I wanted to love it, I really did. The aesthetic is 100% me. I finished it last night and was left feeling like something was missing. If you've read it, maybe you can agree that the story felt as short as Logan and Jeannie's relationship before the "L" word came into play. The first chapter of the book made the rest of the book easily predictable. It was a shortened version of a Hallmark movie (except the "spice" in it). I wish there would've been more drama and more story, something more to cling to. I gave it my best effort and my best tries to love it but alas I can only say that I just "liked" it.

This was such a cute read and perfect for this time of year. I absolutely love the cover and this edition with the pumpkin edges is stunning.

Jeanie moves to Dream Harbour to take over running her aunts Pumpkin Spice Cafè and she moves into the apartment above. She meets Logan the local farmer when he is delivering the pumpkins.

I loved the whole setting and the other characters we get to meet. Also do not let the cute cover fool you. This book is really quite spicy!!

I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

This was a good one! Loved the story and characters and fall setting! Very fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Laurie Gilmore!

Für alle die jetzt schon in Herbststimmung sind ist das, dass perfekte Buch!! Ich habs sooo verschlungen 😍 Es war lustig und an manchen Stellen traurig und durchweg Cozy. Die ganzen Stadtbewohner sind so charmant ich hab sie sofort ins Herz geschlossen. Das Buch fühlt sich an wie eine laaaange Folge Gilmore Girls.

Jeanie needs a fresh start after years losing herself in a soulless job, so it seems very fortituous when her Aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Cafe in a small town. She immediately grabs at the chance to start anew and embrace becoming the "new Jeanie". Along the way maybe she will find love with the local heartbroken Logan.

This book was a hallmark movie captured in a novel. It had all the cozy feelings and fluffy romance. Anyone that finds themselves thinking, "the sappier, the better!" should really read this book! I can see how it resonates with so many people.

That said, this book was not for me. Jeanie is so obsessed with becoming the "new Jeanie" that you never really understand who she is. When you are in her perspective she is a completely different person than when you see her through Logan's eyes. It was very inconsistent. She was such a useless character too, she seemed incapable of functioning in life as a whole. And the way that Logan was so goo-goo-gah-gah over her from the get go was so unrealistic and just did not sit right. No guy thinks like that, in fact no female I know thinks like that. As someone who loves competency and a romance book that has some emotional pull to it, this just was not for me. That does not mean that it is not for someone though. There are a lot of cozy romance readers that will love this "fairytale" style book.

Overall, I honestly will not be recomending this book. There was a lot of good ideas here, but I struggled with the execution and the fact that the characters were so unbelievable and had no substance. I know that there are those out there that will like this book, but unfortunately that is not me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this perfect blend of romance, spice, small-town romance, heart-warming friendships and cozy autumnal vibes.

It manages to be cute without venturing into cringey territory which isn't always easy to do! I can't wait to revisit Dream Harbor!

Love this book! Such an easy to read, feel good book. I really like the real life genuine characters and their relationships. I'd love to visit and have a pumpkin spice latte!

I absolutely loved this! The setting was so cute and cozy, making it a perfect fall read. The romance was also sweet and I enjoyed getting to know both characters. A bit predictable, but honestly, I didn't care. I was looking for a light, easy, and enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the remainder of the series!

This was a cute fun book. I requested this book because the author's name reminded me of Gilmore Girls. Perfect way to get ready for the fall season!

I really enjoyed the small town dynamics and pumpkin flavor of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore. Ms. Gilmore did a fabulous job with character development and the story line is a holiday feel good tale. I’m reading The Christmas Tree Farm next and am excited for some similar holiday spirit and sweet story. Thank you Ms. Gilmore, NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book.

Why have i left it so long to read this book?! It was such a cute read. I loved the whole setting and the characters. I defiantly recommend! I can't wait to read more by this author!

This is a cute small town romance perfect for the cooler autumn months.

Grumpy farmer Logan and new to town sunshine Jeanie have their meet cute in a dark alley. She's just taken over her aunt's café and doesn't know anyone in town. So, after putting away the baseball bat, the two agree to go to a town meeting together.

The usual small town story ensues. I quite enjoyed the main and secondary characters, quirky but not too over the top. The whole town and characters, not just the author's last name, reminded me of all the autumn Gilmore Girls episodes.

Lovely cutesy autumnal romance set in the world nosiest town!!

I loved Jeanie from the outset, it just seemed that she’d been dealt some crap hands over the years and this was her time to get herself back on track. But someone didn’t seem to want her to, and was doing all they could to scare her off.

