What a lovely sweet story. I loved the concept of a romance reader getting stuck in the small town her favorite book series was set in and Ashley did not disappoint. I loved how relatable Eileen was because of her love of romance books and her perspective of the world as a hopeless romantic.

While I enjoyed the first half of this book I think what really stood out to me was the second half. I did see the twist but I guessed it slightly wrong since I though Anderson would be related to the author but not engaged to her. I also really liked her friendship with Pru and how they opened up their own bookstore in the end. With a really sweet and tender love confession this book was truly lovely and fun.

This is the third book I've read by Ashley Poston and I will keep reading her books. There's some magical realism in each of them. In this one, Eileen is on her way to a solitary book retreat week and gets caught in a storm. She gets off the highway and finds herself in the town of her favorite series with all of her favorite characters. This is less love story and more a reflection on life, especially when we're feeling stuck or frozen. It's also a reflection on the importance books and stories can play in our lives. I went into it open-minded and really loved the story, the characters, the grumpy/sunshine romance (yes, there is a romance!), and the stories within the story. I'll be thinking about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a sweet love story, while not a favorite for me, I think those who love the Seven Year Slip will really enjoy this book.

what a cute plot! it's a book lovers dream! who wouldn't want to go to their favorite town with their favorite characters? I don't think I'd leave! This is hopeless romantic approved :)

this one was pure delight. despite loving Seven Year Slip, the way I felt about Dead Romantics had me a little bit apprehensive of this one. of her three novels, this is the one whose premise called the most to me but I wasn't sure if it would hit the way Seven Year Slip did. and this one was a bit of a different beat imo but it worked. it was incredibly sweet and while the magic didn't make sense, it also required less explanation than some of her other work. for me, the highlight was the way Poston was able to write about the dynamics of getting older and you're friends being in a different place in life than you and feeling left behind without being reductive. I think it's easy to oversimplify that to being selfish or scared but Poston wrote it with nuance and grace, holding space for emotions versus logic.

my only complaint was the overuse of "minty" in describing Anders's eyes. we get it.

This one wasn’t for me. While I loved her other books, this one was a let down. The premise was great, but overall I was disappointed with the way it was executed.

I am always a fan of Ashley Poston’s books, but this just edged out The Dead Romantics as my new favorite of hers! This is, in every way, my perfect rom-com. It’s set in an adorable little town, the grumpy love interest owns a bookstore, and there’s just a touch of magic.

Elsy is on her way to a mountain cabin for a week of reading and wine, when she gets lost and finds herself stranded in an adorable little town. It isn’t long before she realizes she has somehow ended up in the fictional town of her favorite romance series… in the middle of the unfinished last book. She’s determined not to ruin everyone’s stories, but also finds herself falling for the person she’s convinced must be the main character of the last book.

This was such an incredibly good book. Most of her books are stand-alones, however if you’ve read her other books (particularly The Dead Romantics) there are some fun easter eggs in this one!

I liked the beginning of this book, but about half way it just became a romance for me. So, in the end, liked-but-didn't-love.

No one does magical realism/romance like Ashley Poston! This book you guys…it’s a book for us romance readers of all kinds. A book about the joy and power of love stories and the impact they have on us as readers. I highlighted so many lines…the writing is beyond beautiful and the love story(ies) will have your heart bursting. I’ll be honest I was a little worried at first as it started a touch slow for me, but then I was pulled in and I just loved it so much! I mean I’m not sure if I could pick a favorite story to drop into, but what a concept and so so well done!

Eileen Merriweather, who finds solace in fictional romances to avoid real-life heartbreak, becomes stranded in Eloraton, the town from her favorite book series, and realizes she must help finish the story and find her own happy ending despite the objections of a mysterious and alluring bookstore owner.

Read if you vibe with…
💖 Love Stories
📚 Books About Books
✨ Magical Realism
🌤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶🏻 Book Boyfriends
🏡 Small Town
❤️‍🔥 Slow Burn
📕 Book Clubs

In A Novel Love Story, a woman ends up in the town from her favorite series. But the author passed away before the final book was written so she wonders if she is telling that final story. The setting was perfect - the same quaint shops, restaurants, quirky characters. All of it. This was such a cute premise and just a sweet and fun read. I loved seeing the town come to life before her eyes. And I loved all of the details and personalities. The romance was sweet and mushy. A perfect book for a booknerd.

4/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Eileen Merriweather is so disappointed when her annual book club retreat is cancelled, that she decides to head up to the cabin retreat by herself. Things just keep getting worse when her car breaks down on the way, leaving her stranded in a picturesque but confusing town. Everything here is familiar to Eileen -- the burnt burgers, the rainy afternoons and, most notably, the people. When Elsy realizes that this town is straight out of her favorite book series, she isn't sure what to do. Especially because author, Rachel Flowers, passed away two years ago and everything seems to be EXACTLY where she left it. Everything, that is, besides Anders. Elsy can't place Anders in any of the books, and their immediate chemistry gives her mixed feelings. What's more important, her happily ever after or the one that Rachel Flowers had set up for Anders? And whose to say what these even look like?

This book was SO CUTE. A very, very solid four stars. The premise was so clever and the journey was really, really enjoyable. There were a few moments in the middle where things felt repetitive and slightly boring, which is what's keeping me from a five-star rating. However there were some fun surprise moments throughout the book that had me hooked, and great character development throughout. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was fantastic; she sounded exactly like what I wanted Elsy to sound like, and added a ton of dimension to the story. Was this book perfect? No. But, it was simply a joy to read and I enjoyed every second.

