While the writing was strong and both the plot and characters were well-developed, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. Despite its shorter length, the pacing felt slow and the story took a while to gain momentum. Although this particular book wasn’t the right fit for me, I genuinely appreciated the author’s writing style and look forward to exploring more of her work in the future.

This was such a fun fall read!
Edgy goth girl, Sadie, moves back to a small town in Indiana to look after her father’s pumpkin patch! She meets dad’s new neighbor, Josh, a sunshine former tech guy from California. They enter a pumpkin competition at the state fair. But a storm rolls through and turns their lives upside down!

It was a good story. There was some slight miscommunication that did a little old-fashioned. But it wasn’t anything to make me stop reading. I loved the growth of the characters. The setting was so cute and cozy. The spice was just right. All in all, it was a cute little quick read.
Adelaide Fernport did a fantastic job bringing the characters and story to life!

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Isabelle Popp for the opportunity to listen to this ARC of the audiobook!

🎧4⭐⭐⭐⭐🎧

I gave this book a chance, expecting a sweet little fall romance, maybe some pumpkins and a smooch or two, but WOW, did it deliver way more than cider and cozy sweaters.
It has small-town autumn vibes that were on point. Crunchy leaves, warm mugs, some mischief with the hogs, and we got ourselves a romance in the making.... Or something like it. The characters felt so real, so raw, and so easy to root for. I was fully invested before I even realized it.

The romance? Spicy, but not in an over-the-top, intimate, and refreshingly natural way. And the representation we had, Non-binary side characters, LGBTQIA+ relationships, and open conversations around safety and consent, it was woven in so seamlessly that it felt honest and current without waving a look at me flag.

If you're craving something warm and thoughtful with just the right amount of heat, this is it.
The narration was perfect for this book; they gave us just the right amount of performance to keep us wanting more.

Just finished the audio / ebook ARC by Isabelle Popp. I freaking loved it. Talk about fall vibes & close quarters trope. It was so good. Def be a yearly read. Thanks to @Harlequin Books & the shameless romantics! It was such a great read and listen. The audio narration was amazing. I loved the Dual POV. 🔥🔥🔥✨

4 stars

I had a lot of fun with this one! That man was smitten from the jump and I loved it. The spice was more adventurous than the cover would elude to but also really worked for who the characters were. I found Josh's trying to hard-ness to be really endearing in how much more he still wanted to do. And I found Sadie's black cat energy to be both surprisingly lovable and a perfect match for Josh.

About 75% through, we skip ahead 3 weeks after seeing quite a lot of every day stuff and that felt a bit jarring or like we missed some important steps in the relationship building to love. I think a lot of this period too would have involved the sister more and I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of their relationship changes as well.

Regarding the audio, while the narrator was good I felt it was more just reading than any acting involved. There wasn't a lot of differentiation in the voices of the characters either. Also, I found the narrators voice to be a bit cheerier than how I would imagine Sadie would speak. Given that this book is in third person though, I can forgive that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

2.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up)

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I appreciated the twist on the “grumpy sunshine” trope—with Sadie playing the grumpy role instead of the typical male lead—it just didn’t land. Sadie’s character was hard to connect with, and while Josh was more charming and upbeat, neither felt particularly believable or fully developed.

The chemistry between the two main characters lacked spark, and the romantic progression felt unconvincing. The storyline itself was choppy and didn’t flow smoothly, which made it hard to stay engaged. The spicy scenes were around a 3.5 out of 5 in intensity, but even those felt rushed and forced—sometimes jumping into heat without enough build-up or context, leaving me confused about how we even got there.

Overall, the story didn’t pull me in, and the characters failed to resonate. I was hoping for a cozy fall romance, but this one just didn’t deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Isabelle Popp for giving me access to the ALC.

Let's Give 'em Pumpkin to Talk About by Isabelle Popp

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3🌶🌶🌶

This was another cute read. When our FMC, Sadie agrees to come to her home town of Pea Blossom, Indiana to take care of her father's pumpkin patch while he is away, she didn't anticipate the catastrophe that awaited her. When she arrives at the farm she finds all of the pumpkins ravages by pigs from the neighbors pig farm.

As Sadie is chucking pumpkins to express her displeasure with the situation, her dad's other neighbor, Josh, rides up all white night style on his horse to assess the situation.

Josh offers to help Sadie by giving her one of his pumpkins so she can grow and enter it in the Pumpkin Spice Weight Off, a big competition to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin. Sadie can't figure out why Josh wants to help her or what he sees in her rough around the edges personality. But the 2 grow closer and things heat up in the best way. Reading these two stumbling through their feelings was heartwarming and funny at the same time. Definitely a lovely fall read!

2 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 4 🎧

DNF@34%

I'm just bored and she's awkwardly horny.... Add in third person POV and I'm throwing in the towel. It's probably not completely awful, but I have too many other books I'm excited about.

4⭐️ 2.5🌶️ 5🎧 This was a such a sweet and fun story that brought me from the current summer heat in Florida to the cooler fall temps we all know and love, even made a pumpkin spice latte to drink while listening!

Sadie is edgy and has past trauma that leaves her feeling like love is not in the cards and comes to expect everyone will leave her eventually. Enter Mr. Josh Thatcher, the sweet tech millionaire turn gourd growin’, edgy girl lovin’ ray of sunshine! They were so sweet together and loved their journey to love!

This audiobook is narrated by Adelaide Fernport. This is my first time listening to her narration and I enjoyed her voice and felt she did a great job bringing this story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

*Let’s Give Them Pumpkin to Talk About* completely charmed me from the first page. Isabelle Popp brings the perfect mix of heart, heat, and hilarity—just the kind of cozy, small-town romance I want to curl up with on a crisp fall day. The banter? On point. The chemistry? Off the charts. And the setting? Total pumpkin spice perfection.

What really took it up a notch was the audio—**Adelaide Fernport** absolutely nailed the narration. She brought the characters to life with warmth and personality that made it even harder to press pause. It felt like I was right there in town, eavesdropping on every delicious moment.

This book has all the feel-good vibes, a little bit of spice, and the kind of storytelling that stays with you. Huge thanks to Harlequin, NetGalley, and the Harlequin Shameless Romance program for the advanced copy—I’m officially obsessed.

I absolutely loved this book. Honestly, it started a little slow for my liking and I really couldn’t connect to the FMC at first, but once I got into the thick of it - I absolutely devoured it. As stated previously, the FMC for sure is a grumpy character with a chip on her shoulder, but she has her reasons and I know there are people who feel like her so I felt I grew to understand her. The MMC was a ray of sunshine. He is everything you want and then some. The plot and setting of the book made my heart skip a few beats. I thought this was a quick, sexy, and fun ride that I didn’t want to be over. This would be a great read for the fall. To me the book’s underlying message is to be yourself at all costs and to not just assume the worst; to be open to whatever the universe throws your way. This was my first book by Isabelle Popp and I look forward to more in the future. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. 🧡

I would like to thank Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for giving me an ARC (which did not sway my opinions or review).

Thank you Netgalley, and Harlequin Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy!

I love a grumpy x sunshine trope, especially when SHE is the grumpy one; black cat x golden retriever is the best!

I picked out this debut novel based on the cover as I loved seeing a curvy, tattooed FMC.

I loved Sadie’s colorful vocabulary and Josh’s cute replacements for cursing.

The story was cute and reminded me of an Emily Henry novel. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

The narrator was just okay. I did not like the way “pumpkin” or “library” was said but other than that it was fine.

The actual plot of this story was awesome. I LOVE a good fall book and this was almost it. Until it got all sorts of political at the end. I don’t need to know the author’s position on abortion and the fact that she just had to include it made me hate this book with a passion. I don’t want to know. Literally could have left that one piece out and I would’ve given it rave reviews.

