Such a cute fall young adult read. This book definitely got me in the fall spirit. The premise of the two main characters families owning rival coffee shops kept the storyline interesting. Overall a fun read that definitely gives Gilmore Girls vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I enjoyed reading Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this book but it didn't seem much of a romance to me like it was advertised. The story was cute but around the 70% mark I started getting a little bored. It seemed like most of the story happened in the first 50% and could have been shortened even further. I would still check out more books from this author and would still recommend this book for the fall season to get into the autumn mood!

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice is a YA read and love letter to all things fall. It’s set in a cozy small town and follows Lucy, who works at her mom’s coffee shop. Lucy loves baking, but hates pumpkin spice lattes. When Java Junction, a national coffee chain moves in across the street, Lucy panics. It’s made even worse by the fact that it’s owned by the parents of Lucy’s secret crush, Jack Harper. Lucy sets out on a mission to save her mom’s coffee shop by making the best pumpkin spice latte possible…but she might need some help from Jack along the way.

This book is cute, but while it is marketed as YA romance, it feels like it could be a middle grade book. I’m not really sure where the romance actually came into play. There are some hints of romance, but the most that happens is a pretty platonic hug. There was also a lack of character development throughout the book. Lucy’s character was really frustrating for me. She was frequently really mean to Jack and seemed to be pretty demanding of her friends. Jack on the other hand, was a really sweet character who went out of his way to be kind and helpful to Lucy. Overall, I liked the cozy fall vibes, but was hoping for a little more from this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for the ARC.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and publisher, for the chance to read this book; I appreciate it!

So I rated this three stars, and there are several reasons why I think this book is below the age of 'Young Adult'; I genuinely believe this is more of a middle-grade book. As a 25-year-old, I found it challenging to get into this book. It had a wonderful nostalgic vibe of New England Falls, and that was its shining moment for me. As someone who has never watched Gilmore Girls, I cannot tell you whether that was the vibe. The characters were WAY too underdeveloped for me, which is one thing I cannot do when reading a book. The mother was more of a friend than a mother. Lucy was far too irritating about everything, and I have no idea how her friends handled her for as long as they did. But as someone who remembers their teenage years vividly, I definitely had my Lucy moments. The story follows Lucy, the daughter of a woman who owns the local coffee shop in town and has a deep-seated hatred for the over-commercialized Pumpkin Spice Lattes (which very quickly can be made with natural products rather than fake stuff), but I get it. It was a bit like 'I'm not like other girls,' which turned me off. She realized that the new cute student had moved to the area because his parents owned a hugely popular coffee chain location, and Lucy automatically assumed the worst about them. Cue a series of one-sided dislikes to slight romance. All in all, it was a great ambiance but definitely not a book that I would have picked up for myself. It would be perfect for someone in late middle and early high school!

This was a cute fall read. I know it's says YA romance but it's barely there and that's okay. I was here for the fall vibes instead and they were perfect! Definitely a Gilmore Girls feel type of book with a mother and daughter in a small town running a local coffee shop. As a fall girl myself, this gives it all. The events, the vibes the pumpkin spice lattes 😋! If your just looking for a good time and fall vibes pick this one up!

Ahhh! Reading this novel delivered the same feelings after you get a first waft of the a pumpkin spice latte, or the soup bubbling up on the stove or even better yet the cookies, pie, or cinnamon rolls that come fresh out of the oven. Lucy was first off adorable and I loved how relatable she was. Wholesome, sweet, quirky, and just trying to do the right thing. Her friendship with Evie and Amber made me reminisce about all the great girl friendships in literature. Briar Glen is that small town that you dream of every autumn! Maybe could have a wished for a little more romance but today it was just perfect the way it was! Definitely recommend this to everyone who loves Autumn, pumpkin, Halloween, Spices, baking, Gilmore Girls, Hocus Pocus. Basically any fall vibe, this novel is for you!

Thank you to Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, Scholastic, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

FALL IS HERE!!! This book brings everything we love about the best season of the year! Lucy lives in a small town and works at her mom's coffee shop! We have small town vibes, mother x daughter relationship and Lucy crushing on the boy whose parents are opening a brand new, multinational coffee shop right next to... You guessed. Lucy's mom's shop.

This book is like a cozy sweater on a fall day, definitely too YA for me, but the Gilmore Girl vibes were golden! I love Lucy's relationship with her mom and the whole small town of Briar Glen. I love nosy small town side characters with all my heart!

Jack was SO cute! He was the adorable and kind high school boy and was always so nice towards Lucy who was... A bit much.

Like I mentioned, this was a bit too YA for me and I definitely should not be reading high school romances because they can be annoying most of the time, just like I probably was back then lol

However this book absolutely delivers on what I wanted to: fall vibes, small town and most importantly pumpkin spice (sorry Lucy).

Briar Glen is quaint a charming village in New England. People from all over gather to see the colorful leaves and babbling brooks while sipping pumpkin spice lattes. Lucy, sixteen year old who feels it’s all overrated, because she knows there isn’t even pumpkin in it- she works at the Cup O’ Jo that her mom owns. Business isn’t good except during the fall it picks up. Java Junction, a coffee chain, opens up across the street. It makes things hard, and the new kid in town, Jack Harper, Lucy’s secret crush, is the son of the owner. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom’s coffee shop? All you Gilmore Girl fans, this is the book for you. Happy publishing date @katie_cicatelli_writes Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy! 🍁🍂

I'm definitely not the target audience for this book. This book is definitely for a person that is in middle school or high school and not an adult. I don't mind YA books but this one felt very juvenile. Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice is a cute, cozy fall read. It takes place in the small town of Briar Glen, which also serves as a destination spot to fall-loving tourists. Both tourists and residents love the fall leaves, beautiful autumn scenery, and, of course, Lucy's mom's coffee shop. When a popular coffee chain is set to open up across the street, Lucy is on edge. She then finds out the owner's son is also her new classmate, Jack Harper. Tensions are high, and Lucy finds herself not only disliking pumpkin spice but Jack Harper as well.

I love a cozy fall read, plus if it's YA because I usually find those work better when creating the setting and atmosphere and making everything fun, but this book was not that fun for me. It's more juvenile than I expected and it was difficult to really enjoy it with a character like Lucy. Lucy was rude and very unlikable. She seemed to make it her duty to express how much she hated pumpkin spice and in the most negative ways. She was also nasty to Jack while he was nothing but kind to her. She was very childish throughout the book, and unfortunately, I didn't feel like she experienced any character growth, which I would have loved to see.

Two rival coffee shops, the quest to make the perfect pumpkin spice latte, and cozy autumn vibes. In the town of Briar glen, Fall is a big part of the town and for sixteen year old Lucy Kane, she absolutely hates Pumpkin spice lattes... too bad she needs to find the way to make the perfect one to help save her mom's coffee shop when a chain coffee shop moves in right across the street. Lucy is determined to figure out how to stop the chain from closing down her mom's small coffee shop...and to make matters more complicated she's got a crush on the rival coffee shop owner's son who is just as charming as he is cute. Can Lucy make the perfect pumpkin spice latte? I went into this book expecting a lot more and it just kind was meh overall, it's a cozy autumn read for sure however there really isn't any romance at all. I really was expecting a cute high school romance set in autumn but it was just a girl's journey with dealing with perfection and change, which is totally fine, but I guess I was expecting more since the premise made it sound like something more. I would definitely recommend it for younger YA readers and even middlegrade readers because the romance is non-existent and honestly there would be more romance in a Disney movie or tv show haha. It's an overall just good autumn read.

Release Date: August 6, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Scholastic | Scholastic Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars
Definitely a cute fall read for a younger audience. I thought there could’ve been more romance or even more to jack and Lucy’s relationship. The ending felt almost sudden in terms of Lucy and Jack’s relationship. I enjoyed the message about social media and how it’s important to live your life and just be young while you can. I think especially today it’s easy to get lost in social media that you forget about yourself and what matters to you. That’s important for young readers to know. Overall enjoyed it, again would just have liked to see more of a result from Jack and Lucy’s relationship

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice follows the story of our young female main character Lucy, who works at Cup o’ Jos coffee shop which is owned by her mom in the small town of Briar Glen. Briar Glen is the perfect place to be during the fall time, for residents and tourists who want to basque in the “autumness aesthetic”.

The fall time is perfect for the Cup o’ Jos business because they typically receive a lot of their customers who crave the fall feeling..That is until a chain coffee shop, Java Junction, opens up a new location down the street threatening the loss of one business.

Lucy, who runs the business with her mom, Joanna, decides to take matters into her own hands and make the perfect fall menu ensuring that their coffee shop doesn’t shut down. This book is perfect for people who crave the nostalgic fall feeling while also showing just how far you’ll go for your family.

I loved the fact that while reading this I got the ultimate Gilmore girl vibes with the mother daughter bond being as strong as ever. Lucy truly worries about the opening of another shop and tries to help her mother as best as she can. However, Joanna also reminds Lucy that the business shouldn’t consume her life which was a good life lesson that most people can take from this book.

The only thing that I felt that could’ve added more to the story was Lucy talking to her mom more about how she felt as opposed to both of them shutting down every time Java Junction was mentioned. Throughout the story we hear about how close Joanna and Lucy are but I would’ve loved to read more of it because I think it would’ve added more to the ending of the story.

I would like to thank Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, NetGalley and Scholastic for this ARC.

