*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

This is definitely a departure from Ashley Poston's previous books, but I didn't mind it. Usually there's a little bit of magic sprinkled in, but here we are FULL ON inside of a romance novel within the first few chapters. And honestly? I would argue that this book isn't about the romance. This book is about friendships, book clubs, and investing in your growth and happiness. It's about wishes, magic, and finding new dreams and chasing them down. There are cliches in how Eileen describes Anders, but she's literally IN a small town romance. And with the repetitions of those, you better bet that I remember he has minty eyes and smells like tea and old books. He's delightfully crotchety and there's no way that he doesn't own tweed btw.

I was spellbound by Eloraton. Between the molten hot sauce, the haunted toilet, and a renegade possum, it's oh so charming. Also is it a sneaky hint that Eloraton backwards is NOT A ROLE??

I loved this book! Ashley Poston knows how to write a magical story! Elsy finds herself in a love story of her own that she is not quite convinced is hers to have, all while helping the characters of her favorite book series find the end to their own stories. And who doesn’t love a grumpy bookstore owner!

I did find some parts a little repetitive at times, but it never overshadowed the storyline for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | 🌶️🌶️.5

Admittedly this one will not be for everyone….however, I loved it. If you want to get lost in a fictional town full of fun characters and throw realism out the door, then this book is for you! This is a sweet, feel good romance that will make you smile. It is written for true book lovers who appreciate getting lost in the world of a great story.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston was everything I was expecting from an Ashley Poston book. It was unique, cute and swoony. I couldn't stop smiling while reading this book. I loved it and it was hard not to read it all in one sitting. There's something special about Poston's writing and I know that this will be a great hit with all romance readers. You can't help but feel for all the characters and it was such a unique story that I couldn't guess how it'd end. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone and anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and the Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so sad about this, but this one ended up not being for me. I stopped trying after about halfway through.

I think the disconnect for me was in the fact that it was less about the characters, and more about the story they were in. I think a lot of people will love that, it will speak to a lot of book lovers! I wanted more from the characters and the romance, but it didn’t feel like the focus, the romance felt a bit forced and the characters underdeveloped.

The idea was really appealing but ultimately didn’t pull me in!

I loved Ashley Poston's latest novel. A Novel Love Story plays with time and space, much like Poston's other novels, while developing a rich romance storyline that is more than skin deep. The story follows Eileen, whose car breaks down on her to way to a solo reading retreat. She finds herself in a small town that feels very familiar. Before long she realizes she is in the town where her favorite book series takes place. She's meeting characters she loves and one character she can't place, a grumpy bookstore owner, who is getting more attractive by the day. Will she choose to leave or stay? What will happen to the people she meets and the man she's falling for?

Big thank you to @prhaudio for the free audiobook & @netgalley @berkleypub for the eARC of A Novel Love Story!

📖 : “Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life—like works of art—was transformative. It persisted.”
🎵 : “And come what may, I won’t abandon you or leave you behind. Because love is a loyalty sworn, not a burning for a moment.”

Time for another review & music pairing! A Novel Story by @heyashposton was such a delight and I’m not surprised after loving her last two releases! This is a love story for book lovers & a main character for all of us who have found community and family in book friends 🖤

The concept of this book is so charming! Elsie goes on a trip to recover from a broken heart and finds herself in the setting of her favorite fictional world - one that was tragically cut short after the author passed in a car accident.

Seeing her navigate this whimsical journey and sometimes frustrating situations is so fun and realistic feeling despite the magical realism aspects of the story. Poston has such a beautiful way of bringing her stories to life!

Highly recommend adding this book to your list! It is out on 6/25!

wow - this was so unexpectedly fun! I loved this take on a cozy romance, tho kind of inverted. Great read!

This book was good, but I felt like the romance aspect fell slightly flat for me. I was so sad about this because I do love Ashley’s other books!
That being said, I was able to enjoy this book for what it was and I did not struggle to get through it. I thought the characters and the base of their relationship was good but I was just left wanting more from it.
I’m hoping after a bit of editing after I received this arc that this book will be in tip top shape and perfect for publishing!

Compared to Ashley Poston's other works, A Novel Love Story wasn't my favorite. I really struggled with the romance. I wanted more from Elsy and Ander. Their relationship could have used more tension, excitement, and chemistry. I didn't feel sold on their relationship...especially with how fast they were to catch feelings. I thought Poston did an incredible job with the secondary characters. So much so that the main characters felt a little lacking. I found the storyline plot interesting. I always enjoy the way Poston weaves in magical realism in her stories. The voice and writing style of the book read smoothly. There were some parts of the book that really frustrated me. I thought the "mint eyes" and "tea" references were overdone. I also hated how the third act conflict was introduced/resolved. I wanted more of an explanation about what happened with Anders. I thought Elsy was way too quick to forgive Anders! The third act conflict really left a bitter taste in my mouth. I enjoyed the Eloraton setting and character callback to The Dead Romantics. Sadly, this book just didn't do it for me 🙁 As a big fan of Ashley Poston's work, I am still hopeful and eager for her next stuff. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I honestly really loved this book, up until the last few pages. I think this is just personal preference, the “happily for now” wasn’t as satisfying as an ending for me, especially after everything these characters have been through. Also, why didn’t he run after her at the end?! Otherwise, loved the concept of someone getting lost in their favorite fictional world. Who wouldn’t love that?!

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley, for my free book for review.

Heartbroken and feeling left out, Eileen finds herself in a small town she knows by heart. Her journey, though, is thought-provoking, highlighting the impact of her failed relationship. We see glimpses of self-deprecation on her part. I can’t help but want happiness for her, a sense of healing. Now, despite it all, she has a sunny personality. After all, if you find yourself in the world of your favorite novel, surrounded by characters wouldn’t you feel happy?

