The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

My Opinion

This was recommended to fans of Gilmore Girls so of course I had to give it a read, it helps that it also has a gorgeous cover. This is a cosy and easy read, ideal for when you need a light-hearted escape. Jeanie has just taken ownership of the Pumpkin Spice Cafe, can she make Dream Harbor her home, or will the 'ghost' get the best of her.

Rating 4/5

Very cute and cozy romance. It didn’t stand out too much to me. U prefer more action and spic win my books but it was cute!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really cute and cozy fall read. It was an easy read and fast to get through.

Thank you netgalley!

"The Pumpkin Spice Café" took me away to the enchanting setting of Dream Harbor, where Jeanie gets a fresh start running her aunt's cozy café. The promise of fall vibes, quirky town characters, and a budding romance with the local farmer, Logan, sets the stage for this heartwarming tale.

The cute setting and pumpkin-themed goodness created a perfect fall atmosphere! I was intrigued and really comforted with all the fall vibes. Jeanie and Logan, our main duo, hit it off with instant chemistry and likable personalities.

The mystery subplot added a fun twist, but the resolution didn't quite hit the mark, in my opinion. I wish the story had less spice and focused more on Jeanie and Logan getting to know each other. The spicier bits didn't quite fit the overall wholesome vibe, AT ALL. It just felt so awkward and sudden. Their romance had so much potential!!! I was hoping to see their romance grow, but nothing happened of that sort. 😭

It was a cute read, for sure. But I ended up wanting more from the story. I am excited to read the next books though!

The first half of this book was great - cozy if a bit cheesy - but I couldn’t get through the second half.

The book was written well and the plot was interesting. It was a great fall read. However, the enemies to lovers aspect of this book could have given me more. They fell in love to fast for me, and there wasn't enough tension.

“The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” promised a cozy, romantic mystery set in the quaint town of Dream Harbor, with a charming café at its heart. However, the book falls short of its potential, leaving much to be desired in terms of character development, plot, and the very essence of what makes a small-town romance endearing.

The story follows Jeanie, who inherits the Pumpkin Spice Café, and Logan, a local farmer known for his reclusive nature. The premise sets the stage for a classic grumpy-meets-sunshine romance, but unfortunately, the execution does not deliver. The chemistry between Jeanie and Logan is lackluster, with their interactions often feeling forced and lacking the natural progression essential in a compelling romantic narrative.

One of the book’s most significant shortcomings is the underutilization of the café itself. Despite its prominence in the title, the Pumpkin Spice Café plays a surprisingly minimal role in the story. This missed opportunity to anchor the narrative in a cozy, communal setting is a disservice to readers who anticipate the café to be a central, character-like element in the story.

The first half of the book shows some promise, weaving a narrative that, while not groundbreaking, is at least engaging. However, the second half feels hastily written, as if the author rushed to fill pages without much thought to the story’s coherence or depth. The inclusion of unnecessary and poorly integrated sex scenes further detracts from the story, failing to add any real substance or development to the characters’ relationship.

Character portrayal is another area where the book disappoints. Logan, intended to be a complex character with a tough exterior but hidden insecurities, comes across as unlikable and self-centered. Jeanie, on the other hand, is portrayed as confident and successful, yet her actions and decisions throughout the book do not consistently reflect these traits, making her character hard to believe and relate to.

As a reader who was initially excited about this book and even considered diving into the series, the experience was underwhelming. The lack of depth, forced narrative, and unconvincing character dynamics make “The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” a 2 star read. It’s a book I would hesitate to recommend, especially to those who cherish well-crafted cozy romances set in small towns.

In conclusion, “The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” had the potential to be a delightful escape into a world of romance and mystery but ultimately fails to capture the essence of what makes such stories resonate with readers.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

This is one of the novel tropes that I find unrealistic, because it's best termed "attraction" at first sight, yes. It's possible to feel a strong attraction to someone from the first time you meet them, but to fall deeply in love? I don't think so.

Well, this book takes up that theme. Starting from Jeanie's intention to catch the perpetrator of the disturbance that makes her sleepless at night, she instead meets Logan, a local farmer who at dawn is bringing his lab harvest for Jeanie's cafe production stock. Yes, Jeanie is the new owner of a coffee shop - replacing her aunt.