This book is so perfect for Autumn! It is a small town YA Romance. Family owned coffee shop threatend by a chain coffee shop being put across the street! Lucy’s Mom has her own coffee shop and Jack’s parents own a franchise coffee shop. Their teenage banter is so cute. She is feisty and he is so sweet! I will now be trying all the little coffee shops In my area! This book gives Gilmore Girl vibes! Imagine if a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts opened across the street from Luke’s diner!!! What a cute cozy fall book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ARC Review

Here we have a cozy young adult romance with literally all the Fall/Autumn vibes!! The story follows Lucy and her mom who run a local small town coffee shop. When some competition comes to town things go poorly for Lucy. This was a very cute young adult romance and I recommend it to young adults and teens. It was sweet and had all the teenage angst and drama you could ask for.

It definitely had a simple writing style and was repetitive with the plot. But, it was cute! The cozy fall vibes, the young romance and it was such an easy quick relaxed read. It had me wanting my sweaters and warm drinks asap. Definitely compares to Gilmore Girls and that is a plus!

Spice: None

Thank you to the author Katie Cicatelli-Kuc and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of the book!

This hits the spot for an Autumnal read but it does read very young. I know its a YA book and I can get through most of them but this one fell short sadly. I had to DNF.

I received this arc and i am so glad i did!

A PERFECT august read!

I loved the rival coffee shop vibes, the gilmore girls feels, and the imagery in this book.
One of my favorite things in novels is inner monologue and this book has great inner monologue. It was extremely fitting for the age group and being a YA/high school novel it presented such very well.
I really want a PSL now 🍂

4.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this ARC!

"Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice" is a delightful high school romance that perfectly captures the cozy, warm feelings of autumn. The story revolves around two teens whose families own competing coffee shops, adding a layer of charming rivalry to their budding relationship. Together, they set out to create the perfect pumpkin spice latte, blending their skills and passions. Overall, it's a heartwarming book that leaves you craving a pumpkin spice latte and a comfy blanket. Totally recommending to my middle schoolers!

This is the cutest, coziest book with fall vibes--it's a quick read that's perfect for middle grades and early high school. The content is very wholesome, and it's a great alternative to offer younger students who aren't ready for mainstream romance books. The plot is a version of enemies to lovers (friends), but the book is really centered around solving a central problem together. Lucy and her single mom run a coffee shop together in a charming New England town (think Gilmore Girls). When a national coffee shop moves in across the street from their restaurant, Lucy tries to save their shop by creating the best pumpkin spice latte ever. I read this book in one sitting and couldn't wait to find out more about Lucy and Jack's evolving friendship and Lucy's culinary experiments. Recommended for young readers who love reading about cooking, fall activities, and friendship. Thanks to Netgalley, Scholastic Press, and the author for the librarian preview!

In Briar Glen, a town in New England, fall is a big deal. There’s the annual fall festival, tourists from all over the country visiting, colorful leaves, and warm coffee in the coffee shop owned by Lucy’s mom. Lucy hates pumpkin spice lates so she refuses to let her mom put them on the menu, but when a huge coffee chain opens across the street, not having a PSL on the menu might mean not staying in business. To make things even worse, the new kid at school Lucy has a crush on turns out to be the son of the rival shop’s owners. Lucy might have to put aside her hatred of social media marketing and PSLs to save her mom’s coffee shop.

Although I wouldn’t consider this a good book, it feels almost rude to criticize it. It isn’t meant to be a deep, retrospective book with complicated characters. It’s not supposed to have depth. It’s supposed to be a cozy fall read with low stakes and good vibes, and it absolutely delivers on that. If you want a comforting fall read, this is a great option. It’s a quick, cute read for fall vibes.

This book was advertised as perfect for Gilmore Girls fans who love fall. It has local festivals, teen romance, and a mother-daughter relationship. Some of those promises came true. I did pick up on the Stars Hollow type vibes. Lucy and her mom don’t have a Lorelei-Rory type relationship, but they are close and support each other. Unfortunately, the book just… didn’t really have a romance. She has a crush, but it never fully develops or goes anywhere. It doesn’t have the payoff promised. There is no kiss or romantic relationship. I don’t necessarily hate the idea of the butterflies stages of a relationship being the main point of a book, but there wasn’t any payoff in the end.

Most of the book focuses on Lucy’s various pursuits of trying to get over her hatred of Instagram and pumpkin spice lates to save her mom’s shop. Lucy comes across as immature in a lot of it. Her insistence on not doing PSLs because they’re all fake ingredients and there isn’t any pumpkin in it is silly. Doesn’t everyone know there isn’t any pumpkin in pumpkin spice lates? I thought that was common knowledge. Her insistence on various things comes across as a little rude or naive for a lot of the book. Even her insistence on what kind of dessert to make for the contest when literally everyone is telling her to reconsider doesn’t come across as strong female character. It just comes across as “this kid’s an airhead who happens to be good at baking.”

In conclusion, is this a perfect book? No. Is it a great book to curl up with your favorite fall drink and a sweater and not have to think too hard? Absolutely.