I don't like fantasy that much and I don't like rom coms that much - but how in the world did this combo fantastical rom com hit just right? A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston is a book that I have been wanting for quite awhile. It was a sweet book that I breezed through and I am glad I had the opportunity to check it out.

This book was a bit of a miss for me. I thought the premise was so intriguing, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two love interests. I wish it leaned more into the magic of this town that's the setting of a book series. I just found some of the conversations to be really clunky and unrealistic. I wanted more from this one overall. It was a fun read and kept me interested while driving, but makes me nervous to pick up more from this author. 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars for me.

This is not what I was expecting at all; a sweet romance with deep emotions and a life lesson. Poston, with her last two books, had become an author I expect romances with fantasy elements and profound story lines that really make me take a moment of self reflection. That was not that.

But for what it was, I liked it. It was silly and over the top cheesy, but it also had a lot of heart.

It was, at first, frustrating that the whole situation (being in a fictional town with fictional characters) was never really explained…. But I actually had a good time, so I can try to ignore that.

It kinda felt like Barbie world to me. Theres really no explanation, it’s just there, and it’s magical!

"He tasted like mints and black tea."

I really wanted to love this book. I was so looking forward to its release. Who wouldn't want to get stuck in the small town of their favorite book series? This premise had all the makings for my next favorite book.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me. I struggled to get through this book. I even switched formats from audio to ebook hoping there was something missing in translation. There wasn't.

There were fun character interactions but the repetitive & cringe moments beat them out. One more mention of his minty eyes and smelling like black tea (even though Elsy doesn't even like black tea) and I would have cried. If this wasn't an Ashley Poston book & an ARC, I would have put it down. I kept hoping to find the quintessential great book spark, but for me it was elusive.

Thank you PRH Audio & Berkley for giving me the ARC. I was so hoping this honest review would turn out to be different.

How would you react if you could be trapped in your favorite novel? This book explores this idea which I found to be an adorably cute concept.

This book was a decent read, but not one of those romances that you just get lost in. It was a bit slower in parts where there was a bit of repetition, but overall I found it enjoyable. I wish there had been less description surrounding the way he smelled/tasted/looked, but I realize that's totally subjective.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc copy.

I really liked Ashley Poston's first book, and I was somewhat a fan of her second...but this one just didn't do it for me. I don't know if it was me or it was the story, but I was not invested in this from the first chapter. I stuck with it because I'm normally a big fan of this publisher, but I just didn't like this book much at all.

I do think Ashley Poston is a wonderful writer, though, and if you were a fan of her first two books (or just love her), then you will probably like this one! It just wasn't for me.

Oh, how I adored this rom-com! Ashley Poston is a new favorite and this one was such a delight. I loved all the talk about books and storytelling and thought that the setting in a fictional town was so clever. I just wanted to crawl right into the town (and/or find a series I'm obsessed with to read, just like Elsy). I thought Elsy and Anders were quite cute together, and I enjoyed the pull of mystery about how things were going to play out that kept me turning pages.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC of A Novel Love Story. I fell in love with Ashley Poston through The Dead Romantics but she solidified herself as an all-time fave with The Seven Year Slip. Of course, that meant that I had super high expectations for A Novel Love Story, which then became its downfall. It had the classic Ashley Poston in it, but it just didn't have the fully charm and romance that only Ashley Poston could nail from the first two books. It was disappointing but still a good read overall.

Romance & magical realism unite with a love story that blurs the lines of reality and captivates your heart.

I am a sucker for Ashley Poston’s stories and how seamlessly she weaves magical realism and fantasy into romance. Both of her previous books, The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, were in my list of top reads the year they published. i couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book where the characters were living in a book setting brought to life. It was reminiscent of the TV show Once Upon a Time & honestly, isn’t that a bookworm’s dream? It’s definitely one of mine.

Eileen is at a crossroads in life after being dumped a week before her wedding. She wants nothing more than to enjoy her annual book retreat. Unfortunately, all her book friends bail at the last minute so she decides to go alone to drown her sorrows by losing herself in book boyfriends and HEAs. Her plans take un unexpected turn when her car breaks down and she finds herself in Eloraton - the fictional town from her favorite book series.

Add in a dramatic “meet cute” with Anders, the town’s grumpy bookstore owner when she almost runs him over, and a cast of side characters that she already feels like she knows and loves from having read the series. But, Elsy soon finds herself creating unexpected ripples in this fictional world with her presence and advice.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and living out the fantasy of being dropped into a book through Elsy.

I don’t know how Ashley Poston does it, but she just whips out one epic book after another!

The book follows Eileen (who goes by Elsa), who’s still trying to heal after a breakup - and after her friends bail on her get-away reading weekend, she decides to do it by herself because there’s nothing like falling into a love story.

On her way to the air b&b, she finds herself in a town that seems familiar. And realizes that she’s in her favorite series and she meets a grumpy bookstore owner: Anders. Except, he doesn’t belong in the magical little town of beautiful characters either.

I am obsessed with Ashley Poston. I would read her grocery lists. This book absolutely lived up to my expectations. Just the coziest of fantasy romance with that signature realism that makes it all seem very possible. And setting a book within a book?? A readers dream, honestly.

I loved parts of it, and didn’t love parts of it. 3.75 stars. Because I love Ashley’s writing and poetic storytelling I saved about 20 quotes from the story. The idea of the book is so lovely, but overall the story fell a bit flat for me and I ended not really rooting for the two main love interests to be together.

4 Stars!

This was essentially a love letter to romance books. I loved it so much! Like who wouldn't want to live in their favorite romance novel?!

