🍂The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore🍂

3.5/5 ⭐️

Hazel and Noah find themselves on a summer adventure to solve the clues she keeps finding in books at the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore before her 30th birthday. As they take on each new clue, they find themselves closer and closer. But could their romance continue after the summer is over?

This was a sweet read with a bit of spice - just what you’d want in a cinnamon bun at the start of fall! The premise was fun and the creativity in their adventures was exciting to see play out on the page. There were a few components that felt like a stretch for my imagination, but overall this was a cute, lighthearted read to round out the summer with. Obviously a cinnamon bun candle should be burning when you pick this one up on August 29!

Thank you to @harpercollins360 and @netgalley for the ARC!

Such a cozy, cute, and fun romance! If you want a good palette cleanser with end of summer/early fall vibes and spice, this is the perfect book for that. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

You know how some sequels don’t live up to the first book? That was NOT the case with Gilmore’s latest novel.

I loved every moment between Noah and Hazel. They were absolutely perfect together. Couple Goals for sure. And the spice? Goodness, I’m fanning myself just remembering it.

In this novel we follow Hazel and Noah. Hazel works at a bookstore and begins to find these mysterious messages (or clues) in some of the books. These clues give her the nudge she needs to live her life freely until her 30th birthday (2 months away). Noah has had a crush on Hazel for the last year and comes into the bookstore every week to see her and buy her latest book recommendation. When he finds out about the messages, he wants in on the adventure. Who is leaving the clues, and will this duo find the treasure at the end? (Psst, the treasure is love).

This book is perfect for someone who is looking for a relaxing read. Yes, there is an interesting plot that moves, but it has a chill vibe…know what I mean? I’ve been super stressed the last few weeks, and this series has been the perfect mellow book to put me at ease.

Not only did I receive this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley, but I received the next book featuring Jeanie’s brother Bennet. I can’t wait to dive into the next one! I’m not ready to leave Dream Harbor!!

Hazel works at the bookstore in her small town. She’s about to turn 30 and has been feeling in a rut. When she discovers a book askew on the shelves that has been highlighted, she decides to go out and recreate the scenes.

Noah is the local playboy. He’s a bartender and fisherman who has been crushing on Hazel for months. He drops into the bookstore regularly asking for recommendations, just to see her. When he gets wind of the whole defaced books situation, he insists on helping Hazel make the most of her summer.

It’s a third person, dual POV, small town, spicy, cozy romance. The town is charming, sweet, and endearing. If you like B.K. Borison’s “Lovelight Farms” series, add this to your TBR right now! It’s like if you took a Hallmark movie, but added steam.

The nod to the name change of the book made me laugh. We love a self aware queen! Though with all the mentions of summer, I’m curious about why they switched the cover art to look like fall. This book def gives end of summer vibes.

I wanna know more about Annie and the bar owner she has one sided beef with. It looks like book 3 already has characters assigned to it, so maybe book 4? Fingers crossed!!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC and this opportunity! It’s always wonderful to get the chance to review.

This was a cute cozy little small town romance. It was a quick read and something easy to immerse yourself in if you need a faster pace book. There is a bit of mystery which was a fun element. The romance between Noah and Hazel was sweet. There were moments things fell short and seemed superficial with not a lot of depth but overall it was a good novel and one that gets you ready for fall.

I’m not going to lie, I went into this book completely blind, captivated by the cute cover and title. I will say, in this case, don’t judge a book by its cover!



Hazel Kelly is stuck in a rut with her 30th birthday looming near. During one of her shifts as a manager at the Cinnamon Bun Book Store, she notices a clue left for her in a romance book: a line highlighted in the text. Noah Barnett, owner of the local finishing tour company and friend of Hazel’s, offers his help to solve the clues. As more and more clues are found, the two find themselves adventuring around their town, Dream Harbor. Will they be able to solve the clues and figure out who has been leaving them, or will the clues lead to something more?



This was definitely a cozy, small-town romance read. While the story takes place at the tail end of summer, it gave off strong fall vibes for me. It features dual points of view, which I felt really added to the story. The spice was also very unexpected, especially with how “Hallmark-y” the title and cover are!



I did want more depth from the two main characters. At times, they felt very one dimensional, but I did really love the town of Dream Harbor! Going into this, I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series of interconnected stand-alones. Having not read book 1, I had no trouble following the story and characters in this book. It also sets up a potential third book as well that sounded right up my alley.



Thank you to Netgalley and Harper 360 for the ARC!

this was another great read in the dream harbor series. we follow hazel a bookseller, and noah a fisherman. hazel is worried about turning 30 feeling like she hasn't lived. when she find this savanger hunt. she need noah help to work out the cluses.

I loved getting the chance to return to Dream Harbor. These characters feel like friends, and the town feels like a place you never want to leave. There is some good spice in the romance but not too much that it loses the story. The book is well written. It is a perfect, cozy read! I highly recommend this book for when you want a quick and comfy romance. It will not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

This is Book 2 of the Dream Harbor series but it can easily be read as a standalone. I absolutely loved Book 1 and was excited to see Hazel finally get her turn but the book left me a little let down. Don’t get me wrong, the book is cozy and Hazel is a really easy FMC to root for but the romance between her and Noah felt more like lust than anything else. He is thoughtful and you do get his POV so you know his mind but it didn’t feel like there was any major catalyst for their “like” to turn into “love”. There is more spice in this book than the first one and it felt like that was the focus more than their blossoming relationship.

