I really enjoyed this book. It is my first Ashley Poston book and I definitely will be reading her others. I loved the characters, especially Elsy, and the author painted such great pictures of the settings and it was just a really happy story.

OH MY HOPELESS ROMANTIC HEART!!!!!! A Novel Love Story written by Ashley Poston wasn't perfect, but it was SO FREAKING CUTE. I absolutely loved and adored The Seven Year Slip by this author, so when I saw this stunning cover I knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately. Ashley Poston never fails to amaze with her beautiful writing, magical story telling, and relatable characters. Ashley, thank YOU for writing this book for all of us. A Novel Love Story is for all of the book girlies who want to escape from the real world and live in the fictional world, who fall for the fictional boyfriends, who want to feel seen, and those who dream of owning their own bookstores. The twists and turns were so unpredicatable, I didn't see them coming at all. I went into this book completely blind, and honestly I recommend doing that because it makes the reading experience so magical and you will be completely surprised. I laughed so much I had tears streaming down my face, I smiled a numerous amount of times while reading this beautiful book. The butterflies in my heart and my stomach were fluttering. I can't recommend this book enough, so please do yourself a huge favor and grab a copy of this book immediately on June 25th, 2024.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

First off, I would like to thank my girl, Jess for buddy reading this beautiful and magical book with me. I had the best time swooning and sharing my thoughts with you. You made this reading experience a thousand times better because we got to fangirl together over these fictional characters.

"I looked forward to a week where I could shuck off my professorial robes and disappear into the twisting roads that hugged the soft hills of the Catskills, and read about impossible meet-cutes and grand romantic gestures, and no one would judge me for it".

"I needed to get drunk on cheap wine and cry over happily ever afters".

"I knew that feeling-being frozen because you hurt too much to move. Life just felt easier when nothing changed, but that was only because you'd grown numb to the world around you".

"If you loved something-someone-sometimes you had to let them go. And if they loved you too, they'd come back. Love-true love- always came back".

Eileen Merriweather is a part time English professor that loves to get lost in a happily ever after. But only the fictional kind, anyway because imaginary men from books don't leave you standing at the altar. Eileen feels safe reading her books at home, which might be why she's so excited on going to her annual book club retreat this year. Eileen and her best friend Prudence are in a book club with a bunch of other book lovers called the Super Smutty Book Club and each year they all take a trip together to read and discuss their favorite book. The Super Smutty Book Club was brought together by Rachel Flowers, an author that wrote their favorite book series. Rachel suddenly passed away and left the series unfinished. Everyone made excuses to back out of this trip, Prudence was getting engaged and the others made lame excuses not to go, but Eileen was dead set on going. When Eileen's car unexpectedly breaks down on the way there, Eileen finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it's right out of a novel, well that's because it is. Eloraton, New York is the town in which Eileen's favorite series takes place. Rain always comes in the afternoon, the local candy stores honey taffy is always sweet, and the local bar's burgers are always a little burnt, it's like it's almost too good to be true.

In Eloraton, Eileen meets a fictional book character that she almost runs over in the pouring rain. Anderson Sinclair has minty green eyes and he's a grumpy bookstore owner that owns Ineffable Books. Eileen is in Eloraton to finish the last book in the series, but Anderson "Anders" doesn't want her to finish it. As Anders and Eileen spend time together, they talk about their lives and want it means to be a fictional character. Anders has a cat named Butterscotch, oh my gosh, he was just the cutest little fur baby who had a mind of his own, he was grumpy just like his grumpy owner, Anders. I absolutely loved and adored watching Anders and Eileen form a bond, it was just so cute to witness, their banter was just top tier and absolutely hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing. When Anders and Eileen were visiting Quixotic Falls, a magical waterfall, I just wanted to jump into my kindle and visit this magical and beautiful place. I loved the idea of the Super Smutty Book Club, in all honesty, it makes me want to start my own book club, it's almost like a dream come true. Eileen is such a relatable character, she's basically living the dream so many book girls dream of happening one day. I absolutely loved and adored all of the side characters, they were so welcoming with open arms to Eileen, ugh it was just so bittersweet and so memorable to witness.

This book was very cute! I liked the magical realism and found myself able to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy this story. Cute concept of a book within a book!

