Do you want a cozy read? Do you like contemporary romance, small town, cafés, good guy meets the new girl type of stories? Then, I'm pretty sure you will like it, as you will find all that in here and more.

Our protagonist is running away from her stressful job and from city life. Her aunt retires and now she is the owner of a beautiful and adorable café, which is next to a bakery and a bookstore, THE dream.
But not everything is perfect, something suspicious is happening at night, weird noises... steps... what's wrong? And one morning, she meets the male protagonist while he is delivering the usual produce for the shop, but she mistakes him for a murderer or a thief. With this unusual encounter, they will start to know each other. Her new life starts now!

I needed a cozy, autumnal, easy read in this hell of a weather in Spain. Contemporary is not my favorite type of romance but I enjoyed quite a bit. Coffee, lattes, pastry, a book club, lots of friendship, a mystery and of course lots of romance. If you like all this, you will love this book.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

This was a sweet and cozy read that came straight out of a Hallmark movie. I loved how the timeline of their relationship wasn't rushed and how relatable both characters were. While there were some steamy/spicy moments sprinkled within this book, I think I would have loved to see more moments of them getting to know each other.

This book is a great read for someone looking for Grumpy x Sunshine, Small Town Romances and Autumn Vibes.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. This is quite a fast paced read & certainly a page turner. The style of writing reminded me a little of the author Cindy Kirk (in a good way)A warning to those that aren't happy to read "saucy" material, towards the end of the book, the story gets a bit spicy & steamy. Overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Harper Collins UK - One More Chapter for the ARC of The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore, in exchange for my honest review.

This book got me thinking of Hallmark movies and fall scented candles and 100%, Pumpkin Spice Lattes (which I happen to love).
The ingredients are all there: cozy atmosphere, small town, grumpy x sunshine MCs, found family, all happening during fall season - it was so easy to picture it.

You're tossed right into the story, where our main girl, just out of the big city is trying to figure out how to run the café her aunt left her, and happens to almost kill a local farmer suspecting him of burglary. Girl meets boy and boom - instant connection.

I don't particularly enjoy insta love in general so this might just be personal preference, but because we're served the 'love' and 'in love' aspect (more than just physical attraction) I would have really liked to explore more of our MCs relationship and see them truly get to know each other, and really fall in love.

Overall, a cozy read with major fall vibes, recommended to all small town romance lovers.

Thank you for netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This is the cosiest, sweetest little autumnal romance book. Set in Dream Harbour Jeanie is taking over the Pumpkin Spice Cafe where she meets Logan the sexy farmer. The book deals with lots of issues in a sensitive manner from fitting in, relationship trauma and new beginnings.

It's grumpy x sunshine, small town romance and somewhat forced proximity.

The characters are all adorable, the setting is beautifully described and gives all the fall pumpkin vibes and makes me immediately want to live here.

Super easy and enjoyable read.

4 stars.

Maybe it's just the author's last name, but this novel had so many Gilmore Girls vibes. The neurotic female lead and her curmudgeonly flannel-wearing love interest; the New England small town with quirky residents and endless festivals... I was definitely feeling this aspect of it.

The blurb text bills the novel as a "romantic mystery" but I would call it "romance with a minor mysterious element," if that.

The romance is predictable but satisfying. Logan's character is well-developed and relatable. Jeanie's character, however, is a bit of a mishmash, seeming to encompass whatever personality traits are convenient to the plot. I would have appreciated more time spent on her backstory, or her trials as she gets settled into the new town, or her relationships with friends and family. Instead, her side of the story was totally focused on the romance - which I think could have been developed more meaningfully, in fewer pages, with a deeper understanding of the main character.

A pleasant read. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das Buch wird als eine cozy mystery beworben, daher habe ich zu ihm gegrifffen. Beim Lesen war ich dann doch etwas überrascht, denn es handelt sich nicht um eine klassische cozy mystery.

Die Spannungsmomente spielen eine eher untergeordnete Rolle und werden primär dazu benutzt, um die beiden Hauptcharaktere in Kontakt zu bringen. Die mystery selbst fand ich übrigens etwas absurd, vor allem den Umgang mit ihr nach der Auflösung.

Die ruhige Liebesgeschichte war nett zu lesen, konnte mich aber nur oberflächlich berühren. Das hat unter anderem daran gelegen, das ich mir die Charaktere nicht als echte Personen vorstellen konnte.

Um mit dem Buch eine gute Zeit haben zu können, sollte man unbedingt Liebesromane mögen, die in einem Ort spielen, in dem jeder jeden kennt und sich auch gerne in das Leben des anderen einmischt.