That said, the book is comfort food for the brain. Nothing in the story is super deep and everything wraps up nicely while setting the scene for Books 3 (and hopefully 4 for Annie!?). This is easily one of those books you can waste a weekend getting lost in and Gilmore sets up the best cozy scenes (seriously, is dream hard or real cause I need to live there!).


Looking forward to book 3 but until then this will hold you over. 3.5 stars!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. I was in a reading slump, and this is the only book that was about to hold my interest and I fell in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series.

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore was such a sweet and spicy book. I loved meeting Hazel and Noah and the fact that their romance grew through quotes in books was so adorable. Hazel, an introverted almost 30 year old, finds a book mis-shelved and highlighted in when looking through the romance section of the book store she works at. She realizes the highlighted part of the book is a clue in a sort of birthday treasure hunt. She enlists the help of Noah, a handsome younger man who does fishing tours in their quaint town, to complete each activity as the clues show up in books at the store. Over time, Hazel and Noah develop feelings for each other and I loved reading their love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. 4 stars!

Thank you, Harper 360, for sending me an ARC. I really enjoyed the first book and thought it was super cute. I was excited to continue the series and was happy to get the chance to read an ARC. Sadly this one fell flat for me. I ended up DNFing at page 86. This may be one I come back to later, however I just felt that it was dragging. I don’t like how the main conflict in this is so similar to the conflict in the first book. The main characters are struggling with if they are a fling or if they could be more. It’s so similar to the first one and it was kind of boring. The main mystery of the story sadly didn’t pull me in either. I thought that the main couple were cute at times but they just could not carry the story. It was nice to get to see more of the town and the different characters. I also like how we got a summer setting to see the town in a different season. Also it’s split POV which I did enjoy because you saw both the character motivations. Sadly though I would not recommend this book.

I loved Hazel and Noah’s story, especially after loving the Pumpkin Spice Cafe. I was excited to read this and loved every second of it! I can’t wait for the next one.

The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I 100% applied for this ARC because of the authors name, so thank you to @Netgalley for sending it to me in exchange for my honest review.

This was a perfect summer read as the story is all about Hazel making the most of her summer before turning 30. She suddenly realizes that she's bored with her life. She's worked in the same bookstore, in the same small down she grew up in, and doesn't really do much for fun. When random clues start showing up at the bookstore, she takes it as a sign and starts following them.

Noah has secretly had a crush on Hazel for months, so when she asks for his help following the clues and having fun adventures for the summer, he's all in for any excuse to spend time with her.

The two have lots of mutual friends and lots of small town neighbors keeping an eye as them as they start hanging out together and realizing how much they enjoy each other's company. In some respects, this book was super cheesy and small town wholesome... until you got to the spicy parts that were decidedly unwholesome, so it was slightly discordant in that respects, but not unenjoyable.

I loved this book! I have a full review up on Goodreads as well, but this was a perfect read. I related to hazel which made me love her even more and I fear that the love Noah had for Hazel I might never fid in my lifetime. it was so beautifully written and I think I read this books just smiling and giggling. I usually hate books in third person but I did not mind one bit with this one. I think this may have been my favorite book ive read all year!

Thank you Harper 360 and Netgalley for this ARC.

While this book did take place in the summer, its the perfect cozy romance for fall. Make it make sense ??? I loved everything about this. If I am being honest I never read the first one but this one was amazing that I think I need to go back and read immediately.

Charming and cozy, I read this in one sitting! I loved following the characters on their journey to solve the mystery but omg the spice! I loved the spice!

I received this arc after book 3, The Christmas Tree Farm, and I was so excited to read the rest of this series that I devoured this book in one day. I loooove this sweet little town, which is entirely new for me as I usually do not get too interested in side characters. I have a particular distaste for hearing about how 'experienced' a male love interest may be, which seems to be a theme for this author. I also get very irritated very quickly by miscommunication tropes, but at the end of the day I can recognize that it is a very popular romance trope for a reason. Overall I really enjoyed this book as an addition to such a sweet series.

Perfect mix of Cozy AND Spicy!!!! Guuuurl sign me up 🤣 this was such a cute read and I loved that this was giving innocent vibes with our adorable bookstore worker Hazel who’s realizing she never had her wild 20s moment and enlists the hottie fisherman Noah to help her let loose for the summer. This was such a great read to help me prep for the cozy end of summer and transition into fall vibes. It included all my favorite things books, hot men, and a girl learning to love to me herself unapologetically. This was my first book in the series and I will definitely be going back to read the pumpkin spice cafe ♥️

I liked this book because it has a neat plot with a touch of mystery that intrigued me. The idea of codes and secret messages is what actually pushes Hazel to go on an adventure and Noah is the perfect companion for her. Hazel and Noah are great characters and have a good dynamic between the two with opposite personalities. It was wonderful, the perfect ending and such a great cozy atmosphere. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Harper360 and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.