Listening to Let’s Give ’Em Pumpkin to Talk About was like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket and stepping into a small town autumn festival. Isabelle Popp’s storytelling shines in audio format, and the narrator brings the characters to life with warmth, charm, and just the right touch of sass and humor.

The narration was smooth and expressive, making it easy to connect with the emotions in each scene from laugh out loud moments to the sweet, swoony ones. The pacing felt perfect for an audiobook, never dragging and always keeping me engaged.

This is the kind of audiobook that makes you want to take the long way home just to keep listening. A perfect pick for fall, or anytime you want a story that feels like pumpkin pie for the soul.

If you’re a fan of contemporary romantic comedies with a small-town charm and opposites-attract vibes, Let's Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About might be a fun pick for you. Personally, it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I can see how it might appeal to readers who enjoy lighter romance reads with quirky setups and a bit of spice thrown in.

The premise is definitely cute—Sadie, a rough-around-the-edges textile artist, returns home for the summer with one goal: to grow a giant pumpkin to earn her father’s respect finally. Enter Josh, her annoyingly handsome and overly optimistic neighbor who left a tech career to grow vegetables. It’s got all the ingredients for a feel-good romance, and I appreciated that the author tried to do something unique with the setup.

That said, I found the pacing a bit slow, and the plot didn’t fully hold my attention. While the characters were well-developed on paper, I struggled to feel any real connection to them, which made it hard for me to get truly invested. I liked that Sadie wasn’t your typical rom-com heroine—she’s edgy, flawed, and refreshingly real—but I just didn’t find myself rooting for her or Josh as much as I wanted to.

The spice level was kind of all over the place. Most of the book is pretty tame, then suddenly we’re thrown into full-on steamy scenes that felt a bit out of place with the tone of the rest of the story. Some of those moments actually made me cringe a little because of the context, and also because they felt rushed or unearned, like we skipped a few steps in the emotional buildup.

One thing I will say: it’s a short, easy read. If you’re coming off an emotionally heavy book and need a quick palate cleanser with a bit of romance and humor, this could work for you. While it wasn’t a personal favorite, I know there are readers out there who love a sunshine-and-grump dynamic and a cozy small-town setting. Just be prepared for a few unexpected spicy surprises in between the pumpkin-growing and pig-related chaos.

I liked the author's writing style, and the audiobook version was very easy to listen to. The narrator uses different voices for the girl and boy parts, and it was very easy to listen to which kept my interest.

This one’s for the pumpkin spice girlies! Pumpkin talk galore and so so spicy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️
This will be a great read come autumn. Youve got a pumpkin growing competition in a small town. And lots of spice! She’s an artist, he’s a tech nerd. Mutual pining and close proximity.
Lots of steamy spice that’s piping hot! That post tornado, watching scene had me kicking my feet and squealing it was so hot! I love that both our main characters have their own struggles that they’re working on, yet they each give each other the safe space to grow without any pressure. I wasn’t sold on Josh and Sadie’s chemistry at first, but opposites can attract and these two grew together really well. The romance could have dove a little deeper because it felt more like insta lust rather than love. But also, the emotional journey these two took, both individually and together, did sell me on their love by the end. Also, a moment for our dark and broody curvy girl Sadie, because she’s a boss bitch and I LOVED her. Theres nothing wrong with an assertive woman and I loved that she maintained her boundaries the whole way through. Josh met Sadie at her pace and let her take the lead, and that was so so hot of him. But also, cute non cursing Josh got me with his tender heart, doing the most when he’s being affectionate, and not me cackling at the sex toy emporium in his closet cause he’s a secret freak and that man deserves to be protected at all costs. This was more centered on their connection and I do wish we would have gotten a bit more of the pumpkin weigh off or at the least some more fall festivities leading up to this competition to set the ambiance a little more. But overall, a fun, pumpkin filled spicy read!

This was such an easy, sweet, and surprisingly spicy read. Self proclaimed black cat Sadie Fox returns to her hometown to care for her estranged father’s pumpkin patch. Unsurprisingly, chaos ensues. I really enjoyed the MMC- he was nerdy, surprisingly endearing, and working in therapy (claps) on his people pleasing nature. I really enjoyed this fall themed read! 3.5 stars rounded to 4

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook Let’s Give Em Pumpkin to Talk About.