Als kurzweilige Unterhaltung hat das Buch für mich funktioniert, großes Interesse am nächsten Teil in der Buchreihe verspüre ich allerdings nicht.

🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer ruhige Liebesromane mit etwas mystery und Kleinstadtgefühl mag, für den könnte das Buch einen Versuch wert sein.

So sweet, bingeable and heartwarming. This will be a perfect book to curl up and read once the weather turns this autumn!

This was an adorable little autumn vibe read! A little bit of spice (the pumpkin kind and the romantic kind!), mystery and small town feel good romance. If you need something cute and cozy to put you in the mood for fall this is definitely the book to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and OneMoreChapter for kindly gifting me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The Pumpkin Spice cafe gave me all the autumn feels. I am so ready for September to roll around so I can get all my throws and blankets out, light all my pumpkin scented candles and curl up next to the fire.

This book is giving Hallmark movie, small town vibes. I do feel like the relationship between Jeanie & Logan was 100 miles per hour declaring their undying love for each other after a month… but I guess when you know, you know!

This is a cute easy read, with some questionable character traits (specifically members of the book club) and a slightly predictable plot. I did enjoy it though!

3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. It was the perfect small town cozy fall vibes romance. The story follows Jeanie who leaves big city corporate life after a big wake up call and takes over her aunts cafe in the small town of Dream Harbor. There she meets Logan... the flannel wearing small town farmer that comes with his own baggage. The story is their journey of falling in love with each other but learning to love themselves. If you are a fan of contemporary romance and want a good fall read I definitely recommend.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore is the ultimate in cosy autumnal reads, with a small town setting , a grumpy/sunshine romance and more descriptions of delicious seasonal baked treats and hot drinks than you could ever count.
Jeanie has left her corporate job and taken over her aunt's cafe. She is looking for a slower, less intense pace of living - the thrill of city crowds and concrete has definitely lost its allure. It hasn't all been plain sailing however , and for the past few nights she has been hearing strange noises coming from the back of the cafe. When she almost clocks Logan Anders, a local farmer making a produce delivery, with a baseball bat she realises that things may be getting a little out of hand, so when he suggests that she attend the next town meeting and see if any of the other local business owners are having problems, it seems like a good idea. This town meeting was one of my favourite scenes in the book- I was having Gilmore Girls flashbacks, and we get to meet a whole group of fun characters in a very short space of time.
The last thing Logan wants is to be attracted to another new arrival in town- after all it didn't work out so well the last time, and when a very public proposal went very wrong he made himself a promise - no more dating flight risks , and definitely no more dating with the whole town watching.
Inevitably Jeanie and Logan find themselves drawn to each other , and of course the chemistry is sizzling, and against his better judgement Logan finds himself falling for Jeanie, much to the amusement of many of the town locals. Of course the path of true love never did run smoothly and that is also the case here, but fear not, a book this cosy could not end without a happy ever after.
This was just such a sweet fun heart warming read, I had a constant smile on my face as I turned the pages. I loved the setting of Dream Harbour so much, and I could easily picture all the townsfolk. I think the author has set up several more potential romances among the secondary characters in this book, and I am so here for it. I would love to revisit this world again, it definitely gave me Stars Hollow/Gilmore Girls vibes, and I think anyone who enjoyed that series could do a whole lot worse than pick up this book.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .

posted on goodreads:

I usually read romance novels when I'm stuck in a rut with reading and I need something easy to digest and this did the job! It was the perfect cocktail of adorable, romantic, tortured, and sexy with the most delightful fall backdrop.

The main characters, Jeanie and Logan are lively and lovable and I found myself not only getting sucked into their romance, but their normal lives and the mysteries of Dream Harbour and the Cafe too! The world building and the townsfolk were so vibrant and colourful I almost wished that there was more to the plot BEYOND the romance.

As with a lot of romance & spicy books, the writing and the editing showed a lot of room for improvement, and I found that some of the body language, dialogue and description could be repetitive, an easy fix would have made this a more stand-out romance book! I also felt that there wasn't enough distinction between the voices/viewpoints of the two main characters, so sometimes I was confused about whose POV it was.

Overall though, The Pumpkin Spice Café is an addictive, satisfying and well fleshed out romance, where the plot didn't feel completely empty, and the character's relationships outside of the romantic relationship were nicely developed and enjoyable to read. A fluffy warm blanket of a book 🥹

I loved this book.

Small town, grumpy-sunshine, HEA. What more do you need from a romance novel.