This book was written for the book lovers who always desired to enter the setting of their favorite books. Ashley Poston is one of my favorite authors, one who I’ve adored since my youth with her YA novel, Geekrella, and I’ve loved her latest romance novels. While I did overall enjoyed her newest novel, A Novel Love Story, I was left wanting more and I thought that the execution was not what I was hoping for.

I did find myself struggling to get through the first 50 pages, but after that, I was instantly grabbed.

Nevertheless, I was left feeling off in reading Elsy and Anders’ relationship, which I won’t go into because of spoilers. However, I will say that it felt off-putting to read on the foundation in which they were falling in love.

Despite these criticisms, Ashley Poston’s writing is like a warm blanket. It is comforting and warm that you can’t help but just enjoy.

Leave it to the writing wizard, Ashley Poston, to create another masterpiece in the magical realism romance genre. Because I already know I will love anything Ashley writes, I went into this book completely blind, and wow did my jaw drop when I figured out our fmc was placed into her favorite author’s fiction town of Eloraton! It’s definitely my dream to stumble upon a town created by my favorite small-town romance authors, like I’m still super jealous of Elsy.

It was really great/kinda sad to read about an fmc who is in her 30s and feeling lonely. Elsy knows she has amazing friends but still feels like every one of them has someone more important than her in their lives and GIRL, I feel that. And when she realizes that she just kind of went along with everything her ex wanted cause she felt like she needed to be accommodating for him to still like her? FELT THAT.

Then comes Anders, who challenges her and gives her butterflies after not feeling anything for anyone in so long! And y’all, Anders is just the perfect amount of grumpy and sexy wrapped into a cute glasses-wearing blonde boy. Honestly the perfect storybook boyfriend.

I also gotta give it to Ashley Poston for being a superstar when writing about grief. I have cried reading every single one of her books when it gets to the part of the plot where the characters tackle their grief. She just knows exactly how to tug on my heartstrings and articulate the feeling of longing for people we love who have left us.

Thank you so much to Berkely for the gifted copy!

Ashley Poston’s "A Novel Love Story" is a delightful escape into a world where fiction and reality intertwine in the most charming and unexpected ways. This book, with its unique premise and engaging narrative, offers a refreshing take on the romantic comedy genre.

The protagonist, Eileen Merriweather (Elsy), is a relatable and endearing character. Her love for happily-ever-afters in books, contrasted with her real-life romantic disappointments, sets the stage for an intriguing journey. The plot kicks off with Elsy's car breaking down on her way to an annual book club retreat, leaving her stranded in the quaint and seemingly fictional town of Eloraton.

Poston’s creation of Eloraton is nothing short of magical. The town, with its candy store’s sweet honey taffy, slightly burnt burgers from the local bar, and predictable afternoon rain, feels like stepping into a beloved novel. The whimsical details and the concept of a town stuck in an unfinished story are brilliantly executed, making the setting a character in its own right.

The storyline takes an interesting turn with the introduction of a mysterious character, the grumpy bookstore owner. His mint-green eyes and irritatingly sexy demeanor add a layer of tension and intrigue. The slow-burning romance between Elsy and this enigmatic figure is beautifully developed, filled with witty banter and palpable chemistry.

One of the book's strengths is its exploration of themes like self-discovery, the power of storytelling, and the importance of closure. Elsy’s mission to help the town reach its happily-ever-after is a metaphor for her own journey towards healing and finding love again. The interplay between Elsy’s reality and the fictional world she inhabits raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of happiness and fulfillment.

However, the story does have a few pacing issues. Some parts of the middle section feel slightly drawn out, and the resolution, while satisfying, could have been more tightly woven. Despite this, Poston’s writing is engaging, and her ability to blend humor with heartfelt moments keeps the reader invested.

"A Novel Love Story" is a heartwarming read that will resonate with anyone who has ever sought solace in the pages of a book. Ashley Poston has crafted a story that is both a love letter to romance novels and a testament to the transformative power of love and imagination. It’s a perfect pick for those looking to get lost in a charming, bookish adventure.

Overall, this novel is a delightful blend of romance, fantasy, and self-discovery, earning it a well-deserved four stars.

Thank you to PRHAudio for a #gifted ALC and to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book delightful. I think every romance reader has that one small town that they would love to visit. I love how Ashley Poston took us there and the magical realism she always includes in her books.

Elsy is headed off for her yearly book club trip. She's down because she is the only one attending this year. Her bestie is off on an oversees trip to get engaged and no one else can make it.

