Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice (About Her): A Grumpy/Sunshine Sapphic Small-Town Halloween Romance

Birchwood Heights Holidays #1

by Claerie Kavanaugh

A grumpy mechanic.
A sunshine art teacher.
One chaotic fall festival that forces them together…

Lyndi Bailey has always believed in second chances—for her students, for her foster son, and maybe even for herself. But keeping it all together isn’t easy when the PTA’s Fall Festival is looming, custody battles are threatening to upend her family, and her art room is drowning in glitter.

Oakley Meadows doesn’t do small talk, committees, or pumpkin-themed chaos. She fixes engines, not school politics. But when her daughter ropes her into co-leading the festival build team, Oakley finds herself knee-deep in decorations, middle-school drama, and a certain art teacher who makes her want things she’s sworn off.

Between runaway Pumpkin-Mobiles, meddling PTA queens, and kids who are a little too good at matchmaking, Lyndi and Oakley will have to decide if the messiest projects can build the strongest foundations—and if love might be the one thing worth coloring outside the lines.

Perfect for fans of Melissa Brayden, Aurora Rey, and cozy small-town romance with equal parts heart and heat.

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

Claerie Kavanaugh has spent most of her life telling stories, but she never imagined herself writing romance. In fact, she used to think it should only be reserved for Hallmark movies. It wasn't until college, when she discovered fanfiction, that she learned what romance was truly about: not just fluffy relationships and happily ever afters, but human connection, the desire to push one another to be better, and create hope that somewhere, somehow, everyone has someone.
When she's not writing, she loves to travel and explore new cultures, helping other authors polish their works as a freelance editor, and singing while doing so. Broadway musicals are her soul-food, something her mother and sister know well. She constantly blasts the newest soundtrack through the halls of their Missouri home, much to the chagrin of her very sassy and spoiled cat.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahh, where to begin? Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice (About Her) by Claerie Kavanaugh is a hot mess with so much potential. The writing is all over the place and reads like a rough draft. There are repeated paragraphs, confusing scenes and dialogue, inconsistencies, rehashed material, and a baffling timeline. Also, the antagonists are somewhat caricatured. Since this is an ARC read, I hope all that will be worked out before publication.
That said, the novel has an interesting premise, a sweet story, and a satisfying ending. The characters are likable and flawed. The love interests have chemistry and a balanced dynamic. I enjoyed the plot points and the kids in particular. They are portrayed as amazing young individuals who embody a compelling combination of innocence and wisdom. They are creative, academically gifted, and they love fiercely.
I like the cover art and the cozy vibe.
Bonus points for mentioning 'MacGyvering' something.
Although I generally enjoyed the story, I was frustrated at times due to the aforementioned issues.
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I received a review copy from Booksprout. This is my honest review.

[C Shearer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise seems great; however, the book lacked serious editing. The timeline is all over the place, one chapter we’re talking in depth about the pumpkin-mobile, the next chapter we’re introducing it for the first time. Names are switched around, like people are in a conversation one minute and then walking into the room the next. It’s very disjointed and hard to continue to want to read.

[Ashlee Byron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay what is this AI generated book? I only made it 20% of the way through and it mentioned the pumpkin mobile like it was a new concept 4 times. I was hopeful for the story line but the repetitive ideas were starting to get irritating.