When I started this ARC I was longing for a lighthearted read and, man, Better Than Fiction checked every fluffy box. I’m always a fan of a grumpy x sunshine trope, but a book hater forced to run her grandmother’s book store and a shy but sexy romance author were the duo I didn’t know I needed!

As someone who grew up with her grandmother as her second mom, I instantly connected with Drew and the sense of familial obligation she felt to continue her grandmother’s legacy. I also really related to her messed up dad situation, the bonds between best friends, and found/chosen family. I am obsessed with all of the secondary characters (I aspire to be a Dirty Bird when I grow up) and wouldn’t mind another book telling Daisy’s story. 😉

Overall, Better Than Fiction was an absolute delight. Drew and Jasper’s chemistry and instant magnetism had me hooked right away. But Alexa Martin really makes you work for it with the slow burn in the first half of the book. I really enjoyed their relationship building, and the descriptions of their dates throughout Colorado had me itching to book a flight. It was a dreamy read and needless to say, when I’m in need of a pick-me-up, I’ll be reaching for an Alexa Martin book from now on. Highly recommend, friends!🖤

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I wholeheartedly adore anything and everything written by Alexa Martin! This was such an endearing romance, it had a bit of everything. It had compelling and lovable characters at the middle but also included some hilarious side characters who provided so much more to the story. I feel like this book was created for those people who absolutely love books but also have hobbies outside of it such as hiking or photography. If you're looking for a quick read with a sweet romance in the center - look no further!

Almost immediately, I could tell that Better Than Fiction was going to be the perfect read for me. Right away, I found Drew Young to be a captivating character, and the balance of comedy and romance with serious topics, like grief, was compelling.

On the one hand, although this is a romantic comedy, Better Than Fiction does have its fair share of weight. Drew was close to her grandmother, who died a year ago and left her the bookstore she’d run, the Book Nook. Drew isn’t a reader, and she’s had to put her photography career on hold, but she’s determined to keep her grandmother’s legacy alive. In addition to grieving her grandmother, Drew feels the pressure of the book industry she knows so little about, she’s feeling burnt out and mourning the loss of her dream career, and she’s dealing with her evil dad trying to steal the Book Nook from her. This book tackles grief and mental health, giving both time to unfold here, but also balances that with levity elsewhere.

And truly, Better Than Fiction is otherwise a lot of fun. Let’s start with Drew’s romance with Jasper Williams, Author. (That’s how she often refers to him, full name and comma included! So funny.) Jasper is described as being so overwhelmingly attractive that everyone who comes into contact with him momentarily forgets how to function as a human. Strangers will see him and drop the drink they were holding or fumble with the credit card he just handed them, unable to process his transaction. It’s so over-the-top that I can’t help but think that the author was poking a bit of fun at how *hot* men often are in romances.

Another self-aware element is how meta this romance gets. Drew is learning to like books, and with Jasper being a romance author — and her friends being big fans of his novels — there are conversations about what stage of their romance Drew and Jasper are in. This is the part where there’s a final act conflict tearing them apart. This is the part where either Drew or Jasper needs to make a grand gesture. Drew and her friends talk about their love story as if they’re characters in a romance novel… not realizing that they are, in fact, characters in a romance novel.

Beyond those funny elements, Jasper and Drew also have such a sweet and solid relationship. They develop slowly and naturally, and I love how they usually communicate well and allow the other to open up and be vulnerable. Even when conflict does arise, it’s not so bad and is something that can realistically be overcome.

The side characters add to the story, too. Drew’s best friend Elsie is so excitable, and I love how she shouts and punches the air when something gets exciting. She also ships Drew and Jasper hard and is in love with their romance. Drew’s grandmother’s friends — the “Dirty Birds” who set Drew and Jasper up in the first place — are also a hoot and are the original fans of this cute couple. Elsie, Daisy, and the Dirty Birds are a solid support group for Drew, and I love how much presence they have here.

