian romance and women over 40 lists.
You may want to skip it if: you want intense yearning or heat.
In short: A warm, bookish, gently moving second chance.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
This is an indie series with a loyal readership, and a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 32% five stars, 41% four, 24% three, 2% two and no one-star ratings. On StoryGraph, 75% tag it lighthearted and 65% hopeful, and 88% found the characters loveable. We could not find an audiobook.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The library letters first. Second, the town. Third, heroines in their seventies. Fourth, the grief storyline.
What readers argue about and complain about: Gentle romance with little yearning, above everything. Second, voices that do not always read as seventy.
The comparison worth making first: Start with A Tale of Two Florists for the series opener, or jump to the finale, Forever in Flowers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old are the heroines in Of Love and Libraries?
Both are in their seventies. The publisher describes Dylan as a septuagenarian, and Frankie left town fifty years ago.
Do I need to read A Tale of Two Florists first?
No. It is book 2 of the Juniper Creek Golden Years series and readers say it works as a standalone, though Minnie and Eleanor from A Tale of Two Florists make a cameo.
How spicy is Of Love and Libraries?
Low. One reviewer notes there is no explicit sex, and romance.io has no steam rating yet.
Is Of Love and Libraries on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed for purchase at $3.99. We could not find an audiobook.
Does Of Love and Libraries have a happy ending?
Yes. Readers describe a realistic happy ending, with no villains and no overwrought misunderstandings along the way.
If You Loved Of Love and Libraries, Read These Next
Try A Tale of Two Florists and Forever in Flowers for more of Juniper Creek, or Golden Years and Silver Linings for another fifty-year second chance. For more, browse our mature lesbian romance list, our cozy lesbian romance list, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Of Love and Libraries sets out to be a heartfelt golden-years second chance wrapped around a save-the-library story, and readers say it delivers warmth, community and a realistic happy ending. What holds it back is a romance some found too gentle. For cosy-romance readers, it is worth it. Check Of Love and Libraries on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Of Love and Libraries ranks as a very good cosy mature romance — heartfelt and bookish, light on spark.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ 4.03 average across 143 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 73% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.83 on StoryGraph from 126 reviews
- ✓ Many ARC and tour reviews
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Fifty-year second chance
- ✓ Mature, no pettiness
- ✓ Sweet together
- ✓ Yearning lacking for one
Characters ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 88% found them loveable
- ✓ Fiery Dylan
- ✓ Grieving Frankie
- ✓ Voices read younger for one
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Library letters between chapters
- ✓ Thoughtful, elegant style
- ✓ Town feels real
- ✓ Gentle pacing
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Made one reader cry
- ✓ Grief and a disowning mother
- ✓ Hopeful
- ✓ Lighthearted overall
Heat Level — not rated
- ✓ No explicit sex, per a reader
- ✓ Romance.io: 2 ratings, no steam level
- ✓ Low heat
- ✓ Gentle romance
Ending ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Realistic happy ending
- ✓ No villains
- ✓ No misunderstandings
- ✓ Community payoff
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Cosy autumn read
- ✓ Series to explore
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ No audiobook found
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