Goodreads Summary:

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?

My Thoughts:

Oh my gosh, I adored this collaboration between Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks so much! With picture perfect illustrations by Hicks and relateable characters Deja and Josiah, this book is a fantastic read for the fall season. Set in a pumpkin patch as epic as a small amusement park, we join Josiah and Deja on their last night of work. Growing up in Michigan, the traditional visit to the pumpkin patch every October is a highlight of the season, at least for me. I felt Josiah’s enthusiasm for his job in every frame, and was there for it.

Josiah and Deja are the best of friends every season, working the Succotash Hut faithfully every fall. This year however, is their last as employees, as both will be in college every year, and visiting on the weekends just won’t be the same. Deja decides that this year, this last day, they are going to embark on a quest complete with villains who steal your snacks right from your hands and distractions and delays around every corner. This day, their very last, Josiah is FINALLY going to talk to the girl of his dreams (at least for every Halloween season), after mooning over her for years. But first they have to find her. Foiled at every turn, the two search and explore the pumpkin patch for the first time ever, in pursuit of the the Fudge Girl, or Macy. Their mission takes them to all corners of the patch, and along the way they try new things and have new experiences, and maybe just maybe, learn a few things as well.

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially if you love fall and Halloween. Just make sure you have snacks on hand – you won’t regret it!