A Novel Love Story is the perfect book for any romance reader!

The story follows the main character Elsy, who is a literary professor and avid romance reader who is on her way to her annual book club. In the middle of the roadtrip, Elsy's car breaks down and she pulls over in this small whimsical town which to her surprise is Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series.

This book has magical realism, grumpy x sunshine trope and so much more! It is beautifully written and will certainly have you laughing, crying and pulling at your heartstrings. This was an easy 5 star for me and if you loved any of her other books, you need to pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this Advanced Reader Copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I swear that Ashley Poston will never let me down.

When Eileen "Elsy" Merriweather finds herself broken down in an idyllic town in the Hudson Valley, she never quite expected that it would be *that* idyllic town in the Hudson Valley. You know, the one from her favorite book series. But it is, complete with its colorful cast of characters and their love stories and happily ever afters. However, there is one person there that she cannot place from the books - the grumpy bookseller, Anders.

While her car is being fixed up at the shop, Elsy discovers that the town that is so familiar to her due to the numerous times she has read her favorite books, everything seems to be a bit, well, unfinished. Much like her book series, which was never completed due to the author's untimely death. And she "knows" everyone in town, but she still can't quite figure out who Anders is and how he fits into the narrative. And on top of all that, she might just be developing just a teensy crush on him as well.

Poston's prose really is what shines in this book. Every word she writes is emotional, evocative, and perfectly describes Elsy's current situation of just being stuck while the world moves on without you. And Grumpy Anders is everything that you would want out of a leading male, right down to the teasing banter and his swoonworthy declarations. I love that Poston's stories are realistic with just a hint of magic or supernatural, and this book has it in spades. This town shouldn't exist, but it does. These characters are fictional, yet they are very much real to Elsy. And it is such a powerful metaphor for literature in general, when it is just so good that you can see the world and its inhabitants so vividly, it is like you have jumped into the book itself.

This book is not to be missed. It has a lingering sweetness, like taffy that sticks to your molars. It's a bit bitter, like a burger that is just slightly too burnt. It's warm, like curling up with your blanket and your favorite book. And there is so much love, not just for the characters, the town, or the story, but for you, the reader.

You have to know that a book in a book is really my thing. And I’ve grown to love magical realism, but this is so subtle it almost doesn’t feel like that. If that isn’t your thing.

I fell in love with The Seven Year Slip. I mean seriously that book could have gone on forever and I would have kept reading. This one had a lot to live up to. And while I liked it, it didn’t have that same magic for me. The Seven Year Slip is magical and you need to read it if you haven’t.

I was drawn into the town just like in her novel and then figuring out Anders place in it. I was even drawn into the daily storm and how and why of the town. But then it reminded me over and over about how gorgeous Anders was. Those green eyes and that curl he tugged on. And that the author Rachel had died mid book before finishing the series. I can usually overlook those things when listening but even with the audio, it stood out. I also think it just spent focus on the characters and was caught up in the place.

But I believe if I wasn’t so in love with her last book, I would have liked this one a lot more. It is an intriguing and unique premise. The story is beautifully written and is made for annotation. So many quotes to be had. And I doubt there is a booklover out there that hasn’t wanted to jump into their favorite book.

Dorothy Billingham Blue does a good job of bringing this magical world to life. And showing Eileen’s tension and struggles as she looks to find her place in her ever changing world. She helps bring the impossible to be possible.

I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you @berkleypub @berkleyromance @prhaudio for my complimentary audio and digital copies. My thoughts are my own.

What’s not to love about a book where the main character suddenly finds herself inside the world of her favorite series? I was totally intrigued by the concept of this story (such a 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 idea)! With original and fun chapter titles like 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 (𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴), 𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘣 𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴, and beautiful descriptions, likable characters, constant bookish references, and a bookstore setting - this was everything my book lover’s heart desired!

My favorite part might have been the initial description of the grumpy main male character:

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘹𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢.“ 😂

I LOVE THAT!!

I love Ashley Poston’s unique writing style! Romance is not my go-to genre, but I do love the original spin Ashley Poston adds to her work! She is definitely an auto-buy author for me! She lives in my state and every time she comes to my local bookstore, she sells out before I get the chance to meet her! So I will try again next year!

I also checked out the audio version and it is equally enjoyable, narrated by Dorothy Dillingham Blue.

Book Review for A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

First Impressions: Textual
What’s Your Type? Grumpy/Sunshine, Enemies to Lovers, Book Boyfriends Come to Life, Magical Realism
Meet Cute: Move, B***h
The Lean: Rocky Road
Dirty Talk: Sweetheart
We Need to Talk: Missing Magic
Was it Good For You? Left Wanting

First Impressions: Textual
I love the title treatment of this cover, and the colors are brilliant. The people on the bottom are cute, too, if a bit confusing. It’s very close to a Montell Jordan, but not quite.

What’s Your Type?
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Enemies to Lovers
- Book Boyfriends Come to Life
- Magical Realism

Dating Profile
English professor and self-described book lover Eileen “Elsy” Merriweather has had enough of love–unless it’s the kind she can find between the covers of a good romance novel. She looks forward to her annual trip with her book club to a cabin in upstate New York every year, but this year she’s going alone.

Anderson Sinclair is the owner of a bookstore in a small town, and the kind of person who’d make a perfect (book) boyfriend—he’s tall, handsome, with minty green eyes* and golden hair—if he didn’t have such an unpleasant demeanor.

Meet Cute: Move, B***h
Elsy’s heading toward the cabin for her solo book club trip when a downpour hits. She makes her way off the highway into a small town … where her car promptly breaks down, right after she nearly hits a man standing in the middle of the road. She soon realizes that the town she’s stranded in is the town from her favorite romance series—Quixotic Falls—and all the residents are characters from the books. Including the man standing in the middle of the street, who Elsy believes is the hero of the unfinished fifth novel.

The Lean: Rocky Road
The start of Elsy and Anders’s relationship is a rocky one. And even after she starts warming up to him, Elsy doesn’t see it going places, considering that he’s fictional. (And she might be dying in a ditch, who knows.) But she can’t help but fall for his *minty green eyes—the description of which is repeated, often—and his love of books.

Dirty Talk: Sweetheart
Anders doesn’t seem like someone who’d do much dirty talking—he’s far too buttoned up—but he surprises Elsy when they finally kiss.

His buttoned-up nature is obviously a “stick in the mud in the streets, freak in the sheets” kind of situation.

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
Poston’s writing is excellent, filled with lovely moments of description and lush imagery. Her prose never gets too purple, but there are moments that get close. Especially when passions are high. (The spice in this novel is around 3rd base level; anything past that is a fade to black.)

We Need to Talk: Missing Magic
I have come to adore the mix of romance and magic in Poston’s adult contemporary romances. And I loved the idea of someone falling into the town from their favorite book series; goodness knows I’ve long wanted to vacation in places like Ravka. But the fact that the Quixotic Falls book series isn’t real, and isn’t something I’ve read, put a damper on the magic of A Novel Love Story. Elsy knows these characters inside and out, and because of that, we as readers don’t get the opportunity to learn much about them. Additionally, Elsy is a frustrating main character because of her self-depreciating ways—I feel for her and her broken-hearted past, but at some point it turns into pity, and that’s not what I want to feel for a main character.

Then there’s Anders, who, while being attractive in both a literal and figurative sense, falls a little flat. I wanted to know more about him than the fact that he had minty green eyes. (It’s seriously mentioned SO MANY times.)

Was it Good For You? Left Wanting
A Novel Love Story didn’t quite hit for me, not like Poston’s other books (A Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics). Everything about this book should have been perfect for me, but there was just something off about the whole experience. That’s not to say that it wasn’t an entertaining read, but I feel a bit hollow after finishing (hey-o!).

This was adorable, but I loved The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip more. Still so cute, but not quite on par with those two in terms of excellence! Love the concept — who doesn't want to live in their favorite bookish town/world?!

a warm hug. that’s the thing that came to mind immediately when thinking back on this book and the way it made me feel. i felt fuzzy, warm, giggly, slightly nostalgic, and just so joyful.

it’s no surprise that ashley poston’s books are among my favorites ever. her use of magical realism is so simple and yet stunning, giving each story a fun little twist that makes it stand out from others in the contemporary romance category. i wouldn’t go so far to call it fantasy, but you do have to suspend your disbelief whilst reading.

in a novel love story, eileen (elsy), drives through a storm headed toward a cabin in upstate new york and instead drives headfirst into the pages of her favorite book series (and almost right over a handsome stranger). she ends up in the town of eloraton, the smallest and quaintest town that ever towned, home to all of her favorite characters from the book series she’s been reading for years with her best friends. and of course, hi-jinx ensue, romance abounds, and lessons are learned. vibes are: small town, found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn, pure magic.

i don’t want to give much more away but readers, this one is for you. it’s literally in the title: a love story not just between a girl and a guy, but a love story for books & for reading. it’s a tribute to all of our comfort characters who saved us whether we realized it or not. truly one of a kind (novel, if you will), and one i will return to again and again.

Thank you to Berkley and netgalley for an eARC for a chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. This was one of my most anticipated books of the summer and I very much enjoyed it. Like most Ashley books this has a romance plot with a mystical magical subplot that makes it easy to digest!

I received a gifted galley of A NOVEL LOVE STORY by Ashley Poston for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRHAudio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A NOVEL LOVE STORY follows Eileen, a professor of literature who sets off on her annual book club retreat, even though no one else in her group can make it this year. Even more goes awry though when her car breaks down. She finds herself in a charming small town while she waits for lengthy car repairs. It isn’t a town that one can find on a map and she knows she’s never been there, so she’s shocked when she starts to recognize the people and the places.

Elsy is in Eloraton, the fictional town where her favorite series of romance novels by her favorite author is set. Soon she’s visiting all of the places she’s long imagined and seeing her favorite characters in their happily ever after, perpetually waiting for the next story that will be unwritten after the unexpected passing of the author. There is one man in town she doesn’t recognize from the stories and he seems to be the only one who knows he’s inside a fictional town, warning her not to make waves. Still, Elsy is determined to make sure everyone keeps to the happy part of happily ever after.

I have really enjoyed this author’s brand of magical realism in the past and this book was no different. The fact that we’re surrounded by bookish settings between the town bookstore, Elsy’s bookish friends, and the entire fictional town, really was the icing on the cake! I really enjoyed how the author incorporated things like unfinished thoughts and showed how some things were less than reality in a fictional place.

I really enjoyed the way the book wrapped up and how the character of Elsy developed throughout the book! Ashley Poston’s writing is really poignant (even her author’s note is beautifully written) and this is a story that definitely drew me in!

this is high on nearly everyone’s anticipated 2024 release list and i think the bookish girlies will enjoy it 💙🧺🌷📖✨🍯

read if you like: slow burn romance, small towns, books about books, magical realism, coming of age, enemies to lovers

A NOVEL LOVE STORY was so cute! the setting was my absolute fave part—a girl gets stuck in the small (fake) town of her favorite book series 🥹 i love small towns and also looooove Poston’s blend of magical realism and romance. this one was much heavier on the magical realism than the romance, so i think readers might have a bone to pick with that. but the QUOTES!!!! swipe for my faves ✨🥹👉🏼 i looove when books are about books 🫶🏼 readers are saying this starts slow but i got pulled in right away—it’s the middle that dragged for me. i think it needed a stronger side plot or even a dual POV. for me, this isn’t nearly as good as THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP, but the small town setting, whimsical writing and overall vibe kept me invested!