Her car breaks down and she finds herself in a charming town. She almost runs into (literally) a grumpyish bookstore owner with mint eyes and is a bit smitten. The longer she is there, the more she feels she knows this town.

I enjoyed every minute of this one! The narration was amazing and made the story even more delightful!

Thank you Berkley Romance for the free book and PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely unique and yet also so clearly a book by Ashley Poston. Eileen (Elsy) is an English professor. She and her book friends from online meet once a year for a romance retreat in the Hudson Valley of New York, near where their favorite romance series was set. This year, everyone else cancelled, but Elsy decided to go anyway. And a wrong turn actually took her into the pages of her favorite series. This was literally like stepping into a magical small town romance series.

The book club felt so true to my experience of reading romance novels and talking about them as friends. They liked some books in the series more than others, and found that some that just fit different moments of your life.

The book was so thought provoking, examining the whole genre of romance and small town series from a high level. It looks at what it means to be a main versus secondary character, wondering if reading romance is a good escape, and who owns a story, the author or the readers or some amalgam of the two.

I was kept guessing throughout. My emotions were fully engaged, and the story made me tear up and cry more than once. And yet, as is the case with romances, I still knew there would be a happy ending and that it would be one that celebrates the romance genre.

Dorothy Dillingham Blue was an excellent narrator for the audiobook. And the author herself narrated the end material, an essay called Books and Their Readers. It further explored the idea of who owns a book after it is published.

Honestly, this book left me unsure how I felt about the story. Getting lost in your favorite novels imaginary town and finding romance sounded intriguing, yet I was left want something a bit more.

Poston's writing is basically a love note, but this novel didn't make the connection like her previous works. The story struggled between women's fiction and a romance, and I wanted more romance.

Overall, I enjoyed the small town, the unique premise, but yearned for more of a love story.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group

Synopsis: Elsy has had a rough few years, but her favorite romance series and her book club has gotten her through it. When she is the only member of book club who can make it to the annual retreat this year, she decides to go alone. Her car breaks down on the way, and she finds herself in the middle of a storybook town.

Thoughts: I don’t know what Ashley Poston puts in her books, but I am addicted. I love Ashley’s writing and her ability to realistically weave in magical elements to her stories. The fictional town of Eloraton is brought to life so perfectly, and getting lost in a storybook romance town was so much fun. I related so much to Elsy and her love for escaping into books. Yes, there is a sweet romance component to the story, but the real love story is between books and readers. This book is basically a love letter to your favorite romance novels and happily ever afters, and I am here for it.

Read this if you like:
📖 magical realism
📖 books about books
📖 slow burn romance
📖 grumpy sunshine
📖 small town
📖 found family

3 ⭐️ I love this premise but it didn't live up to my expectations


"A) I was in the imaginary town of my favorite romance series. Or... B) I had hydroplaned off the road and was currently dying in some ditch in nowhere New York."


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town romance
✨ magical realism
✨ falling into your favorite story
✨ she’s an english professor
✨ he’s a bookstore owner with a cat
✨ blond MMC
✨ grumpy x sunshine (who lost her shine)
✨ a not so meet cute
✨ forced proximity
✨ banter
✨ .5/5 🌶️ (open door till the actual sex, then it's closed door)
✨ "sweetheart"
✨ healing journey / finding yourself
✨ cozy and whimsical
✨ single POV (first person)
✨ HEA

My Thoughts:

I want to start by saying I love the charming small town, the side characters, and poetic prose. As Always, Ashley's writing is a breath of fresh air and easy to follow. And the premise is fantastic. For the last 15 years, I've been dreaming about reading a book like this. I've always thought it would be such a fun story if the main character was dropped into her favorite story and what would happen if she fell in love with one of the characters. How would that play out?? And lo and behold, Ashley Poston goes and writes this exactly!

However, I think I like the premise of the story more than the actual execution because I never felt captivated in the way I was hoping. Honestly, it started off strong. For the first 50%, it was a 4 star read. But then, I started noticing things that bothered me and they were repetitive throughout the story so my interest sort of fizzled out to the point that by the last 20% I was skimming to get to the end.

Here were my biggest issues . . .

