PUMPKIN EVERYTHING Book Review

Pumpkin Everything¹ (book 1 in An Autumnboro Sweet Romance series) by Beth LaBonte, eBook, 194 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: After calling off her fall wedding, horror novelist Amy Fox is left with a broken heart, a mega case of writer’s block, and a serious aversion to all things pumpkin spice. When she receives news that her grandfather has broken his wrist driving through a Dunkin Donuts—literally straight through the front windows—five hundred miles away, in her hometown of Autumnboro, New Hampshire, Amy has no choice but to return to check on him. If she doesn’t make sure that he’s back on his feet, Grandpa may be moved into assisted living, and Amy’s beloved childhood home will be put on the market. Knowing she must return, Amy worries about the only thing worse than pumpkin spice—a reunion with Kit Parker—her childhood best friend, first love, and entire reason for skipping town in the first place. As the two reconnect, a second chance seems possible...if only Kit weren’t holding on to a secret that just might unravel everything.

BOOK REVIEW: This was the perfect Fall season read. I mean we have a small town called Autumnboro (hello), a small shop literally called Pumpkin Everything, and even a little small town romance! What's not to love in a cozy read. This is another book that I literally picked up because of the cover and it did not disappoint. It wasn't until after I announced it would be our book club's September read that I found out it was turned into a Hallmark movie. Just know that if you watch the movie and plan to read the book, the two are VERY different and really the movie could have been called something else and it would have still been good but you cannot compare the two. That's how different they are.

I love that this setting is also in Fall. Fall is my favorite time of year because I can be in a sweatshirt and shorts in the morning, shorts and a tank in afternoon, and yoga pants and a t-shirt in the evening. Well actually at this point in my life I could live in shorts and a sports bra all day every day with this perma-hot flash I have going on but that's getting off topic! I did get a few chuckles at Amy's aversion to pumpkin spice because of her called off wedding. I definitely loved that she based her books and characters loosely on people in her town. I did think it was weird that she was from such a small town, everyone knew her and that she had several books out, and yet no one had read her books besides Kit...

Overall this was cute, cozy, and warm and a total 5 star read for me. The characters are great and you really feel like you get to know them each a little better throughout the story. The author paints such a beautiful picture of the scenery around the town and on the adventure Amy and Kit go on. There's a little drama sprinkled here and there that just adds to the coziness of this story. At the time of this review, the book is available in the KU member library so I highly recommend giving it a read and if you watch the movie after just keep in mind that it's very different.

5/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 57/50 complete

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