It’s fun to get to know Colorado with Drew and Jasper — I was living vicariously through these adventures! I also love that Drew is learning to appreciate reading. Her initial aversion to reading is, in my opinion, a fallacy. Girl, not all books end happily. Go read some sad books if that’s more your style. But in any case, I do support nurturing an appreciation for reading.

I adored Better Than Fiction from start to finish. It’s such a sweet book, filled with fun and laughs as well as grief and tears. Even with the different themes, it’s balanced and is a delightful read.

An author visits a bookstore that has been recently left by it’s owner to granddaughter. Sparks fly, feelings start… There is so much more to this story.



When Drew inherits the bookstore, she is a non-reader! Her grandmother friends set up a meet-n-great with a well-known author, Jasper, and it draws in a huge crowd. Jasper decides he can show Drew the fun in reading. Showing Drew how to enjoy books includes fun dates, quirky conversations, and talks about life.



Better than Fiction is a book of family drama and opposites attract. I really enjoyed the story. It was easy to read, the characters were relatable and fun, and the family drama…well every family has drama and it made the story more realistic.

Better than Fiction is a fun and smart rom-com that is the perfect book for any romance bookworm.

Y’all know that I love a book that has a bookstore in it! And this book lived up to all the romantic expectations I had for it. This book caught my attention because the main character Drew doesn’t like reading books, even though she owns a bookstore. In my mind, I thought that was such a unique twist to add to the overall story, and I wanted to see what Alexa would do with it. The story is this wonderful mix of witty dialogue, fabulous friendships, family drama, and spicy romance. I really just enjoyed reading this story; everything made my romantic bookish heart happy.

There are really two love stories in this book, the one between Drew and Jasper and the other between Drew and books. Drew’s hatred for reading comes off strong at the beginning of the book, and as a bookworm, I felt this need to find a book that she could connect with. This dislike of reading and books stems from childhood issues and hating that books can make you believe that happy endings are always possible. For me, I love and will only read a book with a happy ending. I really never thought of a happy ending being a bad thing. But listening to Drew’s thoughts on the matter opened my eyes to why sometimes a perfect happy ending isn’t always the best for a book. Drew’s character has tremendous emotional growth around her work and relationship with books. I loved watching Drew slowly start to fall in love with reading and getting excited about talking about books. I thought Jasper’s approach to opening up Drew to the wonderful world of books was cute and brilliant at the same time.

The romance between Drew and Jasper is wonderful and will have you swooning. There are plenty of fun, cute moments and moments of pure embarrassment. Jasper is such a delight, and I adored the fact that he was a romance writer. There was this instant chemistry between these two, and it was fun and steamy watching them explore Colorado together.

Better than Fiction is a swoonastic rom-com!

Drew Young never thought she would be running a bookstore instead of taking nature and travel pictures. When her grandma passed and left her the Book Nook, Drew gave everything up to continue on with her grandma’s legacy. Enter her grandmothers friends and book club, Dirty Bird’s, and their meddling ways. They talk Drew into letting an author come for a book signing at the store, with a secret motive of setting the two up.

Jasper Williams is a romance writer looking for a little help on his next book. He proposes a deal with Drew: she shows him around Colorado and he makes a list of books she would like with a date that goes along with the story. He gets the background info for his next story and dates with a girl he likes, she finds a love for reading she never expected and interest in a man she never saw coming.

My thoughts:

Overall I enjoyed this one. I liked the setting and the characters. I hated her dad, loved Jasper and Daisy, liked Drew for the most part, adored the Dirty Birds, and wanted a friend like Elsie. The one thing that got on my nerves a bit? How Drew referred to Jasper as “Jasper Williams author” all of the time.

I needed so much more of this in my life. I wanted to just fully immerse myself in Drew and Jasper and never come up for air.

I have also added a LOT of things to my Colorado bucket list.

I can't personally understand what it would mean to own a bookstore like Drew and not be a reader, but I would surely give it a try!

Jasper was book bookfriend goals for sure! I never wanted this to end.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this read for my honest review! I loved it so much.

📚 Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin 📚

📚 I think I’m officially a rom-com lover. 😂

📚 Drew inherits her grandma’s bookstore, even though she doesn’t read 😮! But when Jasper, a swoon worthy romance author, needs material for a new book, Drew offers to show him around town.

