While you wait for The Pumpkin Spice Cafe

The air is starting to cool, the leaves are turning to shades of yellow, orange and red and the coffee shops are practically overrun by an abundance of apple and pumpkin flavors. Best of all everyone is reaching for a cozy read to accompany all the fall goodness.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe was published in 2023 and went viral on TikTok in 2024. It has grabbed and held readers’ attention. Even now many readers at the library are patiently waiting to get their hands on a copy of the book. (Pro tip: You don’t need to wait for your ebook on Libby during the month of October 2025.) 

This debut novel from author Laurie Gilmore follows Jeanie who has just been gifted the Pumpkin Spice Cafe by her eccentric Aunt Dot who wants to travel. Jeanie jumps at the chance to run the cozy little cafe in the small town of Dream Habor. This will be the perfect escape from Jeanie's drab desk job in the city. 

Local farmer, Logan, has a strict schedule and keeps out of the Dream Habor gossip mill. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts his carefully crafted routine. Logan is drawn to her upbeat attitude, as irritating as it may be.  

This novel is filled with small town charm, found family and some romantic (pumpkin) spice. While you wait to get your hands on The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, check out some of these other novels with fall-tastic elements that highlight the best season of the year. Don’t forget to grab a warm beverage to enjoy while you read! 

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca 

This haunted house romance is a great one to grab if you're looking for a bit spookier read to celebrate fall. Sweaters aren’t needed in this Florida setting. With the grumpy/sunshine romance and sense of finding belonging in a small town, this novel is a great one to grab before (or after) you read The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. 

Nick Royer, owner of Hallowed Grounds coffee shop in the small town of Boneyard Key on the coast of Florida, has embraced all the ghosts around him including his spectral roommate. The tourism these ghosts bring in is what keeps the town afloat. 

Cassie Rutherford is new to Boneyard Key, having just rashly left Orlando since all her friends are getting married and having kids. She plans to flip her new historic cottage in Boneyard, but things aren’t exactly what she expected. The outlets aren’t working and the poetry magnets on her fridge are being arranged to say “wrong” and “my house, which she definitely did not do herself. Despite the oddities, she can’t help but be drawn to the charm of the town and house.  

Cassie also feels there’s something beyond Nick’s grumpy exterior. When he takes her on a ghost tour and loops her in on the town’s gossip. their connection grows stronger. Together they begin to research Cassie’s cottage’s history. The deeper they dive into research, the more Cassie fears she’s in over her head with home ownership. Meanwhile Nick’s afraid to get too close to Cassie since her presence isn’t permanent, unlike the ghosts around town.  

If you end up loving this ghost filled romance story, check out DeLuca’s second novel in her Boneyard Key series Ghost Business. 

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter 

This novel takes us into the city for a cozy fall vibes. Accidentally Amy begins with the inescapable fall drink, the pumpkin spice latte. For anyone who loves the grumpy/ sunshine trope, go ahead and place this novel and Haunted Ever After on hold because you’re sure to enjoy both. 

Isabella Shay is running late for her dream job, but a coffee shop run is a must. When the barista calls out “Amy” multiple times and no Amy arrives to grab her drink, Isabella nabs it up and is prepared to run. They both ordered a pumpkin spice latte after all, Amy can just grab the one meant for Isabella.  

As fate would have it, Isabella spills her drink all over an attractive man behind her who is wearing a very nice suit she just ruined. Though the situation is unfortunate, sparks fly and Isabella finds promise for a budding romance until the man says, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”   

Isabella knows she’ll need to explain the mix-up when they meet again, but the next meeting is much sooner than she expects. It turns out that the coffee-shop man is the vice president of her department at her new job. In this meeting the sparks seem to fizzle out because he doesn’t take well to Isabella’s explanation of the mix up. Has Isabella’s chance with him disappeared for good or will she be able to win him over? 

You should probably grab a pumpkin spice latte to enjoy with this novel since it’s a key piece of the meet-cute. But don’t take after Amy and spill it. We don’t want latte soaked library books! 

Picture Perfect Autumn by Shelley Noble 

This novel takes a step away from the romantic relationship focus, but the unlikely friendships that develop will leave you feeling happy and warm inside just the same. Much like Jeanie in The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, the main character in this novel finds herself after leaving the city and escaping to a small town.  

Dani Campbell is a self-taught photographer who has risen to darling status on the Manhattan art scene. She has no idea why she suddenly became so popular, but she’s embracing every moment of it for as long as she can. Despite her success she knows there’s still something missing from her work but can’t put her finger on it. When she finds an envelope of old photos during a photo shoot in an antiques barn she knows what her photos need. 

To learn more about these photos, Dani heads to a small Rhode Island town to meet Lawrence Sinclair. This 80-year-old man is reclusive and bitter. Lawrence certainly doesn’t want to think about photography, the very thing tore his family apart years ago.  

Dani is persistent and soon Lawrence begins to trust her. She’s unlike the many other people who come to him in hopes of taking his fortune. She simply wants to learn from him and understand the photos better. 

When Lawrence’s estranged grandson Peter enters the picture, Dani and Lawrence’s friendship is put in jeopardy. Peter believes Dani is just another fortune hunter. Peter wants to shoo Dani away and reconnect with his grandfather. 

As each character slowly learns more about one another, they begin to realize they may have more commonalities than they do differences. Together they will journey through fall scenery toward self-discovery and start to understand the ties that bind us all together. 

The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn by Valerie Bowman 

Between the trees in the apple orchard you’ll find a lovely romance blossoming between two strong headed characters each trying to save their family’s legacies. You may need to wait a short time for this novel as it’s picking up in popularity, but the wait list isn’t nearly as long as the wait list for The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. 

Ellie Lawson’s life is suddenly turned upside down when she’s fired from her job as an event planner the day after her boyfriend dumps her. With nowhere else to go, she jumps at the chance to go home to her parents' inn nestled within an apple orchard. She can’t wait to escape it all in the little apartment above her parents' home.  

Aiden, the son of the orchard owner, is staying in the apartment unbeknownst to Ellie. She discovers this as soon as she walks in the door. It’s not ideal for the pair to share the apartment, especially with Ellie needing refuge from her old life. However, they are soon focused on more important matters.  

The orchard and inn are struggling to make ends meet. The upcoming Harvest Festival is the last chance the two families have to keep the businesses. Ellie and Aiden must step up and work together to make this year’s Harvest Festival the biggest and best event yet.  

As the two work together Ellie is reminded of the charm she left behind when she went to the city seeking work as an event planner. Meanwhile Aiden learns there’s more to Ellie than he believed. As they team up to plan the festival something more romantic may be blossoming between them. 

This novel is filled with fall coziness, small-town community and a dash of spice, which are all reminiscent of Gilmore’s first Dream Harbor series novel.  

Now that you have a reading list filled with all the fall romance, sign up for our Fall Reading Challenge. Read three or more books in the month of October, track them in Beanstack, and win a pint glass while supplies last.