Reviews

Pumpkin Spice by Tagan Shepard

mothmans_mum's review

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Very sweet. Nicky’s insecurities got a bit annoying at times. 

pyxis_'s review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

tofugal's review

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very cute autumn romance with some splashes of spice. Carter is my newest book girlfriend—I love a butch lesbian lumberjack. Nicki was relatable, though her insecurities had me wondering if she was actually ready for a serious relationship since she hadn’t learned to love and value herself. I was surprised that the book continued on past where it initially appeared to end. I feel like the story might’ve been stronger if Chapters 25-28 had been cut and it’d jumped straight to the Epilogue, perhaps with a first name reveal for Carter included at that point.

andrea_author's review

4.0

In this sapphic romance, klutzy Nicki has always fallen short of her dreams. Now her plan is to avoid people, especially newcomer Carter. But organizing a Halloween festival at Carter's family farm forces them together. Nicki is sure she'll humiliate herself, yet Carter seeks out her company. Can Nicki get over her insecurities and embrace this unexpected romance?

This rom com has engaging characters and a cute storyline. If you enjoy anxious, awkward heroines, this book is for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

darkfantasyreviews's review

4.0

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. I just love the cover photo of this book and it was the main reason why I chose to review it.

The writing skills of the author is quite captivating and the book has been written in a very cozy way. It is a perfect autumn read and I just loved reading it while drinking coffee. The plot of the story is really sweet and I don't know why I really liked reading the character of Carter.

I will definitely recommend this book. Grab your copy today and you will not get bored.

#PumpkinSpice #NetGalley

mia_reads_romance's review

4.0

Pumpkin Spice is a cute romance for when you are feeling the need for some fall vibes in your day. I enjoyed Nicki and Carter's story. They were both adorably awkward and nervous. There were some moments when I wanted to get both of them therapy but as they didn't have any external obstacles, their emotional baggage was the only thing creating conflict. Nicki's niece was actually my favorite character. Her love of Halloween and take charge attitude was completely adorable. I recommend this one for when you feel the need for a cozy low conflict read!

Thanks to netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me a copy of this title early so I could review it! All opinions are my own.

mel_reads_too_much's review

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Bold Strokes Books, Inc, and author Tagan Shepard for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
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One thing to know about me: I freakin' love pumpkin spice. The last week of August each year will find me perusing the grocery store aisles, searching for the early appearances of my favorite seasonal treat. Apple cider is great, peppermint is good too, but nothing compares to pumpkin spice. So when I found this book that's titled after every white girl's weakness, and is a sapphic romance, and is a small town romance, and is a country-girl romance, and is a slow burn romance... I was freakin' sold.

This was a cute, easy, and fun read. At times, the main character, Nicki, got on my nerves. She's very quirky and clumsy and even ends up cracking her head open and possibly concussing herself at one point. It felt very Bella Swan and 50% of her accidents could have been removed from the novel and the story wouldn't have suffered for it. I do appreciate, and maybe this is just me reading too far into things, that she seemed to be possibly ADHD-coded. Clumsiness, forgetful, having a strong need for routine but a difficulty adhering to routine, being impulsive at the worst possible times... all felt very ADHD to me, and I liked seeing that in a character. I just wish she'd been less of a walking danger zone. The number of trips, falls, dropping of items, spilling of beverages felt like overkill.

Carter, the love interest, was positively dreamy. That's it, no notes. She's not perfect or a Mary Sue, but she does her best while wearing her Carhartt jacket and chopping wood and selling pumpkins. It was sweet how she showed patience and grace to Nicki, even while Nicki was trying to self-sabotage the relationship before it even started. We could all be so lucky to have someone be that gentle with us.

This one was a 3.5 star rounded up. The

Spoiler

third act almost-breakup

prevented this from being a four star book for me, because I'm not a fan of that trope at all;

Spoiler

I find it to be lazy and create tension that lasts only a few pages.

I expect that trick out of my heterosexual romances, I have higher hopes for the LGBTQ ones.

fictionmajorette's review

4.0

https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2023/12/romance-wrap-up-november-2023.html

This was such a cute romance and it perfectly captured the autumn vibes I was hoping it would.  Nicki and Carter are both in their 40s and both are cautious with their hearts so they aren't going out on a limb for just any romance.  This was a bit of a shorter read at 264 pages, but it still managed to pull off a slow(ish) burn romance. I liked that the romance was a little slower so it gave Nicki and Carter more time to get to know the other.  I loved the amount of simple, little dates they went on and small conversations they had that consistently got deeper as their relationship bloomed. We get a good cast of small town characters as well and some quirky antics.  

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.
Publication date was October 10, 2023

courtneyslibrary_'s review

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Possible Spoilers!

Pumpkin Spice… am I right in saying that the word just makes Autumn feel slightly more cosy! I’m obsessed with Pumpkin Spice so to have a book that surrounds itself with the word just made me feel warm inside.

Nicki… now there was something about her character that though annoyed me, I could actually understand why they did what they did . Being the only representative to turn up to set up for the Halloween festival just screamed something will happen! Though the clumsiness and the obsession to know Carters real name was what made me notice her character for sure. Have to say “accidentally” falling in someone’s arms is genius

curiosityp's review

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This sweet romance had me hooked from the start and I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning to finish it in one sitting.
I loved that the story is told from one main character's perspective so we don't get to know all that is going on.  While I was able to foresee some of the misunderstandings, there was still enough surprise to keep the story fresh.
I enjoyed the gentle romance without much graphic sexual description.
Although not specifically stated in the book, I believe that Nicki has social anxiety disorder and displays some neurodivergent traits, which I support.  This book is a wonderful balance of baggage and banter.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC!