Member Reviews

I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. Exploring Dream Harbor with its eclectic characters provides a delightful escape, making it an ideal choice for fall reading. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment, but when will we finally get Annie and Mac's story?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a perfect palate cleanser. I found this book to be a sweet feel good story. I liked Hazel and Noah they both made for interesting characters. The spice is just the perfect amount and the fall setting is a character all on its own. If you are looking for a quick Hallmark like story this is a great book to pick up.

Was this review helpful?

I couldn’t get through this book. The premise was set very well and there was a lot of potential. But the writing and characters were not interesting enough to want to turn more pages after a point. I didn’t find it interesting at all and wasn’t a gripping, engaging read.

Was this review helpful?

The series: This author definitely loves the Gilmore Girls Universe. She uses phrases that I often use in my own speech, that references back to GG but you wouldn’t know it unless you were as obsessed. She uses town meetings and a walkable town as her setting while expanding into farm life and fishing boats.

Book: 3.5 stars. This is second in the series. I ate up book 1 and 2 and can’t wait to keep it going. I see Goodreads has up to 5 books going to fall 2025. I thought we may have had the four seasons but it’s more books than that.
Bookstore manager and fisherman = gold. I’m not sold on the book club as a collective character. I found them a little too cliquey and not authentically welcoming. The best part was the sweet perspective of our fisherman being such an encourager to Hazel before they were together. A promising green flag for their HEA. I liked Noah more than Hazel because he was clearer to understand. I can see the author writing a book for at least two more couples known in this book. I loved the epilogue but it was quite the contrast from the book’s setting.
Thank you NetGalley for this copy.

Was this review helpful?

Super disappointed, mainly because it was advertised as an autumnal book, but it takes place in the summertime… also did not feel any chemistry between the two main characters :(

Was this review helpful?

A delightful next installment of the romantic series wirh a fun fall setting that immerses you into the environment. Twists, turns and lots of fun!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed Hazel and Noah’s story. The boat scene was delightful. It was nice to see Hazel get out of her comfort zone and Noah to finally confront his demons.

Was this review helpful?

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore is the second book in the Dream Harbor Series. This is Hazel and Noah‘s story.
 
Hazel loves books and works in Dream Harbor‘s bookstore. I immediately saw a lot of myself in her and she lives and breathes books sometimes a little too much. Hazel likes her job but she wants to be more adventurous and live a little and who could help her better than Noah. I absolutely adored Hazel and loved following her story.
 
Noah turned away from the family business and rather does his own thing as a boat and fishing tour guy. He likes being outdoors and is the one for having a good time with. He’s also a bit of a heartthrob and lady‘s man and only wants a casual time. Noah was such a well-balanced man, and my favorite part was the little notes and highlights he left Hazel. I can totally see why Hazel fell in love with him and he won a part of my heart over as well.
 
Hazel and Noah are friends, and they see each other regularly. Dream Harbor is just the perfect small-town setting, and I loved returning to this cozy place. Noah is the one who falls first, and he shows that through little gestures, and I especially loved how he would visit Hazel in the bookstore and get some recommendations and he actually read the books. The romance is very cute and slow-burn and they both didn’t expect it to be more even though they secretly wished for it, and I was rooting for them so hard. I had such a good time cuddling up with this story and loved all the little moments.
 
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store is such a feel good and cozy romance, and I adored it. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Was this review helpful?

I was super excited to read The Cinnamon Bun Book Store—the cute cover and cozy small-town vibe definitely drew me in. Dream Harbor has such a cozy atmosphere, and I can definitely see this one being a feel-good read for fans of cozy and sweet small-town romances.
Hazel is the owner of a bookstore, and when she starts receiving mysterious scavenger hunt prompts through books, she teams up with local fisherman Noah to go on a treasure hunt and finally have an adventure before she turns 30. As they spend more time together, things between them heat up in this slow burn, opposites attract romance.

I really wanted to love this one as it has some of my all time favorite tropes, but unfortunately I just had a tough time connecting with the characters. They felt a bit immature and the writing style didn’t work for me. Some of the writing felt a little cringey and I just couldn’t really get into it. The relationship between the main characters also felt very insta-lovey to me, and I just didn’t really feel the romance aspect.

On the positive side, the setting is really cute—if you’re into small-town charm and a cozy, close-knit community, you should give it a go. Plus, there’s a nice mix of friendship and family dynamics going on, which added some warmth to the story.
I think this book would be perfect for readers who enjoy lighter romances with a comforting, familiar feel. If you're into cute settings and bookshop vibes, there’s definitely something to appreciate here! It just didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Ever feel like you’re missing out on something? Like your friends are in on the joke except you? Or you’ve been such a good person that acting a little wild might be too late for you? Meet Hazel. Bookstore manager of the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore. She’s got her close friends, her book club, and such a good upstanding demeanor. She’s almost 30 and is feeling like she’s missed out on being something more.

