If I were ever to write a memoir, it would be titled, Jenna Peterson’s Guide to Dating Emotionally Unavailable Men. I’m like a professional at it. I’m so good, I can take any dysfunctional man and turn him into Prince Charming, just in time for him to dump me and then go on to marry the next woman he dates. I’m about ready to give up on loving real men and focus on lusting over fictional men in the Turkish dramas I can’t stop devouring.
But then . . . I find a mysterious fifty-dollar bill with a handwritten note on it that was donated to my family’s pumpkin patch by accident. And wouldn’t you know it, the mystery man it belongs to is emotionally unavailable, albeit freakishly attractive. I keep telling myself to walk away, but there’s something about Aidan St. Claire that makes me want to unravel all his secrets. All I know is he sure can heat up the cozy fall nights. I can’t help but think that maybe this time I’ll get to keep Prince Charming for myself.
My Review
This story has many autumn vibes, some great opposites attract content, and the characters have deep personalities. The story is a slow burn, midlife, with a friend-to-lovers romance. Most of the story is long-winded, but the end is lovely. I enjoyed the reflective content and fake relationship, but the storyline was slow. The male character, Aidan, didn’t have much of a pov, which made it difficult to understand his thoughts. Jenna, for all her faults, did grow smarter as the storyline went on. The pumpkin parts and the insane family were the best parts for me.
Jenna is the daughter of a farmer in Nevada. She had horrible luck with men, but the farm has all the nostalgic autumn vibes. She is a magnet for emotionally unavailable men.
This story is a diary of uncomfortable interactions, crazy family complications, and Jenna’s weird experiences. So, helping dysfunctional men who are not good at communication seems to have just landed in her lap again. Of course, it is Aidan, the stoic man she just met. Almost all of the interactions between Aidan and Jenna are awkward, which takes grumpy/sunshine to a new level.
She isn’t supposed to be catching feelings, but her messed up self can’t help it. Most of the book read a little awkwardly for me. It isn’t necessarily a romance, more of a working friendship of convenience. But the meeting with the mother part is definitely awkward as heck for Jenna.
At least the autumn and pumpkin themes are present throughout the book, even though it is evident how much Jenna and Aidan are opposites. Oh, things get steamy after a little fake-dating appearance. Oh, twisted this entire time. We thought her taste in men was the issue, but it isn’t the case, which is mind-blowing.
Ah, we finally get the romance at the end of this book. This book moves slowly, but the end is slightly sweet. Also, I really enjoyed the epilogue of the book.
If you want to read Pumpkin Spice and Not So Nice by Becky Monson, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Autumn, Fake Relationship, and Grumpy/Sunshine.
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