The Pumpkin Spice Café
Ratings125
Average rating3.3
This book was fast-paced but lacked a proper storyline. It gave cute, autumn vibez n that was it. A rushed down love story that included abandonment issues really didnt cut it.
Jeanie has been gifted the café by her aunt, one night she meets Logan; and not in the best way. She had a baseball bat ready as she thought Logan was an intruder. Logan however was there making a delivery which he likes to do early in the morning as it avoids communicating with the locals.
Logan recommends that Jeanie goes to town hall meeting to make a noise complaint and she as asks Logan to go with her as so she can have a familiar face. Whilst at the meeting she believes that the café is being haunted which Logan thinks is absurd but with the persuasion of the town hall and his nan he decides to help Jeanie do a stakeout to find out what was making the noise. It was a cat! When the cat walked in , I couldn't help but smile.
It seems like someone or something is out to get her. Her friend Annie thinks it might be Mac as he has previously wanted to bar the café to expand his bar. Didn't really surprise that it was Norman, from the moment he met Jeanie he didn't seem to happy with her being the new owner of the café, I thought it was because of the crush he had on Jeanie aunt in hopes she would come back from her holiday. But it was also because her aunt wouldn't sell the café to him.
I must say loved the names of the animals. Harry Styles the Alpaca, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan the Goats and Taylor, Rihanna, Lizzo, Lady Gaga, Britney and Selena the Chickens.
I really felt for Logan as he has abandonment issues, so he doesn't like getting close to people in fear of them leaving. But I was really glad that he got his HEA. It also worked out well for Norman and Jeanie's aunt. As when she came back, they both realised they had feelings for one another
We also see the start of a brand new relationship; Hazel and Noah; who just keeps ordering books to use as an excuse to see her, which I can't wait to read!
2.5 stars
I knew what I was getting myself into and liked the fall gilmore girls vibes but still felt like it should have been better lol
1 star and it's for me because I finish this book.
The only good thing it's the cover.
Okay, thoughts? The more I've had time to think and chat with my mom that buddy read this. I hate it kinda. Is it fall vibes? Yes. Is it cute/cozy? Kinda if you don't notice how much he sucks.
Does this give Gilmore Girls vibes?? No, not really at all.
Is this grumpy x sunshine? Also, no not really. The main gal isn't really sunshine, more nervous. And the main guy is really just kind of pathetic and in need of hella therapy. He was maybe grumpy the first few scenes.
Is this spicy? Also, no. I was happy about that as I typically skip those scenes at this point. But I think there's some heavy makeouts and maybe 2 sexy scenes.
Overall opinions. They both needed therapy, badly! The fast romance made ZERO sense as there really weren't any cute moments that make the falling believable. He wasn't all that thoughtful. He really wasn't trying like at all for most of it, because of his issues. I just didn't feel they were really well suited. And expect to be reminded about his ex every few pages.
Also, rubbed me the wrong way that his big embarrassment was related to the fact he doesn't really get to know women or listen to what they want. Just saying.
For the rest of the series. I borderline hate the future pairings that we are introduced to in this book even more. It seems to be a series of women getting with hot but flat and emotionally stunted men. Not really the cute vibes. And really fell short of Gilmore Girl vibes entirely!! It was a cool premise but not a good delivery.
Me estaban gustando las vibes del pueblo, era todo muy Stardew Valley, pero el romance me mató, el protagonista no estaba listo para una relación, se nota que aun no superaba a la ex, y todo avanzo demasiado rápido, hasta las escenas spicy eran meh, me aburrieron estos dos.
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.
“The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” serves up small-town charm with a side of pumpkin-spiced chaos. Our leading lady (who's as lively as a stale baguette) takes over her aunt's cafe and promptly gets haunted by cats, ghosts, and possibly an annoyed barista. Enter the “grumpy” farmer, who's really just a soft-hearted soul with enough abandonment issues to fill his pumpkin patch. He also has animals named after pop stars to keep him company. With 25 mentions of “flannel,” this book delivers on Hallmark vibes but is very close to a parody.
The cat was cute tho
2.5 rounded up!
It was cute and light hearted. Light on everything. Light angst, light drama, light spice.
It was a quirky small town, nosey neighbours, and cute lumber jack farmers.
Nice but forgettable.
This was such a cozy cute fall-themed romance. I loved the small town vibes and the appreciated the little mystery that was included.
Looking forward to checking out the other books in this series!
Fun romcom book, not the best-written one I've read in terms of plot and character depth, but it was a cute, relaxing read.
I gave this 4☆ I enjoyed it and the cozy vibes! I loved how even though this was a romance book the romance wasn't the main focus of the story. It was about her finding a place to call home and fit in the community so I see the Gilmore Girls vibes.
okay so this rating is really hard for me because i LOVED the vibes and the town and the fall atmosphere. i didn't even mind the mc but there was no plot really and i hated the romance.
3.5 rounded down.
Cute, fluffy small town romance. Just like reading a Hallmark movie.
Not a lot of spice.
Cute town setting. Like, I want to move here, join the book club, drink my coffee at the cafe, go to the bakery, pick apples at the farm, get my books from the local bookstore, etc.
The characters, side and main, are all fine..not a huge amount of deep development, but wasn't really expecting that with a book like this.
It was a good read, I'll read the whole series, but it wouldn't be the first book I recommended to someone.
- Small-town
- Autumn/Fall Vibes
- Cozy Mystery
- Cafe Owner x Coffee Shop Owner
- Breaded Flannel wearing Farmer
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- ‘The Book Club' ladies
- Farm Animals named after Popstars
- Instant Chemistry
- Found Family
- Gilmore Girls vibes
- Cute & Quirky Read
- 3rd POV
DNFd at around 20%, just genuinely was way too boring to me. Even the smut, when skipping to find them in disbelief, was boring. I just yeah no I'm okay, not for me.
Cute, hallmark type, small-town story about a woman who's lost, taking over her aunt's cafe, getting involved with the nosy but caring townspeople, and falling for the hunky farmer. Great cozy read when you need a pallet cleanser but not a lot of substance if thats something you're looking for.
I would just like to warn people going into this that it's a cozy mystery, it's not.
This book is a small-town contemporary romance. If you like more drama and tension in your books, this one is not for you. If you are here for the fall vibes though, this book delivers it. Loved the grumpy-sunshine trope, but I did find it weird how they started saying how they started loving the other person the moment they met them by the 70% mark. It was definitely a bit on the insta-love side, but considering the length of this book it was expected.
What a cozy Hallmark with some spice book this was! I'm not a regular romance reader but this book fit so well for the holiday season!
Jeanie is new to Dream Harbor taking over her Aunt Dot's Pumpkin Spice Cafe. She has decided to restart her life in a more quaint setting than the hyper focused Boston she called home. When she stumbles, quite literally, into the town golden boy Logan her life seems to be looking up.
I just loved the good feel this book gave and the added spice! Definitely recommend for a quick read (too me almost a month as I am a work from home mom of four with my youngest being 7 months) or the need for a palate cleanser.
