Кафене Пъмпкин Спайс

Dream Harbor #1

by Laurie Gilmore, Лори Гилмор, Карина Горанова (Translator)

Добре дошли в Дрийм Харбър, идилично малко градче, в което всички се познават и нищо не може да остане скрито – дори тайните на сърцето.

Джийни пристига в Дрийм Харбър като новата собственичка на обичаното от всички кафене „Пъмпкин Спайс“ – тъкмо навреме, защото жителите на градчето са напът да вдигнат бунт заради липсата на хубаво кафе. Ала нещо сякаш се опитва да попречи на Джийни да започне своя нов и така различен живот.

И тогава се появява спасението – Логан, който би бил на корицата на всеки брой на списание „Седмичник на секси фермера“, ако някой се беше сетил да издава такова. Тих и стеснителен, той страни от вниманието и градските клюки. А ако има нещо, което жителите на Дрийм Харбър най-много обичат да правят, то е да пият кафе и да клюкарстват. Пристигането на жизнерадостна фурия като Джийни разклаща спокойния живот на Логан и въпреки че се опитва да избяга, той е неудържимо привлечен от нея.

Джийни и Логан са точно толкова различни един от друг, колкото са нощта и денят. Но дали искреното желание за нов живот на младото момиче е способно да събуди сърцето на мълчаливеца, чиято тайна целият град знае?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Cozy, Contemporary Romance, Book Club

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2023

About the author

Laurie Gilmore is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, and Globe & Mail bestselling author who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. The first book in the series, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, was featured on Good Morning America and was named the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024.

She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. If you ever wished you lived in Stars Hollow (or that Luke and Lorelai would just get together already!) then her books are definitely for you.

Reviews

[SK · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy and comforting book. Gives the perfect autumn and Gilmore Girls vibes but some things could have been better.

I liked the characters and the small town setting. Jeanie and Logan have pretty good chemistry but wasn't a fan of insta love. The fact they wanted each other after their first meet was a bit much. A slow burn would have been much better. I would have still rated it four stars had it not been for the third act break, it was so stupid and kinda made me dislike Logan 😅 Not every romance book needs to have a third act breakup and I wish authors would seriously start considering that.

Anyway, it's a super easy read and despite the two issues, I still had a good time with it.

[Lydia ☽︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had the potential to be a really cute, autumny romance but ugh, I hated the love interest.
Up until the epilogue I wanted to shout “go see a therapist!”

Also, this is one of them books where if you took a shot every time there was miscommunication, you’d end up on the floor.

And to top it all off, there was the insta-love!
Like, you people barely know each other, you are not in love. Stop it.

[Jack Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cosy autumnal vibes set in a small town, but that’s ultimately all this book is…. vibes. I wanted to shake the author and say just slow down!!!!! These people just met!!!!! Every crisis doesn’t need to be resolved within a few paragraphs!!!!!! Let’s linger for a moment!!!!!

To use a term from the title: this book is like a carved out pumpkin — pretty on the surface but so hollowed out that we’re left with no real substance. There is definitely “spice” though, if that’s your thing.

[Rida · Rating 1 out of 5]

everyday i tell myself not to listen to tiktok reviews but it doesn’t work and then i waste my time

[Cameron-Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated everyone but Casper the cat.

[Kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminds me of if AI watched 100 Hallmark movies and every episode of Gilmore Girls and then wrote a book.

[chan ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

alright so sorta my bad cause the cover was giving cozy mystery and i felt misled

but as a contemporary romance reader i was fucking bored. no chemistry, no vibes, i was not charmed.

[Alex Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was worse than a Hallmark movie (and I love Hallmark movies). I know I’m choosing to read cheesy, cliche fall books - but this one was almost unbearable. The writing and dialogue made me want to cringe the whole time. I could barely make it through…almost a DNF. Best part of the whole book were the farm animals being named after pop stars.

[Brady Lockerby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 - The Pumpkin Spice Café with an emphasis on the SPICE okayyyy Logan 😛 Literally Gilmore Girls in a book! Small town cafe owner and a hot farmer, what else can we ask for? Allll the fall vibes, cute banter, and a good amount of spice. Loved it! Can’t wait for the next one!

