🎃 Bookish Thoughts
Oh this was such a cozy fall read! There’s Pumpkin About You is a small town, grumpy x sunshine romance. I LOVED our FMC and MMC so much! They didn’t love each other at all in the beginning, but once they reluctantly agreed to work together… the tension was chef’s kiss.

Gus is secretly such a softie and I melted when he started calling her sweetheart.
Wren and Gus foreverrr 🫶🏾

I also appreciated how the book explored Gus being autistic with care and understanding.

Definitely add this to your fall TBR!

🍁 What to Expect:
• Grumpy x sunshine
• Pumpkin farm
• Small town charm
• Enemies to lovers
• Opposites attract

📖 Final Score: 4.5 stars
📅 Pub Date: August 22, 2025
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

First, I want to say how gorgeous that cover is. You can really see the fall vibes you'll get along the book. If you're looking for something with autumn vibes, cozy, short and with a good playlist; that's a nice book.
There's a farmer in a small town, cute animals, a grumpy X sunshine trope. A good read and a good entertainment.
I like the diversity presented in this. However, the main characters aren't really the type of personalities I like and I don't see the chemistry between them. The side characters are really developed neither. But the setting is nice.

4.25⭐️ What a sweet story!! This is such a cozy fall read, it had me dreaming of crisp days and visiting pumpkin patches.

August “Gus” Finch is a pumpkin farmer in the small town of Eaglewood. Wren Southwick is a party planner who’s planning her best friend’s birthday party. When she stumbles upon the perfect venue there’s only two problems: getting it in shape in time for the party and the stubborn, grumpy farmer.

They have great banter, and they work together so well together despite their stubbornness. This was a great combo of sweet and spicy! These characters felt like real people and I loved their growth.

There’s Pumpkin About You is available in the US on August 26!! Thank you One More Chapter and Harper Collins via NetGalley for the ARC!

Check this out for
🎃 Grumpy Sunshine
🍂 Small Town
🎃 Pumpkin Farmer and Event Planner
🍂 Neurodivergent rep
🎃 Forced proximity
🍂 Banter

Overall, this was a decent fall romance read. I liked the small-town pumpkin farm setting, but I felt like the romantic connection didn’t fully work for me. I didn’t get the sense that the FMC truly understood the MMC, and some parts of the story came across as a bit juvenile. I do appreciate that the author did her research on autism, and it was nice to see that representation included, though it sometimes felt a bit too focused on teaching rather than blending naturally into the story. It was a solid read overall, but not a personal favorite. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: 2.5⭐️

There's a good book in here and I could *almost* see the Hallmark movie that would be made from it, but this just didn't work for me. 

I love fall girl stuff, so a party planner needing a cute barn location for her bestie's birthday party and stumbling upon a pumpkin farm with a taciturn owner sounded right up my alley. And there are good moments for both of them, but they are few and far between. The townspeople are interesting, but not well-drawn. There's no motivation behind the town crank ever given and everyone else just fells in love with Wren for seemingly no reason, given how small the town supposedly is.

In a fandom to remain nameless that is primarily for an American audience about with British main characters and settings, non-British authors often asked their British fandom friends to "Britpick" their work to remove any Americanisms that Americans just wouldn't see (we are divided by a common language after all!). I feel like this book needs to reverse as it is ostensibly set in America (though it's hard to figure out where - as there's a farm, but there's cliffs, but it's clearly East Coast as there's mention of moving across the US to California), but the main characters say "whilst" A LOT and have other British mannerisms that stick out. They also mentioned that there are like five towns around a lake, but they don't talk about the commute between the towns; Americans spend a lot more time in our cars without thought than Brits do, so it's hard to know if the travel between August's town and Wren's town is actually a big deal. The author also capitalizes "Autism" but not "autistic," which just bugs me. There's a LOT of autism education in here as if in 2025, no one has even run into an autistic person before, but hopefully that's helpful to someone. Wren is also pictured as brown on the book cover, but her ethnicity is never mentioned, even though they seem to live in rural small towns where it would definitely come up in some way.

Beyond all of that, there's just not a lot of there there. Much of action happens off screen (harvest, barn raising, the puppy!), so that Wren and August can fight some more. I like good banter as much as the next person but this was tiresome to read. They seem to fall in love despite each other (and not in a good way) and the third act fight is phrased in such a way that I don't understand why she's apologizing. It was a quick-ish read and if you're British whose dreaming of a Hallmark movie in America, maybe you'll enjoy it more than me.

There’s Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs is giving all the autumn romance vibes. I didn’t know I needed in July!

Rating; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice; 🌶️/5

This book opens with Wren, a party planner tasked with creating her best friends 30th milestone party. Which her friend shared the venue of their cute rustic pumpkin patch two towns over.

