This heartwarming story with a cute cover is one you should pick up if you want an author, bookstore romance.

Drew belives that movies are always better. She inherits her grandmother's bookstore called Book Nook. The descriptions of the bookstore makes me want to go there or have one such nearby. It is cute. Drew though irritated me at times grew out to be great. Grief sometimes changes people in a way that they would never want.

Jasper is a best selling author and a hopeless romantic and definitely sexy, exactly someone Drew needs. Their scenes were incredible and swoon worthy.

I loved the Dirty Birds, Daisy and Elsie. They were amazing supporting characters. All of them were entertaining and meddling always and at the same time having her back. This kind of people are gems.

This story was adorably realistic and I liked that combo. It was more than romance, talking about family dynamics, friendships, dreams, second chances and much more. I absolutely enjoyed it. The picture painted here is charming.

I recommend this book.

Drew has inherited her grandmother's bookstore in which she is struggling to come to terms with that and running a struggling business.
Drew has her mother's friends who are helping her cope but are also pushing her into the hands of a romance author who is in town researching for his new book

she's volunteered to help him sightsee in the area. Jasper wants to spend as much time as possible with Drew. He liked her from the first sight

with all that going on she also has to deal with her father who is not happy that she has ownership of the bookstore.

I loved Drew and supporting friends and family. The friends and family interactions were entertaining to read.

The growing relationship between Drew and Jasper was beautiful and spicy to read.

All in all, this was a super cute read and I hope that the sister's story is on the plan for the next book

A good feel-good read

Bookstore owner and an author. Need I say more? This is a book lovers dream combo!

Drew is dealing with a lot. She has lost her grandma, her career, and now she is taking over The Book Nook her grandma’s legacy. When a famous romance author shows up for a book club meeting, things start to heat up for Drew.

I love that Jasper pulled Drew back to her life, he helped her realize all the things she loved could still be there for her. I do think Drew got a little overly angry during the third act break up. The reunion then seemed a little rushed and just didn’t make a ton of sense to me. I really enjoyed the book up til that part.

It had drama, the book boyfriend of your dreams, and adventure! My favorite part about this book was how Jasper gave Drew a list of books to read to help her to enjoy reading. He made this list after getting to know a little bit about her and made the recommendations based off of her interests. In my opinion, it is extremely important as a bookseller to connect with your customer to give them the best searching and reading experience possible. In this case, he is an author trying to get a girl he’s interested into books. Either way, it is the best feeling as a book lover having someone report back about a book you recommended. Also, I loved the idea of pairing dates themed as the book. It was the best part of the book. The Dirty Birds were also an highlight of the book! It was a cute read. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that really stood out for me. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

“I KNOW IT’S NOT THE POLITICALLY CORRECT THING TO SAY, BUT school is most definitely for fools. Listen, I get it. I won’t tell the kids…”
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Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin
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This is how the story begins, and I love that.. It immediately drew me into the story. This is a book about books, booksellers and authors; plus romance and fun and a group of great little old ladies, the Dirty Birds book club!
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Drew would much rather be traveling and earning her living as a photographer. She would rather her dear grandmother still be alive as well. But she isn’t, and Drew has inherited a bookstore from her, complete with the six melding old ladies that came with it. I would be in Heaven, all those books to read! Drew is not. She doesn’t like to read, hates it, actually. Although she does find a lot of comfort in the bookstore she spent so much time in with her grandmother.
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The Dirty Birds maneuver a dinner date between Drew and Jasper, a best selling romance author who is in Denver to write his latest book.
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The two strike a deal I would jump on in a second. For every book Drew reads off of a list Jasper gives her, he will take her on an adventure inspired by the book and she will show him a new place around Denver to help him with his new novel.
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Of course there is conflict, a good romance has to have some, but there is friendship and growth, family drama and grief. It is full of so much wonderfulness.
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Cute, cozy and easy to read.

Drews experience of grief is very different to my own - I lost my mother a few years ago and instead of running away from love and caring people, I leaned into it. So I found it hard to relate to on a personal level - and even quite frustrating. But I'm sure it will resonate with others.

Overall an enjoyable read! :)

We love a literary romance, and while we've gotten a lot of publishing romances in the past few years, I love this one for it being set in a bookstore. Drew and Jasper are adorable and I was here for all of it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC of Better than Fiction. I like the the storyline of this book. The chemistry of the leads was on point. It was a good read other than a few cuss words. I'm giving this a 3 out of 5 stars, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a cozy time!

A romance between a male romance author and a non-reader bookshop owner? This was fabulous. I absolutely loved the romance between Drew and Jasper and the agreement they had going that kept them in each other's paths.

There were also strong bonds between Drew, her best friend, her formerly estranged sister, and her grand mother's friends. Everything was so wholesome. making this the perfect romance to cuddle up with!

The only drawback I had was learning about how many people had kept information from Drew. I don't want to give any more details because of spoilers, but I just didn't feel like there was a strong enough reason for such an omission of truth that went on for so long. That being said, I don't think the intention was malicious so I was still able to enjoy the story and characters beyond that point.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are quite a few content warnings. Please be aware before starting this book.

Love the premise of inheriting a bookstore! That would be my DREAM! I can see the struggles and troubles that come with it and I appreciate that Martin brings those in so that Drew is even more realistic as an MC. I did struggle slightly to relate to her "hatred of books" or her theory "the movie is better" HAHA, however I can see MANY people grabbing this as a quick light read who might very well agree with Drew's sentiments.

