Hovering somewhere between a 3/3.5 rating but going lower because this one just did not hit like Poston’s other work, which has consistently been favorites of the past couple years. I’m so so sad about this but I know what kind of work she can put out and it could’ve been SO much better.

Imagine getting stuck in a storm and making a wrong turn and suddenly you find you’ve wound up in the world from your favorite book. I love this concept because I’d give anything to experience Velaris just once, so this book was the ultimate book for book lovers/readers.

The parts that didn’t work for me mostly consisted around the town happenings itself. Our main character was overly excited about winding up inside her favorite story with all her favorite characters, but we didn’t know this story or these characters. As a reader I couldn’t care about the people she cared so much about and that was a huge disconnect from the beginning.

There was also the romance. I LOVE Ashley Poston’s romances and how she weaves the real world into the magic of a relationship. But this one just did not make sense. It was semi-enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine but I never ~got~ where the romance came from. They were angry/irritable toward each other for 50% of the book and then suddenly they were kissing and confessing feelings. It didn’t feel fleshed out enough and so I didn’t care about the relationship at all.

Now, the ending actually had tears springing to my eyes and it was a pretty “worth it” ending to where I’m glad I finished (although I don’t think I could ever DNF an Ashley Poston). It was classically emotionally and surprising with just a touch of predictability. The last 15% or so really hit so good.

Read if you like:
❣️ romance books
🤓 book clubs
🫂 friendships
🏘️ small town romance

All this being said, I will be an Ashley Poston fan for life. But they can’t all be winners. 😕

okay so I want to start off by saying this is my second read by this author. I did enjoy reading this book. It was well written. I just think a few things were missing.

I didn’t really connect to both mmc I kinda felt like something was missing when it came to them both and it was the realization they both knew they were in the book. I wanted to see more chemistry and cute moments between them and sadly we didn’t get too many moments.

I didn’t like the fact that half of the book was the fmc dwelling on her past relationship. Her exes name is said 52 times!!! I also felt like the ending was a little rushed like where did he knew where to find her ?? Like those small details matter too. Their reunion should’ve been written in more detail.

It's a book lover’s dream, literally. Eileen, aka Elsy’s trip north for a solo stay at a cabin in the woods, hits an interesting snag when her car unexpectedly breaks down, and she finds herself stranded in a quaint little town that’s eerily similar to the one in her favorite romance series. Spoiler alert, but not really: that’s because it is the small town—the weather, businesses, and people just as her favorite, late author described them in her books. I’ll be honest; I thought Elsy was on something. I could not figure out what was happening, though I kept reading (at lightning speed) because the dynamics between Elsy and a grumpy bookstore were too good to stop. And as things finally came together, my heart swelled.

Mark it on your calendars, romance readers. The summer of 2024 belongs to a new queen of romance, and her name is Ashley Poston. A NOVEL LOVE STORY is the first book by Ms. Poston that I have ever read. Let's just say, she now has a new devoted reader.

Poston's latest is a novel AND a dissertation. The subtext, which gradually becomes text, assures the reader that they can read and appreciate serious "Literature" (with a capital L) AND genre books, a.k.a. romance. Another way of putting it is — The reader can be a "serious" feminist AND love to escape into books with a happily ever after ending. Fictional characters can violate the Bechdel test AND still be three dimensional individuals who want more out of life in addition to love with the right partner.

Eileen (Elsie), the protagonist, is an English professor whose job involves discussing the canon with her students and analyzing post-modernism with her colleagues. The problem? Elsie is an English professor who loves romance novels -- the smuttier the better -- and her favorite books are part of the Quixotic Falls series by Rachel Flowers. She cannot discuss her favorite genre with anyone at the university because they will judge her. Yet she craves to be among her "people." The solution? Join an online book club called the Super Smutty Book Club with her best friend Pru. Upon joining the club and quickly becoming best friends, the group takes a long vacation in a cabin in upstate New York once a year and spends the week reading, reading, and reading -- nothing but romance.

