A super cute story of a girl who finds herself in the world of her favorite book series. The pacing was a little off for me, but still enjoyable.

Ashley Poston's books never disappoint! They are a wonderful mix of romance and magical realism with unique set ups and interesting characters.

I really like that her characters experience a significant amount of individual personal growth in addition to the relationship development. This story is no exception. Eileen really finds herself after being adrift for so long after a relationship ended badly. It was so interesting seeing her favorite series and characters through her eyes and how she knew every beat of what was supposed to happen but then realized things needed to move forward as well.

I ended up listening to part of the book on audio and the narrator did a fantastic job. It was an easy and engrossing read in both formats. I cannot recommend this book enough and it is definitely one of my favorite reads of this year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.

I’ve really enjoyed how Ashley Poston adds magical realism to her books, and this one was no exception. Our narrator embarks on an ill-fated, post-breakup road trip, takes a wrong turn and finds herself … in the fictional town where her favorite book series is set.

I usually find books about bookish people way too cheesy and gimmicky. I didn’t feel that way at all with this one. “A Novel Love Story” is truly an ode to books and reading with a love story on the side. If you liked the author’s previous two books, you’ll enjoy this one.

An Enchanting Escape into Fiction and Love

I just finished A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston, and honestly, it felt like stepping into a daydream. From the very first page, I was completely swept away by the story’s charm, whimsy, and heartfelt romance. It’s one of those rare books that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place.

The story follows Eileen Merriweather, a literature professor who, after hitting rock bottom in her personal life, somehow ends up inside her favorite romance series, Quixotic Falls. Yes, you read that right—she’s literally transported into the pages of her favorite books. As someone who’s always wondered what it would be like to live inside my favorite stories, I was hooked immediately.

Poston does an amazing job of bringing the fictional town of Eloraton to life. I could practically smell the coffee from Anders’ little bookstore and feel the cozy warmth of the community. Speaking of Anders, the romance between him and Eileen is pure magic. It’s slow-burn perfection, with witty banter, tender moments, and just the right amount of tension to keep me rooting for them the whole way through.

What I loved most about this book, though, is how much it celebrates book lovers. Eileen’s journey felt so personal, like a love letter to anyone who’s ever found comfort, adventure, or even themselves in the pages of a novel. Poston has this incredible way of balancing humor, heartache, and hope, and it all came together beautifully in this story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just finished this book. If you're a fan of Emily Henry or enjoyed "Prime Time Romance" by Kate Robb, then you'll enjoy this book. It wasn't my favorite. I feel like it was a tad boring until around chapter 28. It was cute and held some beautiful quotes to save, but I found myself fast-forwarding.

Ashley Poston can keep me in this universe forever. I first started reading Poston when she was primarily writing for teens, but watching her writing mature and falling in love with characters my own age has been a wonderful journey. I've adored the world she has created starting with The Dead Romantics and getting to see little Easter eggs has been so much fun. A Novel Love Story did bring back a certain nostalgia for Dead Romantics and does feel like the separated at birth sibling to the first book. The idea of living in a world that a favorite person, whether that be favorite author or lost love, created was a special kind of magic. Not going to lie, the end did come close to breaking me, but that last minute swerve did put it back together. While this is not a traditional second chance romance, the MMC being given a second chance for love because of his late wife was heartbreaking in a beautiful way.

This book helped solidify for me that there is absolutely nothing Ashley Poston could write that I will not swoon over.

If I could live inside her mind for even just 24 hours, I would 100% take that opportunity, because all I can think whenever I read her books is HOW did she come up with this idea?? And this story is no exception.

Many of us have dreamed about what it would be like if we could actually step inside our favorite romance novel—and here, Ashley gives it to us. Because Elsy’s car breaks down at night in a small town and when daylight hits the next day, she realizes she’s in the fictional—or not-so-fictional?—town of Eloraton, the setting for her favorite romance series.

I loved watching her explore the town and meet characters she already knows in her heart and loves, even if they don’t yet know her. And I especially loved when she meets the grumpy bookstore owner. The one person in Eloraton she can’t remember from the books. But the book series was never completed, because the author passed away before she could finish the last book.

The twists in this book had me holding my breath and I truly just want to know what Ashley’s plotting process is like because her stories give me life. I loved how Eloraton was basically reliving the same day for years until Elsy stopped by and brought the town back to life. I feel inspired to write and find more books I absolutely love every time I read one of her stories.

“There were still happy endings to be found…even if they weren’t my own.”

I’m obsessed. Hands down. I highly recommend checking this one out, as well as her other adult romance/magical realism stories: The Dead Romantics and The Seven-Year Slip.

Read if you like:
- Magical realism
- Unexpected romance
- Forced proximity
- Small town romance
- A book within a book
- Outliers

DNF @ 45%. I wanted to love this so much, but I found myself dreading to read it. Even by 45%, I couldn’t tell where the story was going. Unfortunately not my favorite of hers, but definitely still plan to read her in the future.

