The Peterson Pumpkin Patch

by J.J. Cross

Archie Peterson doesn't want a simple, family-friendly Halloween this year. Instead, he and his partner in chaos, Hayleigh Wallcroft, are determined to make the night unforgettable by booking tickets for all of them to a horror-filled scare maze. Adults only.

Everyone is in and excited to go, except Ethan Peterson; he would rather literally be anywhere else. That is, until he learns Daisy – the yoga instructor he's been secretly smitten with for months – is going. But when she turns up with a date tagging along, his mood turns as sour as the stale sweets at the bottom of a trick or treaters bag.

In this dark forest full of frights, will the sparks fly – or will this Halloween be a horror none of them escape?

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2026

Reviews

[Loulovestoread]

I am grateful to have received a digital copy of The Peterson pumpkin patch early as a member of JJ’s street team. Thank you for letting me be apart of the Peterson’s family I have throughly enjoyed this series!

The Peterson Pumpkin Patch is 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 now 𝙤𝙣 𝙆𝙐 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠

Tropes:

🧡Multi POV
🎃Scare Maze
🧡Grumpy x Sunshine
🎃Small town
🧡Family Shenanigans
🎃Facing your fears

This was a funny cute novella read perfect for spooky season, I loved it! I absolutely adore Ethan & Daisy, I was really looking forward to jump back into The Petersons family and this book did not disappoint!! I love the Authors writing style it’s so beautiful😍 I can’t wait for this amazing series to continue but it also makes me sad knowing it will soon come to an end.

I highly recommend starting this series if you haven’t read it yet you will love it! The Petersons family has my whole heart🫶🏻

[kd_loves_books]

This is a cheeky novella where we get to see more of the Peterson brothers and friends as they head off to the scare maze for Halloween. You get to see the couples as they go through the maze and each has a different experience. but the underlying story is between Ethan and Daisy and this sets the scene for a potential romance. I enjoyed it. It is fun and quick and easy to read.

Thank you to the author and Every After PR for the advanced copy to review.

[Nicole]

The Peterson Family has signed up for a scare maze, and we get to see all their personalities shine. From Cas and Emmy trying to scare each other before they even make it there, to Papa Cole doing his best to keep everyone in line, and Nate going full caveman to keep Hayleigh safe. Between live rats, broken noses and self-absorbed influencers, you’d think there wasn’t much time for romance, but you’d be wrong.

I received an early copy of this book from @everafter.pr and really enjoyed it. I was a fun little holiday novella with a few jump scares and so many hilarious moments. While we got to check in with some of our favourite couples, we also got a glimpse into the unattached members of the Peterson Family. With Archie’s lighthearted facade hiding a fear of losing the people he loves, Rafe getting up to his playboy ways, but wondering whether he could ever want more, and Ethan fixating on Daisy, who shows up for a date. This book kicked the longing into high gear, especially in Ethan and Daisy’s POV chapters, and hopefully set the scene for the next book in the series.

[Kiri Gibson]

This was a cute little Novella that I read. It was a very cosy read set in October time, had autumn vibes & Halloween vibes with scare mazes, as well as cute romances and family love. I did wonder if there was going to be a murder because of the Halloween vibes, but I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a murder with a scare maze because that would be very typical with scare mazes and novels.

I love the author's writing and the way they set the scenes for each chapter and the way they voiced every character that they wanted to voice and it was clear and precise who was speaking and who wasn't speaking in each chapter.

The book however ended really abruptly, I was listening to it on assisted reading on my Kindle and suddenly the book just ended and that's how I realised that the book had finished, the ending was a bit disappointing due to this, but I guess it was setting up for a second Novella or possibly a longer Novel and this was just a short story that links with the other Peterson novels that are already available by this author.

[Tanya]

I was so lucky to have received a digital copy of this book early from the author as a member of her street team and I could not wait to spend more time with the Peterson family. Wow, I was not disappointed at all as this was absolutely gorgeous. This author’s writing is so beautiful and she has a way of describing affection in such a way that makes me appreciate the small things in life even more than I already do.

