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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham is a cozy, heartwarming small-town romance perfect for fall reading. The author’s vivid descriptions of the Maple Falls setting and seasonal dishes envelop readers in a warm, festive atmosphere. I enjoyed the charming community and the second-chance romance between Madison and Zach, which brought plenty of tension and chemistry.
However, the frequent miscommunication between the leads introduced some frustration and slowed the story’s emotional momentum, which made me lower my rating from 4 to 3.5 stars. Despite this, the book remains a delightful escape filled with autumnal charm and comforting vibes, ideal for readers who love gentle, spicy romances with community spirit.
Recommended to anyone seeking a seasonal, comforting read with a touch of spice and a lot of heart.
However, the frequent miscommunication between the leads introduced some frustration and slowed the story’s emotional momentum, which made me lower my rating from 4 to 3.5 stars. Despite this, the book remains a delightful escape filled with autumnal charm and comforting vibes, ideal for readers who love gentle, spicy romances with community spirit.
Recommended to anyone seeking a seasonal, comforting read with a touch of spice and a lot of heart.
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
We definitely got small town vibes and steamy romance!
However, I must admit that as much as I enjoyed the premises of this book it just fel flat for me. I felt like the whole book was just miscommunication after miscommunication and due to this the romance was constantly doing a hot and cold cycle. I also thought the plot was quite predictable and honestly I feel like the story and plot about the inn were more interesting and would have loved to read more about it.
I liked the characters in this book and it gave me Gilmore Girl vibes which I liked. I do admit that due to there being so many characters we only got a general vibe from it was difficult to remember who was who since they didnt feel like separate characters.
Also due to constant miscommunication I feel like there was very little character growth throughout the book. However, there was some growth in the last chapters which was nice!
All in all I enjoyed reading this book and felt like the book and plot definitely had potential, I just felt like it didn't quite reach it.
However, I must admit that as much as I enjoyed the premises of this book it just fel flat for me. I felt like the whole book was just miscommunication after miscommunication and due to this the romance was constantly doing a hot and cold cycle. I also thought the plot was quite predictable and honestly I feel like the story and plot about the inn were more interesting and would have loved to read more about it.
I liked the characters in this book and it gave me Gilmore Girl vibes which I liked. I do admit that due to there being so many characters we only got a general vibe from it was difficult to remember who was who since they didnt feel like separate characters.
Also due to constant miscommunication I feel like there was very little character growth throughout the book. However, there was some growth in the last chapters which was nice!
All in all I enjoyed reading this book and felt like the book and plot definitely had potential, I just felt like it didn't quite reach it.
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
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
This was a fun and easy read and they had plenty of connection, and spice - what they lacked - FRUSTRATINGLY SO - was the lack of communication and jumping to conclusions continued to be an issue from the start to the end of the book. It was lovely and fun. I went between listening and reading - thank you netgalley for letting me enjoy and review.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
If you're looking for a cozy fall Hallmark movie type romcom - this is the one for you! We've got a FMC who leaves the big city to come back home to a small town to save her family's inn and then mix in a little second chance romance because that ex she was hoping she wouldn't run in to? Yeah he's the handyman helping to fix up the inn! Also, we get a little hint of mystery because she only came back because of an anonymous typed letter saying her dad needed help and the inn was in trouble ... and other town members are getting them too? Let the games begin!
All in all, this was exactly what I was hoping it would be and it was only made better by the weather starting to cool down so I could enjoy my morning coffee out on the porch while reading. I loved the small town vibes, you get a plethora of secondary characters that actually have real personalities and I could picture all of the older women sitting around gossiping in town.
There is a bit of a miscommunication trope, so might be good to know if that's an absolute deal breaker for you, but to me I think it was more reminiscent of how their relationship originally ended and the fact that they did not communicate or fight for each other and their fear that its happening again. Could it have been handled better? Absolutely, and also there's other plot lines occurring so to me, it made sense why there might have been conflicting priorities.
Such a cute and cozy fall book! Can't wait to read more - already counting down the days until book 2 is released because it's about Liam and is Christmas themed?!
All in all, this was exactly what I was hoping it would be and it was only made better by the weather starting to cool down so I could enjoy my morning coffee out on the porch while reading. I loved the small town vibes, you get a plethora of secondary characters that actually have real personalities and I could picture all of the older women sitting around gossiping in town.
There is a bit of a miscommunication trope, so might be good to know if that's an absolute deal breaker for you, but to me I think it was more reminiscent of how their relationship originally ended and the fact that they did not communicate or fight for each other and their fear that its happening again. Could it have been handled better? Absolutely, and also there's other plot lines occurring so to me, it made sense why there might have been conflicting priorities.
Such a cute and cozy fall book! Can't wait to read more - already counting down the days until book 2 is released because it's about Liam and is Christmas themed?!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham is a cozy fall pumpkin-spice romance. It follows the story of carpenter Zach and food critic Madison, high school sweethearts who had a falling out when Madison moved to New York. In this book, Madison is back in their small town trying to save her family's Cinnamon Spice Inn with the help of Zach and the town's people. It's a small-town-community romance with fun and caring characters.
I enjoyed the vibes in this book, especially the food. Cinnamon rolls with apple butter continuously appear. And the characters are always meeting in the local café, chocolate shop, or the inn's kitchen. I also liked the premise: a carpenter and a food critic set in a small town with many community characters.
I did not enjoy the plot as much as I had hoped to. If you don't like the miscommunication trope, then this book is not for you — and I don't like this trope. Every problem between Zach and Madison revolves around miscommunication and poor explanations. They first broke up because Madison wrongly interpreted Zach was cheating on her and Zach assumed she was avoiding him when her phone was on airplane mode. These miscommunications keep happening throughout the book, and by the end, I didn't want them to be together because they communicated so poorly. I considered DNFing many times because of these frustrating simple miscommunications. I wish it had a more complex plot and conflict.
While I liked the characters' backgrounds, they weren't really expanded on — and I love character depth. Madison is a food critic, but she never discusses what exactly she did in New York or how she became such a highly acclaimed food critic. We also don't learn as much about the emotional connections between her and Zach, her and her mother, and her and her father. Her father is almost a background character even though she returns to the small town specifically to support him.
I loved the vibes and setting of this book, but I missed a lot of depth that you can find in other fall romances. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy:
- small-town romances with community relationships
- fall, Halloween, and pumpkin spice vibes
- low spice romance
- miscommunication trope
Thank you to Bookouture and Harper Graham for this ARC!
2.75 stars
I enjoyed the vibes in this book, especially the food. Cinnamon rolls with apple butter continuously appear. And the characters are always meeting in the local café, chocolate shop, or the inn's kitchen. I also liked the premise: a carpenter and a food critic set in a small town with many community characters.
I did not enjoy the plot as much as I had hoped to. If you don't like the miscommunication trope, then this book is not for you — and I don't like this trope. Every problem between Zach and Madison revolves around miscommunication and poor explanations. They first broke up because Madison wrongly interpreted Zach was cheating on her and Zach assumed she was avoiding him when her phone was on airplane mode. These miscommunications keep happening throughout the book, and by the end, I didn't want them to be together because they communicated so poorly. I considered DNFing many times because of these frustrating simple miscommunications. I wish it had a more complex plot and conflict.
While I liked the characters' backgrounds, they weren't really expanded on — and I love character depth. Madison is a food critic, but she never discusses what exactly she did in New York or how she became such a highly acclaimed food critic. We also don't learn as much about the emotional connections between her and Zach, her and her mother, and her and her father. Her father is almost a background character even though she returns to the small town specifically to support him.
I loved the vibes and setting of this book, but I missed a lot of depth that you can find in other fall romances. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy:
- small-town romances with community relationships
- fall, Halloween, and pumpkin spice vibes
- low spice romance
- miscommunication trope
Thank you to Bookouture and Harper Graham for this ARC!
2.75 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A cozy escape with a few bumps along the way.