I didn't feel the chemistry between the MCs, Eileen and Anders. I really wanted to love their romance too because, I mean, a bookstore owner and an english teacher who both like to read romance?! That's the most perfect pairing ever! But here's my issue. Eileen seems to spend more time with the characters from the book than Anders overall, and once thing's start to become romantic between them, it doesn't unfold naturally. When Eileen bops into town, Anders is a jerk to her right off the bat. And honestly, there was no reason for it and it's not really explained why he was so mean. I guess it was because he wanted her to leave the town and not mess up anyone's story. BUT this wasn't really made crystal clear. He apologizes by 43% of the story but then one chapter later they're kissing and he's calling her sweetheart. It was so abrupt. We were being set up for an epic dislike to love romance, but they barely even had time to develop any sort of relationship and there was no juicy tension or longing leading up to that kiss. Their relationship basically got physically and emotionally intimate too fast when they really didn't have enough vulnerable moments between them for this type of connection. They fell in love in 5 days while disliking each other for 1.5 of those days, and that was just too fast.

There was a heavy focus on the storyline and characters from Eileen's favorite book where it started to overshadow Eileen's own story and the romance. Since this is a standalone, we are first introduced to Eileen, so we need her background story and insight into her character. Then when she shows up to this fictional town, there's an entire world of characters that we are unfamiliar with, so again, we need a lot of information to follow along. But it felt like once we were in Eloraton, there's nonstop info dumping about the town and the characters. And there was such a focus on those people finding their happily ever after, that Eileen's own romance didn't get enough screen time. It was there, but it needed a lot more screen time to develop in a believable way.

I also really wasn't a huge fan of the conflict at the end. I did see it coming, and the third act breakup had me fuming. I was a bit less angry once he explained himself, but that was pages later and by then, I was just so over everything.

I love Ashley Poston's writing - The Seven Year Slip was beautiful and one of my favorite stories from last year. And while there were a lot of wonderful sentences in this story as well, there were some parts of her writing that left me perplexed.

First off, there was wayyyyy too much inner dialogue about Eileen's emotional state. Of course, this is expected to happen a lot in the first few chapters because the character is being set up. But these things were still being heavily discussed till the very end of the story to the point where it felt like we were beating a dead horse. While I appreciate depth of characters, I don't want to feel like I am trapped in a loop inside their head.

We were also CONSTANTLY being told that Anders' eyes were minty and green, he smelled like black tea, and he had white-blond hair. I counted that she described his eyes as mint, minty, or green 42 times!!!!! That's 40 too many. Perhaps it needed more editing, and since this is an ARC I get that, BUT I've been fortunate to receive ARCs from her previous two books and none of them had this level of repetitive descriptive words to describe a character. I also noticed this happened during the last 50% of the book so maybe they didn't quite get around to editing the last half or maybe Ashley Poston struggled with this last half. I don't know.

3.5

<b>"Because a romance isn't supposed to be realistic. If it was, every story would end with everyone dying alone in an old folks' home."
"Wow, Elsy. Tell me how you really feel."</b>

the edge-of-your-seat magic of ashley poston! a novel love story reads like chick lit with a hint of romance.

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-small (fictional?) town
-romance reader book club
-grumpy x sunshine
-loathe to love
-forced proximity
-a magical waterfall
-honey 🍯
-MTB
-peas & carrots
-#IsThisAKissingBook open door. “those awful, wonderful kisses”

thank you berkley romance for the free book! #berkleypartner

A Novel Love Story was a fun read full of Poston’s charm and signature unique magical realism. I loved the concept of a book coming to life and finding yourself among its pages. This was a quick, charming read, but for some reason, it didn’t click or connect with me as her other adult romances have—but it still made me smile and warmed my heart!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I enjoyed this way more than Ashley Poston's first book, The Dead Romantics!! I was initially drawn to the story because of its meta nature, and that aspect didn't disappoint with a single caveat: why wasn't anything EVER explained? None of the magic that occurs is ever addressed and that ultimately prevents this one from being higher than a 4-star read. Nonetheless, very cute and made me want to go read The Seven Year Slip!

Thank you Berkley Romance for providing me with eARC for review!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Elsy is traveling to her annual book club meet when her car breaks down and she ends up stranded…in the fictional small town setting of her favorite romance series.

I started crying while reading the dedication for this book and I basically never stopped. A NOVEL LOVE STORY is a love letter to romance, to novels, to writing, and to reading, and I absolutely loved every single bit of it. Something about the premise, coupled with Ashley’s stunning prose, just hit so hard and so different and so right. It was one of those books that I could tell instantly would be a five star read, and I read it more slowly than usual just so I could savor every page.