A NOVEL LOVE STORY is about a girl who gets lost in a small town on the way to her book club retreat. the town feels like it’s right out of a book… because it is. her favorite book, actually. but there’s one character she can’t place. and he owns a bookstore. who is he? and why on earth is she trapped in her favorite novel’s town? 👀

enemies to lovers is not my fave trope but i didn’t mind it here. however for me, the 3rd act breakup happened a bit too quickly... all of the romance did actually 👀 Anders was also too broody and giving Conrad vibes (iykyk). Elsy was a girl goin through it, just trying to find her way. i enjoyed getting lost in her little bookish mind 💙

Poston’s writing has become one of my favorites—she has a way with words and pulls you into her settings and character’s worlds right away. i was thinking of this book when i wasn’t reading it and overall think readers will enjoy this story!

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston ✨🏞️

This book gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. I highly recommend to not go in to this expecting solely a romance between two people. Yes, it’s there and it’s lovely. There is a HEA, don’t worry. Instead go in to this knowing that this is a love story between you as a reader and romance books. The main character embodies what I like to think all of us feel about romance books and why we read them. We’re escaping, finding love that we haven’t experienced before and fear we may never have, getting introduced to and falling in love with fictional characters. It’s truly a love letter to romance books. That’s more so what the story is about rather than a "typical romance". At least it was to me.

When I finished this book I felt like I wanted to break down and cry. I’m not a crier from books, so this isn’t normal for me. I think I felt so emotional after finishing it and seeing how it was able to put in to words how I feel about romance books and books in general.

This book follows Eileen (Elsy for short). She is part of a romance book club that meets in person once a year except this year she is the only person who is able to make the trip. So she decides to take the trip herself and ends up in a fictional town of once of her favorite romance book series. As soon as she gets in the town she has what would normally be a meet cute with the grumpy book store owner, but they don't get along at the start. Elsy ends up having to stay in the loft above the book store so she and the owner, Anders. As she spends more time in the town she gets to know some of her favorite characters and see what happens past their happily ever afters. As an outsider to the town she starts to unintentionally interfere and change the story. That's when Anders steps in more causing Elsy to realize a happily ever after may be possible for her and there's more to know about Anders. Because he doesn't actually fit in the town and never was part of the stories, so she had to figure out his part.

✨ magical realism
😊 strangers to lovers
📖 a book about books
🏡 small town

single POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
0.5/5 spice level 🌶️

While Eileen is on her way to her annual book club retreat with the people who love the same romance series she loves as passionately as she does, she gets a little lost. With some perfectly timed car trouble, she winds up in a sweet idyllic town that seems strangely familiar... because it happens to be the town in her favorite romance series. A dream come true you may think, but this was already hitting cheese levels a little to cheesy for my taste.

Eileen is unhappy in her real life. She has been unlucky in love, lonely, and constantly disappointed in reality. So, this seems like a dream come true... but I was just bored. I never really got the attraction between her and the love interest, even though the book is telling me so. I just didn't feel the chemistry. I enjoyed that this was a whimsical little read about the pure joy of fictional worlds and fictional characters, but that was about it. Then, you add in the "twist" at the end, which was kind of obvious to me because of the power of deduction, and it was just eye roll city for me.

Eileen Merriweather, an avid reader who seeks solace in happily-ever-after stories, finds herself stranded in the fictional town of Eloraton, the setting of her favorite romance series, after her car breaks down on the way to a solo book club retreat. In this seemingly perfect but unfinished story, Eileen believes she must help the town reach its happy ending, despite opposition from a mysterious and grumpy bookstore owner, Anders, as she discovers that her own happily-ever-after might be intertwined with the town's fate.

I absolutely loved The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip so I was looking forward to A Novel Love Story. The plot sounded intriguing and I loved the world-building of the fictional town that made me feel like I could jump into the story at any time. The quirky townsfolk added a charming touch. However, I wasn’t a fan of Elsie and Anders. The main characters didn’t feel fully developed and the pacing of the story was extremely slow. While I usually enjoy a slow burn, this one was too slow for my taste and I didn’t feel the connection between the two characters. Overall, I gave this three stars.

