Book Review :: Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte

Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte
ISBN: 172005455X
Series: Autumnboro Sweet Romance #1
on 1 September 2018
Genres: Romance
Pages: 192
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.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

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What is Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte about?

Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte tells the story of 28-year-old Amy Fox, who moves temporarily back to her hometown of Autumnboro, New Hampshire when her grandfather needs extra support after breaking his wrist.

Much like the name of her town suggests, Autumboro is very autumnal. The pumpkin theme runs strongly throughout the town, and while she loves the season, when Amy finished high school she gapped it out of there. Now, she’s a successful author, writing horror novels (many of which are based on real people in Autumnboro) … oh, and she’s just called off her fall-themed wedding and can’t bare to look at anything autumnal ever again.

Now her mother is threatening to sell the family home and move her grandfather into assisted living if Amy doesn’t head back to the town she grew up in (a town themed so autumnal-themed she doesn’t really want to go) and help him out. But as she arrives in town, her car breaks down and she needs a tow. And the tow truck driver is none other than Kit Parker, high school sweetheart who she definitely left behind all those years ago.

As Amy tries to navigate living back in her family house, looking after her grandfather, seeing Kit again for the first time in a decade and avoiding any book-related conversations with the townsfolk, she comes to realise that maybe Autumboro isn’t a bad place to live in, after all.

My thoughts on Pumpkin Everything

This was a very sweet story. After needing another audiobook to dive into (after binge-listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events for about the hundredth time), this book wasn’t even on my radar until I spotted it in the Libby app. Needing another read quite urgently, I borrowed it from the library and got stuck in.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, then you may know that I love autumn. I’m a big fall fan. And even though my love for autumn is mostly based on my love of Northern Hemisphere autumn and the sheer vastness of groves and groves of yellow, orange and red trees, pumpkins living doorsteps and the smell of pumpkin spice filling the air … I like to pretend it’s autumn here in New Zealand when it’s actually spring.

I’m not weird, I’m just passionate, okay. 🍁🍂

That being the case, I do love a good autumnal and/or Halloween read around October. So this was perfect.

The plot

The story itself was cute. It was pretty chill, very simple plotline and was rather predictable. But sometimes you do need that. A quick read, a sweet tale, a re-found love (without the smut – this is a clean romance, FYI), and a story of small town autumn towns. It really is ‘pumpkin everything’, and I loved that aspect of it. Oh to have a town that was fall-themed.

The characters

The characters in Pumpkin Everything were fun, if not rather predictable.

You have the main protagonist who is coming back to her hometown after years away. The classic high school sweetheart who is just as good-looking if not more so than years prior (but who also has something to hide 👀). The townsfolk who range from overenthusiastic 20s-something who basically hasn’t left the town, shop owners, elderly people who have lived there their whole lives …the list goes on.

Conclusion

Pumpkin Everything was a sweet read, and it was very fast, perfect for an afternoon or morning reading in the fall. While I probably wouldn’t read it again, I did enjoy it and will be checking out Beth Labonte’s other story in the An Autumnboro Sweet Romance series, Maple Sugar Crush.

Have you read Pumpkin Everything? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!