This family is my favourite fiction family and although I am so excited for the next instalment, it will also mean we are closer to the end. I own each of the books in this series and they are all such easy 5 star reads. This novella was exciting, cute and funny and so immersive that I read it in a day! If you have not read this series yet, then dive in because it will be some of the best romance stories you’ve ever read.

My instagram channel is @readsleepgame
My tiktok channel is @pinksweetst

[Nicole Garcia]

I was lucky to receive an advanced reader copy from the author. I enjoyed this novella. It was a quick entertaining fall read. I have not read anything by this author yet, but I definitely got painted a good picture of the Peterson brothers. This was a multiple POV book and the writing was so well done. It read so smoothly between them all and I was able to picture and understand each character and their significant others so well.

Some of my favorite parts was exported haunted maze with everyone. You could sense all the emotions from, excitement, fear, and annoyance for some tagalong guests. I didn’t not expect to see the instant he falls first kind of emotions. I definitely hope that was setting up for future boom because I need some more Ethan and Daisy. I just wished this hadn’t ended so quickly is my only thing. Great quick read.

[Hannah]

I have enjoyed each of the Peterson Brothers books and this novella was such a perfect Autumn season addition! 🎃
We follow the whole group as they go to a scare maze and it was really fun to get each persons POV as they make their way through all the spooky scenes. The writing felt immersive and pulled me into the story with how each character was feeling as they went into each room of the maze and how they all interacted together (and messed with each other 😂).
I was happy to see that we've potentially got a set up for Daisy and Ethan to finally have their story as well as Rafe second guessing his current lifestyle choices which could open us up to more books! 😍
Definitely a worthwhile addition to the series! 💕

[book_queen_forever]

3.5 ⭐️

I adore the Peterson brothers and their significant others so much! And this one was a fun and quick easy read, a little catch up featuring around Halloween time.

And I loved the whole experience with them at the scare maze it was so fun, it was just a light and wholesome read.

The writing was great just like JJ cross writing always is. And the characters were fantastic, the sibling dynamic between them is so loving and sweet.

What I loved about this little novella was how maybe it was setting up some little bread crumbs for Ethan’s and Daisy maybe…..??
Who knows but all around this was a great little seasonal novella to read.

[BecReadReview]

The Peterson Pumpkin Patch gives us a cute look into an early Halloween fun adventure. You can’t help but embrace each couple and their cuteness. The love they hold for each other shines through.

Do we smell something brewing between Ethan & Daisy? Oh yeah! I cannot wait for their story and for Ethan to finally make his move, especially since there’s going to be a new development.

Rafe definitely had a moment of contemplation that made me smirk. A fun teaser for what’s to come. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the Petersons, get to it!

[Jenna Carlton]

🍁ARC REVIEW 🍁
This was such a fun, cosy Halloween read!

I adored Ethan and Daisy, especially Ethan’s quiet little crush and how protective he was of Daisy. Their chemistry was so sweet, and I loved watching their feelings slowly come to the surface.

The small-town vibes were everything, and the Peterson family brought so much warmth, banter and chaos.

The scare maze added plenty of fun too, especially with Ethan wanting to be anywhere but there.

Definitely one for anyone who loves small-town romance, family shenanigans and cosy Halloween vibes!

[abbiscosycorner]

The perfect novella to get you in the autumn & spooky mood. It felt so good being back with the Peterson’s, the laughter and banter always makes me feel wholesome!

The book is an adult family night out to a scare maze, well what could go wrong haha. You will be laughing so hard, the characters reactions throughout are just so good! I love that even though it’s a Novella, you get that perfect found family, laughter & banter that always shines through in JJ Cross books.

I loved that the book showed the different personalities between the brothers and I cannot wait for the next book, I need it now please! I need more of all of them. *pretty please 🙏 * but in all seriously, you won’t want to miss this gem.

