The fall vibes in this book were AMAZING! Crisp leaves, pumpkin patches, and small town charm that made me want to grab a blanket and a hot drink. The setting was easily my favorite part. Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t pull me in the same way. The pacing felt slow, and the romance between Wren and August never quite sparked for me. That said, if you’re looking for a cozy, low conflict read that leans heavily into autumn atmosphere, this might be just the thing for you. I just need a faster burn than this one could bring. 4/5 ⭐️

The setting was cute and autumnal, I enjoyed the pumpkin farm element. Unfortunately I didn't love the book, it was fine...
I didn't really connect to the characters, they were all fairly one dimensional with one singular characteristic that is repeated over and over with little nuance.
It wasn't a bad story but it was pretty average.

There’s Pumpkin About You is a cozy autumn romance that feels like a warm hug. It follows a caring party planner teaming up with a grumpy pumpkin farmer to throw a barn birthday party. Filled with fall vibes, gentle humor, and slow-burn chemistry, it’s perfect for curling up as the leaves turn.

The characters are sweet and relatable, and I appreciated the thoughtful, empathetic portrayal of autism. The story balances being heartfelt and hopeful without getting heavy.

Who doesnt love a challenge? And by challenge I mean August. Set in a pumpkin farm, this one kept me reading all of the way through! Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I absolutely loved it!
I spent majoroty of the story smiling from ear to ear and even shed a tear in places.
Gus is a fantastic mmc and his personality is spot on.

The friendship and chemistry with Wren was fantastic. Being able to read the navigation of situations both from the neurodiverse perspective and someone without diversity was incredibly well written and thought provoking.

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🎃🧡 There's Pumpkin About You - Athena Carstairs 🧡🎃

I was so excited when I got access to this arc.

Autumn is my favourite season and a romance book set in a small town with a pumpkin farmer in autumn had me SOLD.

A grumpy/sunshine, cosy read that made me want to curl up with a blanket and pumpkin spice latte.

August is a dream. A grumpy, neurodivergent pumpkin farmer who is misunderstood and has a huge heart. Flirty, caring and so lovely.

Wren is such a beautiful character. I loved that she found herself and was continuously growing to become a stronger woman who put herself first.

The romance was intense and spicy and I loved their chemistry and constant back and forth between them.

Thank you HarperCollinsUK for the ARC 🧡🎃🤎🍂

The autumn vibes were great and I was intrigued by the mmc being autistic. Unfortunately it didn’t feel like a very nuanced portrayal of someone with autism and that detracted from the story for me. I did like the cast of supporting characters and the authors writing style generally was enjoyable so would be keen to try more books by her in future.

4.5/5 This is a cutesy book that will have you giggling. I am a huge fan of grumpy, sunshine romances. I absolutely love them. But add that main character has Autism and it’s 1000% better. Gus is rigid and grumpy, set in his ways. Then along comes Wren who makes him second guess all of his choices and makes him feel things he didn’t know he could. As part owner of a pumpkin farm Gus is working on ensuring his family makes ends meet. Until Wren comes in like a whirlwind and horrors Gus’ entire world. This romance is everything you didn’t know you needed.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

We meet Wren, she is a party planner and she’s going to planning and creating a 30th birthday party for her friend. Her friend sent her a link to a pumpkin farm which is based a short distance from where she lives.

Wren decides to go and see the farm and hopefully, be able to have it as a venue for the party. The owner of the farm is Gus. At the moment she’s having a hard time, as well having to look at how badly the farm is going financially, there’s pumpkins to be picked and if that wasn’t enough, he’s broken his arm.

He’s not happy that Wren wants to have the barn where they first meet as a venue. Wren comes to an agreement with Gus about the barn.

Will Wren get to hold her friends party in the barn or will they part ways before it gets to that stage?

I highly recommend this book.

Just want to say thank you to Harper Collins for letting me have an advance copy of this book.

This was an enjoyable little read, about love through the eyes of someone who is neurodivergent, and who deserves to be loved no matter what the circumstances they find themselves in.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Wren and August and the journey they go on, whilst they are both trying to deal with matters from their past and also coping with the ups and downs with August's Autism.

It did make me feel angry about how he was being treated by people around him, especially with regards to one person in particular, which wasn't addressed fully in my opinion and seemed to get off lightly.

Apart from that I really enjoyed reading this book, and getting to see how it can be to live with autism, and the stigma that surrounds it.

