3 ⭐️. take a shot for every time they say "PSL".

Requested this read on a balmy 90+ degree day in July, so desperately needing a taste of my favorite season. When I saw the blurb mentioned "Gilmore Girls" and "cozy fall leaves" I knew this would satisfy my yearning. This book reminded me so much of 2000's DCOM's-- the plot is mid and very repetitive but the low stakes drama and teenage crushes fed my nostalgia.

ty to NetGalley & Scholastic for the Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.

"I inhale the smell of freshly brewed coffee and coffee beans. It sounds and smells like home."

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic Press for this eARC. This book ended up being pretty adorable. Lucy lives in Briar Glen, a small New England town that radiates the perfect fall vibe. This fall vibe makes it a great target for all the social media fall trends like pictures of colorful leaves, picturesque festivals, and pumpkin spice lattes. But Lucy has an immense dislike towards pumpkin spice lattes, and all the fake chemicals in them as well. Which turns out to be difficult since her mom owns a local coffee shop. But when an international chain coffee shop moves in right across the street, Lucy faces a lot more issues than she was expecting. Especially when her secret crush, Jack, ends up being the son of the new coffee shop's owners. With the problems they now face, can Lucy save her mom's coffee shop, and her idealistic fall at the same time?

"Favorites don't always have to have some complicated reason why they're our favorites. Sometimes it's just as simple as everything felt perfect. Everything felt right."

I will say, for the longest time I wasn't having a great time reading this. I started it for summerween because of the fall vibes, but it took me awhile to finish it. It's pitched for fans of Gilmore Girls, and I can definitely see the similarities. I loved the mother daughter relationship and the small town aspect. However, the biggest similarity (and one of the main reasons the rating is so low) is because Lucy reminded me of Rory from the later seasons of the show. She was a little immature in her reasons for disliking people and the pumpkin spice lattes, even for a high schooler. Otherwise though, I ended up having a decent time!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Scholastic books for the ARC of this novel.

This was a cute YA story. I will agree with other reviews that it felt much more for a Jr. High audience then high school. It felt younger than I was expecting.

I did really enjoy all the autumn vibes this book gave me. It had the perfect setting for a fall book and I loved the friendships this book gave me. It was a super quick and easy read.

A solid 3/5 read.

This book was the perfect vibe I was hoping for when I picked it up. From all the baking, the friendships and relationships, the autumn aesthetics. Definitely the perfect book to read in the fall.

This was a cute ya romance. The MFC Lucy was a bit annoying to me at first, like she was trying to hard to be different than everyone else, but she kinda grew on me by the end. The MMC Jake was sweet. I enjoyed the bit of rivalry going on, and found the book to be a super quick read.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was hopeful about this book but unfortunately it did not deliver. I think the Gilmore Girls tagline has been used inaccurately for a few books now, which muddles expectations.

This was, as of now, a DNF for me. The book is marketed as a YA novel and does have a 16 year old protagonist. However, as someone who teaches 8th graders, I found the dialogue and situations in this book to be more middle-grades than YA. If you didn’t tell me Lucy was 16, I would have assumed she was 12 or 13. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing, it just didn’t feel very authentic to the students I see every day. Some of the interactions were difficult for me to read, as I had some second-hand embarrassment for poor Lucy.
I think the small town, fall vibes, coffee rivals are all very cute, but again maybe better suited for younger readers. I am giving three stars, because if I went into this thinking it was for younger middle school, it may have been a different experience, and I think that age group may find this charming/more relatable.

"Fall is a Big Deal in Briar Glen" by Jenni L. Walsh captures the essence of small-town charm and the challenges faced by local businesses in the face of corporate competition. Set in a quaint New England village during the autumn season, the story follows sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane, whose life revolves around her family-owned coffee shop, Cup o' Jo.

The characters are relatable and well-developed, with Lucy emerging as a protagonist whose growth resonates with readers navigating their own journeys of self-discovery and resilience. Her interactions with Jack Harper are filled with both tension and tenderness, adding a layer of teenage romance that enhances the storyline without overshadowing its central themes.

Overall, "Fall is a Big Deal in Briar Glen" is a heartwarming and engaging read that captures the spirit of autumn, the importance of community, and the power of determination

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc is a ya fall romance. This is the story of Lucy and Jack.
 
This story is set in the small-town of Briar Glen and New England always has the perfect fall vibes and I can’t wait to visit it someday and, in the meantime, I love vivaciously through books like this one. This aspect of the book was done so well, and I was immediately transported to a fall wonderland.
 
Lucy and Jack work for rival coffee shops and that immediately created such great tension. Jack is the new kid in school and his family recently moved to the area and opened up a new coffee shop franchise. Lucy also works for her family‘s coffee shop and even though she hates Pumpkin Spice Latte, her fall will spice up and she not only has a crush on Jack, but also tries to save her mom's coffee shop.
 