Except this year, no one is available for the annual getaway. Elsie flees to the cabin anyway because she needs this vacation. It's been a rough year for her. However, a bad storm and a half dead car prevent Elsie from making it to the cabin. Instead, she winds up in a small town where she nearly runs over Anders, the local bookshop owner, who winds up letting Elsie stay in the loft in his store.

When Elsie starts to explore the town, everything looks familiar to her. She knows the people who live there; she knows the town’s layout. And then she realizes, she is in Eloraton, the setting for her favorite romance series by Rachel Flowers.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because I want readers to fall in love with Poston’s world without any interference. Yes, the magical realism does rely on a familiar plot device — see Brigadoon and Pleasantville —but the author makes it her own. Elsie’s biggest character flaw is that she believes she is destined to be the secondary or tertiary character in her own story, always deferring to everyone else’s wishes or needs. Her development over the course of the book is not rushed, thankfully. And the climax of the story will shock you to your core.

I think the most beautiful part of Ms. Poston’s novel is the prose. With sentences like — “This man was made with tweed and argyle, and sewn together with an Oxford comma” and “He was close enough that I could smell him — cedar and black tea and, faintly, the subtle scent of a well-loved paperback. Familiar and yearning” and “The store wasn’t big, but it was intricate and tightly packed. He had to angle himself sideways a little bit so his shoulders didn’t brush the spines of the books on the shelves. It should’ve felt suffocating and small, but the store just felt cozy — like being trapped under a warm blanket” — I fell in love with Poston’s words just as Elsie is in love with words. These are just a few of the sentences I highlighted over the course of the entire novel.

I know it is much too soon in the year to make this announcement, but there is no doubt in my mind — A NOVEL LOVE STORY is my favorite romance of the year.

3.25 rounded up!

This my second Ashley Poston novel -- first being The Seven Year Slip -- and she will always draw me in with the magical realistic elements weaved within her plots. They're both so creative and add an element of mystery to the story that keeps you hooked. I also feel that while I'm not always in love with the detailed and purple prose common of her writing, it does paint a picture within the stories sometimes that gets the reader easily lost in it. I thought while the book had to take a few chapters to find its footing world building wise, once it did it was really interesting. I also enjoyed how this book skipped around in time when it needed to, and never felt necessarily jarring when we came back to the present. Additionally, as someone who has small town, romance comfort series of their own, I really loved how Eileen met all the characters that she'd read so long about. This book is also clearly a love letter to books, so as a reader I found myself smiling nostalgically when Eileen talks about how much they shaped her life in great ways. And lastly (while not to spoil yet) I didn't see the "twist" reveal at the ending coming -- the author of Eileen's favorite romance series -- despite some clues which was nice (I always appreciate being surprised until the end!).

However, this does bring me to a critique of mine, which is I felt that Eileen's obviousness was overdone, and by the third act of the book, became a bit grating. I think it's one thing for a book to be having what I enjoy and call a "secret conversation" with the audience -- where the reader can pick up on things the main character can't because we are privy sometimes to more information as a third party viewer. But, I didn't feel that that's what was happening here in regards to whether Anders was a character within the fictional series or not. This, as opposed to the author's identity, was something I felt should've been a very obvious conclusion that Eileen eventually came to before she actually did. I gave her grace, but then it became clear that her believing he was fictional needed to be a plot point to act as a matter of contention by the end of the story, which I understood but if was going to be the case should've been less of an obvious reveal. Additionally, the chemistry between Anders and Eileen. I honestly don't dislike what feels like "insta-love" as long as I'm given a reason to get behind it chemistry wise but it seemed like there was no development from Anders from being bitterly annoyed by Eileen to loving her. While that's explained a bit, I think my disbelief falls largely from how quickly they started flirting because while I found their mutual and budding friendship believable, intense love felt like a huge leap. This feeling tempered as they spent more time together, but then we're hit with the ending -- I honestly still don't know how to feel about it negatively or positively. While I thought it was a well-done reveal, it did feel like we had to see a lot of both Eileen and Anders's healing and self growth off page which felt a bit abrupt when they got together at the end. Also grief is a constantly changing emotion and I thought that was well-depicted through Anders's behavior. But the time between what felt like his re-appearance at the very end (months, but a chapter or two for the audience) and when he runs into a character that looked like his ex-wife felt like a lot to wade through. And lastly, this is very much a personal pet peeve as someone who thinks pop-culture references in fiction books should for the most part be used sparingly if not at all because of how quickly it ages the work, but the very modern ones within the book (such as the nod to Emily Henry) just felt too on the nose and a bit unnecessary to me.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this as much as The Seven Year Slip comparatively, but I do think that Ashley Poston hits the nail on the head with FMCs that feel human in their desire for something more out of life but now knowing how to, or being scared of, trying to reach for it. I would be curious to see what she releases next because I know an interesting plot is always going to be at the center!