There’s Pumpkin About You is a cinnamon-warm small-town romance that pairs ambition with roots and lets the sparks do the heavy lifting. Wren Southwick walks onto the Finch family’s Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm with a clipboard, a vision, and a deadline: turn her best friend’s 30th into the event that launches her business beyond local word of mouth. Standing between her and the dream? August Finch—equal parts broad shoulders and closed gates—who guards his family’s land (and time) like it’s harvest gold.

August is also autistic, and Athena Carstairs writes his character with warmth, care, and depth—never reducing him to a label, but showing how his way of processing the world shapes both his boundaries and his quiet acts of connection. His blunt honesty, preference for structure, and deep attachment to the farm all feel lived-in and real, adding layers to the grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

What makes this story pop is the competence chemistry: Wren’s big-picture imagination colliding with August’s hands-on, this-better-make-sense practicality. Their negotiations start sharp—rates, permits, logistics, supply—then slide into banter, micro-kindnesses, and those quiet, loaded looks that say “fine, I do respect you” before either is brave enough to say “I want you.” The farm isn’t just a backdrop; it’s texture—rows of pumpkins, dust on boots, the thrum of tractors—giving the romance a grounded, tactile heartbeat.

Carstairs balances flirty fun with soft, earnest beats about legacy, risk, and choosing the life you want. Wren’s arc asks whether success needs to be loud to matter; August’s asks whether protecting the past means refusing the future. The pacing is brisk (planning milestones keep the tension taut), the side characters meddle in the best way, and the payoff lands sweet without turning syrupy. If your fall TBR demands banter, bustle, nuanced autism rep, and a hero who softens like butter on warm pie, consider this your sign.

I'm just so in love with this book! I need to immediately add it to my physical bookshelf! The main characters, character development, the beautiful way the other characters helped move this story along were all beautiful. There were certain things that took me out of the story (my personal dings and issues) but overall a wonderful story. I could read this book again and again. I love the cover and want to have physical artwork for my shelves.

***Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for an e-arc of There's Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs! All thoughts are my own!***

3.5 stars!

Wren Southwick is given the chance to plan her bestie’s 30th birthday bash, and determined to create an experience so big and bold that the name of her party planning business spreads beyond her own small town.

August Finch is the grumpy pumpkin farmer who is doing what he can to keep his farm thriving. The barn of the Finch family’s Goldleaf Pumpkin Farm seems to be the perfect venue plus the perfect supply partner for the autumnal-themed bash Wren envisions. But to get what she wants – and needs – she’ll have to get gorgeous grouch Gus on board.

Reading this book during the middle of summer really got me in the mood for fall. The pumpkins, crisp air, grumpy-sunshine, and small town really help with fall ambience and make it a cozy read.

Wren and Gus are really good characters from the start and even though they spend most of their time in heated arguments on how things should work, it makes the sparks fly even faster when he falls first. I really like that the MMC has Autism spectrum and I think it was well portrayed to see how Gus handles everyday life and how he feels when it comes to relationships. The representation was very well done.

The character development and growth throughout the story was great. This book is VERY slow burn. But you definitely can feel the tension throughout the story. The side characters are great as well. From the barista at the coffeeshop, the florist and his wife, and August's brothers, it gives the feel of how close the town is and how much they care about August, especially with his Autism.

Honestly this is just a cozy, easy read if you are looking for a cute romance book that isn't heavy on the spice that makes you smile and warms your heart. Needless to say, I can't wait for fall weather and a trip to the pumpkin patch!

There's Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs is out August 22nd! Thanks again to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for an e-arc of this book!

Thank you Netgalley and OMC for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

OMG the fall is coming :) The setting of the novel was perfect and the fall vibes could not be more present. I did like the little city and the slow burn romance, however it could pick up a bit quicker.
Classical hate to love trope is one of my top favourites. It was quick and easy read, exactly what I needed. 3,5 stars from me

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and I enjoyed it.
I have never read a book before that had a main character on the autism spectrum, and I loved how it brought his emotions/struggles/fears to light. In the small town, August was judged harshly by his tiny community without them even getting to know him. He was grumpy but loved fiercely when it was someone he truly connected with. Wren comes out of nowhere and flips his world upside down. She is a party planner and wants to throw a bash for her best friend at his Pumpkin Farm, but there is more convincing involved and much work to be done.
I loved Wren and August's banter. They struggled to come together due to his intense foreign feelings and her inability to completely understand. But when they finally got things right, it was so sweet. This book really portrayed the Autism spectrum well and really pulled on your emotions. Glad I read this book!

This is a quick and easy cozy romance read for the fall season. The characters are likeable but I didn't connect fully with them at times and the storyline was missing something for me.

