I had an enjoyable time reading this book! I chose to bring it on the plane, since I only read romance on airplanes (or at least that’s my rule right now). I think that this book balanced grief really well with falling in love. Mind you, I do think that it’s very “lust at first sight” and then Drew kind of tells him a lot of her trauma right up front, but also…same 😅 Her best friend and sister were a hoot, and I’m glad that they were there to be the aggressive voices of reason. I did kind of roll my eyes with Drew during the third act miscommunication, but I was also on her side (it’s complicated)! I had a good time reading it and I’d recommend it!

This might be one of the best romance books I've read all year! From the old-lady book club, to a charming author love interest, to unique hiking adventures, to incredible growth in each of the characters, I completely fell in love with Better Than Fiction and could not recommend it enough to anybody looking for a heartwarming romance that might also make you cry <3

I've been meaning to read Alexa Martin for a long time. This book, about a reluctant reader who has inherited an indie bookstore and a bestselling romance novelist, seemed like the perfect place to start. It also has the cutest cover!

The characters in this book are charming and authentic, and I loved how Drew and Jasper's relationship unfolded over the course of road trips and outdoor adventures. The Colorado setting was incredibly dreamy and I now have a bucket list of places I want to visit for myself. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read that reminded me of books by Jasmine Guillory.

Synopsis:
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them

Review:
If you've never read any of Alexa Martin's books this is the perfect one to get you started. Jasper and Drew are opposites in a good way. As someone who thought they were in the solely "enemies to lovers" camp I'm here to tell you the slow build in this book is so worth it. Drew is dealing with a lot.
After the loss of her grandmother and her ingeriting her bookstore, she's trying to do her grandmother proud and find some of the happiness she knew before she passed. Add in that some family drama and a new attractive writer in town and you've got the perfect reciepe for an amazing couple. Jasper is a best selling author and he looking for inspiration on his next book, and he finds the perfect guide in Drew.
Their relationship is so evenly balanced and I really appreciate how they communicate and grow together.

I really enjoyed this book! Drew, the protagonist is so relatable and likable, and the chemistry between her and Jasper was beautifully done. It was a good mix of humor and heart-string-pulls.

I did feel like the (no spoilers) thing that caused a rift between them near the end was a bit contrived/didn't seem as plausible, but other than that this was a fun read.

I was looking forward to another clever rom com with interesting characters, but was disappointed in both. The main characters failed to be original or even very likeable, and the attempts at lighthearted humor fell flat. The plot has merits but the writing did not do it justice. The romance/sexual attraction scenes are not convincing, nor are the characters.

After the death of her grandmother, Drew's life is turned upside down when she learns she's inherited The Book Nook. Leaving her travel photography career behind, Drew takes over the store, but lives in a constant state of worry about keeping the store afloat and living up to her grandmother's legacy. The other problem? Drew doesn't read and hates romance. Enter Jasper Williams, Author, who is bound and determined to help her fall in love with reading, and along the way, maybe him as well.

Drew is guarded and cynical due to her rocky relationship with her father. Coupled with the loss of her grandmother, she has a lot on her shoulders. Yet she is still (begrudgingly) open to dates with Jasper. The pair have excellent banter and the chemistry building between them was top notch. I loved seeing Drew struggle with her attraction to Jasper, almost kicking and screaming along the way. Yet she allowed herself to have an open mind and I loved watching her fall in love with Jasper.

Jasper is quirky and positive and completely understanding of Drew's struggles. I sincerely loved him and how he never gave up on Drew. Instead of pushing Drew, he helps her rediscover her passion of photography and traveling through their trips discovering Colorado together. I felt like I was experiencing these places right alongside Jasper and Drew, which was such a treat.

The book also has an amazing set of supporting cast members that help Drew see her worth and potential, but also push her to realize what she wants out of life. Between her best friend Elsie and her half-sister, Daisy, Drew has a support system, whether she wants it or not. I enjoyed seeing the progression of Drew's relationship with Daisy, but the real scene stealers are the Dirty Birds book club, and all their meddling in Drew's love life. They had me laughing constantly, yet also warmed my heart with their tender moments with Drew just when she needed a little piece of her grandmother back. But every character never gave up on Drew. Yes, they called her on her shit, but they also made sure she knew she was loved and worthy.