The much anticipated next novel from the author of the beloved THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP! Like so many, I adored that book (plus her debut!) so was pretty excited for her latest. Unfortunately I think my expectations may have been just a tad too hight because I didn’t love this as much as I wanted, particularly when compared to her past work.

One thing I’ve really loved about Ashley Poston’s stories is how she adds some magical elements into the romance because it gives it a bit of a whimsical and special feel. This was no different as the premise revolves around our MC, Elsy, and who she finds herself living in the town of Eloraton from her favorite fictional romance series. In some ways, this felt like an ode to reading and how fictional stories, places, and people can really transports readers and influence them in many ways.

While I liked the idea of ending up smack dab in the middle of a favorite book / series, in some ways I wished for more develop in this story. I never really feel that connecting to the town and its characters and I just felt like there was so much more potential.

The other thing that I struggled with was the romance plot. While I liked the love interest, Anders (I mean he’s own a bookstore, come on!), and some of the mystery behind his role in Eloraton, I didn’t really feel the spark and tension between him and Elsy so I had a hard time fully buying into the romance. It was also very much a slow burn which probably didn’t help my feelings for it.

There was a tiny twist at the end which made things interesting, but I did still feel little unsatisfied with how things wrapped up and found myself craving more. Aside from all that though, I did appreciate the themes of the story about self love and discovery, and prioritizing yourself and your own happiness.

I’m sure others will still love this one and I’m very eager for more from this author!

Thank you Berkley and Ashley Poston for the gifted digital ARC!

This was a cute, light read, perfect for summer which is when it is going to be published. I admittedly was not as emotionally invested in this one as I was with her other novels, but that could very well be a case of "it's not you it's me."

I absolutely loved that the main character found herself stranded in the fictional town of her favorite book series. As an avid reader this was a really fun premise.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the number of times the male MC's eyes are referred to as "minty." I found it kind of distracting as it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. (21 times if anyone is curious).

A Novel Love Story pub date is June 25.

Ashley Poston is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is lush, vivid, and gorgeous overall. I will read anything she writes and I think the romance babes will easily love this one. A perfect summer read.

I had really high expectations for this book. The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip were both five star reads that i BINGED in a day and I went into this book expecting a new favorite. However, it just didn’t hit the same.

I’ll say first that i love the concepts Ashley Poston uses for her books. In this one, the main character (Eileen) finds herself in the fictional city of her favorite book series, which was never completed due to the author passing away. There, she finds Anders, whom she doesn’t recognize from the book. I thought this was such a fun concept and was curious to see how it would be executed. I also find Poston’s writing style so comforting and I can never get enough of it.

What I didn’t enjoy, on the other hand, was the main character. I found her annoying at times, and I felt she was out of place in many occasions. Like what do you mean you’ll tell the waitress (Ruby), <b> WHO HAS NEVER SPOKEN TO YOU </b>, that she doesn’t need to “settle” and should chase her dreams. Ngl I can’t blame Ruby for telling her to fuck off😭 I felt like Eileen kept trying to be the main character of the story delivering the big speech that unlocks the answers to everything.

Anyways, though this wasn’t my favorite book of Poston’s, I’m still super excited to see what she comes up with next🫶 Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I think this is a generous 2.5, which I had initially rounded up to 3 stars but it just honestly... doesn't quite deserve that.

I was disappointed with this book. I loved Dead Romantics and while I haven't read the seven year slip yet, its gotten SO MUCH love, that I anticipated this book being a smash. Its... not. The book, overall, feels rushed, like all involved with it were running to get this out while love for SYS was still in the booksphere. That is to the book's detriment. It feels like, and reads like, it needs a couple of more editing passes (which, to be fair, could still be happening or have happened to a version of this book that is not the epub I read). It needed time to decide what was going on.

Poston once again dives into a bit of magical realism, which as a premise in this book is very cool, but the execution leaves me with more questions than anything. The main characters of Elsy and Anders, especially Anders, feel unfinished and while that could be the point, it, once again, is not executed well. Anders in particular is very jarring and I really can't tell what kind of MC Poston wanted him to be. He's devoid of much emotion at one point and suddenly calling Elsy sweetheart in another. Its... hard to take.

There is a lot being said about romance novels in this book and honestly, it got a little preachy at times. There's a lot being said about not losing yourself in another person (or book) and finding your path, but it never QUITE gets to the point without once again sort of preaching at the reader.

Overall, disappointed in this offering, but it was a sweet premise and I'm sure a lot of people will truly love and savor it.

“A Novel Love Story” is a very comforting romance read. There were some slower paced chapters in the middle of the book, but I loved the concept. I wish Anders’ courtyard had been slightly better explained. I still don’t understand why it was the only place in town that had cell service. Throughout the book, I inferred that Anders was truly the author of the Quixotic Falls series, writing under a pen name. It was unexpected to find out that Rachel Flowers was actually his fiance. I wish that Anders had never backtracked on his commitment to Elsy when Bea came into town. It made me lose some respect for his character, and somewhat weakened the impact of the final scene that Elsy and Anders share in her new book store. I appreciated how easy it was to visualize every scene of this book, especially the waterfall.

I think the writing in this book was incredible, the use of imagery completely transported me into the story and it was by far the best part. I did not connect with any of the characters or the romance so I did find myself bored at times and I didn't always want to pick It up. The concept was incredible and I think it was well executed I just couldn't mesh with the characters. I would've liked a different ending, maybe if the book was more of a fiction story than a romance but overall there were good and bad elements.

As a HUGE ashley poston fan, this was a bit disappointing to me. Her stories are so unique and I usually love the subtle magical elements, but this one just didn’t feel completely fleshed out to me and ultimately fell a bit flat for me. I feel like it took FOREVER for our two main characters to finally meet, and when they finally did, they fell in love in like five days?? Where’s the tension?? where’s the pining??? It just didn’t have the same longing and wanting i’ve come to expect from ashley postons books.

Eileen – Elsy – Merriweather has been having a few rough years. Working as an English professor pays the bills but getting lost in the happy endings of romance novels is her solace from a broken engagement and her evolving friendships. When none of her virtual book club pals can make their annual romance read-a-thon vacation, Elsy heads off to the cabin alone and winds up in her favorite fictional town. She knows she needs to leave but doesn’t want to head back to the real world. But will mending the plot in this fictional town fix her life and her heart? What should she do about the handsome but grumpy bookstore owner who isn’t a fictional character either?

A Novel Love Story is a sweet, satisfying tale with Poston’s trademark touch of magical realism. Elsy is lovable and lost, and readers can easily identify with her. Anders is suitably grumpy and the mystery of Eloraton draws the reader in. As a romance reader, I enjoyed the homage to every single small town romance trope – it was charming.

The novel has is a bit slow paced and the existence of a fictional town that real people visit will require a significant suspension of reality. However, the journey is enjoyable and will leave readers satisfied. A fun read even if it doesn’t sparkle quite as much as some of Poston’s other novels.

Recommended for fans of contemporary romance with a side of magical realism. 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this novel.