I love anything with hints of magic, and I love a good romance read. So naturally this means I am attracted to Ashley’s books due to her dose of magical realism she loves to write in. There is also something comforting about the books that she writes. Finishing her novels feels like coming home. And this one was no different. Also... what book lover wouldn’t like to escape the real world and live a few days in the books they love so much? While I did expect slightly more romance from this one and the book was a little slow at times for my taste, it was one I couldn’t put down. And in classic Ashley Poston fashion it all came together in the end beautifully. I will admit that I did not connect with these characters very well, and a part of that might have just been the lack of relationship and depth within that. By the end, I understood the story to be not just that of a ‘small town romance’, but more so about a finding yourself and recognizing that often times you must let go of the past to move forward. And sometimes you just have to take chances, even if they are the wrong ones and even if they’re scary. It’s an exploration of self-worth and self-love. I loved this theme in the novel. And the ending had me feeling the damn feels!!

🩷📘🩷
📖Review
5🌟
📖Book 26/100
📚A Novel Love Story
💫Genre: Fiction/Romance
✍️Author:
Ashley Poston

📝Synopsis 📝
Elsey’s life is not going her way at all. Not only does she get left at the alter, but her book-club friends she’s counting on have other plans. Her car breakdowns in leaving her stranded in a small town that reminds her of Eloratown. Is this town going to offer her a Happy Ever After just like it does on books ?

My thoughts 💭
Just when I thought I could not love another Ashley Poston Novel here comes this one to make me sob 😭 It was so poetic and beautifully written. It was so whimsical and reminded me of the shows Gilmore Girls and Once Upon a Time. And I know this story is not something that can happen in real life, but it had depth and meaningful implications on life and love. Mind you it wasn’t even spicy, but I loved getting lost in the world of a book within a book and didn’t want it to end!
Tropes:
Magical Realism
A Book Within A Book
Small Town
Strangers to Lovers
Single POV
✨✨✨✨✨

🩷Thank you so much @netgalley and @berkleyromance @berkleypub for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Publishing Date: June 25, 2024

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”𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦”

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
My one week vacation left me in a huge reading slump, but thankfully this book was such a bingeable and interesting read! With its vibrant cover and magical storyline, i couldn’t help but pick this one up asap!

Thank you Berkley Romance for my free copy!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Elsy is set on going to her book club’s yearly retreat, even if nobody is able to make it but herself. When her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she realizes she stops into a town that’s all too familiar. Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance book series.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Well Ashley Poston has done it again. She delivers such a cute and fantastic magical story all the dang time! If the shows Once Upon A Time and Gilmore Girls had a baby, this would be it. As the story unweaved, along came a mystery that held my interest so so well that I really couldn’t put this book down. Poston never fails to charm you with her characters, the whimsical plots and captivate your attention to see how her heroines find their happily ever after. I’m surprised her books haven’t been picked up for a movie yet, these would translate so good onscreen! If you love romance with a sprinkle of magical realism, this book is definitely for you. It’s a sweet dedication to all the romance book girlies who unapologetically love the genre!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘈 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴

When I read the synopsis for this novel, I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s a gloriously original plot which is hard to come by nowadays. More importantly, it’s every book lover’s fantasy with a bibliophile heroine we can all see a little bit of ourselves in. What’s not to love? But let’s be real, I absolutely adored Ashley Poston’s The Seven Year Slip, so I would have read the follow-up with zero hesitation regardless of the synopsis. Once again, Poston weaves magical realism into this love story that takes place in the fictional town of Eloraton that has come to life right out of a romance novel series.

This reader had many questions along the way: how did Elsy transport herself into this place that only should have existed in the pages of her favorite book series? Why is Anders there if he wasn’t in any of the books? How does he seem to know more that the townspeople do about the curious things going on, and how is any of this happening? These things, among others, were running through my mind while reading but it wasn’t an urgent mystery that needed to be solved. My main focus was on the charm of the small town characters and Elsy’s budding interest in a certain grumpy bookstore owner. One of the things I loved was that we get to jump right into the quirky town of Eloraton almost immediately without having to wade through intro chapters of heavy character background first. The action begins simultaneously with the character development making it very easy to get settled in.

