The Only Book You Need to Read This Spooky Season
Book review of Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist by Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison
Published: September 3rd, 2024 by Rogue Fables
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Rom-Com, Cozy Mystery, LGBTQIA+ (Sapphic)
Series: Maple Hollow (book 1 of 1 – so far)
Disclaimer: Thank you, Ali K. Mulford, K. Elle Morrison and Rogue Fables, for sending me this book. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.
CW/TW: sexual content, murder, violence, discrimination and death.
Welcome to Maple Hollow
To the tourists, Maple Hollow is a fun, Halloween-themed town all year round. To the residents, Maple Hollow is just their regular home. So your neighbour is a Vampire, and your delivery person is a demon? Every town has it’s little quirks.
Never drunk dial your ex; that’s what they say. Well, THEY never said anything about drunk summoning your dead ex… and in hindsight, they probably should have.
On the one-year anniversary of their break up, Maple Hollow local witch Jordyn decides to summon her ex for “closure”. Unfortunately, alcohol and witchcraft don’t mix well, and Lou is stuck on this side of the veil with only Jordyn able to see her.
Assuming Jordyn has to move on so Lou can too, they get planning.
Enter Harlow. An ADHD human who is staying with her sister while she gets back on her feet from her most recent epic fail.
Any romance in this town is going to have its ups and downs. Especially when your dates include investigating the death of an ex with her ghost tagging along… What could go wrong?
What’s Not To Love?
Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist has a great mix of everything I love. It’s cozy – set in a Halloween town, how can you get more cozy than that, it’s paranormal – witches and vampires and werewolves, oh my, and it’s a laugh-out-loud, cringe-from-second-embarrassment Rom-Com. There is a mystery to figure out. AND it’s sapphic! I literally couldn’t ask for anything else, and yet Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison threw in some great ADHD representation.
Neuro-Spicy Representation
Thank you, Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison, for writing about Harlow with ADHD. As an AuDHD individual myself, I saw my own thought process replicated on the page with Harlow, and I truly felt seen. Not only did I appreciate this representation in Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist, but I also loved that you made it obvious by saying it outright. That way, it’s not up to the reader’s interpretation – it is fact.
I love this because ambiguity in representation doesn’t feel as supportive or inclusive to those who identify as/are diagnosed with these things as much as stating them outright. Also, it just makes things clearer and easier for readers.
Deeper Troubles
Briefly diving a little deeper with the ADHD representation. Although this is a fun, good-vibe book, Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison did a great job at naturally including some of the more troubling sides of ADHD.
Harlow constantly feels like a disappointment, as if people expect her to fail or mess up in some way and never meet her potential. This is another aspect that made me feel seen and represented but also broke my heart. This is something that most (if not all) people with ADHD feel/think at some point in their lives (if not more constantly).
I will forever be grateful to Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison for this.
Quirky Characters
Of course, a Halloween-themed town has to have some quirky characters, especially when there is a mix of humans and paranormal individuals. This book did not disappoint. The main cast comprises of:
- Harlow, an ADHD human
- Jordyn, a witch with commitment issues
- Lou, Jordyn’s ghost ex
- Harlow’s Cafe owner sister
- A werewolf baker
- Jordyn’s witch roommate
- and we can’t forget, Jordyn’s cat
And that’s only the main cast.
Favourite Quotes
There were many productive, rational ways to use my magic. Summoning the ghost of my ex-girlfriend on the anniversary of our breakup wasn’t one of them.
A year was a long time to be dating only the toys in my top drawer . . .
“If I’m not back in ten minutes, give your boy toy my jacket to sniff so he can track me down.”
“There’s not exactly a bevy of queer women floating about town. I can’t just snap my fingers and have one stumble through the door.” At that very moment, a girl in sage-green overalls covered by a familiar apron walked in the door. She had a shaggy wolf cut, a nose ring, and a bisexual pride flag pinned to her jean jacket.
Was she queer, or was she just magical? Although a lot of times, it felt like the same thing.
“We’re not going to Practical Magic my love life.” I shrugged. “Why not? It turned out so good for them.”
Fuck. Maybe I should book the U-Haul now . . .
“I’m not mad!” I barked in a tone that did, indeed, sound mad.
She was the other half of the same coin—balanced in the ways I was chaotic, timid in the ways I was bold, serious in the ways I was sarcastic.
Final Thoughts
This book was heartwarming. I was pulled in from the very first sentence and it was a mix of everything I love. I was already planning to read more from both Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison, but after this I will definitely be checking out their back log and suggest you do the same.
They’ve definitely left Maple Hollow open to have more books written about the town. Fingers crossed the next one features Willow and Wyatt.
Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist has the combined vibes of Gilmore Girls and the Halloween Town movies (I loved them so much) and is the perfect read for this spooky season.
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