[Esther · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and eye-rollingly bad. One star for the cover.
The setting was cute and the vibes were there. Autumn in a small New England town, a coffee shop, pastries galore... What could possibly go wrong? Alas, as I quickly found out, a lot COULD go wrong.

The characters and plot simply did not deliver.
This novel promises to be a grumpy-sunshine romance, but grumpy ain't really grumping in my opinion. He was an introvert, not grumpy. Sue me.

In addition, this book features insta-love, which is a trope that is not for me. What is a romance novel without some good tension?
The only tension in this novel stemmed from the "great conflict" (will the reformed city girl turn her back on the small town life after all????) seemed super stupid and was hilariously easy to overcome.

They could've seriously cut down on chapters and words, and nothing would have changed.

P.S.: what straight white male farmer names his chickens Taylor, Beyoncé, etc. and his alpaca Harry Styles? Sorry, but this just SCREAMED millennial white woman to me. Signed, a millennial white woman.

[deniz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,75 ☆

I have to admit that this was not my usual read, but with a perfect blend of fall vibes warmth and the grumpy×sunshine trope, this book was an absolute treat.
There's some steam ,a little mystery woven throughout the tale as well as a host of wonderful characters

The book was aiming for something different. It's about enjoying the simple pleasures of a feel-good, heartwarming story without expecting it to redefine literature.Made me think about the act “art of noticing”.


"No one could live a laid back, quaint, small town life with a murderer outside their back door."

🍁Cozy autumn/ fall vibes
🍁Grumpy/sunshine
🍁small town romance
🍁a bit of spice
🍁found family

One of the sub-plots was mystery. I'd have liked a bit more from this if l'm honest, but I still enjoyed it nevertheless.
The midnight ghost hunt, complete with all the snacks you could ask for.


“ was a strange time for a reinvention. Fall was better for snuggling and eating food covered in gravy"


When Jeanie inherits the Pumpkin Spice Café, she brings her cheerful spirit and pumpkin spice lattes to the town.
Logan, a grumpy (hottie) farmer with an aversion to town gossip (he has a reason for it), will find his world turned upside down with Jeanie's arrival.I loved the relatable hesitation from Logan after his broken heart and Jeannie trying to prioritise re-inventing herself over her niggling fondness of Logan


"Wow, new Jeanie was bold. Maybe it was all that farmer smut she'd been reading; the way that milkmaid really chased her own pleasure."

I have to say, the love story moved very fast which was slightly unrealistic & the town was a little too perfect.
It definitely has Gilmore Girls vibes, but it also made me think of Hart of Dixie and Virgin River which i adore.

So, take it for what it is: a delightful escape into a cozy world,with a little bit of a pumpkin spice🌶️🤏🏼

[abi-mai · Rating 1 out of 5]

once more i have been aggressively lied to by tik tok

the male love interest in this has an alpaca named harry styles and a chicken called lizzo, and that honestly tells u everything u need to know about this book x

[chloé ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

revolutionary? no.
autumnal? infinitely.

just a silly, cutesy, cozy time. ☕️🍂🧡

[Mel]

DNF @ 55%

I should’ve known to DNF when I found out the alpaca was named Harry Styles😭

[Yana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is THE FALL BOOK! Literally the most coziest book ever! I don’t even like 3rd pov books, but the writing of this one was perfect. From literally first paragraph I fell in love with Dream Harbor and everyone in it. Just wow

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He loved how early it got dark, how high and hot the bonfire grew, how the whole night felt cozy and spooky at once."

Jeanie has always done things 'by the book' - right down to pencil-pushing job and the sensible wardrobe - but for the first time, she's doing something crazy.

"Jeanie Ellis had never killed a man before, but tonight might be the night."

(Just kidding about the quote above, she's going crazy but not crazy). Jeanie's aunt gives her a café and after Jeanie's boss dies (in part) from stress, Jeanie decides to go for the Pumpkin Spice Café. Surely running a café would be a nice, low-stress kinda job...right?

"All you can do is the best you can do."

But soon the stressors do pile up - she needs to hit the ground running because the people in Dream Harbor do not skimp on their opinions about coffee...and her.