"I haven't been able to grieve. And I don't want to. The sheer magnitude of what. I lost is too big to be felt. If I even begin to let it in, I know I won't ever recover."

Drew's persona might have been messy at times, but there was a reason for it. The book nails the grief process. It's messy, it's not linear, and it's hard AF. Grieving makes you doubt yourself and your choices, so it was refreshing to see a character meddling through this complicated process. This resonated deeply with me after the loss of my own mother, making me feel seen (and not so crazy). It's incredibly hard trying to live out your loved one's legacy while constantly wondering if you're doing what they would have wanted or if you're making them proud. Drew's character helped reassure me and I hope others will see that through her character arc.

Better Than Fiction was such a fun read and had me smiling along the way. There's something about Alexa Martin's written voice that I love. Her characters are funny, they swear, and they give each other crap. I felt like I could be friends with them, which makes Martin's stories so relatable. The book felt fresh and different. This reverse grump/sunshine romance is steamy, with a hint of forced proximity told through a single POV. I highly recommend this one!

Better Than Fiction by A. Martin, published by Berkley Publishing, is a romance novel, a stand-alone.
Drew inherited a bookstore, but she'rs a rather unwilling owner. She wants something other, but doesn't know what that could be.
And then there's Jasper, an author coming to a reading at her store.
This is a book full of twists and unexpected turns at every corner. A slow burn, an ok read.

Book hater Drew Young inherited her grandma’s bookstore and author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript.

Jasper’s only personality trait is kindness, and everyone constantly mentions how hot he is. Hearing about his hotness got old fast. He’s one dimensional, especially compared to all of Drew’s layers.

She’s very funny, but there’s a darkness and heaviness to Drew. She’s petty. There’s a lifetime of father and abandonment issues plus her grief to sort through. She’s lost her only stable parental figure and her photography career. I went in expecting a romance, but I feel like Drew facing her trauma was the real focus of this book.

I received an arc from NetGalley

This is a cute romance that hops into steamy town, but it isn't without a bit of grief as well. Drew is mourning her grandmother's passing while dealing with her asshat of a father trying to steal the bookstore she was willed. And to make matters worse, she immediately falls for a visiting romance author whose books she's never read! I liked how much of Colorado we got to see - from the gorgeous mountains to rushing rivers, it feels like a travel guide. And it defffffinitely got STEAMY. My one complaint is that we didn't get to see the list Jasper gave Drew of books to read in its entirety! (Though we can guess that the first is Daisy Jones and the Six)

I really did enjoy this book though, from the female friendships to the spicy romance... it really has it all.

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I got through chapter two and just decided this is not the book for me. Reading every detail about Drew's backstory of daddy issues exhausted me. I assume her negativity and general dissatisfaction with her life are the things that change by the end. But, man, I don't like this character enough to find out.

This is a sweet and spicy contemporary romance of opposites attract with slow burn close proximity, and oops there’s only one bed tropes.

The characters are well written with depth and believable relationships with each other. Drew is funny and articulate with a wry sense of humor - determined to do the right thing about The Book Nook - if only she knew what that was.

Jasper is a luscious cinnamon roll of a love interest. And the meddling old ladies are a bunch of sass, brass, and sweetness as they try to boss Drew into doing what they think is best.

Written with a first-person POV, Drew’s descriptions of the places she takes Jasper are beautiful. The majestic views and great activities like hiking and white water rafting read like a love letter to CO.

Parts of the conflict with her dad were tough to read, he’s such a toxic manipulative jerk. But every time she stood up to him, I was cheering her on!

Better Than Fiction had me rooting hard for Drew, Jasper, and The Book Nook. It reminded me of Beach Read mixed with You’ve Got Mail.