📚This rom com was made even better by Drew’s grandma’s group of book club friends! I love books with sassy elderly women 😂

📚Add in all the bookshop vibes, messy family dynamics and good witty humor and this rom com is so much fun!

📚 Thank you @berkleypub and @letstalkbookspromo for my gifted copy and spot in this fun buddy read!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an arc!

Better than Fiction was such a fun read! The romance was very cute, and as someone who loves books, photography, and hiking, I thought it was super relatable.

Definitely recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with great characters and a sweet, clean romance. There's no spice in this if that's what you're looking for!

Special shout out to the Dirty Birds, who were the highlight of the book!

I adored this book! This was my first book from this author and I'm so glad I read it.

Jackson was an absolute dream and was everything I love in a love interest. This book was so sweet, while also giving the spice and romance I could've asked for. I really enjoyed that this book is for the girls who never really thought it was possible to get their own happy ending and to really experience their own book love story. I am already looking to get a physical copy of this book and am definitely going to keep my eye out for more titles by this author!

Better Than Fiction
Alexa Martin


Buy This Book
Better than Fiction is the sensational, charming, sexy new novel from the talented Alexa Martin. While not centered around Thanksgiving or Christmas I’d still describe it as a perfect holiday read because it definitely spreads joy and cheer.

If there’s one thing Drew Young can’t stand it’s a novelized HEA. Sure, she enjoyed fairy tales and romances as a girl, but if her parents’ divorce has her anything it’s that love stories are for suckers. Her folks’ bitter split left her hating books and pretty much everything about them, even if those stories didn’t deserve the blame and her father most definitely did. Her unreasonable hatred of all things novelized, however, did not extend to her grandmother’s shop, The Book Nook. Drew spent many hours of a happy childhood there, playing among the stacks, doing homework in the office, and just hanging out with the grandmother she loved so much. Still, it comes as a surprise to her when, after her nana’s death, she receives not just the necklace she promised but the store as well. Drew is determined to honor her gran’s legacy but can a self-proclaimed book hater really become a successful bookseller?

Fortunately, she has help. The Dirty Birds, her grandmother’s book club made up of seven dear older women who refuse to act their age, are determined to make Drew a success. And not just with the store – they have plans for her personal growth, too. And those plans include getting Drew to be interested in romance in narrative form – which she is actively resisting – and in real life. Which Drew also plans to resist.

But the Dirty Birds like to play, well, dirty. Making sure that Drew has a date with non-other than bestselling romance author – and hottest man alive – Jasper Williams is their first step in changing Drew’s mind about love both on and off the page. Drew tries to hold out, but Jasper’s request that she play his tour guide around her beloved Colorado is one she simply can’t say no to. It isn’t long before she finds herself living the kind of romance she believed only happened in books. But the course of true love never did run smooth and our characters are about to discover how little problems can turn into big hurdles on the way to an HEA.

I loved pretty much everything about this tale. I was initially concerned that a book hater and I would not click but Drew won me over almost immediately. It helps that there is no disrespect of readers or writers involved in her novel issues. It also helps that Drew is a warm, wonderful, independent woman who is a great friend, boss, and girlfriend. I loved that she is vulnerable in her relationship with her truly despicable father – his actions always left her hurt – but that doesn’t make her a pushover. She allows herself grief and anger while remaining strong and honorable. I also loved how she is open to change while still remaining true to herself.

I adored Jasper, too, although he is a touch too perfect. He’s kind, understanding, gentle, generous, and loving – I could fill the page with superlatives and still not do him justice. He’s the ultimate romance hero, which makes him the perfect foil for Drew in lots of ways . With the story revolving around Drew’s lack of faith in happily ever afters, it seemed fitting that her own love story would be the stuff of romance novels. It’s a sweet meta-style joke that lauds the genre while still giving a wink and a nod to the sheer unbelievability of some aspects of it.

