The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore is a cozy fall romance with some spice. The book sometimes felt like a Gilmore Girls fan fiction, which is not a knock at it. The quirky characters of the town were the best part. The romance has some good cute moments. But the emotional level felt very juvenile at times. I had to keep reminding myself these are grown adults. The spicy moments work very well it wasn’t too graphic but just right. The pace of the story moves pretty well. There is a bit of a lull in the middle, but it doesn’t last too long. Then the end is filled with sex, which moves pretty fast. The novel is told from Logan’s and Jeanie’s point of view. I wanted a bit more conflict and mystery to this romance. Logan and Jeanie fall for each other instantly. There is no mystery about them liking each other. Only juvenile issues keep them apart. Logan is a bit of a mess he’s still reeling from a public proposal that went bad. I did want a date for how long they were together. How long it took him to propose? There’s a joke about how fast Logan says I love you before a month (red flag alert). But if you know you know I guess. Jeanie isn’t entirely a mess. She’s still trying to figure herself out after a big life change. She took over her aunt’s coffee shop in a small town. Jeanie doesn’t have too many doubts about staying she’s just a messy person in life and love. A mystery subplot went too far. It was obvious who was behind it once events began at the cafe. The mystery was a grown person acting very juvenile and not communicating like an adult. The book does its job by making me say “Aww” and making me want to get cozy with my wife. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is the first book in The Dream Harbor series. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe was heavily featured on Tiktok #Booktok. I wanted to read what all the hype was about. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe was published on August 30, 2023.

Plot Summary: Jeanie has just arrived at Dream Harbor. She has taken over her aunt’s coffee shop called the Pumpkin Spice Cafe. She meets Logan when he is dropping off his delivery and scares him. She calms down and tells him she has been hearing noise throughout the night. Logan tells her about the town meeting. He agrees to attend so she won’t be alone. He is also attracted to her. At the town meeting, Logan introduces Jeanie around town. Everyone is shocked Logan came to the town meeting. He has stopped attending events since he proposed and was rejected. The town agrees Logan should set up a stakeout with Jeanie. They need to determine if it is a vandal or a ghost. When they are alone late at night things start happening as they are interrupted. Is it a ghost or something else? Is this how most couples get together on a stakeout?

What I Liked: The town of Dream Harbor is very adorable. The townspeople reminded me of Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. They were fun and quirky and took town meetings way too seriously. The spicy stuff was fun. I liked the shower scene. My wife, who read it too, liked the kitchen scene. I did like Casper, the cat, but felt like he was forgotten after it served the story’s purpose. The costume contest was a lot of fun. I liked Logan getting over his fears and doing something very public with Jeanie. I liked Logan’s grandmother a lot she was sassy. Noah and Hazel were really fun I’m glad their love story is next. I liked what I saw of their budding relationship. I did not like how juvenile Logan and Jeanie acted at the end. However, I think they were good for each other. I was happy to see them together and past their baggage. This book was the perfect Fall book. The book starts and ends in Fall.

What I Disliked: The relationship between Logan and Jeanie was very high school. They are grown-ups who act like teenagers. I like you and you like me but no one can know even though you have public displays of affection. The mystery was too easy to solve and again a grown person was acting like a child.

Recommendation: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is fun, quirky, and spicy. I loved the town more than I loved the relationship. When the relationship works it works well. Overall the story made me say “Aww” and feel all cozy. I can not recommend this novel to my followers, but it is a good distraction read that is quick.

Rating: I rated The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore 2.9 out of 5 stars and 3.5 spicy peppers out of 5.