Book: Smashed Pumpkins by Lindsey Montgomery
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 5/5
ARC REVIEW
Smashed Pumpkins by Lindsey Montgomery
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
What a delightfully creepy way to kick off Summerween!
Down at Farmer Fred's "Fantastic" Farm, the pumpkins aren't quite what they seem, as the volunteers preparing for the annual Pumpkin Spice Festival quickly discover. As someone who loves both horror and pumpkins, this novella was basically engineered in a lab for me—and Lindsey Montgomery absolutely delivered.
What continues to impress me most about Lindsey's books is her ability to balance horror, humor, and romance without any one element overpowering the others. The scares are genuinely creepy, the humor lands perfectly, and the romance adds just enough heart without distracting from the carnage.
Despite the shorter page count, the story never feels rushed. Val and Shaun are both fully realized characters, and their shared history gives their relationship an authenticity that makes it easy to invest in them. The romantic moments feel natural and earned, even amidst all the bloodshed and pumpkin-fueled chaos.
The farm setting is also incredibly effective. By keeping the cast relatively small, the story gives readers enough time to care about the side characters before things start going very, very wrong. And trust me—things go wrong.
If you love horror with a healthy dose of humor and just a hint of spice, this is absolutely one to add to your TBR. If the rest of the Flash Frights novellas are anywhere near this good, I will be devouring the entire collection. Another fantastic hit from Lindsey Montgomery.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC.