Book Review: The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
December 9, 2024
So, this is the second book of the Dream Harbor books, which means it is following The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and in the same world. There are often times that I do not love a book that follows the same world, but not the same characters, because it is the characters that I really fall in love with, not necessarily the setting, but this one worked and it worked well. There was enough of a conclusion in the last book that it really felt like it was time for a new person to have their own story, so we can see this charming town from another point of view.
We follow a smart young woman named Hazel Kelly, who happens to be the beloved Mayers daughter, and the bookshop manager. She has been in the same job for the last fifteen years, and even though she loves her job, she has this aching feeling that she threw away her youth with responsible and reasonable thoughts and actions. Being just a few months away from her thirtieth birthday, she wants to make the last few moments of her twenties count and when she starts finding books in her bookshop that are dog eared, highlighted, in the wrong section, and upside-down, she sees this as an opportunity to do everything all of them say and have a summer of fun. The town fisherman, and local heartbreaker, Noah happens to be in the shop ( all the time ) and she wrangles him into ( he very eagerly volunteers ) being her summer fun guide. When she starts falling for him, what was supposed to just a summer of fun, becomes something a lot more.
Noah moved to town only a couple years ago, and he was running from the life that his family had expected from him, and in turn, his family itself. He had bopped around a couple towns, but Dream Harbor really felt like home, especially after he started noticing how cute a certain book seller was. They had been in the same friend group since he moved into the town, but recently he couldn't stop thinking about her, so when she happened across a clue in her little shop, he couldn’t resist offering to help with her Summer Of Fun, even just to spend time with her, and it turns into something so much more.
My only complaint about this book was that it is advertised as an autumn book and it is for sure a summer book. Most of the book takes place in July and August because Hazels birthday is in September and the whole summer of fun is taking place leading up to it. It does end in the autumn and a little in the winter, but for the most part, I would consider this a cozy summer read, not autumn. I will warn you, though, this was significantly more spicy than the previous book in her series, and I would argue, a little more graphic, so I would caution you. Even if you had read her first book, this one is going to be a little bit more spice than the first. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and mostly read it in two sittings. I am a big fan of the Dream Harbor books and I look forward to reading the Christmas one this year and the spring one once it comes out!