Gus, is the owner of the pumpkin patch. Who is already dealing with financials and Harvest season with a broken arm. When this curvy vivacious women enters his barn.

Wren and Gus come to an agreement. An upgraded barn for him, and a venue for the party for her.

However these two didn’t see what was right in front of them. The sparkes of creative differences in more ways then one. Will they be able to make it to the end of the build. Or will these two kill eachother prior to the night of the party.

Troupes include;
- Enemies to lovers
- Autumn Vibes Galore
- Autism Awareness
- Diverse Characters
- And a nippy Goat! 🐐
.
.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Collin’s UK and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review!

Anything with pumpkin in the title immediately catches my attention. This was a cute easy read.
It was good but not great. The romance and some of the plot was slower than I usually go for.

It’s not a book I found myself necessarily reaching for, but when I did read it, I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading.

One thing that I think may have improved the story for me would have been seeing Sandra being put in her place. Along with having the town apologise for the way they treated Gus and be better.

The autism representation was written well and I think it’s important that we saw Gus stop hiding who he was, but people like Sandra shouldn’t have gotten away with being so nasty.

This was such a gorgeous, cosy autumn read with a grumpy-sunshine romance, and a neurodiverse perspective.

Wren is a party planner who has been given a very important job - to organise her best friend's 30th birthday party at a local pumpkin farm. But when she arrives at the venue and finds it somewhat lacking, she strikes up a deal with the brothers who run it to help them renovate the place. One of the brothers is August ("Gus"/"Auggie") Finch, who she immediately butts heads with after his goat bites her on the behind! I'm sure you can figure out where this story goes!

This book had the most immaculate fall vibes - we might be in the middle of summer as I was reading it, but mentally, I was there in Eagletown's small town getting ready for autumn.

The characters were brilliant, especially August who struggles to make himself understood through his autism. As someone who describes myself as "probably neurospicy", it was interesting to see parallels in some areas, and see how different it can be for others. I did feel at times it was overdone in the narrative as I think the author tried to put in more explanation than was needed, especially I think the people who are likely to pick up this book don't need to be taught about it, but I can see why it was there. It was a new angle in a romance book for me though, and I really enjoyed it.

Overall, it's a pretty light, fluffy read - a perfect palette cleanser book for the autumn months. Not as outstanding as other romances, but I think it holds its own well against them thanks to the vibes and sassy characters - definite Gilmore Girls feel! It's not the author's debut, but it did feel like an early piece of writing in their career, and I think we can expect to see more works that get better and better from her!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for a review copy of this book.

Thank you to One More Chapter for the advance reader copy of There’s Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs.

Wren is a party planner working on planning her friend’s 30th birthday. Wren is looking to ensure this event helps word spread so she can expand her business. Wren approaches the Finch family about using their Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm as the autumn venue. To do that she needs the help of one of the family members, August Finch.

This book kept me engaged - I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the family dynamic among the Finch siblings. I’m autistic and there were a few aspects that related to my experience. Overall, I enjoyed the story and enjoyed both the MCs, Wren and August.

If you enjoy a small town romance, consider checking this one out.

This was such a cute and easy read. I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting. Waiting for an official diagnosis myself, I loved the autism representation and felt that I could relate to the main male character. I loved the small town autumn vibes and the main character's slow burn chemistry. Also that cover is gorgeous. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💖 Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and the author Athena Carstairs for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

*There's Pumpkin About You* has its heart in the right place, with some cosy autumn vibes that I found quite endearing. The setting of the farm and the pumpkin fields had the potential to provide the perfect backdrop for a light, feel-good read. The characters are likeable overall, especially August and Bash.

However, the writing felt a little clunky at times, which made the pacing uneven. Some plot points seemed a bit jumbled and rushed, leaving me feeling disconnected from the overall story. There were also some elements that didn’t quite sit well with me, particularly the portrayal of Autism. As an Autistic reader, I didn’t feel like it was represented in a way that resonated with me personally, which was disappointing.

Additionally, despite the characters being adults, the story had a very YA vibe, which might be great for some readers, but didn’t quite match my expectations for a more mature narrative. Overall, while the book has its charms and will definitely bring those cosy feels for readers looking for a light-hearted read, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me in terms of character depth and storytelling.

Getting into the summerween mindset had me reading this book while on holiday.
It had all of the autumn vibes. 🍁🍂🎃

I found this book super easy and read it in less than a day. I just personally didn’t care too much about the characters and the romance wasn’t really it for me.
Overall a really cute book to get you into the autumn mood, I loved the small town vibes and the cozy shops.
Thanks @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There’s Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There’s Pumpkin About You is a wonderfully cozy romcom with perfect fall vibes, a lovely small town, and lots of heart!

