I received a copy of this for my honest review

After reading the Pumpkin Spice Cafe - I couldn't wait for this!

In this story our FMC is the manager of the local bookstore, which right now is called the Cinnamon Bun Book Store. She is two months from turning 30, and scared that she wasted her 20s. She was never the wild child, has been at the same job for 15 years, in the same town, with everything else the same. When she finds a book in the romance section sticking out, she goes to reshelve it but notices that it's dog eared. She looks at it and finds a highlighted quote. She gets caught by our MMC, the local fisherman who offers tours, has the reputation of only causal relationships, and has had a crush on her since he moved to Dream Harbor. He offers to have an adventurous summer with her, following the clues from the books, and giving her a chance to live. They both want to spend the time together, but are under the impression that the other is only looking for casual. Will she feel that she has done enough by the time she is 30? As a transplant, will he find a permanent home here, or need an escape to run from his past?

The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is so cute and so perfect for a cozy autumnal(in my best British accent) romance read. This book is just adorable. I was super impressed that there is a Spotify playlist at the beginning of the book too to set the vibe. The banter between the FMC and MMC is perfect. The romance story gives you all the good feels and early love butterflies. The spice level is so well written. Its in 3rd person POV which normally takes me a minute to get into and she uses single apostrophes for dialogue versus quote marks so that was a bit different(I caught on quick, so it wasn't a big deal). A few things I absolutely loved: Age range is late twenties, LGBTQ+ representation, genuine friendship where I could connect with all characters, the plot kept me engaged for the entire book. I ate this book up in less than 2 days. It's a must read for the fall!

This story was absolutely adorable. Hazel is turning thirty and looking to shake up her seemingly stagnate life. It was very relatable. I loved the town of Dream Harbour and all the characters we meet along the way. It was fun to read as an end of summer book. It had the perfect amount of romance. I enjoyed the cozy vibes. Looking forward to the next books in this series

I absolutely adored this book.

I will always love when the 'boy who gets around town' falls for the quiet, bookworm. Being able to see how he pours his heart out for this girl will always get me. The characters (both MMC + FMC) were extremely likeable and relatable, which is a huge reason why I loved this book. It was such a quic, easy, and cute read.

As for the spice, it was a good balance of frequency and graphic. The book wasn't overrun by spice, which I feel a lot of books tend to do nowadays and the graphic of the spice scenes was perfect.

The ending made me smile like a literal fool, I adored it.

I highly recommend this to anyone who needs a quick, fluffy romance to get away from reality.

Did I borderline have a stroke when I got approved for the ARC? YES ABSOLUTELY I DID.

no spoilers … solely because i think everyone needs to go into this semi blind

Hazel and Noah were phenomenal, the love story , the spice , keep up with Logan and Jeanie , getting small bits of details for book 3 and 4(I think) . Perfection executed perfectly.

A lot of authors I’ve notice flop on book two. This is NOT the case.

Everything about this book was amazing.

I struggled at first because I personally relate heavily to hazel and her obstacles.

This makes me so excited for book three … with what I think what’s coming 😉

This is a 4.75 ⭐️ for me.

I absolutely loved this story. What better way to kick off fall season than with a cozy, inspirational, sweet story. The characters were so relatable.

“Hazel had essentially been in her 30s since she was 15”

“Maybe she hadn’t needed to change her life. Maybe she just needed to change how she saw her life”

I was able to sit and read this book in one day!

Definitely worth the read

I really enjoyed this book. The small town aspect was perfect. Definitely pictured Stars Hollow while reading. The plot was well thought out and flowed nicely. The cover is perfection.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Laurie Gilmore for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Cinnamon Bun Book Store coming out September 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy bookstore novels. I think I missed the part why they couldn’t fall in love with each other. Besides reasons? I thought there would be a little more about owning and working in the bookstore. I thought that aspect of the book fell off the edge once Hazel and Noah started to get to know each other. There didn’t seem to be much about his job as a fisherman either. I don’t remember any boat scenes. But overall, I really enjoyed the romance. I think it did feel like a spicy Hallmark story. I’m obsessed with Hallmark movies! It also had some cozy vibes, so I enjoyed it. I received another book by this author, so I’m definitely excited to check it out.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance!

Hazel runs a small town bookstore and starts finding random books out of place, with dog eared pages and highlighted passages. The first instance she thought would be a one-off, but when she keeps finding ‘clues’, she takes this as her sign to live a little and go on an adventure before her 30th birthday.

Noah, a local fisherman, has had a crush on Hazel but thought he’d never had a chance with her. When the opportunity arises to accompany Hazel on her pre-30th birthday adventures, he can’t pass it up.

I could relate to Hazel, as someone who likes to play it safe and stick to what I know. But being with Noah helps Hazel realize that life is worth living, and it’s okay to have fun and take chances (and also, make it spicy 🤭🌶️🌶️).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC of this book.

Who knew that a hidden message in a bookstore could spark both a treasure hunt and a romance?!

That’s exactly what happens to Hazel at the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore. When secret codes start popping up in her bookstore, she’s drawn into a scavenger hunt.

Noah is the charming and adventurous fisherman who’s had a crush on Hazel for months. Together, they do the treasure hunt and try to teach Hazel how to have fun!

This book was the absolute cutest! I flew through it because it was such an easy and enjoyable read.

The "he fell first" trope was done so well, and getting inside Noah's mind made it even sweeter.

