Reviews

Pumpkin Spice by Tagan Shepard

kayliereads_alot's review

DNF at 64%

When I saw this was a Sapphic cozy fall read I was so excited to read it. This book just wasn't doing it for me. The main character Nicki was not likeable. It was like a "not like other girls" trope but more of a "not like other lesbians" trope. I am not a fan of the "not like other girls" and this book is a good example of why. I also was just in a constant state of secondhand embarrassment for Nicki. I am a very clumsy person, but this book was like a string of clumsiness to the point where I would just roll my eyes when it happened.

The one thing I liked about this book was the love interest, Carter. Carter is the reason I was about to get as far as I did in this book.

Also I made it to the 60% mark and there was no plot. Cozy doesn't mean no plot and 10 pages talking about how to pick a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. The final straw for me was the forced jealousy. The tiny bit of plot that was there felt forced and unnecessary and it is the reason I decided to put this book down. I just wanted more from this book. I wanted more character development, I wanted more plot, and I wanted something to root for.

booksandbesitos's review

emotional funny slow-paced

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

2.75

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Okay, this book was a bit of a trip. 

There were a lot of things I liked, and some that I didn’t really love.

Our main character is an almost 40-year-old woman living in a small Virginia town. Her life doesn’t involve much dating or socializing. Oh, and she has two niblings whom she adores.

Eventually, these two situations collide when she takes her niece to a pumpkin patch and falls for the very attractive farmer.

Their romance is filled with pumpkin spice lattes, autumn strolls, small-town shenanigans, and haunted houses. It’s pretty cute; I feel like fall romance isn’t written about often. Between summer loves and winter holiday romances, fall romance is an overlooked genre.

As sweet and promising as the premise was, there were some things that took me out of it while reading.

There were a lot of details in the writing. Normally, it’s not a bad thing, but in this instance, the author did a lot of telling and not enough showing. It felt kind of long and dull at some points.

Another thing I didn’t really like was how the main character seemed so confused about what she wanted. At one point, she’s on a date while acting self-deprecating and telling herself the other woman does not like her. It made it hard to root for the couple when it seemed like the main character couldn’t. Thankfully, the sister made the rooting a little easier. 

Overall, it’s a good, short romance. Not too long or complicated. A cozy read for autumn lovers.

thepaperbackbruncher's review

4.0

Nicki cares for no one more than her little neice, so when she demands they go to the local pumpkin patch she can't resist... especially when she notices there is a sexy, new woman working at the venue. Carter is back home, working at her family's farm, and can't help but be charmed by the sweet, awkward Nicki... who seems to keep finding reasons to return back to their pumpkin patch.

Read if you love:
- PSLs duh
- WLW romance
- Fall festivities
- Realistic chemistry & meet cutes

Highly recommend, this book was super cute!

*Gifted by Netgalley & Bold Strokes Books - thank you! All opinions are my own.

clarke's review

3.0

A very cute autumnal romance, complete with pumpkins, haunted houses, and pumpkin spice lattes. Whilst this was a cute, relatively bog standard wlw romance, I felt it was a tad too slow and there was a lot of details of mundanities eg "I woke up three minutes before my alarm went off. This was a change because it was usually five minutes before the alarm, but I’d been so tired from my usual Thursday evening house cleaning that it didn’t surprise me to be sleeping in." Like, I'm sorry but that's just so boring?

Additionally, I found the plot line of Nikki trying to guess Carter's first name really icky, and I'm glad Rachel called Nikki out, but I wish this happened earlier or it was at least not mentioned in every interaction, especially for a queer book (I don't know if Rachel calling her out was too little too late? I may be biased about this though).

Thank you to net galley for the arc. 

sophieb_reads's review

lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

Thank you, NetGalley & Bold Strokes Books, for approving this ARC.

Pumpkin Spice is a feel-good sapphic autumn romance set around a cute village and a pumpkin patch.

Nicki is approaching 40, and her previous relationships have not worked out usually because she wants more than they do, and Carter also approaching 40 is new to town and her families farm, which hosts the pumpkin picking patch.

Most of the book is the build-up to their romance, which was fine as the addition of Nicki sister and cute 10 year old niece helped to not make the plot feel very slow.

1 to check out if you want an easy, feel-good read.

emmybird86's review

5.0

This cover and title made me grab this book so fast! Add in that it is a sapphic romance set in the fall and I was sold! The romance was so sweet and a little spicy. It was exactly what I wanted. I loved the family. The pumpkin farm was so fun and trick or treating with the kids was a blast. Niki and Carter are just the cutest. This book has me in the fall mood! Now I need a pumpkin treat! I highly recommend this one. 

jmontg18's review

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

sdevine's review

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

thesmuttyalex's review

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

In this sapphic seasoned Halloween themed romcom, Nicki is closed off to love when she meets Carter at the local pumpkin patch. 

 

You would think being 40 that Nicki would be more adult but she’s trapped in a juvenile cycle of ghosting dates and negging women. The third act conflict also is juvenile. Ladies. You’re forty. You’re overdue for therapy. When I read a seasoned romance I expect a mature character. None were to be found here. 

 

This whole book was generic and too low stakes to keep me engaged. It was a slog to get through and it’s only 220 pages. 

 

Still searching for the perfect sapphic romance. It definitely isn’t this one. 

 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 

Spice: 🌶️ 

POV: Solo 1st

alexa_frost's review

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

2.75

I was given an advanced copy of this book  by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Pumpkin spice is a small town romance book centred around Nicki, an awkward introvert who meets Carter at a pumpkin farm. While I enjoyed the premise for a holiday romance and do typically enjoy the hallmark movie style romance books, I struggled to get past how stereotypically millennial it was in every sense. This made many moments which were written to be sweet or relatable as slightly cringey. 
While not a primary character, my favourite part of the book was lily, the protagonists niece who was so perfectly written as a headstrong 9 year old.

Overall pumpkin spice was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read but was not a standout in the genre.