Pumpkinheads

A romance of the "best friends who ought to be dating, but he is obsessed with a girl he's never talked to, so she helps him talk to her, and then he realizes he really loves his best friend in the first place" variety, set in a pumpkin patch on Halloween.

Bold Deja decides she's sick of Josiah's endless mooning over the Fudge Shoppe girl, and that tonight is the night he is finally going to talk to her. But Marcy isn't in the Fudge Shoppe, and Deja and Josie go on a wild goose chase all over the pumpkin patch, sampling treats and talking as they go. With Deja in the lead, it feels like an epic quest; and when Josie finally does talk to Marcy, he realizes they have little in common - except how much they'll miss their friends from the show more patch when this fall is over.

Satisfying and delightful.

"Friends don't let friends live small lives." (Deja to Josie, 15)

"People all sort of look the same to me until I talk to them. That's when they start to get interesting. That's when they start to....shimmer." (Deja, 146)

"It's not fate that brings people together. It's people!" (Deja, 152)

"It's about being the flipper, not the pinball!" (Deja, 169) show less

This graphic novel is super cute! All through high school Josiah and Deja have worked together at the pumpkin patch every September and October. Tonight is their last shift. Deja is determined that Josiah is going to finally speak to the girl he has a crush on. Nothing goes to plan.

This is a story about changes, chances and choices. It’s also a love letter to everything Josiah and Deja love about the pumpkin patch -- which includes their relationship. I really liked the characters, and the artwork does such a wonderful job of bringing them, and this place, to life.

I’m always excited when I find a graphic novel or comic in a style that makes me want to keep looking at the pictures, and here there are enough visual details to reward show more paying close attention.

“Well, we’re not here for any Pie Palace pantry improvement projects. Presently.”
“I love it when you alliterate.”
“We’re here to salvage your romantic future. T minus five minutes, by the way.”
“Why are you putting me up to this? You never cared about my “romantic future” before.”
“I already told you: I’m your friend. And friends don’t let friends live small lives. show less

I love it when the plot of a story is predictable but the characters and the dialogue are *so good* that you can't even be mad, and in fact you'd be mad if it didn't turn out the way you thought it would. I *loved* this graphic novel about two teens who became friends through their yearly seasonal work at a pumpkin patch and who help each other through a last night of work before parting ways for college. I fell in love with both of them in seconds for their sweetness, badassery, and cleverness. This was my first Rowell and now I must read All. The. Things.

I notice a lot of people have called this book a romance, and while that is pretty true, it doesn't seem quite fair. Yeah, our MCs, best friends Deja and Josiah "Josie" talk a lot about relationships; Deja convinces Josie to go on a quest across the beloved pumpkin patch-wonderland where they've worked for three years so that he can finally meet the cute fudge shop girl he's been mooning over from a distance, and along the way they seem to bump into all of Deja's exes. But despite all the talk about crushes, that never feels like the overwhelming point.

While exploring the coolest pumpkin patch ever and sampling all the mouth-watering, envy-inducing treats (seriously, I'm so jealous!), Josie and Deja also reminisce about their show more friendship, their love of all things fall, and their respective perspectives on what it feels like to anticipate beginnings, appreciate the present, and "mourn" endings. They have the kind of frank and honest conversations that only best friends can have. I said in my review of Carry On that I though Rowell would probably be great at graphic novels because her dialogue is so good, and Pumpkinheads confirms that in the best possible way. Their search for fudge shop girl is what drives the narrative, but since Josie's convinced that a) they won't catch up to her; and b) she'll reject him anyway, he doesn't spend the entire time moping and whining--there's plenty of time to meet other workers, all with quickly-sketched but distinct and fun personalities, and appreciate the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of his and Deja's favorite place in the world.

Hicks's absolutely gorgeous autumnal art is just as much a part of the story (so much fun to savor on my second read-through), with its cozy fall color scheme and gently shifting gradients as the light fades. Seriously, Pumpkinheads and the pumpkin patch just couldn't be the same as an all-text story. That's also because there's so much effortless diversity--of gender, color, body type, ability, age--in the secondary characters and background park visitors that would be awkward to describe in text. I also appreciated that, while there's a wide variety of fun costumes on kids and parents, there are no insensitive cultural parodies. And there may be a couple jerks among the patrons, but for the most part everyone is having a good time and not harassing the workers. You really understand the warm glow of satisfaction that Deja and Josie must feel to work here.

I feel like this is another case where calling a book a romance would cut out people--especially boys and, well, me--who are prejudiced against the genre but who would definitely enjoy it. So, from a metadata perspective, I actually do approve the back copy that doesn't play up the romance elements. It's all fun-serious real talk, not mopiness and emotional drama. There's some resigned pining, but again, it doesn't overwhelm the narrative. And...there's this exchange:

[Josie talking about admiring fudge shop girl without ever having talked to her.]
Deja: [You have a crush on this girl only] from a distance?
Josie: You know what I mean.
Deja: I really don't. I can't ever get a sense of someone until I meet them.
Josie: So...you've never had a crush on a stranger?
Deja: People all sort of look the same to me until I talk to them. That's when they start to get interesting.

That...does a lot to describe me. It might have been reassuring and validating to read something like this when I was younger. Though, granted, Deja is open and outgoing and warms up to people a lot quicker than I do, so maybe it wouldn't have been as much of a help. And there's also this:


Deja: Are you about to kiss me?
Josie: No! I mean, not now. Maybe eventually? Only if you want me to.

It would have been lovely to even see discussing kisses in advance as an option instead of an obligation to return, no matter how you might feel.


All of which means I find myself with another graphic novel that I thought I'd be able to read and return but now want to hold onto. Argh! show less

Beautiful, funny, pumpkin-flavored fluff. There's nothing new about the plot of this short-format novella in a graphic novel format. (Spoiler alert) Boy laments to best friend how much he "loves" an unattainable, put-on-a-pumpkin-pedestal girl he's never actually talked to, only to find that he really loves the best friend instead.
But, the heart and humor of these two friends on their epic quest around an honestly pretty epic pumpkin patch shine through the predictable plot. This reader was just happy to go along for the ride. In fact, I really wish the ride was longer! Faith Erin Hicks did an amazing job creating the pumpkin patch world, with lots of sweet set details enhancing the spot-on characterization and expressiveness of the show more cast. Rainbow Rowell shines with punchy dialog that makes the reader fall in love with Josiah and Deja. Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to see them in Santa's Workshop one day. show less

Omg it's definitely a winner. So glad I finally grabbed a copy!! I laughed so many times. Already added my vote for this as graphic novel of the year in the Goodreads choice poll!!

See the full review and more at baileysbook.home.blog!

Recommended:Yes!!
For a great example of utilizing the format of a graphic novel, for a whole lot of laughs, for some awwwws as well, for a sweet yet deep story with perfectly matching art

Thoughts:
Oh, man. I didn't think I would love this so much, but here I am, whipping out the five stars. I loved the art style. It had a solidly matching style and color scheme to the story, and they did a fantastic job of telling small stories within the story through the art. Tracking the goat through the park was amazing! show more

The story was, obviously, wonderful. It's not every day that you can have discussions about fate versus choice and not be bored out of your skull or sent into a spiral of despair (oh, is that just me?). And back to the overarching story, what starts out as a pretty simple plot develops into a unique and nuanced journey through the Patch.

Did I mention how much I laughed? Because I was in a coffee shop reading this and I laughed out loud, probably kind of obnoxiously, multiple times. Good thing I was able to stuff my mouth with cake to muffle it. There are so many amazing lines and images! You get a good sense of the characters early on, which is both difficult and critical in a graphic novel since there's usually less space to develop them. 100% fantastic. Added my vote for this to the Goodreads Choice Awards immediately after I finished. show less

A couple of teenagers casually wander around a pumpkin patch trying to help one of them meet up with his crush. Low-key and predictable, the book draws you along with its likable characters and gentle humor.