And there’s the guy she’s got the hots for - Noah. She convinces him to help her out with some mystery clues that popped up in the store. And maybe to have a little fun too. Did I mention he may have the hots for Hazel?

This has all the cozy, heart warming vibes of a rom-com set in a quaint town where the eccentric personalities are charming and endearing. I thoroughly enjoyed the schemes of Hazel’s friends, while swooning over the sizzling encounters between Noah and Hazel. The mystery element had me guessing, and I understood how Hazel felt when reflecting on herself. Thank you Laurie for writing such a cute story!

Was this review helpful?

Fast paced, spicy, feel good, insta love, in a small town … oh and the FMC is 29 so everyone can identify with her and her quest for a fun summer before she turns the big 30. It’s cute give yourself the happiness of this read.

# The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
# 10/18/2024 ~ 10/19/2024
# 4.5 / 5.0

Was this review helpful?

This was a very sweet romance ( no pun intended) and I think Gilmore does such an excellent job in creating such a cozy atmosphere and genuinely kind characters but our main girl just didn't feel as well rounded by the time I finished the book.

Was this review helpful?

An adorable sequel to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, Gilmore's second installment feels familiar and comfortable. Yet another "will they, won't they, of course they will" shaped plot brings us back into this quaint and idyllic small town that for some reason boasts quite a few relatively long adults with no plans to leave the community in which they grew up. In this addition, we get two of the primary supporting characters from Pumpkin Spice, Hazel and Noah, although not the two that I had hoped for the most.

However, similar to its predecessor, the tropes are all glaringly obvious, and the resolution of the cozy mystery weaved into Hazel and Noah's Summer of Fun isn't as satisfying as expected.

Was this review helpful?

Was not a fan of this book mainly due to the writing style. Characters seemed 2-dimensional, uninteresting. Love story was immediate with absolutely no build up. Pass.

Was this review helpful?

Ok. So both liked and disliked it more than Pumpkin Spice Cafe

Loved that there was more spice in it. I feel like as adults we can handle some spice in a romance book and this one delivered more than PSC.

The storyline was cute.

But.. the cons
Sometimes the story was flat. Parts seemed missing? Maybe there was so much focus on bringing in the spice that other parts were a little — just less. Maybe I just wanted more?

I still loved it. I do like seasonal books and this one was fun.
I give between 3.5 and 4 stars

Was this review helpful?

I’ve read the Dream Harbor books a bit out of order. I read the third book first, then the second book, well, second. It doesn’t seem to have affected the story much, thankfully. The books are definitely interconnected, but it’s not strictly necessary to have read the previous book first.

I really liked The Cinnamon Bun Book Store! I thought Hazel and Noah were super cute and perfect for each other. The entire plot is basically just one giant miscommunication trope, which is not my favorite, but it was still a good story. The writing and editing definitely needed to be tidied up a bit, especially with commas, but the pacing and flow were good.

I’m looking forward to reading the first book in the series, and any additional books to come!

I received a copy of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store from
NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

As we’re getting closer to Fall, there’s absolutely nothing better than a cozy book to read while drinking a cinnamon bun coffee 😉 I loved that this book was a “reverse age gap”, because you don’t see that often. I really enjoyed the LGBT rep in Hazels dads and her nonbinary coworker Alex. I also adore when there are book clubs within a book!
Noah was adorable and lost, and I appreciated his character growth.
The only downside was I wish Hazel's character had more growth.
But overall it was a very sweet story.

Was this review helpful?

This one missed the mark for me.
Not a cozy fall romance it feels very summery until the very end where you get a whisper of fall. It also has two of my least favorite tropes - miscommunication and insta-love.

The main characters felt like they had very little chemistry and I couldn’t related to them at all. The spice was alright at best. Hazel is almost 30 years old and she comes across very juvenile and immature. I tried but this was not the vibe.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this e-read.

I enjoyed this duel perspective he falls first romance. It's part of a series and I ended up buying the first book to see if I needed to read it first (you don't!)
Hazel is such a fun gal to root for and I'm so excited to read the whole series.

Was this review helpful?

This book was such a pleasant surprise in comparison to book one! I absolutely loved Noah and Hazel's love story and it makes me excited for the third book in this series! The spice was much better integrated in comparison to the first one and this is such a great cozy fall book that makes me want to curl up with a pumpkin spice latte!

Was this review helpful?