Do you ever want to get lost in your favorite book? I know the answer to this from all my book loving friends is a definite yes!
Honestly, Ashley Poston can do no wrong and is easily a new favorite author of mine!! I absolutely adore her writing and her emotional heart punches every dang time.
This one was just so relatable as a reader with favorite characters, book community and our love of books.
As usual with Ashley Postons books, I definitely recommend!!

I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this one!!
Thank you Berkley, Netgalley and author Ashley Poston for providing me an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Release date: June 25th

i was SOOOO DEEPLY EXCITED for this book. The Seven Year Slip (the authors previous romance novel) is one of my all time favorites so i was again, deeeeeply excited to get my hands on this book. and listen, was it bad? No! not by any means! but was i a bit let down? sadly, yes.

i feel like i have to explain myself because A Novel Love Story was a fun and moving romance that felt like a love letter to romance readers, but something just... kind of fell flat. and i truly think that it's jsut because my expectations were set So High after reading the seven year slip, and honestly if i had gone in with lower expectations i maybe would have loved it better? this is going to be one of those book that i have to reread and then i'll either end up loving it or feeling "meh" about it.

Ashley Poston is on a roll. If you liked Seven Year Slip, you must read A Novel Love Story. Ashley is able to use tropes in a self aware way that goes even more complex than you expect. Eileen is a solid character that represents a group of (white) millennials with hope for a happily ever after. I felt like my friend was telling me this story and I could have believed it was true.

📚ARC Review for A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston📚

Release date: June 25, 2024

⭐️⭐️
I had really high hopes for this one but unfortunately, I didn’t love it like I wanted to. 😢

Listen, I love Ashley Poston. I love magical realism. l loved The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip. I’ll still read future books by Ashley Poston. But something about this one just didn’t click for me and here’s why:

🍃I got so tired of the male main character, Anders, being described with “minty eyes”. And I’m talking about total of 31 times throughout the entire book in one variation or another. Also, his scent was repeatedly described as black tea and cedar. It just got annoying at some point.

🍃The magical realism aspect felt so odd in this one. Elsy finds herself in the town of her favorite book with all of the characters of the story playing out real time. I can handle time traveling in the Seven Year Slip and talking to the dead in the Dead Romantics but I couldn’t wrap my brain around the “magic” in this one. Maybe that’s a me problem.

🍃The ending was rushed and convoluted. I can’t say much here without giving away spoilers but it made me mad..lol

I could add a few other small things but I’ll leave it at this. It pains me to rate A Novel Love Story so low!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC for an ~honest~ review.

*2.5

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Now I wouldn't call myself a super fan, but I have found myself loving Ashley Postons work in the past. I think the way she has incorporates magic realism into the romance genre is respectable and well done, but unfortunately this book does not showcase that.

I came into this book really excited given that as a reader, I have always wished to be a part of the fictional small towns that some of my favorite authors have written so you would think that I was THRILLED for Elsy but I actually was not.

I think a large reason behind this is Elsy herself, despite trying myself to find her likable, I simply could not. I think one of the earlier scenes in the book is really showing to her personality as a character and it was an INSTANT turn off (You'll see when you read it).

As for the romance itself, it truly lacked so much, they went from hating each other one day to suddenly having nicknames and kissing. Which to me was baffling because there was simply no chemistry between the characters.

If you are a tension, chemistry, and angst girlie like myself, I do not recommend this book because it is simply not there.

I think normally Ashley's work really tugs the heart strings and makes you fall in love with everything in the book itself but this is not a piece that represents that for me.

This book follows a literature professor who takes a wrong turn during a road trip and somehow finds her way into the fictional down from her favorite book series. As she meets all of her favorite characters in real life, she realizes that one person might not belong, and that she might be falling for him. While I liked this book, it was my least favorite from Poston. THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP is one of my all-time favorite books though, so I don’t think it’s fair to hold a comparison. Like her other books, it was sometimes cozy, sometimes beyond sweet, and sometimes very emotional, and all of those elements come together to make a well-rounded story. I think what made this less of a hit for me is that it felt like we spent too much time with the side characters at the expense of developing the relationship of the MCs. If you loved Poston’s other books, I do think this is still worth picking up!