Thank you so much for the gifted copy of this book!

Another hit by Ashley Poston! I mean, who wouldn't want to get lost and then find themselves in the fictional town of their favorite book series??? What a creative concept, and the author really lets her creativity shine through with this one.

I loved all of the descriptions of the town and the characters, and it made me want to read this fictional series! There's a fine line in how Eileen being in Eloraton could impact the books and characters. I kept waiting for a domino effect, but all of her missteps ended up being corrected before she left to go back to her real life.

I think the most fascinating part was how Poston addressed the author having passed away before finishing the final book in the series, and how Eileen had an impact on the eventual ending. I knew it was going to be a HEA, because this is a romance, but I didn't know how she was going to swing it.

This wasn't my favorite of Poston's books, but I still really enjoyed it!

Cute as button. Imagine getting lost on a drive and winding up in the town of your favorite romance series. You recognize the main characters from the books, secondary and tertiary characters too. They are all just like you imagined them, well almost. And whoa, I don't remember that guy from the series! Very fun.

I just love Ashley Poston’s writing and unique style of blending romance with magical realism elements in each book she writes. So many of her novels have become favorites of mine, so I was excited to read this latest release.

In A Novel Love Story, Eileen “Elsy” Merriweather finds herself in the fictional town of Eloraton. The very eerily familiar town of her beloved and favorite romance novel, Daffodil Daydreams. In the idyllic town of Eloraton, you can always find the sweetest honey taffy at the candy store, burgers that are somehow always burned, and rainstorms that only last minutes.

There’s also a grumpy bookstore owner named Anders, and he happens to be the only other person in town that suspects something strange is going on in this quaint town.

I loved pairing the book and audio, and found this to be the perfect escape read full of emotions, character growth, and undeniable chemistry.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Ashley Poston is one of the few authors that can get me to read magical realism. I was a big fan of both THE DEAD ROMANTICS and THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP.

I wanted so badly for this to be a five-star read. The plot is so dreamy — I mean, who wouldn’t want to visit their favorite fictional town? I know I do!

And while I did enjoy this one, it didn’t melt my heart like I wanted it to, and I found myself wanting more from it. The romantic timeline was just too quick for me.

However, I loved vicariously living through the main character, as she was trapped in the fictional town of her favorite book 💙

Read if you like —
💙 books about books
💙 small town romance
💙 enemies to lovers
💙 magical realism

I’m still glad I picked this one up! I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley this summer and she’s delightful 🫶

This lovely book broke my heart. I love the magical realism of it, the small town-ness, the grumpy/sunshine, the deep heartache and found family.

Lots to delve into and love here - if you like a romance with some grit and magic, I recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The doors, the hallmark Christmas movies this book hat where your main character ends up in a small town that is from the book that your favorite author created is a delight from start to finish. I really enjoyed all the character interactions and the romance itself was a slow build And in Sharm Ing as well as emotional because there is some grief involved. As you read, you are delighted by all the characters who meet and as a book lover it’s understandable to want to be in the story that you love. I really love this book.

Ashley Poston is probably my favorite romance writer and I really enjoyed this exploration of why we love the tropes we do. Her characters always seem very real-- even when, in the case of this book, some of them are explicitly fictional! Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good romance.

So I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't sink into it. I enjoy magical realism but it just wasn't fleshed out enough for me. I think the biggest issue was the romance, I didn't feel that the author conveyed chemistry and they were in love within moments. I didn't finish it, so I won't leave a goodreads review.

Can you imagine accidentally ending up in a fictional small town? Being in a low spot and winding up somewhere fictional sounds like a daydream- which is what so many of Ashley Poston’s books read like, in the best way.

Eileen wanting to disappear and read? I instantly liked her. Anders, her grumpy love interest, took more time for me to warm up to, but I couldn’t not. Their connection was hard-won, and by the end they won me over as a couple. (Side note: kudos for this author making seemingly impossible romances work, again!)

For a cozy read that will have you alternately laughing and tearing up, with some familiar faces from previous books, I highly recommend this! As well as everything this author has ever written. <3

I am normally a huge Ashley Poston fan, but for some reason, this one didn't hit my heart as strongly as her other two. It literally took me 2.5 months of picking it up and down to get through. I couldn't connect to the characters even though in retrospect they were endearing ones. I think it might be a case of it's not. you, it's me, with this one. So don't let my review keep you from reading this. I wouldn't recommend reading it as your first experience with her writing though.

I read this book ahead of my event with Ashley Poston in DC this past summer and it was a joy just like her.

The premise of this is really wonderful and I loved the little thoughtful touches that made the town seem straight out of a real romance series. I am also very impressed she could keep all of the details straight!