If there’s a book that is literally everywhere these days, it’s The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore. It’s on many bookish social media and literally everyone and their mom seems to be reading it. I wondered what all the fuzz was about, so I decided to give this book a fair chance. Do I understand the hype surrounding this perfect fall novel?

About the book

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
Series: Dream Harbor #1
Published by One More Chapter on August 31, 2023
Pages: 360
ISBN: 9780008610678
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction, Romance

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!

My review

Before I started this book, I had the highest doubts whether it would fit in my lane. Cozy books are often a hit or miss, it depends on the genre. For me, there has to be character growth and pretty much high stakes. However, I like to branch out a bit and read something that’s totally out of my comfort zone. That’s exactly what this book is, out of my comfort zone. And yes, this book was… not for me.

We alternately follow main characters Jeanie and Logan. Jeanie takes over her aunt’s Pumkin Spice Café, which is really popular in the small town of Dream Harbour. Logan is the farmer who supplies all the pumpkins once a week. However, Jeanie and Logan start spending more time together and that’s where it al starts. Or doesn’t start for this matter, because ouch, I haven’t seen such boring characters in a long, long while. Both Jeanie and Logan lack personality to me. They both have endured a lot in their lives, but apart from brief mentions, Gilmore never goes into this in depth. Therefore, these characters feel like two cardboard boxes to me with no chemistry at all. I wasn’t invested in them and definitely didn’t want to know them. That’s quite problematic when you’re reading romance.

The writing wasn’t intriguing either. It took me nearly two weeks to finish this quite simple novel and I just wasn’t invested. The writing is simple and therefore pretty accessible, which perfectly fits the aim of this book. However, the author didn’t manage to suck me in at any moment. I finished this novel for the sake of finishing it, but I have considered to DNF this multiple times. I was able to put it aside and forget about it pretty easily. Usually I like small town romances, but this one was not for me. I didn’t care for one bit about this small town and its inhabitants.

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore may fit the season perfectly, but it wasn’t a good fit for me. I was bored the entire time and these characters were as interesting as cardboard boxes. The writing is okay, nothing spectacular or intriguing either. I understand why readers are drawn to this book, but it’s too low stakes for me with no character growth at all.