What I liked most was the magical realism. I think Ashley does a really good job at this! I enjoyed the side characters and Elsy's character development as well. She figured out her purpose and that it was nice to see it come to fruition.

I absolutely loved that Anders was Rebecca's first love. You could see his love for her and his grief led him to Elsy! Highly recommend.

I am so sad right now. This one was a dud for me. I feel like the ending to this book was literally the worst case scenario for a romance. As a romance lover, I did not believe in the romance in this one, because it was so easily thrown away by our hero. As much as I thought I would love this, I was instead sad and upset, because our heroine deserved better, even though I found her insufferable half the time. I won't get more specific here, but I am big sad about this one.

Although I loved the idea of the story, a mix of Shanghai-La and your favorite book setting, at times it really stretched the imagination. After her broken engagement, Elsy retreats from life, except for her romance book group and her best friend, Pru. On the way to her annual book retreat in the Catskills, Elsy gets lost and ends up in the town that is actually the recreation of her favorite series. The characters are just a she imagined them, and the temptation to stay gets greater. I didn’t love the book, but could see romance lovers with a touch of magical realism enjoying it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5⭐️
1🔥

Quick Breakdown

Magical Realism
Small Town
Bookish Book
Strangers to Lovers
Grumpy x Sunshine
Single POV
Slightly Open Door - Mild

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the gifted eARC & @prhaudio for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Circumstances has Elsy traveling to upstate NY alone for her book club’s annual romance retreat. She gets turned around in torrential rain, magically landing & becoming stranded in Eloraton, her favorite fictional small town. It’s there she literate runs into the town’s grumpy bookstore owner.

After falling head over heels for Ashley’s previous two books, A Novel Love Story was one of my most anticipated summer reads. There was a lot to love & I know it’s going to be a favorite for many. It’s delightfully whimsical & lighter than her previous works. Who wouldn’t love being magically transplanted into your favorite small town romance series, having a night out at the local dive bar with the girl gang you dreamed to be a part of? I loved that I didn’t see the twist towards the end coming. Between that, an Easter egg cameo & the ending / grand romance gesture, I didn’t mind the tears this pulled from me.

As great as everything was, I wasn’t really sold on the romance. I didn’t feel the chemistry or intense pull Ashley‘s MC’s have had before. There is an insta love vibe here, since our MC’s fell over the course of a week. While I can occasionally buy that time frame, the romance felt too superficial to be believable here.

It should be mentioned that I listened to this one on audio & I wasn’t as hooked by the narrator as I have been by her previous books. While she did great with the assorted accents I wonder if I might have been more invested if I solely read.

All that said, if you’ve loved Ashley’s writing in the past I recommend you give this one a go.

Even though all of her friends canceled, Eileen decides to go on her annual book club retreat alone. Along the way, her car breaks down and she finds herself stranded in the cutest little town. After some time in this perfect small town, Eileen realizes why it seems so familiar - it is the setting of her favorite book series. The characters are stuck because the author died before finishing the final story and Elsy realizes she has to help the town come to its perfect ending. There’s one character, one she doesn’t recognize from the books, that doesn’t want her to finish the story, but Elsy is also starting to develop feelings for him which complicates things further.

What makes this book magical is all of the nods to romance readers sprinkled throughout the story. Who hasn’t wanted to visit the small town of their favorite series and become immersed in the setting? This premise was so sweet and heartwarming in many ways, but also was much more a love letter to books than a romance story. While it wasn’t what I expected, I did enjoy this premise and this book felt like a warm hug.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This book helped solidify for me that there is absolutely nothing Ashley Poston could write that I will not swoon over.

If I could live inside her mind for even just 24 hours, I would 100% take that opportunity, because all I can think whenever I read her books is HOW did she come up with this idea?? And this story is no exception.

Many of us have dreamed about what it would be like if we could actually step inside our favorite romance novel—and here, Ashley gives it to us. Because Elsy’s car breaks down at night in a small town and when daylight hits the next day, she realizes she’s in the fictional—or not-so-fictional?—town of Eloraton, the setting for her favorite romance series.

I loved watching her explore the town and meet characters she already knows in her heart and loves, even if they don’t yet know her. And I especially loved when she meets the grumpy bookstore owner. The one person in Eloraton she can’t remember from the books. But the book series was never completed, because the author passed away before she could finish the last book.

The twists in this book had me holding my breath and I truly just want to know what Ashley’s plotting process is like because her stories give me life. I loved how Eloraton was basically reliving the same day for years until Elsy stopped by and brought the town back to life. I feel inspired to write and find more books I absolutely love every time I read one of her stories.

“There were still happy endings to be found…even if they weren’t my own.”

I’m obsessed. Hands down. I highly recommend checking this one out, as well as her other adult romance/magical realism stories: The Dead Romantics and The Seven-Year Slip.

Read if you like:
- Magical realism
- Unexpected romance
- Forced proximity
- Small town romance
- A book within a book
- Outliers

This was a resounding disappointment for me. I've loved Ashley's previous adult titles and this one just fell so flat.

It took me over 30% to even be slightly interested in the characters. Then that last 7% had such a moment of sheer anger for me.

I would have DNF'd it at that point if i wasn't almost done.

This idea is fantastic the execution just didn't work for me. Ashley's writing was still really good but the way it applied to this story wasn't for me.

This was so so good. I loved the magical realism aspect of it, the depth of both character, the aspect of love after different types of loss, and especially Poston’s writing. She is a master at crafting beautiful stories that we end up reading in a single sitting!