This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details..
My favorite time of the year has arrived, and I’ve been loving the cozy Fall reads! Whether you’re looking for your next great read or just curious about what I loved (or didn’t love), this post has all the details. My goal for 2025 was to read one book a month, and so far, I’m approaching 40 books this year! I’ll be sharing a brief summary, my personal thoughts, and a rating for each book. Plus, I’ll highlight my top recommendation of the month at the end!
Book List Overview (with links to purchase)
- Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow by Victoria Walters
- Fall I Want by Lyra Parish
- Beneath the Harvest Moon by L.B. Gaines
📖 Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow – Victoria Walters
- Genre: Romance Novel
- Synopsis: Willow Connor has six weeks to save her family farm in Birchbrook before Dylan Henderson’s big-city real estate company purchases it for building. That’s when she gets the crazy idea to turn it into a pumpkin farm! When Willow and Dylan enter a pact that challenges them both, the line between enemies and lovers gets blurred, and they’re both left questioning what they thought they wanted.
- My Thoughts: This book is the perfect cozy, small-town, Fall romance! It has some spice, some banter, and the city boy/country girl aesthetic. The plot is entertaining without being too deep and emotional, and it’s a light, fun read. For all the Fall feels, this one is it!
- Favorite Quote: “I think we didn’t know how lonely we were until we found each other.”
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? If you’re a fan of the Dream Harbor series, you’ll love this one! It’s cutesy and full of the romance feels, so I love it. But, if you’re looking for depth or literary greatness, this isn’t the one for you.
📖 Fall I Want – Lyra Parish
- Genre: Romance Novel
- Synopsis: When Zane Alexander and Autumn Travis meet, sparks immediately fly. And when Zane asks Autumn to be his friend, she decides to take him up on that. When mysteries of his life unfold and her no-good ex returns to town, they even decided to fake date! But, with family drama, ghosts from the past, and unexpected tragedy, it gets harder for them to push away the feelings they’ve been dreaming of.
- My Thoughts: I LOVED this book! I literally could not put it down! It’s another Fall, small-town, spicy romance, but this one has more emotion and depth than the last read. Fall I Want is a dual POV, friends to lovers, fake dating, billionaire boyfriend read, with themes of grief, a dreamy male main character, and witty banter. What’s not to love? In my opinion, it also contains a bit of magical realism, but I haven’t seen anyone else with that point of view. Either way, this novel is a good one!
- Favorite Quote: “Maybe we could fill the cracks of our hearts with the sunshine the other brings”.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Yes! It has the perfect amount of romance and emotional depth that makes the perfect romance novel! The small-town, magical, Fall vibes make it even better!
📖 Beneath the Harvest Moon – L.B. Gaines
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Synopsis: Sade Morgan has a simple, small-town, farm life with her son Eli, that is, until two men from her past return to town. Derek has returned with an ulterior motive and a familiar fire in his eyes. Then there’s Lorenzo Tate, Sade’s first everything. His presence alone unearths wounds, trauma, and secrets that Sade buried nearly a decade ago. What can she do when everything she’s built could all fall apart?
- My Thoughts: This short book is nothing short of AMAZING and breathtaking! It has lots of twists and turns, but the plot kept my eyes glued to the pages. My favorite thing about this book is the writing! Gaines’ words are so poetic and lyrical, and every single description is so beautiful! It’s rare that I fall in love with a book for the language, but this book is the exception! It’s a Black romance full of Fall vibes, small-town charm, farm life, and spice; however, there are trigger warnings for SA, grief, and kidnapping. There are tough topics, but underneath it all is a beautiful second-chance romance that stands the test of time.
- Favorite Quote: “We settled into a rhythm that felt both earned and delicate, like a song you didn’t realize you knew the words to until you were humming along”.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? YES! If you are a lover of love, second chances, fate, and poetry, this book is a must-read! (Please check the trigger warnings first!)
My Top Pick This Month Is…
Beneath the Harvest Moon by L.B. Gaines! I was so torn this month, but the beautiful writing of this short story just blew me away! I was telling everyone I know about this book, so of course it was my top pick for October!
What’s TBR for November?
I’m still in the Autumn spirit, so there are a few more cozy reads I want to get to…
- The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham
- There’s Pumpkin About You by Athena Carstairs
- Cinnamon Lane by Bennett Rhodes
- Sinnamon and Golds by Lady Marie
- Spin ‘Bout You by BriAnn Danae
There are 5 books on my list for November, but a few of them are short, so I’m really hoping to get through them all before I start my Christmas reads in December!
That concludes my October reading wrap-up! I’m so excited that I’ve read 38 books so far this year, and I can’t wait to see what’s next! What did you read in October? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let’s chat in the comments!
If you enjoyed this post, share it with other book lovers!