As a couple, they’re solid gold. They bring out the best in each other, help each other grow, have natural, wonderful chemistry and it was nirvana to watch them fall in love. And for those wondering, yes he does encourage her to read but no, it is not a big issue between them. They have plenty in common without that.

I also absolutely adored how the secondary characters are handled here. They’re genuine support players, fleshed out enough to be more than cut-outs but not so much that they take up unnecessary page space. Elsie, Drew’s bestie, and her half-sister Daisy are especially well done. Elsie is the kind of friend everyone should have – blunt without ever being mean, honest only when they feel that’s what’s best for you but willing to lie to make you feel better, a cheerleader, a shoulder to cry on and the helping hand that’s always there when you need it. I absolutely loved her frank conversations about motherhood and her willingness to embrace the people who are important to Drew. Daisy has a more complicated relationship with Drew simply because they didn’t grow up together and come from very different backgrounds. Daisy’s rich, white mom had more power in the relationship with their dad than Drew’s own Black, middle-class mom ever did and that affected how their father treated each girl. They work through their issues fairly easily but I appreciated that it does take some effort, honesty, and vulnerability on both their parts.

I did have a few very minor quibbles with the tale, however. Drew makes too big a deal out of Jasper’s one mistake but hey, I understood the novel needed some conflict. Their reunion scenario more than made up for that. The story also really doesn’t resolve the daddy issue, but I’m hopeful that Daisy will get her own book and this situation will receive more attention there.

Better than Fiction is better than most fiction (sorry, couldn’t help myself). I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

There are so many things I liked about this novel. Jasper was #1 on the list because of all the romance and fun, but I also really liked all of the Dirty Birds the old lady group who had Drew’s back, and her best friend Elsie and her sister Daisy. She totally had a great group of people backing her in life and love. There were some challenges she had to face in this book too, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but every good novel needs some conflict to overcome.

I love how this author has grown from her earlier novels. Don’t get me wrong, those novels were my introduction to Alexa Martin and are a big reason why she is a must-buy for me. Those were also the first novels this author had written and it isn’t weird to me that she is trying new things and working to find her voice. Better Than Fiction has some of the same qualities I loved in the Playbook series. Great friends who will see you through good times and bad, but also solid character development and heros who weren’t perfect but whom you could fall in love with despite their imperfections. I think Better Than Fiction is the best novel Alexa Martin has written to date and I hope she has many more stories inside her soul that need to be released to the world.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Enjoyed this one so much!

It’s so witty and love that she inherited a bookstore from her beloved grandma but she doesn’t really read. It has major sentimental value though.

And Jasper the author who is gorgeous but he’s a romance author. That’s points against him according to Drew.

Drew and Jasper’s romance was so sweet from start as just helping get to know the area to the end with the dual grand gestures.

Her father was trying to get the bookstore out from under her and just seemed like a horrible guy. But through his actions she was able to see what her Grandma had envisioned for her.

The grief of losing her grandma was so real and present and reading the authors note that she had lost her mother while writing. This must have been cathartic, it’s really hard losing someone who is like a parent or is a parent.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Better Than Fiction feature Drew and Jasper. It’s an interesting premise with Drew thinking the movie is better (I personally think she’s wrong). Jasper is incredible !!

The Goodreads synopsis for this one had me. I was excited to read it. I enjoyed so many parts of this book, but ultimately it fell flat. I've seen so many high rating reviews for this book, which makes me think this may just be one of those times where I didn't click with the book.

Drew doesn't like books. ::gasp:: The HORROR! ...phew, I've recovered, mostly from that blasphemous sentence. However, Drew really isn't interested in reading. She's beyond shocked when she inherits her grandmother's bookstore. Barely keeping her head above water, Drew isn't sure what she's going to do. Even with the "help" from the nosy ladies from the bookclub that come to the store. When bestselling author, Jasper learns of Drew's dislike for books, he's determined to open her eyes to their beauty in exchange for her showing him around Denver to help him with his next manuscript.

Sounds lovely, right? Well, things get messy as family ties complicate Drew's hold on the bookstore.