Elsy has just gone through a pretty heartbreaking and brutal two years after a nasty breakup. She’s been feeling stuck, depressed, and unable to move on after being blindsided by the man she thought she’d be spending the rest of her life with. Now that he has officially found his happily ever after with someone else, she’s been clinging to hope that the retreat with her best friend and their book club will help bring her a little happiness. After all, the book club dedicated to all things Eloraton and the love of reading is her true happy place. As a teacher of English 101, she gets to work in a classic literature related career, but romance novels are where her true passion lies.

When everyone backs out the trip, she ventures off on her own to the cabin where they had planned to meet-only somewhere along the way, her GPS blanks out and she somehow enters a town that seems oddly familiar. Everything, that is, except Anders, the man she almost ran over on the way into town.

That didn’t exactly start them out on the right foot, and her upbeat personality didn’t exactly mesh well with his prickly attitude. She never let him get to her though, I don’t see how anything could when she was reveling in meeting all of the fictional places and characters that she knew so well. It was fun imagining myself in her shoes as she swept through town giddily taking in every familiar detail. She was surrounded by some mysterious magic that for a little while helped her to forget her problems. Unfortunately, she soon started to see that all of the couples’ HEAs weren’t as perfect as they appeared to be in the books, and some were suspended in time-frozen. All of her efforts to solve everyone’s problems only seemed to make matters worse as she waited for her car to be repaired so she could leave town and back to real life. But the closer she grew to Anders as they got to know one another, the less she wanted to leave. Could she stay here in her ultimate happy place, or start on a new path that led her to being the main character in her own story in the real world?

I enjoyed the premise of the book very much, and it wasn’t without its charm, but I just didn’t feel the chemistry with Elsy and Anders that I should have. Anders is left quite mysterious (for a reason) and I didn’t quite understand who he was or his motivations because of that. When his history was finally explained later on, at that point an emotional disconnect had already set in for me because it took so long to understand him. Even though they were very sweet together in the end, there was something missing for me. When it came to Elsy’s self-exploration that was addressed well, and I think her character in general was wonderfully three-dimensional. Overall, it was a good read, though it did fall a little below my very high expectations. I think many would still love this one for its unique storyline, and I’m excited to see what this author has in store for us next.

Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram.

This book comes out tomorrow and you have to grab it!!!

This one is for the small town romance girlies and all the books lovers out there who wishes to live in their favorite fictional town!

I just love Ashley Poston’s books! They are just so whimsical and such a joy to read!! She’s definitely my favorite with mixing magical realism and romance 💗

Okay so basically we have Elsy who found herself driving alone for a 10+ hour road trip to their annual bookclub meeting. In the middle of her trip, rain came, she almost hit a guy, and eventually stumbled upon a random small town. The longer she stayed in said small town, the more she realizes that she is literally living in the town where her favorite romance series of all time is set.

Right? I meannn, this book is such a romance book lover’s dream. To be able to read about a character living in her favorite fictional town! It’s like a bookish edition of Inception. 😂

Buckle up because this has a lot of characters but I honestly enjoyed knowing them all!

I almost tabbed every page of this book when it got to the ending because there’s just so many nice quotes to remember!

Highly recommend this one for all my magical realism + small town romance lover friends out there!!

💭 What fictional place would you love to visit?
☕️ Hogwarts obviously. Graves Glen from Ex Hex (because I love a witchy town) and all the small towns featured in Christmas books. 😂

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After being dumped one week before her wedding, Elsy found comfort in the form of the Super Smutty Book Club and the Quixotic Falls book series. This year, everyone was too busy for book club cabin week, and Elsy elected to go alone. She needed the escape, but she would have never predicted that her road trip would end in her favorite fictional town.

"There was only one road in and one road out of Eloraton, New York, and most people never took it. But I had. "

I was so captivated by the premise of this story start. I love the idea of a reader jumping in to a beloved fictional world. The first thing that popped into my head was the movie Plesantville. Like in that film, there were quite a few parallels to how Elsy's presence affects life in Eloraton.