I love when stories have a “book within a book” because it always makes me want to read the underlying material and that was certainly true here—I wish the Quixotic Falls series was real! I also have some great memories and associations with upstate New York and this very much resonated with that part of my heart as well.

If you haven’t read any Ashley Poston novels yet, what are you waiting for????? (P.S. I would recommend going THE DEAD ROMANTICS > THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP > A NOVEL LOVE STORY to get maximum Easter egg appreciation.)

CW: Grief/loss of loved one

This was an interesting idea for a romance bookworm. I liked the characters and the setting. I liked the growth of the main character and her ending. While I found some parts of the story dragged on, others were so witty and fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(3.5)

Thank you @prhaudio @berkleypub @berkleyromance @netgalley for the gifted books #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner #netgalley

Eileen Merriweather escapes into books to avoid real-life heartbreaks. En route to her book club retreat, her car breaks down, stranding her in Eloraton, the fictional town of her favorite romance series. To finish the story and find her own happy ending, she must deal with a grumpy bookstore owner who resists her every step.

This is written for the Once Upon a Time: Storybrooke, Maine girlies✨ If you’ve always wanted to enter the setting of your favorite book and find your place amongst the characters, you’ll love Elsy’s journey to find herself again after heartbreak. I think I wanted to like this story more than I actually did. The execution could have been better, especially regarding the chemistry between Elsa and Anders 😬 The premise mixed with Ashley’s whimsically poignant previous work made me have higher expectations. It’s definitely worth the read if you like books about books or Once Upon a Time- it’s a love letter to cozy readers.

I recommend the ebook over the audiobook. I listened to the audiobook for a couple chapters and while I can see how the narrator could fit the quaint town, she didn’t seem to fit the POV of the main character who isn’t a part of the town.

Perfect for you if you like:
Books about books
Magic in contemporary settings
Once Upon a Time
Love after heartbreak

Similar to:
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
It Started with a Book by Camilla Isley (I have not read)
Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time tale by Odette Beane (I have not read)

⛔️chapter 28 contains explicit romance scene (open door)
⚠️explicit language, grief, loss of fiancé

This book is every book-lovers’ dream come true - quite literally! This story follows Eileen, who is a voracious reader, a lover of the romance genre and an English professor who is still recovering from a recent heartbreak and is ntoo entirely satisfied with her professional career. She finds herself stranded in her favorite unfinished fictional world after her car breaks down on her way to a solo cabin stay. There she discovers that her favorite characters have come to life, but are all stuck in a limbo, with different barriers preventing their lives from progressing. She also almost runs over with her car a new character - a grumpy bookstore owner - whom she has not read about before. As she waits for her car to be fixed, she gets to know her favorite fictional characters at a much deeper level, and in the process, also discovers her own path to healing and recovery.

This book is beautifully written, with the elements of magical realism elevating the story further. The characters are all very endearing, and the plot progresses in a predictable, but heartwarming direction. The protagonist’s personal journey of self-discovery and growth is very relatable yet empowering. I was surprised to find that my favorite romantic storyline was not even the central one - but one that, in a very few words, managed to portray the most tender and heartbreaking love story, that will live rent-free in my brain for a while.

Read this book if you want to vicariously live out your fantasies of living in your favorite literary world with your favorite fictional characters! Read this book even if you dont want that. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I have loved all of Ashley Poston’s previous books but I just could not get into this one. I guess it’s because I felt like the main characters did not have good chemistry. I really loved the premise for the story too and was looking forward to it but it didn’t grab my attention. I am going to try this one again later.

lovely premise - stumbling into your favorite book’s fictional town

definitely for the book lovers, books about books!

took so long to finish this book, that’s on me and my stubborn attitude instead of taking a break/dnf-ing. Elsy’s car breaks down and stumbles into the fictional town of Eloraton, waiting for her car to be fixed and (what feels like) endlessly meeting all the townspeople. they’re all characters familiar to her from the book series but reading about it created a distance? like going to a party where your one friend introduces you to everyone and you’re trying to keep up remembering all the relationships?

short chapters that just continue immediately from the previous chapters end, repetitive scenes and convos, tbh my eyes glazed often and I had to reread some pages.

I’ve yet to read the Dead Romantics but I liked The Seven Year Slip more than I enjoyed this one.