Member Reviews

Super cute romance, this was a quick and easy read and an enjoyable one. I really liked the characters and the romance, it was entertaining and sweet.

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💭 𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:

🎃 This was a cute, grumpy/sunshine fall read with everything you love about autumn and good coffee. The romance was cute. Logan gave me Luke from Gilmore Girls vibes. Flannelly and all. ♥️

☕ There were a few random suspect romances of other friends thrown in there that threw me off a little bit but I could see these other characters having their own books. Maybe that is what the author has in mind.

🍂 Their version of a Fall Festival sounded so perfect and exactly what I need every year. I wish there was such a thing where I lived.

👨‍🌾 I would recommend this to anyone that wants a quick, cute, down-to-earth read. I did enjoy it but had a few mixed feelings.

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BOOK REVIEW 📚 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My absolute thanks to One More Chapter, Harper Collins, NetGalley and Laurie Gilmore for giving me the chance to review this eARC.

After the death of her CEO boss due to stress, workaholic Jeanie Ellis is looking for a fresh start, away from Boston. The timing coincides beautifully with her Aunts plans to retire and cruise the Caribbean. Aunt Dots beloved Pumpkin Spice Cafe in Dream Harbor is now in Jeanie’s hands and she’s determined to make her perfect life in the seaside town.
There’s just one problem- Jeanie doesn’t know anything about running a cafe, and not knowing anyone in the close knit community makes her more anxious than ever. So, when she’s surprised by farmer Logan in the early hours of the morning, delivering her produce order, she pulls him into her whirlwind and discovers a golden heart to go with his long lashes and devastating blue eyes.
Loner Logan, who prefers as little interaction with the nosy townspeople as possible, is quietly enthralled by inherently loveable Jeannie’s effervescence and cannot resist her gravitational pull.
Could they be each others Dream come true?

I love, love, LOVED this book. With oodles of small town charm, eccentric characters and a happily ever after, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is the ideal comfort read. Cosy, romantic and just a touch spicy 😉
I can’t tell you how often I actually laughed out loud while reading but… it was a lot!
There are many comparisons to the Gilmore Girls in prior reviews, and I can definitely see the parallels, in the BEST possible ways. As a diehard GG fan, the main character is similar to Lorelai Gilmore- she’s smart, determined and intense, and Logan definitely has the Luke Danes ‘gruff but lovable softie’ deal happening. They aren’t carbon copies though, and Laurie Gilmore has crafted original characters that still give you that gooey feeling of wholesome goodness.
Jeanie’s journey is so relatable for anyone who has ever felt on the outskirts of a group, desperate to be accepted, and it was a pleasure to fall in love with the town and its residents right alongside her.
Also, can you say FALL VIBES? I had the urge to play in piles of autumn leaves, sit by a fire and go apple picking THE. WHOLE. TIME.
I want to live in Dream Harbor, where do I buy a ticket?!
BRB- I’m going to read it again right now.

This review was posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/46599812-kat-henley
A reel review was shared on Instagram @tinydragonbooks https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvglRXIAi2F/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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This was a cute and fun read. It's perfect for fall and has little town/Gilmore Girls vibes.
It took me a while to read it because even there were these little mysteries going on, I felt like I was missing more excitement I guess. I wanted to feel more chemistry between Jeanie and Logan and learn more about each character. I feel like the book had more potential.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the free ARC!

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From the moment I read the synopsis, I knew it would be something that would make me feel so warm & the book did exactly that. From the cosy village setting, to the beautiful descriptions of the cafe, it felt like a second home.

From the very moment we met Logan, he reminded me of Luke from Gilmore Girls: a tough exterior but the BIGGEST heart. It made me love him as a character/love interest even more & I just rooted for him the entire narrative.

As a main character, Jeanie was quirky, raw & honest throughout. I loved how relatable she became as the narrative continued. She was unbelievably likeable & I genuinely really warmed to her.

I do not want to delve too much into Jeanie & Logan’s relationship, because quite frankly, I could talk about them for hours on end but the ENTIRE NOVEL had me dreaming about the life they could have together & it made me just adore it from start to finish.

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Hallmark movie set in a town that reminds me of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls – a match-made in book heaven.
The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cosy easy read perfect for the fall/autumn.
The story follows Jeanie who moves to small town Dream Harbour to inherit her aunt’s coffee shop.
She can’t settle in as she feels a ghostly unwelcoming presence and then she literally bumps into handsome farmer Logan delivering fresh goods to the café – her knight in not so shiny armour!
Jeanie is hoping for a fresh start and to make a life in this little town and Logan is still trying to get over his heartless ex who humiliated him infront of the entire town! Will these star-crossed lovers fall in love or fall out altogether?
There’s lots of heart-warming moments and not too many steamy bits so you could read this at work on your break!

Hazel and Annie are such supportive and patient friends.
I felt like little crumbs for future stories featuring other characters were being laid throughout the book and I’d definitely want to read more!

A meet-cute easy read rom-com.