Eileen’s emotional turmoil is palpable, and her journey through this familiar yet fictional landscape is both a metaphor for her internal struggles and a literal escape from her reality. With its quaint charm and nostalgic familiarity, the small town serves as a backdrop for her self-discovery. Her interactions with the characters she once only read about bring a unique blend of comfort and dissonance, as she navigates the blurred lines between fiction and reality.

Anders, the bookseller, always reading and grumpy, is mysterious. It wasn’t what I thought when it came to him. Ashley Poston pulled a twist when it came to him. Anders, with his enigmatic presence, adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative. His gruff exterior hides a depth slowly revealed through his interactions with Eileen. The tension between the two characters is palpable, creating a dynamic that keeps readers on edge.

The constant question of going back to reality for Eileen makes this a compelling read. The plot twist, the escapism, and the return to reality are masterfully woven together. The narrative’s ebb and flow mirror Eileen’s emotional journey, making the reader feel every moment of her struggle and triumph. This novel is a profound exploration of self, healing, and the power of fiction to transform our reality.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Ashley Poston owns my heart and wallet. I’ve been obsessed with her new collection of novels that mix contemporary romance with a lot of humor and a sprinkle of fantasy. They’re heart warming and gut wrenching, and you can’t help but relate to these characters who are in very unique situations. I adore them.

A Novel Love Story is no different. You get the small town vibe, a mysterious love interest, and a book lovers dream all in one. It was cute, it was funny, and it made me giggle inside. You can’t go wrong. Plus the character development of our FMC was peak *chef’s kiss*.

My only complaint is that I would’ve loved for it to be longer!

I’m giving this one 3.5 stars rounded up. I was so excited for this book to come out because I really loved The Dead Romantics. What Ashley does so well is come up with new concepts in what can sometimes feel like a stale genre, but I will admit that I had kind of a tough time with this one. I loved the idea of this book more than I loved the actual execution of it, but did manage to find joy in the story itself and how it unfolded. That being said, I found the romance to be really lacking and without getting into any spoilers, what happened in the third act was not what I saw coming or what I wanted from the story. It felt at once like there were too many side characters, but then also not enough information about any of the side characters to really flush them out. Also, if you are looking for spice, you will not find that in this book as outside of some foreplay, everything else is off page. This book absolutely made me cry but not necessarily for the reasons I wanted.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was hooked from the very beginning. I love how Ashley Poston’s characters are so relatable. There were so many dynamic females in this story and each of them were on their own little journey in life. My favorite part of this was the magical realism, I stuck out even more than the romance. I think if this were a dual POV it would have felt a bit more complete, but I enjoyed the book still. The Easter eggs to Ashley’s other books were the BEST!!

After feeling left behind, let down, and lost in her stagnant in life, Elsy finds herself in a fictional town right out of her favorite romance novel, slow-motion falling for a man who's surely fictional too.

Ashley Poston is now a must-read author in my book. She writes contemporary romance in a way that's perfectly tailored for me—with an original dash of magic that makes her stories unforgettable. The fictional town she crafted was infinitely charming in all of its idiosyncrasies, and the cast of fictional characters were so endearing as romantic leads of their own stories. The romance itself was the proverbial icing on an already enticing cake because this was a story written specifically for book lovers with characters who love meet-cutes and the smell of an old bookstore probably as much as you do!

Can easily say with my whole chest that I loved this one. Huge thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and the author for a copy of this book!

Ashley Poston has consistently written books that have been top books of the year. So to say I had high hopes for this was an understatement. And the premise? So good!

Unfortunately, this did not live up to the hopes I had for it. It felt clunky and disjointed, and in extremely sad it wasn’t a favorite of mine.

A quirky premise, an English professor gets stuck in the small town that is the setting of her favorite romance book series. It took a bit for me to get into this one, but I really enjoyed the second half.

The Seven Year Slip seemed like a more genuine story closer to home for the author and this one seemed more similar to the first of her novels I read, Dead Romantics.

🌶️🌶️- A little steam.

I really enjoyed "The Dead Romantics," so I was excited to get ahold of Ashley Poston's next cheesy rom-com.

"A Novel Love Story" will have every romance book reader hooked. Winding up in your own love story in your favorite book's setting? Duh.

Eileen and Anders are both looking for ways to start moving forward again when life threw them tragedies that scared them into standing still. The adventure they go on to jumpstart their lives is so very cheesy but in the best way.

The premise of the book was very unique and was mostly pulled off well. It ended up being a very sweet ending. I kind of wished the end stopped about two chapters sooner - but then it wouldn't be a love story, would it?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title early!

This is why we need a half star rating on here. It's a quality of life thing at this point. I'd confidently rate this a 3.5, but a 3 feels distinctly too low and a 4 feels distinctly too high. I had to either round down or round up, so I decided to round down.

I liked this fine, but it definitely ranks last of the three Ashley Poston books I've read. This one felt more underwhelming to me, even though the magical aspects of this one felt the most outrageously magical. I think that was part of the issue for me--it was magical and impossible, but it felt like the reaction to the magic wasn't where it needed to be? Elsy was way too quick to just be like WOW! and go along with it for me.

I also felt that Anders felt a little amorphous and I wished there was a little more consistency in his actions/reactions. I didn't get invested in him or his story until pretty close to the end and by that point it was good but I had wished the emotional investment came so much sooner! There didn't feel like there were really any stakes up until that point. It was also a little too repetitive in certain ways. Did anyone catch what color Anders' eyes were? I missed it.

I enjoyed the friendship between Elsy and Pru and I always enjoy a story about stories. Ashley Poston does grief super well. Also definitely enjoyed the cameos! Overall, this was cute, but far from her strongest.