Wren is given the opportunity to plan her best friend’s 30th birthday party and she is determined to make it so incredible that her party planning business becomes well known beyond her small town. Her plan for the throwing a party to remember hinges on the Finch family’s Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm. However, in order to obtain the venue and have them as a supplier, she has to somehow convince August Finch to agree to the plan.

The plot is lighthearted, charming, and sweet. The characters were developed well. Wren and August’s relationship was heartfelt and the way in which they try to understand each other better and learn to communicate was commendable. Their connection feels genuine, intentional, and meaningful. The community/found family element within the small town was heartwarming. A sweet, cozy autumn romance with heart!

I have mixed feelings on this one.
I picked it up expecting all the fall feels but it didn’t really deliver on that. Apart from being set on a pumpkin farm and there being a party planned for Halloween, it didn’t really have any other fall/ autumn vibes which was a bit disappointing given the cover and title.

The autism rep in this story is strong and seems well researched. The author goes into great depth about Gus (the MMC) and his autism diagnosis- it’s really well explained so the reader can understand his feelings and reactions in certain situations. She also shows how this has impacted his relationships and daily life. I did feel though that the majority of the story was about this, rather than focusing on the romance between him and Wren which felt like a secondary storyline at times. Wren also felt a bit like a side character and we didn’t really learn much about her.

Overall an ok read but not quite what I was expecting.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC.

"There’s Pumpkin About You" by Athena Carstairs was such a warm, comforting read — the kind of story that pairs perfectly with a cup of tea and a rainy autumn afternoon. I loved how cozy and sweet the overall vibe was, and the setting truly captured that magical, crisp fall feeling.

One thing I really respected and appreciated was the author’s choice to make the male main character neurodivergent. While I’m not on the spectrum myself and don’t have deep knowledge of autism, I admire the thoughtful representation and inclusion — it added depth to the story in a subtle but meaningful way.

The plot itself was lovely and gave me exactly what I was looking for — light, heartfelt, and charming. I liked the characters individually, but I did find the chemistry between them a bit lacking. There were moments where I wanted to feel more of a spark or emotional tension, and it just didn’t fully land for me.

Also, one thing that pulled me out of the story was how quickly and casually the female lead started calling the MMC “asshole.” It felt jarring and a little too sharp, especially in a story that otherwise felt so soft and gentle.

All in all, this was a 3.5-star read for me — cozy and enjoyable, with a lot of heart, even if a few elements didn’t fully connect. Still, I’d definitely be open to reading more from Athena Carstairs in the future

Book Title: There's Pumpkin About You

Author: Athena Carstairs

Genre: Cozy Romance, Small-Town Romance, Autumnal Romance

Publication Date: 22 August 2025

Rating: ★★★☆☆

I received a free copy from HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction

🍁 As the leaves begin to turn and the air grows crisp, what better way to embrace the season than with a cozy autumnal romance? There's Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs promises just that, wrapping you in pumpkin-scented warmth and small-town charm. Right from the start, this book sets a welcoming tone, not only with its delightful fall setting but also with a thoughtful playlist at the beginning – a wonderful touch for music lovers like me! It also includes a crucial disclaimer from the author regarding August, the main male character. This upfront note helps with understanding his perspective from the outset, allowing for a more empathetic reading experience.

Plot Summary (Spoiler-Free)

🍂 The story follows Wren, a party planner determined to throw an unforgettable autumn-themed 30th birthday party for her best friend, while simultaneously aiming to boost her event planning business. Her ambitious plans lead her to the enchanting Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm and its owner, the seemingly gruff but ultimately charming August Finch. This sets the stage for a delightful grumpy-meets-sunshine dynamic, complete with hay bales, spirited debates, and an undeniable, slow-burning chemistry.

🧡 As Wren and August work together to transform the farm for the event, they navigate their differences and slowly learn to trust one another. The narrative focuses on their evolving relationship, personal growth, and the quaint charm of Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm. Will Wren's vision save her business and bring joy to Goldleaf, and will August find himself falling for the spirited party planner?

Overall Thoughts

🎃 There's Pumpkin About You is undeniably an immersive autumn read that immediately transports you to a world of falling leaves and pumpkin spice. The setting is vividly painted, making it easy to imagine yourself right there amidst the hayrides and fairy-lit barn parties. This book is a true cozy, light-hearted escape, perfect for settling in with a warm drink.

🫂 One of the most commendable aspects of this book is the representation of August's ASD. The author makes an effort to portray his neurodivergence with care, highlighting both the challenges he faces and his unique strengths. It was refreshing to read the passages handled with sensitivity, and it genuinely added a layer of depth to his character. While it's not universally perfect for every reader, the attempt to show how August experiences the world and relationships without completely changing his presentation is appreciated. Also, the fact that the characters are in their 30s also lends a more mature and realistic feel to their interactions and the story's overall dynamic, making their struggles and triumphs more relatable.