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Laurie Gilmore's "The Pumpkin Spice Café"

Laurie Gilmore's "The Pumpkin Spice Café" is a charming small-town romance that brilliantly depicts fall and the thrill of unexpected love. This beautiful romantic mystery features Jeanie and Logan in Dream Harbour.

When her aunt gives her the Pumpkin Spice Café, city girl Jeanie leaves her boring desk job. She takes the café job to change her life. Logan, a Dream Harbour farmer, is used to the calm and gossip-free existence. Jeanie's entrance upsets his routine, and he first resents her.

Jeanie and Logan's "grumpy x sunshine" relationship is the story's charm. The author expertly creates a story of true emotions, personal growth, and surprising relationships as they struggle over their personalities. The reader sees Logan's growing acceptance of Jeanie's positivity, adding depth and reality to the story.

With its charming charm and eccentric population, Dream Harbour becomes a character. Gilmore's rich descriptions easily transport readers to the cosy atmosphere, making them feel like part of the group. Jeanie's pumpkin spice lattes, which symbolise comfort and love throughout the novel, make the Pumpkin Spice Café feel warm and inviting.

"The Pumpkin Spice Café" is a romantic mystery that keeps readers interested. Gilmore brilliantly blends romance and intrigue to provide depth and interest to the story. The viewer wants to know how the narrative ends as secrets are disclosed and individuals confront trials that test their connections.

"The Pumpkin Spice Café" is a charming page-turner that will make readers grin. Laurie Gilmore's characters and small-town setting are intriguing. This autumn, snuggle up with a pumpkin spice latte and this lovely romance with a hint of intrigue and a sure happy ending.

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Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK (One More Chapter) for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

Do not let the cutesy “awe my grandma might like this one” cover here deceive you: the last half of this book might light your pants on fire, Phew! Spice aside this book was really cute. I loved the cafe owner/grumpy farmer in a small town vibe. The book kind of hints at other couplings so I’m hoping there are additional Dream Harbor books to come.

The chapters aren’t super long and the plot moves at a good pace so this is a perfect book to curl up with on a nice autumn day.

I’ve been waffling back and forth between if this is just your average 3 star romance or if its more. I’m going to go with 4 just because I did really enjoy it and it didn’t feel like a chore to read and I didn’t find myself getting bored.

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First a thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with the Arc.

"When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbour, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job."


This book is exactly what I needed! I don't even care that it's summer anymore I need all the autumnal things after reading this! I love small town romances they just give me all the right vibes. It gave me proper Gilmore vibes too so what more could you want.

I adored the main characters Logan and Jeanie- they really did give of Lorelai and Luke vibes with the whole sunshine to grumpy characteristics. All of the side line characters were also very cute! And big shout out to all the celebrity animals.

Grab a warm drink, light a candle and get into your panama's with a big cosy blanket for this read.

4/5 ⭐️

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This was just what I needed! A great combination of all things sweet and cozy. The added mystery added to the small town romance vibes perfectly.
Loved all the characters, especially the friends. Would recommend for those looking for something light and cozy, perfect for a rainy afternoon.

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Cute, cozy romance that is perfect for fall.

After inheriting her aunts café, Jeannie moves to small town Dream Harbor for a new start. There she meets Logan - a sexy farmer. Sparks fly but not without some stumbling blocks. Obvioulsy everything works out in the end.

I received a free copy of, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, by Laurie Gilmore, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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The Pumpkin Spice Café was a cosy read that delivered the autumn vibes I expected. Although, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would. There was something very off with this story. I think it was the length, I don’t say often that a book is too short, but there was little to no substance. I’ll talk about this more later in the review.

One of the most off-putting things about this book was how they were both very keen, very quickly. I swear part of the story is missing because I don’t remember them talking about having a secret relationship and then suddenly they’re running off in a storm and getting it on. There wasn’t any build-up, I don’t remember them talking about liking each other. I had to go back and restart that particular chapter as I was so confused.

I enjoyed the friend relationships presented throughout this book. Small-town dynamics are one of my favourites to read in romance books and I do like how everything was so close-knit.

You could see the tropes coming from a mile away. Oh is Logan worried Jeanie doesn’t want to stay in Dream Harbour and oh is he about to walk into the cafe while she’s looking at a list of what other buildings in the area sold for, despite staying multiple times she has no intention of leaving. What’s that? Did someone say the miscommunication trope? Bleh. Worst trope, I absolutely hate it.

Don’t worry, the pacing of this book is all over the place so this only lasts for about 10 pages. Honestly, I couldn’t keep up with where we were in the year. Jeanie and Logan’s relationship progresses and falls apart at such a speed, you’d think this book took place over multiple months, but no it all happens over a few weeks.

The “mystery” element also wasn’t done too well. It was quite obvious straight away what was going on, well not the tiny details, but you could probably guess very early on who was behind it. I’m going to say, from my personal opinion, that the mystery was very much an afterthought and was only added because there isn’t much happening otherwise.