While I did enjoy this, I haven't been loving contemporary romances in general recently, so I wasn't super fired up by it. I liked that roles were somewhat flipped - the main character, Drew Young, recently inherited a bookstore from her deceased grandmother that she's try to keep afloat despite the fact that she's not really into reading. Some meddling older customers (the Dirty Birds book club, a fun group of characters) set her up with romance author Jasper Williams, who happens to be in Denver writing a book and agrees to do an event at the bookstore. He's hot and Drew agrees to show him around to some romantic locations he might use for his book, and of course, things progress. Drew really has some major stuff to work through, particularly grief from losing her grandmother and from ultimately abandoning her own past life, as well as issues with her (super terrible) absentee father. A solid read, and I liked Drew a lot. I just haven't felt much spark with contemporaries recently.

I think I am becoming jaded. I getting tired of the characters in books always being described as hot and then the continual description or distraction of their hotness. Is it because I am middle of the road at best? Is my negative self-worth distracting me or am I just tired of everyone always being hot and described as hot and having abs and/or an ass that won't quit? The story was fine, but why can't a tale be developed and fleshed out and meaningful without focusing so much on a person's looks?

One of the best romances I've read this year. I'm a sucker for bookstore romances, and Martin has made a shop I would love to visit in real life. Throw in a bonus author love interest, hikes through mountain scenery, and I was sold.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it and will definitely be keeping an eye out to get my hands on their others already out and in the future. .

I loved that this one is more than a love story between a broken hearted photographer with failed dreams when she inherits grandmother’s bookstore and gets introduced to a sexy romance writer by default.


I loved the depth of characters that this author provided and that it was so much more than a romance, but realist and humanizing for the characters in the way they were written.

I also loved the calendar girls vibes we get with the friends that Drew finds in the friends of her grandmother as she tries to step into a new role she is unprepared for and knows nothing about as she isn’t a bookish person by any stretch of the imagination. I also loved the mental health rep that was included and how realistically this was done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this ARC copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

When a movie guy and book girl date. This was a love story made for hopeless romantics. I was obsess with these two from the jump. Such a cozy and funny read

Alexa Martin is an auto read, auto buy, auto devour. I absolutely love how her stories feel so incredibly accessible and are so easy to envelop yourself within. This is contemporary done oh-so-right!

Thank you Berkley Romance for my copy of Better Than Fiction! All thoughts are my own.

After I read Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes last year, I became a huge fan of Alexa Martin. If you haven’t read it yet, you must. It’s so good. So I was really excited for her return to Romance with Better Than Fiction and it did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed Drew’s journey and it was one I could really identify with; truthfully, after the last two and a half years I think a lot of people will be able to identify with her. I loved how clever the premise was, with a male Romance writer and a self proclaimed book “hater.” I loved the bookstore setting in a mountain town too! But who is surprised there.

This is a perfect book to cuddle up with during these colder months and dream of traveling to scenic places.

Synopsis:

“As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.

Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fictionWhen messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.” —Amazon

What I Liked:

The Setting—I LOVE a good mountain town and loved how Drew’s passion for nature was featured so seamlessly in this book. I loved the descriptions and now want to get back to Colorado as fast as possible.

The Premise—A romance writer meets a non reader! How fun! I loved that Jasper was a believable character. He didn’t feel like a caricature of a Romance writer. He seemed grounded and real and Drew didn’t hate books, she just hadn’t found the right genre. It all felt very authentic!

The Characters—Jasper is sexy AF, just gonna say it (chapter 18, my friends). I also loved Daisy and Elsie and would loved books from their POV’s! And the DIrty Birds were a delight. The whole world of Better Than Fiction was well thought out and developed.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

Honestly, nothing. I am a huge fan of Alexa Martin’s books and I’ve loved watching her writing and storytelling grow with each release. I adored Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes and I’m glad she brought some of those elements into Better Than Fiction!

I wish we had like, MAYBE 30 more pages to explore the resolution of the 3rd act break up but I still loved it.

Character Authenticity: 4.5/5

Spice Rating: 2/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Content Warnings:

grief

I couldn't get into this one. I got 20% of the way in and realized nothing had happened besides different people saying the author was hot. The lead character was kind of annoying and the lack of any kind of plot was a real turnoff. I did not finish.