Sadie’s got bite, Josh is all heart, and together they bring plenty of heat to this fun and spicy small-town fall romance. Let’s Give ’Em Pumpkin to Talk About is the kind of story that makes you want to pull on a cozy sweater, grab a latte, and fully commit to the chaos of second chances and full-blown lust. It’s quirky without being cringey, and the emotional layers—grief, vulnerability, forgiveness—gave the steam a little more substance. The audiobook narrator absolutely nailed the delivery, adding depth and charm to both leads. If you’re into unapologetically spicy reads with heart, humor, and a splash of cinnamon, this one’s for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5 stars)
Rated R for strong language and explicit sexual content.

3.75⭐️ rounded up

A small town/fall vibes rom com with banter, sass and a lot of (cough pumpkin) spice.

Releases: August 26, 2025

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 8 hours 8 minutes
🎤: Adelaide Fernport
The narrator does a good job of the different voices needed and had great tempo. The narration was clear and concise. I was able to listen to this audiobook at the lower end of my preferred speed and I was able to understand everything clearly and follow along well. While the audiobook narrator didn't stand out as a top favorite to me I didn't have any big complaints about the narration in general.

Themes:
🎃: Generational family trauma
🎃: Redeeming yourself from your past
🎃: Fill others cups with abundance
🎃: Learning to love yourself and let others love you

Representation:
🐗: Alternative/Edgy FMC
🐗: Artist FMC
🐗: Plus Size FMC
🐗: Light BDSM

Tropes:
💗: Alternative FMC/Golden Retriever MMC
💗: Tattooed FMC
💗: Billionaire MMC
💗: Philanthropist MMC

🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
🧟‍♂️: Gore: 🚫
Potential Triggers: Generational trauma, Abortion discussions **check authors website/social media

Short Synopsis:
Sadie is called back to Pea Blossom to tend to her father's award winning pumpkin patch. A short term hiatus during which she intends to fix her artists block, see her sister and win the spice pumpkin weighing contest. She didn't plan on her pumpkins being destroyed or falling for her dad's tech millionaire neighbor. But Sadie can't wait to go back to LA where there's decent tacos and no one snarks are her edgy bob and black clothing. Will Sadie uproot her entire life for love?

General Thoughts:
This audiobook was pretty adorable. This is going to be a great read for the fall months as the leaves turn and pumpkin spice reigns supreme again. With lots of spice and an adorable plot line, it's a quick and satisfying read.

I feel like the characters were pretty realistic and made decisions that made sense to their personality. Sadie was a fun character and I loved her alternative style and grumpy demeanor. I felt the character growth was most prominent with Sadie. Josh was a ball of sunshine and generous to a fault. It was fun watching these characters play off of each other.

One of the subplots was a little silly to me. The retaliation for the destroyed pumpkins seemed like it could have been totally eliminated with zero repercussions to the overall plot. It just felt out of place to me with everything else going on. However, I did enjoy the talks of art and the various cultural elements involved in textiles. I wish there had been more of that. I would have liked to see more resolution between Sadie and her father. But it also didn't seem lacking within the text. Just a personal preference.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and I won't be opposed to reading more by the author in the future.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a free audiobook through the Harlequin Audio and NetGalley . All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Sadie is a little edgy. Josh is a lot of sunshine.
Love’s about to catch them completely off gourd. This was a fun and quirky small town fall romance that makes you almost smell the pumpkin spice. This was a well written story about second chances, being vulnerable, and finding meaning in the small things. The narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life… I enjoyed listening to the way she performed her magic while voicing the different characters. Highly recommend!

I AM OBSESSED. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE CUTESY FUN AND IT ABSOLUTELY WAS BUT I ALSO TEARED UP A LITTLE BIT AND I JUST. I LOVED THIS BOOK SO INCREDIBLY MUCH WOW.

It's sweet, it's fun, the narrator does a great job (the accents weren't always super consistent but it wasn't enough to be an issue), and I just. I really really loved this and am really looking forward to reading more by Isabelle Popp.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC!

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

🎧 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧

I enjoyed this book as a whole! The audio was good. It flowed nicely and the narrator did a good job representing the characters in the book.

Did I ever think I would be reading a book about pumpkins and also smut? Nope but I am here for it. I enjoyed it. It’s a sweet fall romance. Also a short book which is always nice. It has spicy but also a plot which I love! Sadie and Josh were super cute and loved listening to their story.

This was a cute, fall ish love story between a girl trying to gain her father’s love and the farm neighbor looking for a sense of belonging. There was nothing remarkable about it the story but it was sweet and cute and would be a great fall time palette cleanser!

I enjoyed the narrator but as always, a duet narration would be preferred.