Thank you JJ Cross & EverAfter PR for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

[Katie Grace]

What a fun novella to give us more of the delicious Peterson brothers we’ve come to love in the first three books! And what I loved the most is the teasers for potential books in the series.

Ethan crushing over Daisy is definitely something I need more of!

And Rafe debating his life choices was not on my bingo card but again, I want to delve into this more…

The Peterson Pumpkin Patch is definitely the novella to read if you want something cozy and more importantly, a dose to help with your Peterson Brothers withdrawal.

[scribsbookshelf]

The Peterson Pumpkin Patch is a novella from The Peterson Brothers series by J.J. Cross and follows the multi-pov cast as they embark on a fall staple: the pumpkin patch and a scare maze. While it has been quite a while since I’ve attended a scare maze, this novella scratches the itch I get every once in a while when I think about it. The story is quick and easy to follow along with and can definitely get readers in the mood for the fall season!

Thank you so much to Ever After PR and J.J. Cross for the gifted ARC!

[Jess the Bookaholic]

I mean…..ain’t nothing better then a Haunted Trail Novella ready to be released just in time for Spooky Season! We’ve got all the Brothers and Partners point of views, banter, scares and a bit of an intro into Ethan and Daisy’s story 🎃👻🧙🏼‍♀️🧌 A perfectly paced novella leaving you wanting and ready for the next instalment of the irresistible Peterson Brothers 🙌🏼

[Sam ❤️]

This was a super cute novella and I loved it so much!! Loved the spooky vibes and of course the Petersons ❤️

I loved the little glimpse into Daisy and Ethan and cannot wait to see what is next for them!!

If you have read the rest of the series I recommend reading this!! Loved it ❤️

Thank you so much to J.J. Cross and EverAfter PR for the gifted e-book in exchange for an honest review!

[CharliReadsSmut]

This was such a cute novella. I love the Peterson brothers and the whole family is so wholesome.
This was perfect for the Halloween season and as always, I love my Archie moments!

Love the neurospicy and mental health rep in this and the ending…think we know what the next book is 🤌🏼

⭐️ 4/5
🌶️ 0/5

[Ivy Olivia]

✨ ARC Review ✨

Such an enjoyable and cute novella for the Halloween season! 🎃🖤

We got the Peterson brothers & their friends signing up for a scare maze, and I loved seeing how they behaved inside it. 😂

And OMG, the ending?! Ethan & Daisy definitely got my attention!!! 👀 Now I need the next book, pleaseee!

Thank you, JJ Cross & Ever After PR, for the ARC! 💛

[Danielle Lawson]

This small town novella had all the banter and chaos you could squeeze into 70 pages. Definitely a fun short read filled with shenanigans and gave a glimpse of characters from other series eventhough I had not read the others I felt like I got a good glimpse at them. Thank you for the ARC opportunity for my honest opinion.

[Shannon Williams]

I absolutely loved this novella! It was funny and it had me kicking my feet laughing. Perfect for this time of year especially and I absolutely will be reading all books in this family 🙌🏻 if you want a good time and a great laugh, you absolutely need to read this 🧡

[Sami]

I love this family so much!! This is such a cute quick read that I could not put down.

[Julia Barnes]

I received an advanced reader copy of The Peterson Pumpkin Patch.

I enjoyed this book. It felt immersive and the characters are unique. The story is well written and easy to follow. It is multiple POV.

This is a fun companion book and does a good job setting up for the next book. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

This book would have been rated higher If we seen a little more of the maze and maybe more time spent at the event itself. I wanted a little more fall/spooky vibes. Overall the book was still a fun quick read.

I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving the review voluntarily.

[fayethebookaddict]

This was such a cutesy little novella I really enjoyed it, but it did remind me that I’m still yet to read the first 2 books in this series I must get to it real soon, it also got me super excited for the next one and can’t wait to read about Ethan and Daisy and see there story come together.

I definitely recommend reading this series!