Did the book hold my attention? Yes. Did I want to know how it ended? Definitely (that part was really good!). Did I blow off plans to keep reading/listening to this book? No.

I would recommend others try it. I think I needed a bit more of everything. More romance, more adventure, and more depth to the characters.

Thank you PRH Audio and Berkley Romance for providing me a free copy of the ebook and audiobook to listen and review.

love Alexa Martin and her new book out tomorrow -- Better Than Fiction is a fun romance set in Colorado with a bookseller who learns to be the main character in her story.

Drew never wanted to own a bookstore, but when she inherits her grandma's bookstore, she wants to continue her legacy even if she hasn't read a book in years! Her grandma's friends have a bookclub and of course they meddle to help Drew by getting the bestselling author Jasper Williams to come do a book signing. He wants to get to know her more and she decides to be his Colorado tour guide to help with his next book. She begins to fall for him as she reads his novels...

Like all Alexa Martin books this book has such fun characters and I love her Colorado settings! It reminded me of my most recent trip in August! I loved the Dirty Birds and the adventures they went on. While the third act breakup seemed like a little bit of an overreaction on Drew's part, it showed how Drew deals with grief and that part of the book is messy as it is in life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this wonderful book and you should check it out!

Drew Young hasn't had time to mourn her grandmother's passing. Instead, she's been focusing her life on the bookstore her grandmother left her. She's feeling inadequate because she doesn't have her grandmother's charm or knowledge of books. She doesn't even have a love of books. Her love was photography but she had to give that up in order to run the store. Her grandmother's cronies are trying to help (probably) by getting a hot romance author to come in to talk to the book club. Drew is not impressed. Not by his handsome face, or gorgeous eyes, or charm... When the cronies set them up on a date, she is REALLY not amused. But Jasper manages to charm her anyway. But he's keeping some secrets that Drew might not appreciate.
Drews love for her grandmother and her grandmother's love for her both shine through and are the best part of this story. There are also some subplots with Drew's half-sister who is trying to get to know Drew better and Drew's father who is not nearly so nice.

Four stars
This book comes out November 8, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

4 A Charming Read Stars!

This is my first book by Alexa Martin and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has so many things to love about it…a woman that has had her heart broken in the past, a group of older women that are determined to help her out in so many ways including when it’s evident she’s in over her head with the bookstore she inherited and of course a swoony hero in the form of romance author Jasper Williams.

I adored his determination to prove to Drew that reading provides us the opportunity to escape our everyday lives with the beauty of words on a page. Drew was hard sell too… she’s a photographer so her whole world has revolved around that until her Aunt dies and changes everything she knew. It’s quite the journey Drew takes not only with Jasper but The Dirty Birds as well! These women are a freaking hoot!! They live large and loud and aren’t afraid to go after what they want in life. I had many moments of laughing out loud with these women.

The more I read, the more I loved this book. The characters are well developed and there’s a definite progression in how Drew changes the further I got into the book. The story comes together so well that at the end of the book I was a little sad that I was done. I’m definitely going to be re-reading this book again and will definitely add Ms. Martin to my list of authors to read.

Photographer Drew is struggling to keep her late grandmother's bookstore afloat. When author Jasper comes for a book signing, she agrees to help him scout local landmarks for use in his next novel. He lives a nomadic life, and she doesn't trust love. Do they have any hope for their own happy ending?

I loved this book! The voice is strong and engaging, the characters vibrant and likeable. Jasper's kindness and devotion are exactly what Drew needs in order to learn to trust again.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

In Better than Fiction, Drew inherited her grandma’s bookstore but… Drew doesn’t read. She does, however, offer to show a hunky romance author all the sights in Denver for material for his upcoming book. This romcom has given us all a new book boyfriend, Jasper. Their banter was entertaining, the struggles that Drew faced from giving up her dreams and battling with a jerk of a father were emotional and very real but Drew’s grandma’s friends stole the show. They added much needed levity at times, particularly when Drew was whining. So setting aside my annoyance that Drew didn’t read but owned a bookstore, this was a fun escape romcom with all the happy ever after vibes.