Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About
Author: Isabelle Popp
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
Sadie is living (temporarily) in her childhood home, taking care of her father’s pumpkin patch while he’s out of state helping his brother after an accident. She hopes her good deeds will begin to repair the rift between her father and her. However, shortly after she arrives, the pumpkins are destroyed. This is when she meets Stu’s neighbor, and fellow large pumpkin grower, Josh.
Josh, a self-made millionaire, learned how to grow a pumpkin from Stu and now works to improve the process. Smitten with Sadie, he offers one of his pumpkins for her to grow for the State Fair large pumpkin contest since Stu’s are ruined.
Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About is a darling romance starring a grumpy artist who ran from home to live in LA and a happy-go-lucky tech bro who traded in his California digs for a quiet life in small-town Indiana. They seem like complete opposites, but they work. Right from the start, the pair share a strong attraction, and because they don’t appear to have a future, Sadie decides to make a move.
Despite some bumps in the road, the pair works because they are open about their desires and future plans. They share embarrassing stories and deep hurts. But most importantly, Josh accepts and adores Sadie, big emotions and all. Her whole life, Sadie felt she had to change herself to fit in and was a burden to others, so his genuine compassion and admiration help her begin to heal. Additionally, the visit to her home town forces Sadie to acknowledge that people have a different perspective on her father than she does, and maybe she needs to adjust hers.
Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About is such a fun, emotionally satisfying book about learning to love yourself and accept others as they are. Josh and Sadie’s romance is sexy, (pumpkin) spicy, and romantic.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
Jen
About the Book:
She’s a little edgy. He’s a lot of sunshine.
Love’s about to catch them completely off gourd…
Textile artist Sadie Fox did not sign up for this. When she agreed to come home to Pea Blossom, Indiana, it was to care for her father’s beloved pumpkin patch. The deal was that—just for the summer—she would grow a ginormous pumpkin, win the Indiana State Fair’s pumpkin contest and finally win back her father’s (grudging) respect.
Instead, a horde of wild hogs destroyed the. entire. patch. Which is precisely when the annoyingly sexy, sunshiny next-door neighbor shows up.
Josh Thatcher is a tech millionaire who traded in the office for growing gourds, including experimental squash hybrids. And for the life of her, Sadie can’t understand what he sees in her sweary, tattooed, prickly self—or why he’s offering to help his biggest competitor. But a storm-fueled kiss proves there’s definitely something growing between them.
Maybe it’s just attraction. Maybe it’s more. Whatever it is, it’s already bigger than Sadie’s fast-growing pumpkin…or the secret that Josh has been hiding.
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Publisher: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): paperback (288 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley