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Dream Harbor #1

The Pumpkin Spice Café

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Listening Length: 7 hours and 3 minutes

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes�

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

� grumpy x sunshine
� small town
� found family
� spicy

Audible Audio

First published August 30, 2023

30.9k people are currently reading
13.5k people want to read

About the author

Laurie Gilmore

15books7,128followers
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.

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5 stars
38,944 (12%)
4 stars
95,920 (30%)
3 stars
128,647 (40%)
2 stars
41,116 (13%)
1 star
9,619 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42,859 reviews
Profile Image for SK.
488 reviews10.1k followers
September 30, 2024
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.
Profile Image for Lydia.
221 reviews6 followers
September 13, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Jack Edwards.
Author1 book280k followers
November 3, 2024
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.
Profile Image for Rida.
56 reviews8 followers
September 22, 2023
everyday i tell myself not to listen to tiktok reviews but it doesn’t work and then i waste my time
Profile Image for Kaitlin.
57 reviews9 followers
October 14, 2023
This book reminds me of if AI watched 100 Hallmark movies and every episode of Gilmore Girls and then wrote a book.
Profile Image for chan ☆.
1,245 reviews58.7k followers
November 4, 2024
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.
Profile Image for deniz.
133 reviews826 followers
October 28, 2024
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
🍁Ұܳ/ܲԲ󾱲Ա
🍁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 辱🌶️🤏�
Profile Image for Brady Lockerby.
187 reviews97.6k followers
October 22, 2023
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!
Profile Image for Alex Graham.
118 reviews8 followers
September 14, 2023
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.
Profile Image for chloé ✿ .
203 reviews4,064 followers
November 5, 2024
revolutionary? no.
autumnal? infinitely.

just a silly, cutesy, cozy time. ☕️🍂🧡
Profile Image for Esther.
398 reviews31 followers
September 21, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Yana.
147 reviews18.8k followers
October 26, 2024
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
Profile Image for abi-mai.
91 reviews1 follower
October 3, 2023
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
Profile Image for Tina.
718 reviews1,598 followers
September 2, 2024
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.
Profile Image for Sophie Jayne Miller.
51 reviews10.3k followers
Read
October 11, 2024
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
Profile Image for ♥︎ Heather ⚔(Semi-Hiatus).
953 reviews3,632 followers
September 22, 2024
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.

˚₊� ͟͟͞͞➳❥ �. 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.

˚₊� ͟͟͞͞➳❥ �. 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.

˚₊� ͟͟͞͞➳❥ �. 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.
Profile Image for Paige (semi-hiatus).
303 reviews1,875 followers
November 2, 2024
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
Profile Image for Freya Nightingale.
44 reviews978 followers
October 17, 2023
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
Profile Image for Karla Espinosa.
142 reviews5,890 followers
September 30, 2024
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!
Profile Image for Emma Griffioen.
399 reviews3,348 followers
January 6, 2025
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
200 reviews13 followers
October 1, 2023
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
Profile Image for Delaney.
167 reviews11.9k followers
October 4, 2024
Patreon Book Club Book 🧡

This is a Hallmark movie with spice
Profile Image for vicky ꨄ︎ (finals season).
321 reviews149 followers
October 4, 2024
⋅˚₊� ୨୧ ‧₊˚ � 3.5� ⋅˚₊� ୨୧ ‧₊˚ �

This is such a cosy read. It gives autumn vibes and Gilmore Girls vibes. This is a cute and quick read, I enjoyed my time reading this but there were some stuff that I didn't necessarily like. A mystery was added to this, and I enjoyed reading about it since it added something to the story. I really like that we got a dual pov since it lets me know the characters more. The third act breakup really annoyed me so much like there was literally no point of it being there.


: ̗̀�Jeanie
I honestly applaud her for taking on her aunt's coffee shop and working so hard to make everyone happy. I loved her confidence and her detective side, was honestly so hilarious to read about.


: ̗̀�Logan
I'm going to be straight here that I didn't vibe with Logan at all. His inner thoughts about Jeanie really started to annoy me. The way he wouldn't talk to her to sort out his thoughts about her leaving got so annoying. I understand that he has abandonment issues but he had so many opportunities to ask her if she was staying and when he did she said yes and he didn't believe her. Talk about trust issues.




� "Sorry. They're earplugs. I thought they might help...uh..." Logan ran a hand down his beard, his cheeks above it pinkening, "... to help you sleep tonight. Before your big day."

� "You... brought a new lock for my door? For me? For uh... for my door?" Had it just been a very long time since Jeanie had dated anyone, or was this the most romantic gesture she'd ever experienced? "Yeah, well, I figured you wouldn't be able to sleep if your lock is bad."

� "I think maybe you're not used to being treated right, Jeanie." His words landed hard. Damn.













✦•┈๑⋅� ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

�.˚🦋༘⋆ preread

I’ve heard its gilmore girls vibe and I just really need this vibe right now even though I still technically haven’t started watching gilmore girls (if tiktok doesn’t count).

I’m going into this with low expectations!!
Profile Image for sara˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹˙—.
91 reviews103 followers
November 26, 2024
2.50 �
I am disappointed :(
This book was a real downhill; i expected much more, even if i started reading it with neutral expectations due to other reviews and opinions not exactly positive.
Don't get me wrong, i liked a part of the story of Jeanie and Logan, but there are some points where it could have been developed better.

One thing i really loved was the location and the little town "Dream Harbor". The aesthetic of the book, the fact that it's autumnal and it looks like you're into one of the pinterest boards.

One thing that instead made me furious was that every two seconds, the male protagonist's ex was mentioned; it was as if she was the protagonist and not Jeanie.

What could have been developed better in my opinion ?
THE MISTERY
This book is labeled as a cozy, romantic "mistery", but is very poor and is already quite clear who was the person behind it.

The fact that this is an instant love perhaps didn't help :(
__________________________
pre read 🎃🍂🧡☕️

i'm starting with neutral expectations; the cover is so cute and perfect for autumn vibes ୨୧⠀

started : 3/11
finished : 6/11
Profile Image for Chantal.
865 reviews895 followers
September 30, 2024
So, I'm not even sure why I grabbed this book. I kept seeing it pop up on my feed and thought, 'Hey, a cute romance, why not?' Now, it wasn’t bad! The story itself was nice, but Logan� oh boy. His whole 'I don’t want to be the town gossip' thing? A bit over the top. I get it, he had his heart broken before, but seriously, dude, loosen up!






Profile Image for Madison Kait.
164 reviews3,762 followers
December 3, 2024
vibes = IMMACULATEEEE
adorable but also forgettable. but also i don’t think it was trying to change ur life it did what it was trying to do well 🤍 3.25
Profile Image for Warda.
1,282 reviews22.7k followers
December 1, 2024
This was honestly so adorable, so endearing, sweet and funny all at the same time. It had all the right ingredients for a cosy story.

It’s making me want to stay in this small town awhile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42,859 reviews

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