📖 While the autumn vibes were impeccable and the premise charming, the writing style could benefit from more refinement to be more engaging. At times, the prose felt a bit repetitive or clunky, occasionally pulling me out of the story's flow. While the slow-burn romance was sweet, the chemistry between Wren and August sometimes felt a little understated, making it challenging to fully connect with their romantic journey. Some of their interactions seemed to be a bit jarring, and there were moments where I wished for clearer communication to resolve conflicts rather than relying on misunderstandings.

✨ Despite these points, the supporting characters often shine, adding warmth and humor to the narrative, and the small-town community truly feels like a character itself. The story is a quick read, with low stakes that make it a perfect choice for those seeking a light, feel-good romance.

Conclusion & Final Rating

✅ If you're looking for an endearing fall romance that delivers strong cozy, small-town vibes and features thoughtful representation of an autistic male lead, There's Pumpkin About You is certainly worth considering. It’s a heartwarming read that, despite some prose and chemistry nuances, ultimately leaves you with a smile and a longing for sweater weather. It's the perfect book to curl up with as the leaves start to turn, offering a comforting escape into a world of pumpkins and growing affection.

Final Rating: ★★★☆☆

Book Tropes:

Grumpy/Sunshine

Small Town Romance

Forced Proximity

Autumnal Vibes

Opposites Attract

Found Family / Strong Friend Group

Enjoyed this review and want to read more? Make sure to follow and subscribe to my Substack for more reviews: https://substack.com/@cristinaciteste

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
So many of us LOVE fall vibes, especially for a cozy romance. Unfortunately, the chemistry was a little lacking for me. I also had to suffer through the prose, which was annoyingly repetitive and a little juvenile, given that the FMC is nearly 30.
If you're looking for an endearing fall romance with comforting small-town vibes, this is for you.

I’m a big believer that not every book is for everyone and this one was not for me. I did push through it for review purposes and will try my best to outline what I did enjoy and what I didn’t.

The cover is adorable, it has a great Fall setting, diverse rep, and I enjoyed a few of the side characters.

As for the main characters and romantic plot, I just didn’t feel the chemistry or connection. I disliked how they interacted and talked to one another. The romance did not translate to me in any way. The language was a pretty quick turn off. I can appreciate excessive language on occasion to express frustration or to create emphasis, however, this was excessive and a cringe worthy amount for me. The entire party plot didn't work for me and honestly much of it just didn't make sense. This one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

I want to preface this review by stating I am an Autistic reviewer, but I do not speak for all Autistic people!! With that said, I was very excited for this book. I didn't realize Gus was Autistic until I started reading and saw the author's note at the beginning. That introduction already had me wary of continuing with the book. While I don't think Athena Carstairs had any ill intent with her wording or representation, it doesn't diminish the fact that intent doesn't outweigh impact. This book was extremely frustrating for me to read as an Autistic person.

Firstly, Autism is not my purse, right? Like it's not something I carry around with me all the time, I just am Autistic. Aside from the language, the rep felt pretty White Boy Autism coded (stereotypical to how media portrays us; ie, all white cishet boys with anger issues.) I will say, the media usually portrays us as childlike, and thus makes us not sexual, so I appreciate that representation in the book. However, this book did not do a good job of looking into an Autistic person's mind. Which makes sense considering the Author is an Allistic.

Secondly, it's hard to root for this couple. At the start of the book, Gus tells Wren why he might be coming across as rude and tells her to tell him if he is. Instead of listening to this conversation, Wren spends the rest of the book blowing up at him and calling him rude. When Gus tries to explain this is why the town hates him and he feels isolated, Wren completely invalidates his experiences by saying, <spoiler>"Gus, you're not like that because you have autism. You're like that because you're an asshole." </spoiler>This scene is supposed to be read as romantic, believe it or not. They very quickly fall in love after this, hook up, and then unsurprisingly have another big blowout that leaves them arguing 20% from the end.

Lastly, I just didn't have fun reading this. I didn't find it funny, I didn't find it sexy, I didn't find it lighthearted. A lot of the plot lines disappear into the background. There are a couple of instances when scene information is mixed up- which I can understand being issues with this being an unpublished copy. The Autumn vibes were cozy, but I got nothing else from this. I'm disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and autumnal vibes of this book! It was different to what I was expecting , some of the characters were a bit annoying, but I still enjoyed the story. I just wish there was a bit more love and romance in it, there were a lot of grumpy characters! But overall a good solid autumnal themed book.