Logan also suggested Jeanie to join the town meeting held every Thursday. The results of the meeting even led them to do surveillance together and the interactions after that sprouted the seeds of love. Ihiy. 🤣😭

I love the beautiful cover of this book. The depiction of the setting and atmosphere is as expected. However, the characterization was far from what I expected. From the beginning, Logan and Jeanie were meant to be a grumpy x sunshine couple, but they are totally not. Logan has a crisis of confidence, because he's afraid that Jeanie won't stay in the small town called Dream Harbor forever, just like she did with the previous woman. The question is, why did he fall in love with a newcomer twice?

I feel like this novel would be more interesting if Logan was paired with his childhood best friend, Annie. Because Annie's figure is described as Logan's first friend since school, always there when he is alone and who makes him more "alive". The characters outside Jeanie and Logan are much more alive, perhaps because the chemistry between the two couples is not well developed. In fact, it seems forced, you know, sprinkled with hot scenes.

This book has a lot of spicy scenes, so it's geared towards mature readers. But if you need a relaxing read with a countryside atmosphere, go ahead and read it. 🤣

This was a delightful cosy autumnal read. It is perfect for curling up with on a cold autumnal day. I enjoyed the romance. The cover design is also beautiful and really captures the essence of this sublime story.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

This book was so so cute. I enjoyed every second of it. It did get slightly cheesy as it went on but... who doesn't love a little cheese with a romance novel. Highly recommend to read this book next fall to anyone who is looking for a cozy book to read.

The perfect cozy fall book with a little mystery and some spice!

This is a cozy, small town, found family, grumpy x sunshine read.

Jeanie is a new café owner and Logan is the hot farmer. After a traumatic event at her job in the city and her aunt deciding to retire to from her café Jeanie takes over the café and meets Logan, the local farmer and they immediately make a connection.

I really enjoyed The Pumpkin Spice Café and the small town of Dream Harbor, I'm a huge Gilmore Girls fan and it totally gave me Stars Hollow vibes. The town of Dream Harbor if full of fun characters, town meetings, a chatty book club, and all the small town vibes.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!

It was a cute read, that's for sure. I'm not really one for insta-love, so that didn't really click with me. But I was a big fan of the small-town, fall, cute coffeeshop vibes! I also liked the side characters, they seemed like supportive friends. I think I would definitely pick up the next book in this series.

This wasn't really suited to my personal preference, but I can understand why other people have enjoyed it. The setting was very nice but the plot wasn't very original and I don't think the romance was very believable at first (the 'love at first sight' thing has never really worked with me).

Having said that, fans of quick, easy-to-read romances should definitely give this a go!

This was actually really sweet. Warm and wholesome. A Hallmark movie in a book, and a mix of Hallmark romance and Hallmark mystery at that. And I love Hallmark mysteries!

There are many things I enyoed while reading The Pumpkin Spice Café. Thos wholesome but flawed characters. The small town wibes and all its cozy little nooks. And just the atmosfere that was so perfect to break this gloomy fall weather.

My complaint? Well, it wasn't exactly the most original story ever. I've read a lot of these before and luckily I was in the mood for something exactly like it when I picked it up. Otherwise I might have ended up bored by it.

This romance with a splash of mystery was great. I loved it! It was a cozy easy read, loved all the characters. I look forward to reading more from this author and this series.

I couldn't resist picking The Pumpkin Spice Cafe up whilst it was still November and still somewhat fitting. This was adorable and an incredibly quick read. I loved our two main characters and absolutely loved the grumpy x sunshine element to it.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of insta-love and while this book did contain it I do feel like it was done quite well. The two didn't hook up immediately and I feel like with the pace and size of the book Jeanie and Logan came together at a good time, allowing us to see their relationship develop. Nothing bugs me more than when a couple get together and the book just ends. Like please, give me more of their life together.

I loved the cozy and fall vibes in this book and I completely agree when people say that it gave them Gilmore Girl's vibes. I could have easily have read another 100 pages of this book and I'm so happy we're getting another book in this world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I thought this book was cute. Simple and sweet. The concept wasn't very original and it didn't give very grumpy x sunshine vibes, at least to the extent I wanted. However, it was still a cozy Fall read that was quick to get through.

I had such high hopes for this one because of its adorable and gorgeous cover. I even bought the audiobook to help me get to it during actual fall season. While I did enjoy the cute coffee shop and pumpkin farmer vibes, it just didn’t give me the feels and immersive experience I was hoping for.

This is such a cute read. I really enjoyed it. I thought the characters where lovely. Definitely an easy read. Loved it