Book Review: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc

Published: August 6th 2024 by Scholastic
Rating: ★★★½ (3.5 stars)
Genres: Young Adult // Contemporary, Romance
Quick Thoughts: A cosy fireside read, the kind of book that you’d pick up if you wanted a lighthearted, autumnal book to finish off your day.

Reader Information:

There are currently no trigger warnings for this book.

GIFTED/PR by Scholastic

I was gifted this book via the Publisher. There was no obligation to post/give this book a certain rating. All views are my own. I remain entirely impartial.

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About This Book:

Gilmore Girls fans! Pour yourselves a hot cup of tea and get ready to fall in love with this cozy YA romance that will have you dreaming of autumn all year long.
Fall is a big deal in Briar Glen, a quaint and charming village in New England. That’s when tourists from all over the country descend upon this picturesque town to see the babbling brooks and colorful leaves while sipping hot chocolate or pumpkin spice lattes.
But sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane hates the uber-popular PSL. She finds it overrated — especially when you consider the fact that there isn’t even pumpkin in it! — which is bad because she works at Cup o’ Jo, the local coffee shop her mom owns. Business at Cup o’ Jo hasn’t been great in the off-season, but that’s okay because it always picks up during the fall …
Until Java Junction, a multinational coffee chain, opens across the street and makes things harder for the small shop. And to make matters worse, it turns out Jack Harper, the new kid in school and Lucy’s secret crush, is the son of the owner. Suddenly, fall doesn’t seem like it’ll be all it’s cracked up to be. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom’s coffee shop?

First Thoughts

I recently started Gilmore Girls for the very first time (I know, where have I been?!) and can vouch that it’s an autumn lovers dream. There’s something about the cosy atmosphere of Stars Hollow and the people that makes me feel all warm inside whenever I watch an episode. The only other time I’ve ever felt that cosy feeling in a book is reading the Lovelight Farms series with that close-knit town feel, so knowing that Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice is recommended for Gilmore Girls fans because of a similar thing made me instantly happy (and very grateful!) when the lovely Scholastic team sent a copy my way.

My Review

Lucy, our teen main character, lives in Briar Glen, a small and inviting New England town known for it’s love of all things autumn, going all-out for the season and all the magic it brings. Lucy lives with her Mum, who owns Cup o’ Jo, a snug little coffee shop in town, where she works too. Jack Harper has just moved to town, and although he’s always catching her eye and making her lose track of what she’s doing, her crush on him remains close to her chest, even if it does mean embarrassing herself in the process.

But when Java Junction, a hugely influential and national coffee chain known for it’s world famous Pumpkin Spice Lattes, moves in across the street from her Mum’s store, it’s all hands on deck to outdo them—only, when Lucy finds out that Jack is the son of the owners, she’s crushed. How is she supposed to take them down knowing that he’s the one that will be affected by it? Still, her Mum and Cup o’ Jo comes first, so rivalry it is. She’s officially setting aside her feelings, and not just for Jack. Lucy happens to actually despise Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but in the spirit of the contest, she can’t let that interfere. But the competition isn’t all smooth sailing and who can outdo one another, not when food fights and fraternising with the enemy aren’t the only things on the table.

Overall, Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice was a cosy fireside read, the kind of book that you’d pick up if you wanted a lighthearted, autumnal book to finish off your day. Although I found many things to like about the book—the quaint town setting, the autumn ambience—I struggled with Lucy as a narrator (I think she felt close to being an unreliable narrator without that being a plot device) and with the virtually non-existent romance in the book, since as it’s pitched as being a contemporary romance. Jack’s character development was there, but I really wanted to see some from Lucy, too. For me, I think there were a few plot holes and little tidbits that I would’ve loved to see flow more cohesively and for there to have been some kind of proper ending that gave it the romantic feel it promised. Nevertheless, it was a quick and sweet read that will make you want to bake, re-watch Gilmore Girls and celebrate all things autumn. And any book with a Leni Kauffman cover will forever make me smile.

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