There were plot holes that seemed to be filled in with information about pumpkins and propagation. I only made it through half of the book before I lost interest. I just couldn't get into the story.

This was a fun and surprisingly heartwarming read! Based on the cover and title, I expected a very fall centric romance, but the story actually takes place mostly over the summer and eases into fall. It still gave me those cozy, small town fall vibes I was hoping for, just with a little summer heat to start things off.

The romance is grumpy x sunshine with a twist, the FMC is edgy, snarky, and closed off, while the MMC is pure golden retriever energy and also a secret tech billionaire turned pumpkin farmer. Their dynamic was cute and worked well for the pace and tone of the story. It’s definitely a lighter read, but it does have themes such as generational family trauma and personal growth.

The audiobook narration by Adelaide Fernport was great, she nailed the character voices and brought a nice warmth to the story. I finished this one quickly and wouldn’t mind a return to Pea Blossom if the author ever writes more set in this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About by Isabelle Popp
Narrator, Adelaide Fernport
Debut novel with a reverse grumpy sunshine trope along with being somewhat smexy and having autumnal vibes. Lots of cursing in case a reader cares but a very good story. Maybe the sister could have the next book but this appears to be a standalone. Some difficult parental relationships, partly resolved and a bit of social awkwardness. There was a bit of a third act upset but it was quickly resolved.
Narrator was fine but not outstanding. Some minor mispronunciations but nothing terrible.

When Sadie has to return to her hometown, Pea Blossom, to help with her father's pumpkin patch, she thinks it's a fantastic opportunity to get out of her artists block & reconnect with sister. She is very surprised to meet Josh (the handsome millionaire neighbor) while tending to her recently destroyed pumpkins, and even more surprised to fall for him.

✨black cat fmc & golden retriever mmc
✨friends to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨pumpkin SPICE

"His affection for Sadie felt outsize, visible from space. She couldn't possibly miss it, could she?"

This was definitely cute & full of fall vibes! I found it to be pretty cheesy, but the character development was great. The pumpkin weighing contest plot line was not my favorite, but it did have Stars Hollow vibes and so much small town charm. The audiobook was pretty good too, and the narrator did a great job with the voices! I usually prefer dual POV for romance novels, but I still enjoyed this. I enjoyed the banter & the grumpy/sunshine vibes! Super cute & a great way to prepare for fall & all the pumpkin fun!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Publishing, NetGalley & Isabelle Popp for an ALC & ARC 🫶🏼

ALC Review
Let's Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About by Isabelle Popp
Narrated by: Adelaide Fernport
8h 8m
Third Person | Dual POV

This was a cozy, small-town read that was an easy listen. There were some deeper themes talked about but overall this was an easy read.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Small town romance
* Pumpkin growing
* Forced proximity
* She's grumpy x he's sunshine

This is a cute, cozy read about falling in love set around a pumpkin growing competition. As a fall girlie I was so excited, but something in this book just didn’t totally connect with me.
The story was easy, characters were fine, setting was quaint… there was something about the writing that just seemed disjointed? And as someone who enjoys spice scenes sometimes they felt kinda forced which takes away from it.
Nevertheless, I really think this book was cute and I think a lot of people would still love it so please give it a shot and add it to the never ending TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC!

This book was adorable!
Sadie is curmudgeonly charming and Josh is brightly enchanting. I was immediately hooked with the opening scene of Sadie’s return to her family’s farm and getting to see the unexpected friendship evolve between Sadie and Josh.
It was impossible to not feel for both of them and the untruths they have internalized after being harmed by other people. Both of them finding solace and healing within each other and themselves was beautiful.
I felt like Sadie and her dad’s relationship was bonkers and some of the change in his demeanor felt like whiplash. I feel like Josh was marvelous at meeting Sadie where she was at and building trust with her and learning he is worth loving too.
I received an audioARC thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin audio! The performance by Adelaide Fernport was excellent - she did a beautiful execution of this story and really brought it to life.