I really enjoyed this one and am looking.forward to carrying on the series.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is the first book in the Dream Harbor series written by Laurie Gilmore. I loved the autumn feel of this cover and I absolutely love Pumpkin Spice so I knew I had to read this for one of my autumn reads. Jeanie Ellis needs a change after finding her boss dead of a heart attack. She is worried that something could happen to her and nobody would even notice. When her Aunt Dot decides to retire from running The Pumpkin Spice Café, she leaves it and the apartment above the store to her niece. Jeanie moves in, excited to start her new life. Almost immediately she meets, Logan, the town grump. He is a local farmer that was raised by his grandparents. He was turned down after a very public proposal, so everyone is trying to find "the one" for him. He has a past, and has no desire to get involved with anyone, but chemistry is there. There is a bit of a mystery in this story, someone is sabotaging the café, but the story is more about Jeanie trying to start over and the budding romance with Logan. Will she be able to fit in and be welcomed? Will she and Logan become more than just friends? Who is sabotaging her business?

I really enjoyed this story. Jeanie was a very relatable character. She was fun, friendly, hardworking and had a real desire to fit in to her new community. Logan was a grump that you had to love. You knew there was something there and I wanted Jeanie to wrap her arms around him and convince him to let it all out. This book has themes of self discovery, loving yourself, and finding where you belong, in order to move forward with your life. The mystery was interesting, as I couldn't figure out who would want to hurt Jeanie, she was just so easy to like. I loved the setting of Dream Harbor, a welcoming community that I would love to visit. The story was a bit predictable, but it was a perfect story to listen to while out walking on a cool day with leaves changing colour, yet the sun shining.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we meet Jeanie and Logan. Jeanie has inherited the Pumpkin Spice Cafe from her Aunt Dot in Dream Harbor. Jeanie hears noises at night and at the town hall meeting Logan agrees to help her and they go ghost hunting. Logan and Jeanie realize that it was a cat which she decides to name Casper. Logan and Jeanie begin to fall for each other. The Jeanie figures out that Norman was the one scaring her so that he could get the cafe. Logan and Jeanie decide to admit to the town that they have fallen for each other. This book is so cute and perfect for the fall time.

Jeanie is new in town taking over her Aunt's Pumpkin Spice Cafe in small town Dream Harbor.
Logan is the local farmer who isn't one for being social with others,
Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan.

This is a perfect quick Autumn read. I flew through this in one evening. Yes it's like a cheesy hallmark movie but isn't that what Autumn and Winter is all about. This book has all the autumn vibes, romance, humour and a little bit of spice thrown in too.

A cute autumnal read i read it and pictured it as a Hallmark movie with that cutesy American town just how i imagine i would be like

Very sweet anf full of romance gives you that lovely warm feeling inside

AHHHHH I loved this book so much!!!! It’s like Gilmore Girls x Hallmark movie x romcom goodness all wrapped up into one delicious novel. The fall vibes in this book were IMMACULATE and it’s about time romance books started capitalizing on this. Also, I want to live in Dream Harbor so bad. I can’t wait to read Hazel and Noah’s story and I NEED an Annie x Mac rivals to lovers book.

Firstly, a huge thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for very kindly gifting me an e-version of the Advanced Reader's Copy of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe.

This novel follows the story of Jeanie. After experiencing a life-altering event at her previous workplace, Jeanie takes over ownership of her Aunt's 'Pumpkin Spice Cafe' located in a small town in New England. Whilst there, she meets sexy gourd farmer Logan, with a kind-heart and a body to match, Logan and Jeanie are inexplicably attracted to each other.

I would say this book is less grumpy x sunshine but more two damaged individuals that very quickly gravitate towards each other. Personally, whilst I did like this book overall, and it has definitely got me geared up for Halloween, I feel that it was lacking the depth necessary to make it a fully rounded story. At just over 200 pages on my e-reader of choice, I felt that the story was lacking detail and the events seemed to happen very quickly - for example, Logan knew he had fallen in love within a month of meeting Jeanie.

Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable, short read with sufficient elements of spice for its length. I found the pace to be too quick and slightly unrealistic. But if you are looking for a short, seasonal book with a beautiful ghostly cat, a handsome farmer, and a quaint community-based town, this is probably the read for you.

EDIT: I have since purchased the TikTok special edition of this book and it honestly looks beautiful, I can't wait to re-read! Looking forward to the sequel

This book was a lovely treat I really enjoyed reading it. Its a perfectly cute quirky romance with the ultimate fall vibes, I cannot wait for the second book in this series.