There's Logan, the cute farmer who everyone warns her against, and the weird spooky noises that happen at night, AND on top of that someone is sabotaging the café - and yet, despite the ever-growing list of negatives, Jeanie finds herself snuggling into this sleepy (if a bit gossipy) town.

For the first time, in a long time, she feels...at home.

"I've loved you since I saw how many tiny pumpkins you could carry in your arms."

Okay, first impressions: I literally just picked this one up and THERE'S FIVE OUT? ALREADY??? Talk about a commitment!

Right before this one, I read Legends and Lattes and freaking loved the cozy coffee shop vibes, so when I saw that The Pumpkin Spice Café was available on Libby, I decided to go for it...and after reading it, I just have to say I'm going all in. RIP my holds on Libby cause I've got every single one of them in there.

This one was cozy, it was cute, it was chock-full of nosy villagers ready for the latest gossip on their sweetheart farmerboy who's maybe (probably) falling for the stressed-out-city-girl. (Hallmark, are you taking notes?).

I had so much fun with all the town-hall meetings, and all the 'investigations' made by the book club and old ladies in the town.

The mystery itself was a bit...how should I say...light on the mystery (I kinda figured it out early) but at the same time, I was enjoying the fall vibes of this book so much that I reaaaaaally didn't care too much.

All in all, I'm so excited to read the next one. I think I'm going to wait for Libby to have them all about ready to go and just shotgun this series. I hate waiting between books!!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book at the perfect time for me. That title and cute cover was calling me ☺️ This has a light mystery to it and the romance was surprisingly pretty spicy 🌶️ Think Hallmark story sped up a couple of notches.

Jeanie has inherited her Aunt Dot’s coffee shop. Her Aunt wants to retire to Florida. Jeanie is ready for a change of pace and leaves her job in Boston and heads to the small New England town of Dream Harbor. There she meets a local farmer named Logan, who seems grumpy but he’s only guarding his heart because it’s recently been broken. While suspicious things star happening at the cafe Jeanie and Logan begin to grow close. It’s a bit of insta-love but this time it worked for me.

It’s a cute story that was a perfect start to my Fall reading 🍂 The backdrop of the small town and its various characters added to the enjoyment of the story for me. If you’re looking for a story with some Fall vibes that isn’t overly done this is for you.

I listened to this on audio and the narration is good. I’m looking forward to reading or listening to the next instalment in the series.

[Sophie Jayne Miller]

I fear I can't work out my feelings on thisbecause the vibes were 10/10 Gilmore girls autumnal energy but also felt very insta-lovey & I'm not sure I looooved the storyline?!?! But the vibes are so fun so unsure

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This is a really cute, quirky, small town, grumpy/sunshine romance perfect for autumn (obviously, right? lol)

I think the best way to describe this book- is that it's a lighthearted, delightfully funny campy read.. I am not a Gilmore Girls die hard fan or anything so don't come for me if you read this and say it's not comparable but I found it to be similar in setting and characters.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Jeanie our FMC is a pretty neurotic, OCD and funny woman who has recently left her high stress, high pressure job in the bustling city of Boston and has moved to a small, tight knit town to take over her aunt's café and get a fresh start.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Our MC Logan is a sexy farmer and a total cinnamon roll btw who has had a troubled past with love and has been burned before, so opening up again is a bit of a challenge for him - I love him.

The town has a cluster of friends who are all very quirky and fun in their own right, very reminiscent of how I feel when I watch Gilmore Girls, or even Virgin River with their book clubs, or sewing circles. And always meddling in your business but with the best intentions always.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Not my typical type of read, but I was really craving something lighthearted, funny, autumnal with endearing characters and Laurie Gilmore hit the mark for me. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a book that serves as a little chicken soup for the soul.

[Nikola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ta książka jest tak głęboka jak brodzik na basenie.

[ivy · Rating 1 out of 5]

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 1.25 stars ✶

﹒ꗃ the main problem that i think book suffers from is trying too hard to be seasonal and not developing anything else as much. the autumnal vibes in this book were perfect ✨, but the characters, their relationships, and the world-building was extremely shallow. the fall feel was the only thing that kept me reading this book, everything else was instantly forgettable.

