I picked this book up for a quick read and a bit of a light relief. I hadn’t read any Rainbow Rowell books in years, but I really enjoyed some of her novels, particularly Eleanor and Park. I look to her for an entertaining story, but also characters who are, in one way or another, outsiders. She presents the flaws in her characters so that they become strengths, she sees courage when some might see failure. I was curious to see how she would work in a new format.
I enjoyed a few things about this book. I liked the early friendship between the main characters, despite their differences. I liked the art work – very appropriate for the setting and season. I liked the idea of a final night at a seasonal gig turning into a quest for a last chance at love.
Unfortunately, there was a lot I didn’t love too. While I liked the friendship between the main characters, I never got a good sense of either of them as people. I didn’t feel invested in them, and while I liked the idea behind the story, it fell flat for me.
Perhaps I’m simply too old and have been through the thresher of love too many times to buy into it in a story like this. Perhaps it was missing depth because the format didn’t lend itself to character development as easily as a novel would have. Perhaps I’m simply not the target audience. I’m glad I gave it a try, it’s just a shame it didn’t connect with me as I’d hoped!
Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .
What if their last shift was an adventure? – Goodreads
Book Title: Pumpkinheads
Author: Rainbow Rowell (Illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks)
Series: No
Edition: Paperback
Published By: First Second
Released: August 27, 2019
Genre: Graphic Novel, Relationships, Coming of Age
Pages: 211
Date Read: February 22-29, 2020
Rating: 4/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.15/5 (27,885 ratings)