Points for creativity on that one, Alexa Martin!

Jasper was a great character, I have absolutely no complaints about him! Thank you for making him just the best!

Can't wait to read another one by Martin!

With Better than Fiction, Alexa Martin has written a charming, sweet romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry or Julia Whelan's "Thank You For Listening." It's a warm, cozy read, perfectly paired with a blanket and a cup of tea.

I really enjoyed this book. There is so much depth, especially around the grief that Drew is experiencing after losing her grandmother. I will read anything that takes place in a bookstore and the vibes of this store are perfect - cozy, helpful staff, and a bunch of old women who love meddling. Jasper is also so amazing - I love author main characters and it's always a treat to read a man who writes romance. He is so sensitive and sweet and I just loved him. Overall, a great read.

It's not often you come across one of the best cozy romance story lines for book readers!

I loved Drew and Jasper but watching Drew work to build a relationship with her sister and holding tight to her grandma's dream with her own goals not far in the shadows was full of so many feelings. As a person who crumbles at the thought of letting down those around me, Drew's story was super refreshing and timely!

Thank you to Berkley Books and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

unfortunately this just wasn’t for me, i found this incredibly boring and they took too long for the love interest to even be introduced in my opinion. it was fine but the third act break up absolutely ruined it for me.

This story had me hooked from the beginning....

I was baffled by the heroine's initial disinterest in books, but when I heard the entirety of her story it made sense. I've been a bookworm for nearly my entire life, and books are like air to me. This gave me insight into why so many people around me struggle to pick up books.

The love story that unfolds isn't a conventional one. The hero is a writer who is immediately drawn to the woman who owns the local bookstore. When he discovers her aversion to reading it is a challenge he accepts - he wants to share his words and his love of other books with her.

They make a deal. She'll show him the perfect settings throughout the state for his next book and try to read the books he recommends. Spending every weekend together is a surefire way to eke their way into each other's hearts. There's only one catch. Drew isn't happy owning her grandmother's bookstore and wants her old life back.

Jasper's growing affection and curation of her reading journey enhances her appreciation of the world, but it also shows her that she doesn't need to sacrifice her happiness or dreams for the convenience of others.

A steamy, heartwarming love story about the magic of books and how they transform our lives.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun! I enjoyed that we explored Drew’s relationship with the bookshop, with her grandma, with her sister and with her best friend as well as her romantic relationship. I enjoyed the bookstore setting, and the exploration of nature. The romance was steamy, and fun. Overall the book was fun, but also… just fine!

Rating 4/5
Plot 4/5
Spice 1/5
Writing 3/5
Character Development 4/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“Better Than Fiction” by Alexa Martin tells the story of Drew Young and Jasper Williams. Drew recently inherited her grandmother’s bookstore called “the Book Nook.” The Dirty Birds is a book club that Drew’s grandmother was a part of and when well-known author, Jasper Williams shows up to host a book club night at the bookshop, he also needs someone to help him around the area to find inspiration for his current book. As Drew and Jasper spend time together, Drew realizes that she may be able to find the love that she mostly reads about in books.

I love books about books! This was such a cute rom-com and I love the banter between the characters. This was a fun and heartwarming contemporary romance!

When I saw this was a book about books AND it was by an author I’ve read and loved before, I knew I had to get my hands on this. And man, it was not what I was expecting. The plot was amazing, but the characters left something to be desired. Funny that that’s my critique for a lot of real life novels lol

So, the fact that this was about someone falling in love with a romance author should have made this like hella romantic. And tho they had some moments, I don’t think it ever got there for me. It was But it wasn’t his fault…. It was mainly Drew. She was kind of annoying. Like I just didn’t understand her logic. But I did understand that people grieve in different ways, so I had to respect that. But still, I thought that was a little weird. I guess I was thinking along the lines of someone who actually likes to read and could do the job like marketing and learn the community and read their interests to order more for them, could be doing the job and she’s keeping that from them. (My librarian brain lol) But like why are you denying them that? As for Jasper, I LOVED him! By him being a romance author, I knew he wouldn’t disappoint! And sure enough, he didn’t. He was attentive, bright, and so sweet! I loved him. And the way he was so “for” Drew, it was the sweetest thing!

Now, this is pretty closed door. *And if not, it was to me. Nothing about them doing this stuck with me lol I’m just throwing it out there because Lordt knows how y’all hate fade to black lol But the overall romance was pretty cute. I spent a large amount of time wondering why no one ever made me a list of books to read….. How does it feel to be God’s Favorite?

The grief and sadness of this is pretty heavy, but there are some places that make it easily bearable. The grannies? Top tier entertainment lol I LOVED them! And I loved the hoops that they and her own grandma made her jump through. It cut through a lot of tension and helped me enjoy it a lot more.

This wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it was ok. I did like the plot and pacing. As a character driven reader, I loved the MMC, but not the FMC. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was dual POV. But overall, this was cute, but I didn’t really feel any real type of way about it.

I was fully prepared to love this one,
I really enjoyed her last book.

I couldn’t stand the main character and the whole story was cringy. Being in her head for the POV was exhausting.

This was a sweet feel good romance, It was sort of middle of the road for me to be honest, I liked the characters and the setting but I was hoping for a bit more.