The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham is a charming, feel-good read perfect for curling up with on a chilly afternoon. The setting—a quaint inn nestled in a picturesque town—offers all the cozy vibes you'd expect, and the descriptions of cinnamon-scented air and warm pastries are delightful.
The romance is sweet, and the characters are likable, though I found some of the emotional beats a bit rushed. The pacing felt uneven at times, with certain plot points resolving too quickly while others lingered without much development. I also wished for a bit more depth in the character arcs—especially the protagonist, who had great potential but didn’t quite evolve as much as I’d hoped.
Still, if you're looking for a light, heartwarming story with a festive touch and a sprinkle of small-town charm, this one might hit the spot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A cozy escape with a few bumps along the way.
The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham is a charming, feel-good read perfect for curling up with on a chilly afternoon. The setting—a quaint inn nestled in a picturesque town—offers all the cozy vibes you'd expect, and the descriptions of cinnamon-scented air and warm pastries are delightful.
The romance is sweet, and the characters are likable, though I found some of the emotional beats a bit rushed. The pacing felt uneven at times, with certain plot points resolving too quickly while others lingered without much development. I also wished for a bit more depth in the character arcs—especially the protagonist, who had great potential but didn’t quite evolve as much as I’d hoped.
Still, if you're looking for a light, heartwarming story with a festive touch and a sprinkle of small-town charm, this one might hit the spot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNFd it at 30% - and I don’t usually DNF so that’s saying something
I should have read the tropes bc the whole plot of the book was based on a miscommunication and there is nothing more that pisses me off. Also there should be a 3rd person POV trigger warning on books 🙄🙄
I tried to look past the miscommunication trope and the 3rd person POV but the writing was repetitive and it felt like everything was OVER explained/described like a word count was trying to be met.
I was hoping for a cute fall romance to kick off the season but was honestly pretty disappointed…
I should have read the tropes bc the whole plot of the book was based on a miscommunication and there is nothing more that pisses me off. Also there should be a 3rd person POV trigger warning on books 🙄🙄
I tried to look past the miscommunication trope and the 3rd person POV but the writing was repetitive and it felt like everything was OVER explained/described like a word count was trying to be met.
I was hoping for a cute fall romance to kick off the season but was honestly pretty disappointed…
Content Warnings
3rd person POV
It’s labeled as enemies to lovers when it’s not really that it’s more like jilted exes
Miscommunication trope
ARC REVIEW
Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the audio arc.
This author did an amazing job of describing a small town autumn. I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of a Gilmore Girls episode. This was the equivalent of an autumn Hallmark movie. The relationship between Madison and Zach was cute but felt a bit rushed and the miscommunication became very frustrating at times. Overall this was a cute and cozy autumn romance.
Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the audio arc.
This author did an amazing job of describing a small town autumn. I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of a Gilmore Girls episode. This was the equivalent of an autumn Hallmark movie. The relationship between Madison and Zach was cute but felt a bit rushed and the miscommunication became very frustrating at times. Overall this was a cute and cozy autumn romance.
The Cinnamon Spice Inn will knock you out with the fall vibes that are packed into every chapter. I read the ebook and audio book and honestly, I hope the paperback is scratch and sniff cause it will only add to it 😅 🍁 🍃🍂
I mostly enjoyed the story, but didn’t connect with the characters as much as I like to. It was overall a little too cheesy, not in a terrible way, really, but like it could be a Hallmark movie I’d find comforting to have on each fall in the background to usher in the season. Focus on the vibes, not the plot.
Ultimately I’m happy for more authors to get on the small town Gilmore Girls inspo bandwagon.
No issues with the narration, so I’d recommend the audiobook!
Thank you to Bookoutre for the early copies to review.
I mostly enjoyed the story, but didn’t connect with the characters as much as I like to. It was overall a little too cheesy, not in a terrible way, really, but like it could be a Hallmark movie I’d find comforting to have on each fall in the background to usher in the season. Focus on the vibes, not the plot.
Ultimately I’m happy for more authors to get on the small town Gilmore Girls inspo bandwagon.
No issues with the narration, so I’d recommend the audiobook!
Thank you to Bookoutre for the early copies to review.