💙💛REVIEW💚🩷

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A cute, quaint and magical love story – happily ever after guaranteed!

Thanks NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC!

Synopsis –

Eileen prefers her fictional worlds to real life. At-least you won’t be left at the altar with your heart broken, dreams crushed and future shattered in a book. When she decides to travel solo to her annual book club retreat to get lost in reading, chat with her book lover friends and drown in wine, her car decides to break down and she finds herself in a town, that she knows only exists in the romance series of novels by her favorite author. This is unreal, but could it be her HEA?

Review -

I loved the premise Poston imagined here. I think we all can agree that when life gets tough, we would crave to escape reality, to get lost in some beautiful imaginary worlds from your books or movies. A dream come true! Eileen’s desire to get away manifests the town of Eloraton, which she knows like the back of her hand. Except she can’t place one of the characters she meets – Anders, the grumpy, but drop dead handsome bookstore owner.

With her stay in town becoming inevitable, Eileen explores Eloraton with Anders’ help and that’s when the magic happens. The world building is perfection, as the stories and characters Eileen obsesses over come to life, fascinating and astonishing her – as she grapples with wonder how everything is just as she imagined it would be.

The romance and chemistry between Eileen and Anders is saccharine sweet – what an adorable couple they were😍. Blending into the constantly same, slow and sleepy life of the town, mingling with all the townsfolk, Eileen unknowingly bring about changes, discovers her path forward as well as Anders’ and finally turns the pages of the book she finds herself literally in. Of course, she gets her well deserved HEA!

Poston has yet again delivered in her trademark style - an endearing, meet-cute romance combined with a touch of fairy dust and the charm of a fictional town, with an enchanting waterfalls and quaint little shops. A story that literally comes to life - a book lover's treat!

The concept of this book is phenomenal! Who wouldn’t want to spend a few days inside of their favorite novel, and meet all of their favorite characters? This was such a fun and cozy read.

Elsy’s experiences with seeing her favorite small town romance novel come to life was such a pleasantly unique story. I loved all of her inside knowledge of the town, local businesses, and all of the people made for such an interesting plot. To escape into the small town of Eloraton was such an enjoyable escape. And Elsy’s love of the town and people made me fall in love with the fictional town as well.

I’m just sad the Eloraton series isn’t a real because I desperately want to read it now!

This was my first Ashley Poston novel and I can’t wait to read her backlist and more of her upcoming novels.

Thank you Netgalley & Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read and review this lovely eARC.

Anything Ashley writes I will most definitely read! This book was so sweet and I loved the aspect of it all! I can’t wait to see what else she has in store! She is quickly becoming one of my fave authors!🩷

I wanted to love this one, but in the end, it just didn’t work for me. The premise was SO fun and unique and I was fully invested the first half of this book. But then the pace and story just really plateaued and it never recovered for me. This book felt like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be women’s fiction or romance, and ultimately, didn’t execute either very well.

I felt like this was more of a HFN when I wanted it to be a HEA. I loved so many elements of this book. I think I just need to go into these books with less of a romance expectation to truly enjoy them. They feel more about the plot and the paranormal element

This book just came out, but I had the opportunity to get an early copy. I’m pretty new to Ashley Poston, and all I knew was she writes romances with a speculative element, which I am here for! And this book was exactly that. In it, the main character, Elsy, finds herself stranded in the quaint town from her favorite books. This was a light, easy breezy story with a really interesting premise that I haven’t seen before and a super cute romance!

I love the concept of this book so much -- the idea of finding yourself lost in the world of your favorite novels, the story unfinished but unfolding before you. This is the perfect read for people who love small town romances, but I'm learning that's not quite me. The thing I loved most about this book was Ashley Poston's writing -- there's something about it that is just so comforting, the way she writes her own brand of magical realism keeps me coming back for more. And this novel in particular felt like such a love letter to readers, to romance lovers, to fandom, to bookish communities we build, and more -- it really was special in its own way. If I could give half stars in reviews, it would be a 3.5 for me.

Just a tender, lovely, quiet novel about a woman who puts herself second without even realizing that it’s okay to ask for what you want. And in true Ashley Poston style the setting crosses that veil between what’s real and what isn’t. She does this so well!
A Novel Love Story is a testament to the power of stories, comfort reads, and the importance of good, true friends.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
🏘️ Fictional Small Town Settings
💔 Heartbroken MC’s
⛅️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🌧️ Getting Caught in the Rain
🚗 Ever wanted to live within your favorite book
📚 Books are your Therapy

Ashley Poston has done it again! I laughed, I swooned, I blushed, and I cried tears of heartbreak along with the characters.

Ashley’s writing absolutely transported me along with Elsy to the fictional small town of Eloraton, NY with all the characters from the beloved small town romance series by the recently departed Rachel Flowers.

The way that Elsy was trapped in her heartbreak and unable to move herself onto a forward trajectory after heartbreak was much like the small town of Eloraton and all it’s characters that were left in a lurch when their stories remained unfinished due to the author’s tragic passing.

I really loved the vibes of being stuck throughout the book and trying to find the thing to propel you forward from your place of stuck that all the characters were battling in one way or another.

I also absolutely adored the meet cute and forced proximity between Elsy and Anders and the way they both were running from their own demons in Eloraton.

The way the story was written was so beautiful and truly made me fall in love all over again with Ashley’s writing and the way she mixes all the emotions within her storytelling.

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review of yet another 5 star read from Ashley!