I didn’t completely hate The Pumpkin Spice Café because I did actually finish it, but it was slightly lacking. If you’re looking for a quick romance read that’s a little bit steamy, then you’d probably love this, but that's not a reason for me to enjoy a book unfortunately.

Rating: 2.5

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The Pumpkin Spice Cafe was my absolute ideal cozy fall read. I loved everything about this. It had me kicking my feet, laughing out loud, and made me wish it was pumpkin spice latte season. It was atmospheric and made me feel like I was the main character in a Hallmark movie. I was a big fan of Jeanie and Logan and the character development they both go through. This book brought light to many themes including trauma and abandonment. The spice itself was 10/10. I would highly recommend this book especially come September/October for fans of small town romance, grumpy x sunshine, and forced proximity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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Oooooh, yes, I was so happy to receive the ARC of this book and it took me to fun fall vibes ahead of the season. Jeanie is given her aunt's cafe to run, the Pumpkin Spice Cafe; determined to approach life differently, she accepts her aunt's gift. She meets Logan, who delivers produce to the local businesses and likes to keep to himself. Jeanie winds up asking Logan for help, telling him that something weird is going on with the cafe, like things going missing or strange noises, but Logan doesn't want anything to do with it even though he finds her attractive. This book is your typical cute romance that checks all of the boxes for the fall read; a great book to settle into the kick off your pumpkin spice season! I will probably re-read this once it gets a little more fallish.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK/One More Chapter for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! This story was so dang cute. If you love Gilmore Girls, you’ll love this book! Small-town romance, definitely spicy so proceed with caution lol, and dual POV. A perfect read for autumn!!

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This was such a cute book . I loved that it was grumpy x sunshine and a small town romance . I love these kind of books . Definitely a nice refresher book !!

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I enjoyed this novel so much! It is surrounded with autumn, warmth, cozy feels - plus a mystery & romance. The main character, Jeanie has just taken over her aunt's cafe in the small town of Dream Harbor. She is on a mission of doing some reinventing herself. She wants a fresh start, friends instead of acquaintances and even a relationship. She falls in love with her new friends, her cafe, this new small town and a grumpy local farmer.

Logan, the grumpy local farmer, is immediately attracted to her. Only he continues talking himself out of opening up to Jeanie due to an extremely negative prior relationship. And living in a small town means everyone knows every little happening all the time. Logan simply does not feel like putting another relationship on display for everyone once again. Unfortunately, for Logan keeping his feeling and attraction to Jeanie in check does not seem to work.

Jeanie is all around happy with her new life and she is especially happy with Logan. And Logan is happy he has found the girl he wants forever. I had such a good time reading this book and I look forward to reading the next book by Gilmore!

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Thank you Net Galley for the ARC copy. Opinions are my own.

Cozy Rom-com combined with cozy mystery -- Jeanie moves from Boston to Dream Harbour to run her aunt's cafe. She leaves the big city stress behind but find this small town comes with its own stress including some weird happenings at her apt/cafe and a new romance with Logan who is a bit of a grump until she gets to know him better. This is a perfect autumn read when pumpkins are plentiful but you could certainly read it anytime of the year. Jeanie is a lovely character and she and Logan make for a good couple. And you can't go wrong when there's a cat named Casper living at the cafe.

Overall very nice read that will leave you with warm, cozy fuzzies. I would love to see this book turn into a series.

Also reviewed on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5733336165
Also reviewed on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/lists?list=finished

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This book is giving cute cozy hallmark with a splash of Gilmore Girls and I'm so here for it. Jeanie trades in her big city life after a coworkers sudden death and moves to a small town to take over her aunts cafe. She's immediately smitten with Logan, slightly grump small town farmer. Logan is equally as smitten with Jeanie, but after having his heart broken when he proposed to his girlfriend at the town tree lighting and she immediately fled town....well he's not open to love or having the whole town gossiping about him. Perfect cozy fall vibes romance book with some unexpected spice with how sweet the rest of the book reads.

🎃
3rd person duel pov
Small town
HEA
small 3rd act conflicts
secret relationship
Finding yourself
spicy book club
quirky characters

-Thank you to Netgalley for providing and arc in exchange for an honest review-

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In a town where everyone knows each other's business, falling in love can be perilous.

After a traumatic end to her career in Boston, Jeanie has a chance to rediscover herself by taking over her aunt's Pumpkin Spice Cafe in the tiny New England town of Dream Harbor. After a series of unsettling night-time incidents, Jeanie starts to doubt her place in the town - and then she meets Logan. Logan the "town orphan" has grown up the subject of well-intended public scrutiny and after his own disaster of a public love life, the town denizens are fiercely protective of him - whether he wants it or not.

And so begins the standard rom-com tale of misunderstandings, and misadventure, all leading to grant gestures and triumph. Throw in in small town gossip, close knit friends, sabotage, and a sexy farmer, and you have Thew Pumpkin Spice Cafe.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is a cosy small-town romance filled with quirky characters, not-so-secret romances, and fall themes as far as the eye can see.

~Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collings UK / One More Chapter for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

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