But the big question was why was Elsy able to enter this fictional world? I think it was an important stop on her personal journey. Elsy had been stuck since her breakup. She had been doing the bare minimum of living while continuously escaping to the pages of a book. Though we all enjoy that sort of escape, now and then, Elsy was using it to avoid coming to terms with her broken engagement and why her relationship failed. While in Eloraton, Elsy reflected a lot on the relationship pains those book characters were experiencing and it opened her eyes to understanding how her own relationship failed.

She also met a grumpy book seller who jump started her heart, but we all know you can't really date book boyfriends, or can you? I loved the mystery that surrounded Anders, and let me tell, it took a long time to uncover his whole story, but it was worth the wait. There was definitely a nice slow burn romance between those two, but I felt it was secondary to Elsy's personal journey.

One thing that was interesting was the exploration of the relationship between authors, readers, and their stories. The Quixotic Falls series was unfortunately unfinished due to the author's untimely death. A fun part of this book was Elsy trying to give the characters their endings, and it was wrapped in the idea that an author's stories live on in their readers, how readers can continue those stories after "the end", and how time and stories change readers. It was definitely food for thought.

A Novel Love Story was another delight book from Poston. I loved the concept, the characters, the CAMEOS form some Dead Romantics - just everything! There were all these little details that formed a full picture once I learned the whole story and it just struck me as brilliant. I throughly enjoyed accompanying Elsy on this trip which was filled with fun and feels and left me with a happy heart.

After her friends cancel on their annual trip where they spend a week in a cabin drinking wine and reading their favorite romances, Elsy decides to go on her own. The last few years have been a struggle and this trip and these people, especially her best friend Pru, have helped her through so much. Now it seems like everyone else is moving forward and Elsy is stuck.

Not long into her journey, Elsy runs into terrible traffic and weather, forcing her to find the first town she can stop in for the night. As the rain clears, Elsy begins to find familiar things about the small town in which she's ended up. And as things progress further, it's unavoidably clear that she's in Eloraton - the fictional town of her all-time favorite romance series Quixotic Falls by Rachel Flowers.

Elsy and Pru have spent countless hours reading this series, and truly, it's been a lifesaver for Elsy in these last few difficult years. Sadly, Rachel Flowers passed away before her series could be completely finished and Elsy finds herself drawn into the various story threads of her favorite characters. Then she meets Anders, the owner of the indie bookshop who has never been featured in Rachel Flowers' books. Was his story supposed to be in the final unfinished manuscript? And what does it mean that he's the only other one who realizes that they're living in a fictitious world as well?

While reading this book, I kind of marveled at how well Ashley Poston presents these magical books based so much in reality you don't really question that they're possible. Oh, Elsy stumbles into the world of her favorite book series? Many people might wave a skeptical flag, but me, I believe every word. I believe how real these places and scenarios are with my whole heart and that is hands down to Ashley Poston's writing.

I thought that the way that Elsy's life, and everything happening in her life at the moment, ties so well with the whole idea of an unfinished series of books. The idea that things are waiting to move forward but never will. The metaphor of her real life story juxtaposed with this fictional story is threaded together so seamlessly. This cleverness is also transposed over the title of the book. A story about loving novels, loving reading and romance and also a novel (i.e. new and original) story about love and finding love and loving yourself.

When I say I'm taken by this book I mean it completely. I too wanted to stay in Eloraton and explore. It has all the coziness of your favorite small town television show, but is very thoughtful with how it deals with life's penchant for punching you in the gut sometimes.

I don't want to say too much because there are some genuinely lovely surprises. But I will say that I liked it best when Ashley Poston doesn't follow the structures of a typical romance novel which while this book celebrates the romance it also challenges a lot of what we believe is important about those structures.

I appreciate the way reading an Ashley Poston book is always a delightful surprise full of heart and depth. What could have been a more straightforward story is transformed into this unique look at life and love and romance books!