Watching Hazel grow in confidence by the end was so satisfying—she really came into her own

If you’re a fan of sweet romance with a little bit of cozy mystery, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360 for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, by Laurie Gilmore, is the perfect end-of-summer, PSL season romance read! A small town bookstore manager finds earmarked passages in romance novels in her store, helping her break her turning-30 blues and make a summer of adventure. Enter Noah and a summertime of fun and casual escape!

What I loved:
🫶🏼 this book can be read as a stand alone or in the spectrum of the series!
🫶🏼 you didn’t have to wait for 80% of the book for things to get 🔥
🫶🏼 the setting and storyline sets the mood! Be sure to read this during the end of summer or early fall!

Would have loved more of:
✨ Cinnamon roll Sunday moments in the bookstore
✨I’m ready for the next— but the characters for the third book could have been woven in a little more to hook me for the next.

All in all, a fun mood setting romance reader with all the ingredients to enjoy on a crisp fall day! I loved reading this book and can’t wait for the next Dream Harbor story at the Christmas Tree Farm!

Thank you to NetGalley and harper360 for the opportunity to read this digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinions of this read!

this was PRECIOUS! first, I loved being back in dream harbor with these crazy town folks. it gave me the best gilmore girls vibes & I am grateful for it.

hazel & noah were adorable.

this book follows Hazel coming up on her 30’s, she worried that she hasn’t been living life to the fullest & wants to change things up & experience excitement—enter the mysterious clues via defacing books (GASP, hazel feels this way too), who could be leaving the clues? Noah is a new to town fisherman he’s been around for a while & is usually just an easy going good time kind of guy. however he’s harboring some feelings & his insecurities are continuing to get the best of him.. hazel & noah decide to team up & follow the clues while also helping hazel finally live her life the way she wants to before turning 30. taking them on some fun adventures & helping her get out of her comfort zone. things begin to change for hazel & noah, escalating rather quickly & mutually pining after each other both continuously thinking that neither could possibly love the other more than a “fun time.” boy when they are WRONG.

I loved the coming together of noah & hazel it was so sweet & pure & wholesome. they both just fell into each other so easily & helped each other get over there insecurities while supporting each other so thoroughly. I loved it. the build up & everything was perfect.

my ONLY issues with the book is I felt some of their arguments & disagreements were slightly based on miscommunication & could have been solved rather quickly, but I still really loved the book as a whole it was sweet & fun & noah & hazel were quirky & HOT.

4.5 stars- I read the Pumpkin Spice Café before I started this book & I honestly think this one was a bit better. I loved Noah and Hazel and HANSOF. The whole book clue idea was so cute & I really liked the way it got Hazel to realize she was always fun, she just needed to take some risks. I enjoyed the fact that Hazel always had a book with her wherever she went, This is so relatable and is something I do too. The grand gesture was so cute & worth it. I cannot wait to read the Christmas Tree Farm and to be back in Dream Harbor with all of these amazing characters. Get this book when it comes out 9/3.

𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4 🌟
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The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is the second book in the Dream Harbor series and can be read as a standalone!
Now, this book gave off cozy, fall, sitting by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate vibes, lol.
I didn't like how often they (Hazel and Noah) brought up, "This is only for two months." And the whole secret messages in the books weren't a mystery to the audience, but to Hazel, they were. We knew who it was; I just wish it had been kept a mystery to us, the audience, as well. But overall, it's a good read, and I finished it in one day. The storyline held my attention. It's a really cute romance read.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept.3
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Harper Books for the eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly didn't love this. I didn't care for the writing. This is my first cozy romance, and I'm not sure they are for me.

I couldn’t resist but to read “The Cinnamon Bun Book Store after reading “ The Pumkin Spice Cafe ” couldn’t wait any longer to see what new adventures this cute small town (Dream Harbor) romance had in store🍂☕️ @lauriegilmore_author did an amazing job I love every bit of it.

Rate: Definitely 5 🌟

Mini Summary

🍂Sexy fisherman
🍂Book Boyfriend
🍂BookClub
🍂Started as a flimsy excuse to see her
🍂Cute Dates
🍂Romance Section
🍂Bookstore
🍂He fell for her first

Quote 💋

“ If you had told him a year ago that he would regularly be tearing through five-hundred-page books, he never would have believed it. But he loved these things. What had started out as a flimsy excuse to see Hazel had turned into something real. “ Too Cute

While I loved the first book, this one fell completely short for me. Romance felt flat and uninspired and the writing did not invoke feelings of excitement or love.

Literally so, SO good. The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is the kind of book you pick up to feel warm and fuzzy. The main characters are so well written and have such fun chemistry. The playlist to go along with the story was AMAZING and was so nice to listen to while reading. This book had me giggling and kicking my feet. I really have enjoyed this series so much, each book is the perfect amount of plot and spice. The fun little clues through out the story was a fun little touch. I can't wait to see what Gilmore does next! :)

I was planning on reading this book in September with book one just to get the fall vibes, but gosh I am happy I read it right away (and in one sitting).

Contrary to the cover, It felt more like a summery beach read than Fallish but it was very cozy and such a cute read.
Hazel, a 30 years old booklover and bookseller decided she needed real life adventure after realizing that she never lived fully her youth.
Enters Noah the fisherman and all fun casual only guy who was in fact pining for her.
Together, they will go on a scavenger hunt like adventure after finding clues hidden in her boookstore.

I just loved the coziness and mystery vibes of this book.
It was everything I wanted to read and I still plan on rereading it in september.

The perfect little cozy romance that's perfect for fall! I loved the Pumpkin Spice Cafe just as much and cannot wait for the rest of the series to release