Jeanie and Logan were straight out of Stars Hollow. Her, the big city girl and him the small town hero.

Both characters were really likeable and the town's support for Logan due to his history was heart-warming.

The plot was predictable, but sometimes you just need that book that is exactly as you were expecting.

If you like those Hallmark movies, you'll love this book.

You can almost smell the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes.

The Pumpkin Spice Café is about relationships, abandonment fears, healing from the past and making a fresh start. A desire to fit in is also an important part of this story. This light cosy romantic mystery focuses on two main characters: Jeanie and Logan. And to a lesser extent Jeanie’s aunt Dot and her store manager, Norman. There are other notable cast members who fill out the edges of the story: including a cat named Ghost!

Jeanie has decided to leave her office role as an Assistant to the CEO of a company in the city; especially after she finds her hard working boss dead in his chair. She realises that life is too short to work so hard that you never have any fun. So, when her live aunt bequeaths her a cute little café in Dream Harbour, she decides it is time to make a change and start living. Once arriving in the quaint village to run the successful café, she meets some interesting townspeople. When she moves into the flat over the café, she immediately begins to have many sleepless nights. Her imagination goes into overdrive when she hears some re-occurring strange sounds. Is it a burglar, an animal, a ghost or something else? This first mystery doesn’t take long to be solved. Thanks to the help of Logan, the local farmer. He first advises her to attend a town meeting where someone may be able to help her but in the end he teams up with her for an all night stake out session to catch the culprit. What they find is quite a surprise. But with one mystery solved, the strange noises and a series of events that follow prove someone is out to frighten her or make her leave her business. And after guessing a number of suspects, the guilty party eventually confesses.

In the meantime, a relationship blossoms throughout the story between Jeanie and Logan but not without a few tests and emotional obstacles to overcome. They are indeed very different people from very different backgrounds but their attraction is strong. Logan is fiercely under the protection of the community who do not want to see him hurt or humiliated again. But Jeanie’s cheerful attitude and sincere affections capture his heart and that of the townspeople. They all eventually see she is serious about staying and caring about Logan.

This is a light and friendly read though there are a few overly spicy bits that seem out of place for this kind of story. On the positive side, the autumnal tones in the descriptions and cover are eye-catching. The mention of pumpkin in the title first drew me in as it made me think of my favourite Thanksgiving pie (due to my Canadian roots)!

This story has humour, happiness and healing (and some unexpected overt spice). A lively reminiscent read to keep you busy while the leaves are falling. 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for my review copy.

<i>I would like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This is a sweet read about a girl that moves into a small town to manage her grandmother’s caffe, and ends up falling for a guy who is the town’s sweetheart..

The story is told through third person narration on dual POV, which I wasn’t particularly fan.
I found the romance to be underdeveloped as we don’t see them falling for each other at all. The “get to know” and longing are my favorite parts of romances and this one left me disappointed.

The story would have benefit from more interactions between Jeanie and Logan. Still, I might read the remaining characters stories.

Recommended for contemporary romance readers who enjoy:
- Small town setting
- Dual POV
- Insta love
- Found family
- Spice
- Third person narration

Cute romance that takes place in a small town, and light hearted as well, the kind of book that will have you smiling.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this advance copy in exchange for an honest reviews.

This is a story about Jeanie finding her place in a small town and also finding love. Jeanie is given her Aunt Dot’s cafe when she decides that she is going to retire. Jeanie has to figure out how to survive small town life and how to run a business at the same time.

This book is very much Hallmark style and will give you cozy feelings.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. It was fine but it was not great. I do feel it could have been shorter so sometimes it feels very drawn out.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe was such a cute and cozy read. I loved the fall theme to it and it came across so well. The trope for this book is Grumpy x Sunshine romance and I absolutely loved it. I manage to read this book in over two days, I love the small town romance book. The characters are really well written and the side characters were just as good too! I liked the plot and it flowed perfectly for me.
The story follows Jeanie who takes over her Aunt’s cafe after looking for a fresh start. This is where she meets Logan and as they say opposites attract!
They both have issues to work through and slowly you see a beautiful relationship ship
Start after a few bumps along the way.
I enjoyed the author’s writing style.
I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher and the author for and advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5

I'll start off by saying that I love the cover of this book. It's gorgeous and gave me all the autumnal feels. The overall story of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is cute, I just found that it fell a little flat at times and was quite drawn out. The characters were quite likeable and the plot does remind me of a Hallmark film (a sexy Hallmark film). There was a decent amount of spice in it and there was quite a satisfactory ending. It just isn't something that will be quite memorable for me unfortunately.