This is such a cute autumn book that I would recommend to anyone who loves fall reads. This is about a pumpkin farmer and party planner. She’s in need of an event space and he needs help on his pumpkin farm. What I loved most about this book was the autism representation. I love that it was openly talked about. Autism comes in all forms spanning the spectrum from self sufficiency to total dependence on others. Gus (our MMC) is self sufficient but often masks his autism because the small town community is so unaccepting. I really disliked the small town. Usually small towns are a team and supportive of each other. Not this town. They were rude and outright aggressive. I loved the fall themes in this book, particularly the emphasis on the vision for the party. One thing I really didn’t like was the authors repeated use of the word “whilst”. It was used on every page practically and that was a real oversight on the editing team to fail at producing a synonym. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read!

Wow!! What a brilliant seasonal romance, I binged this in 1 sitting🤭

It had some of my favourite tropes including a true grumpy x sunshine.
The seasonal aspects to this story were incredible - the MMC Bering called August YES!! The Nightmare Before Fall party sounds amazing👻 This felt like a classic small town romance with some standout and intriguing characters (Sandra is my new sworn enemy, the scene with her and poor Wren’s accident had my blood boiling🤬) I would do anything to try the Sweet Cinnamon cafe😋 ALSO the animal characters in this were great: Emilio the Goat & Cliff the Dog🥹 it also included a cougar called Trixie which had me tearing up (Trixie was the name of my cat of 18 years who only recently passed)

The standout storyline for me was the autism awareness of Gus, it was naturally written and presented from a place of understanding and care🥰

a cosy warming( even in this summer humid heat i didn't mind)book to give you all the feels. the cover was kind of gorgeous too which was a lovely bonus.
Wren needs to plan the best 30th birthday party she has ever thrown. its going to define her career so really she has no options for it to fail.
the mood this book has you in is just what i needed when i went into this book. it a feel good read. a feel better read. a comfort.
there was also some characters in this book that i would definitely like to know more of and see more of. their future stories are definitely worth telling, just saying. and the other characters in these books had me in those i could quite happily live her or be adopted by this town please?
Wren and our farmer had that connection we love to see in these books.
so to the story is where we have Wren who has to plan her best friends 30th birthday party. and she needs to make this happen at the local pumpkin farm and patch.
but there is a certain someone who isn't so keen on this happening. yup you got it our main character male Gus does not want this woman coming in,taking over and planning this thing on his place. so the two of course butt heads whilst also of course being completely sizzling with other vibes for each other too.
i really think the added part to Gus and his story was done spot on. it never felt like a tick box, it was part of him and brilliant but also we need to see something of the issues he might and did face and how it occurs for people. also allowing us to do better when we come across people who might be showing themselves in this way. stop, think, dont pounce or judge and perhaps think if there could be more to this. and also stop thinking there is such huge pre whole perfection of what people 'should' behave like in our world.

3.75⭐️ | ARC Review

There’s Pumpkin About You is a sweet, seasonal read with cozy vibes, fall charm, and a soft romance that’s perfect for curling up with on a crisp day. It has everything you'd expect from an autumn romcom—pumpkin farms, flannel, slow-burn tension, and a small town that practically smells like cinnamon.

The story follows Wren, a bold and creative party planner trying to launch her business with a big birthday bash. Her only problem? The grumpy, no-nonsense pumpkin farmer August Finch, who wants nothing to do with her plans—or her. Their dynamic is definitely opposites-attract, and while it took a bit for me to feel fully invested in their chemistry, I did enjoy watching their walls slowly come down.

August's perspective stood out to me most. His voice felt honest and grounded, and I appreciated how the story explored what it means to feel out of place or misunderstood. The autism rep was handled with care, and I liked that it added more emotional depth to the story without weighing it down.

Where I struggled a bit was with Wren’s approach—she came across as pushy in a few scenes, especially considering what she knew about August early on. I know it was meant to be playful tension, but it didn’t always land for me. I also wished the romance had a little more spark earlier on—the buildup is very slow, with only one spicy scene late in the book. The side characters didn’t stand out much either, though the setting more than made up for that.

Still, this was a comforting read overall. It captures the essence of fall so well—from the farm setting to the festive details—and it left me with that warm, content feeling. It may not have blown me away, but it absolutely delivered on the cozy.

Tropes & Vibes:
🎃 Enemies to lovers
🏠 Forced proximity
🌾 Small-town life
🧡 Grumpy/sunshine
💬 Neurodivergent rep
💫 Slow burn
🎈 Party planning
🍁 All the fall feels


Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC 🧡