⠀⠀ ☆ ( the characters ) ...

﹒ꗃ logan ; jeanie both of them were so shallow i genuinly have nothing to say about them. they felt like blown up balloons of people. that is to say: nothing. they had no distinguished traits - they could have been replaced by any character in the world.

⤹ the setting was definitely the best part of the book. it felt like a perfect version of fall - a cute cozy bookstore, a coffee shop famous for its pumpkin spice coffees, colorful leaves lining the streets, town meetings, cats visiting your house, etc.

﹑ꕤ﹒୧ the relationship so. dry. what was this. it was just insta love in the purest form. nothing special that they shared and no spark whatsoever. again, this relationship could've been between any two other characters. there was nothing that stood out about it.

୭౿ ！🗝️ overall ; read if you want immaculate fall vibes. ( i guess the book really succeeded in this category )

⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹

☆ ── preread ⊹
time to finally start reading fall books 🍂🌖🕯️

⌗ fall book #1!

[Carly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The description was so Luke and Lorelai coded but this execution was a huge let down ☹️ !! They have the same fight three times in the last 70 pages and surprise surprise it’s bc they aren’t communicating with eachother!

Also I need some clarification because Logan is painted to be this introverted grumpy farmer man who won’t even go to the town hall meetings because he hates attention so much but then decides to propose to his ex gf in front of the entire town? Oooook

[Freya Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in a day. Perfect book in between heavier books, it was just what I needed. Super quick easy read and sometimes it's nice to have predictability in a book! I will say I was not expecting the spice though 😂 it started off so tame but it's wild towards the end! It's always the innocent looking covers that shock you the most xo

[Paige (on and off) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars 🌟

I feel like people like the aesthetic of this book more than the book itself but let’s see if it’s worth the hype 👀

I guess I was right 😅 it was super bland and insta love for me. I fell asleep while reading it and basically had to start again which should have been my sign.

It does meet the cozy / small town brief but there wasn’t really much going on. I did like the farmer and they had some cute scenes together but I didn’t get the sense we knew enough about the characters to be invested in them. The “mystery” element was also heavily spoon-fed to the reader so there was no surprises towards the end.

If this wasn’t short I probably would have dnf’d it. If you go in expecting a hallmark romance you might find some enjoyment in it.

P.s I forgot to mention the spicy alpha’s name is Harry Styles 💀

Tropes:

🍂 grumpy x sunshine
🍂 small town / cozy romance
🍂 found family
🍂 mild spice

[Karla Espinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in between giving this 3.5 stars and 4 stars. Not a bad book AT ALL!! It was just a simple and straight forward story. I will say the fall vibes in this did not dissapoint!! I'm obsessed with everything about this town and every character in it. If you want a quick story that's going to have a beautiful and cozy fall setting, then this would be a great one. I enjoyed this book for what is was and even though it wasn't anything revolutionary, I'm still planning on reading the rest of this series because I did find it incredibly charming. I know this book and this series became very popular recently, but I think this is one where you just have to read it to find out if it's really for you!

[Dolinka · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 24%

The only good thing about this book is the cover. It’s so badly written I can’t look past it.

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patreon Book Club Book 🧡

This is a Hallmark movie with spice

[aira · Rating 1 out of 5]

is the grumpy farmer in the room with us?? not to mention the fact that this was so boring 🥸

[Tori Stonehouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was bad. Every other chapter was basically a conversation about what happened in the previous chapter. Complete snoozefest that I was really debating on DNFing. Obviously I was thinking it’d be a cute hallmark read but I was annoyed the entire book.

[Emma Griffioen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! The Pumpkin Spice Café was a super cute, autumn-themed romance! It follows Jeanie, who recently moved to a small town called Dream Harbor to take over her Aunt Dot's café. As she's settling in town, she meets Logan, a local farmer and the two hit it off. It was sweet, a little spicy, and felt like a Hallmark movie. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series throughout the last few months of 2024!

Read my reviews for Laurie Gilmore's books here:
The Pumpkin Spice Café - 3.5 stars
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store - 3 stars
The Christmas Tree Farm - 3 stars