The Pumpkin Spice Café

Throughout the novel, Jeanie refers to her Dream Harbor self as the “New Jeanie.” How does this separation of her new and old self affect the way Jeanie adapts to change within the novel? In what ways does she or does she not evolve into a “New Jeanie” throughout the book?

In The Pumpkin Spice Café, Laurie Gilmore’s chapters alternate between Jeanie’s and Logan’s points of view, a common structure for contemporary romance novels. How does this dual perspective affect Jeanie’s and Logan’s characterization? How do they each portray themselves, and how do they portray each other?

Gilmore incorporates many common tropes of contemporary romance novels into The Pumpkin Spice Café. Do any of these tropes subvert the conventions of the romance genre? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.