Book Review: The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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The Details

Media Type: Audiobook
Title: The Pumpkin Spice Café
Author(s): Laurie Gilmore
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages/Length: 9 hours and 44 minutes
Release Date: August 30, 2023
Source: Library Borrow

Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop

A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.

When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

The Review

If there’s one thing that this festive season brings out in me, it’s the need to read cozy books. Whether they are Romance, Mystery or Fantasy, I want something that’s going to make me want to settle in with a warm cup of tea and just relax. Friends, I can confidently say that The Pumpkin Spice Café is that kind of story. If you’re a fan of Hallmark movies, welcome to your new favorite book. Jeanie has arrived in Dream Harbor (adorable, I KNOW) determined to turn her life around. After realizing that her life in the city was not doing her health any favors, all she wants is to find a slower pace of life. Little does she know that running this small town café is going to be a much more interesting task than she expected!

First let me give a lot of love to Dream Harbor. It’s a character in its own right, truly. A sweet little town where everyone knows one another, where a secret never stays a secret long, and where you can be certain that there are people around who have your back. It’s everything Jeanie was looking for, and I was smitten. All the nosy neighbors made my heart so happy. Oh, and the book club was glorious! If I could pop myself into the book and join them I would be so pleased. This cast of characters really made the perfect backdrop for Jeanie and Logan’s story.

Our MCs were equally adorable, of course. Jeanie was super relatable when it came to her misgivings about fitting in, and doing a good job with the café. Logan was our perfect romance love interest. Sweet, kind, just a little lost and afraid to fall in love. Are you sensing the Hallmark vibes here too? Logan’s previous relationship has him unable to trust anyone fully. Jeanie’s past has her flustered and afraid to make mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, they have the puzzle pieces to complete one another?

So why the three star rating? Don’t worry, three stars is actually good. I liked this book! It was formulaic, as I expected. That’s a strength sometimes when you’re really just looking to get lost in something that is guaranteed to have a happy ending. It’s comforting to know that despite all the problems, love is possible through compromise. However the thing that drove me a little nuts, and I expected it, is that so many issues in this story could have been solved by simple communication. Why? Why do these characters always assume and never ask? The world may never know. My other big issue was the ending. In an effort not to spoil things I will simply say that I think this book could have ended at a shorter point and it would have gotten another star from me.

Still, this was a cute one! Now that I know that there are more, I know I have the option to dive back into a comfy, cozy Dream Harbor whenever I too need an escape.