The concept of this book was really great, and I loved following Jack and Lucy. You get to see a lot of teenage problems and at the same time they are already mature in some ways. This story is just cute and heartwarming and had the perfect fall vibes. The romance could have been a bit more elaborate, but it was still a really good book.
 
Overall, if you like Gilmore Girls or want a cute story to cozy up with, check out this one. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

So I want to start my review by saying that even though I have this book 4-stars, you should go into it with potentially a warning. This book is objectively 4 stars for what it is. I very much am trying to remove my personally biases from the review to ensure I am being fair. More info below.

FYI: This is a teen book. I am 30yo for reference and while this wasn’t my vibe NOW I would have eaten this up in 8th grade for sure. I should have realized this when I saw this is published by Scholastic and not say, Berkeley.

Likes: this gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes INSTANTLY. Rival businesses, one small shop and one chain? Sort of one-sided enemies to lovers. Quaint fall vibes? Check to all of these. In general the mood and the pacing of the book felt right. It was an easy read.

Dislikes: my dislikes are personal in the sense that I’m too old now to relate to the MCs. A lot of it came off immature for me. That said, with the right audience I don’t think the immaturity would read that way but likely come off more relatable to a younger reader.

This book is a cute little story and an easy read that perfectly nails the fall / Gilmore Girls vibes. With its light and entertaining narrative, it's an ideal recommendation for anyone looking for a mindless and comforting read. Definitely worth giving it a try!

~ high school setting
~ fall festival
~ enemies to lovers
~ small town

This was a pleasant surprise! I love cute fall romances. I loved the message in this book. Slow down and enjoy where you are right now. That is so important. Very Gilmore Girls and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic Press for the arc of this book.

It is a very cozy read. I might be a little above the target age group but I still enjoyed it. Highly recommend for the cozier seasons.

*I received this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
This was such a cute story about a small town cafe and thriving with a single mom. The friends were so great together, and with the text messages between them, it was unique. And add in social media, making it relevant in the present. I loved all the baking talk and finding your place as a teen. If you want an adorable quick read, then pick this book up.

Ok- before I go on to my review, I want to point out that this IS indeed targeted for the YA audience. Which is why I ended up giving it 4 stars rather than 3 (as I initially was going to)

The book felt very much like a ‘teenager’ which made me question whether even a young adult crowd might find it a bit cringy at times.

The atmosphere is A+ , I must say this def gives me fall vibes and Gilmore girls feels. So, on that sense, the author toootally nailed it. Again, those things do deserve 4 stars. But I personally DNF’d at about 40% - I might pick it up again at some point but I wasn’t running back to it or losing sleep.

It’s a cute book, yes. Worth an evening perhaps, would be a cute gift. The MC just feels really immature and it’s hard to let go of that feeling

Summary: Fall is a big deal in Briar Glen, a quaint and charming village in New England. That's when tourists from all over the country descend upon this picturesque town to see the babbling brooks and colorful leaves while sipping hot chocolate or pumpkin spice lattes. But sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane hates the uber-popular PSL. She works at Cup o' Jo, the local coffee shop her mom owns. Business at Cup o' Jo hasn't been great in the off-season, but that's okay because it always picks up during the fall ... Until Java Junction, a multinational coffee chain, opens across the street and makes things harder for the small shop. And to make matters worse, it turns out Jack Harper, the new kid in school and Lucy's secret crush, is the son of the owner. Suddenly, fall doesn't seem like it'll be all it's cracked up to be. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom's coffee shop?

Review: Personally I feel this would have been better suited for a different age group. The YA aspect does not make sense for the presented tropes.

Sadly this book we decided to DNF, we were not vibing with the characters or the book and we felt like it was written by a middle schooler. It just was not something we enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Netgalley/Kayje Cicatelli-Kuc for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 3/5 Stars

This was definitely geared more towards a younger audience, however, still a really cute read. Very easy to binge (knocked it out in one day)! All in all, a cute and fun book.

This book is a very quick read, I sat down and knocked it out in one day. This story feels like it will do well being marketed toward a younger audience, being focused toward middle school readers rather than YA. The writing within this story feels very reminiscent of the fan fictions I was reading in middle school, at one point the main character says "I threw my long blonde hair into a messy bun," which, if you know anything about 2012 era fan fiction, is a direct quote from fan fictions across all platforms. Overall, the story is cute, it's a quick read, I'd recommend it to younger readers looking to get into contemporary romance,

This book had the perfect fall feels it for me into the mood to decorate my house but sadly it’s only July. But I loved the characters and the story line I feel like it had me sucked into the story.