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A review by anacarter
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
╭ ✦ •
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
╰ ✦ •
This book is an absolute vibe—cozy, charming, and packed with autumn aesthetics. If you’re looking for something that gives Gilmore Girls vibes, this delivers in full. However, while I enjoyed my time with it, there were a few things that held it back from being a standout read.
I actually started this last October but had to put it on hold to read ARCs. Coming back to it, I was excited for the cozy, small-town feel, and in that regard, it didn’t disappoint. The setting is, without a doubt, the best part. Dream Harbor is basically a Stars Hollow clone, which was fun, but it felt a little too close at times—especially with the author writing under the alias Laurie Gilmore.
Jeanie and Logan had fun banter, and their chemistry was sweet, but wow, they were both so annoying. The insta love was a bit much, and their third-act breakup? Completely unnecessary. Logan especially frustrated me—his lack of communication skills was exhausting, and his trust issues made him difficult to root for.
Speaking of Logan, can we please talk about his inner monologue?! It was painful. We get it, you have abandonment issues, who doesn’t? But the way he constantly assumed Jeanie was going to leave, even after she repeatedly told him she loved the town and wasn’t selling the café, drove me crazy. Like, bro, grow a pair and take a risk! ughh
And Jeanie? I liked her overall, but her decision-making skills were questionable. I hated how she refused to call the police after her Café was vandalized. Then when she caught Norman—the guy literally plotting against her—she was so nonchalant about it?! GIRL, he sabotaged your business, and you’re just chill about it?
The whole Norman situation was underwhelming. His reveal just randomly admitting, “It’s me. I’ve been tampering with the business,” followed by some weak excuse about how he wanted her aunt to leave him the Café/sell it to him—felt abrupt, lazy, and completely lackluster.
I wish the mystery reveal was done better. I loved Jeanie and Logan's stakeout near the beginning. I kept thinking how the mystery would be solved, perhaps a fun, cozy yet suspenseful stakeout that would lead to a big, dramatic reveal-Norman breaking in or something, and bam—mystery solved! But instead, the whole thing felt rushed and disappointing. I'm actually so sad about it😭😭
Despite all my critiques, I did still enjoy parts of this. It’s not the kind of book that will blow you away, but if you’re in the mood for something light, cozy, and autumnal, it’s a decent pick. I’ll likely check out the rest of the series since I actually have them but also, sometimes all you need is a book with great vibes—and this one definitely did that.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Gilmore Girls Vibes
❥cozy autumn/ fall vibes
❥grumpy x sunshine
❥small-town romance
❥a bit of spice
❥found family
❥small mystery
❥farmer x cafe owner
❥HEA
_________________________________
The Pumpkin Spice Café | Review
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store | TBR
The Christmas Tree Farm | TBR
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House | TBR
The Gingerbread Bakery | TBR
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│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
╰ ✦ •
This book is an absolute vibe—cozy, charming, and packed with autumn aesthetics. If you’re looking for something that gives Gilmore Girls vibes, this delivers in full. However, while I enjoyed my time with it, there were a few things that held it back from being a standout read.
I actually started this last October but had to put it on hold to read ARCs. Coming back to it, I was excited for the cozy, small-town feel, and in that regard, it didn’t disappoint. The setting is, without a doubt, the best part. Dream Harbor is basically a Stars Hollow clone, which was fun, but it felt a little too close at times—especially with the author writing under the alias Laurie Gilmore.
Jeanie and Logan had fun banter, and their chemistry was sweet, but wow, they were both so annoying. The insta love was a bit much, and their third-act breakup? Completely unnecessary. Logan especially frustrated me—his lack of communication skills was exhausting, and his trust issues made him difficult to root for.
Speaking of Logan, can we please talk about his inner monologue?! It was painful. We get it, you have abandonment issues, who doesn’t? But the way he constantly assumed Jeanie was going to leave, even after she repeatedly told him she loved the town and wasn’t selling the café, drove me crazy. Like, bro, grow a pair and take a risk! ughh
And Jeanie? I liked her overall, but her decision-making skills were questionable. I hated how she refused to call the police after her Café was vandalized. Then when she caught Norman—the guy literally plotting against her—she was so nonchalant about it?! GIRL, he sabotaged your business, and you’re just chill about it?
The whole Norman situation was underwhelming. His reveal just randomly admitting, “It’s me. I’ve been tampering with the business,” followed by some weak excuse about how he wanted her aunt to leave him the Café/sell it to him—felt abrupt, lazy, and completely lackluster.
I wish the mystery reveal was done better. I loved Jeanie and Logan's stakeout near the beginning. I kept thinking how the mystery would be solved, perhaps a fun, cozy yet suspenseful stakeout that would lead to a big, dramatic reveal-Norman breaking in or something, and bam—mystery solved! But instead, the whole thing felt rushed and disappointing. I'm actually so sad about it😭😭
Despite all my critiques, I did still enjoy parts of this. It’s not the kind of book that will blow you away, but if you’re in the mood for something light, cozy, and autumnal, it’s a decent pick. I’ll likely check out the rest of the series since I actually have them but also, sometimes all you need is a book with great vibes—and this one definitely did that.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Gilmore Girls Vibes
❥cozy autumn/ fall vibes
❥grumpy x sunshine
❥small-town romance
❥a bit of spice
❥found family
❥small mystery
❥farmer x cafe owner
❥HEA
_________________________________
The Pumpkin Spice Café | Review
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store | TBR
The Christmas Tree Farm | TBR
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House | TBR
The Gingerbread Bakery | TBR
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