“Sometimes a book can change your life.”

🌟🌟🌟🌟.💫/🌶️

Take a book girl and peer into her deepest thoughts about reading. That’s this book. It’s all the things that I, we, love about reading. The happily ever afters, the quirky small towns, the side characters who make you laugh, and the absolute love of words. All words, any words. That is what A Novel Love Story is about. And give Ashley her roses because my god did I see myself in Elsy when she spoke about her love of romance books and her awe and excitement of being stuck in her favorite world.

A Novel Love Story is a book within a book and is probably one of the coolest concepts I’ve read for a contemporary romance in a while. Ashley Poston thrives when it comes to writing magical realism and Novel Love Story proves that this is absolutely her sweet spot.

Being immersed in our FMC’s, Elsy, favorite series’ world felt like I was reading and enjoying it with her but for my first time. Her excitement at finding and being stuck in this world was almost intoxicating. I was so excited for her and pictured how it would be for me to end up stuck in my favorite books world (an absolute trip. Someone make it happen rn please.)

A Novel Love Story combines women’s fiction, romance and magical realism so well that I felt immersed and repaired by the end.

Read if you love:
📖Magical Realism
🥞Small Town Romance
🐈Bookish Vibes
🍔Cat dad MMC
🗽Grumpy x Sunshine
🚽Forced Proximity
🏡Women’s Fiction
🚗Funny meet cute

Tons of Easter eggs with those emojis 🤗

A Novel Love Story will be available in stores on June 25th!

Unfortunately, this was a dnf for me. Poston is one of my all time favorite authors, and still is, so I found myself disappointed when I struggled to get through this one. The premise of this story is fantastic, but I found the story to move too slowly. I also had a hard time getting invested in the characters.

🪻 Book Review…

➡️ Imagine you’re on your way to a solo vacation up in the Catskills, when you get caught in a terrible rainstorm, almost hit someone standing in the road, & break down your car… and when you acclimate to town you’re in to get help and shelter, you realize you’re in the world of your all time favorite book series, characters and all.. welcome to Elsy’s story…

My thoughts:

🌞 Ashley Poston’s books are always the most cozy and hope-giving journeys. Every single page of her books have been true comfort reads for me.

☔️ This is a slow burning, slow paced story that encompasses self healing, grief journeys, & all of the tiny things that make life beautiful. Anders and Elsy have such a special story. I identified so much with Elsy’s individual journey, and it made me deeply emotional at times.. it was very well laid out. I imagine people will relate to Anders and his journey on a personal level as well— I truly loved his character. Both MCs are so realistic & honest in their grief, and that’s what I loved most about them.

🌿 This book tugged on my heart strings in so many layers; I loved that ultimately we have a story about how healing & nurturing ourselves is the key to wholly loving another. The end of this book made my bookish, romance loving heart absolutely soar. For me, it was the kind of ending that elevated my enjoyment from 4 stars up to 5.

🪻 Conceptually I loved the plot, as I imagine it is a daydream that many readers have had— what we would all give to stumble into the setting of our favorite books..

READ THIS IF.. you like small town living, magical realism, realistic healing journeys, grumpy and broody MMCs, and slow burn love stories.

Thank you SO much to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for this e-ARC. My gratitude is truly overflowing for this opportunity.

5/5⭐️
1.5/5🌶️

This was a cute read and a cute novel. It’s definitely an interesting premise and I wasn’t 100% sold on where we were going with this until at least 45% of the way in. Once I got there though, I got there.
Poston always includes something magical or otherworldly in her novels, which is something I adore about them. This is more magical and otherworldly than her previous novels, especially since we are legitimately in another world.
The banter was good, the character development was good, the love story was good. Poston kept me glued to my seat until the absolute very last moment. I loved the lessons learned and the overall theme of the novel. I liked the characters' backstories and the reveals at the end were very much worth the wait.
While this does not top The Seven Year Slip for me, I still enjoyed it immensely and it’s another great read from a great author. Poston is now an auto-buy for me. Without a doubt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Romance novel. My typical genre is Fantasy, however Poston's use of magical realism quenched that need. Eileen, the main character, is easy to relate to and even easier to root for as she questions her life and the way that she moves through it. Similarly, the love interest has to work through deep introspection on his end to feel ready for love.

This book is for those out there who don't think they deserve to be loved how a "book boyfriend" loves. Book worms who spend their days poring over romantic scenes on paper may hold that inner seed of doubt, but by living the dream through Eileen's narration, you will shut this book feeling hopeful about the future of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Ashley. I will not forget reading your threads page and you posted that this book wouldn’t wreck us readers. YOU. LIED. It did wreck me then put me back together but I was wrecked nonetheless.

This book was beyond beautiful, arguably the best AP read I’ve had yet (and that’s saying a lot). I loved the prologue and the idea of a town that doesn’t really exist. I have no idea where the author gets her ideas but wow I loved how this book came together. I normally don’t get on board with authors writing about writing but this was such a fantastic way to do it, unlike anything I’ve read before.

You need to add this to your cart, your TBR, like now.

Ashely - go ahead and send me your shopping lists so I can read those too.

A Novel Love Story continues Ashley Poston’s streak of quaint, cute and funny romcoms that I loved after The Dead Romantics and shows Poston’s strengths in humor and character writing that makes her a very great addition to Romance as a genre.

This is my second Ashley Poston romance and I love her creativity in suspending belief and enjoying the ride. This one was just okay though, feeling a little repetitive and superficial. I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters, especially the love connection. I did love the bookish friendships however. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.

This was a fun and sweet story - a love letter in book form for everyone who ever wanted to escape into their favorite novel.

The story of Elsy and Anders is truly one for the books & I loved their relationship and also loved the self-awareness and sense of self-advocacy that Elsy developed throughout the story. The characters were deeply developed and the setting rich and heartwarming. I loved The Seven Year Slip from Ashley Poston & while I didn't like this book as much as The Seven Year Slip, I still enjoyed the magical realism of the plot & the development of the storyline. Ashley Poston's chapter titles will always have my heart. This book is a must read for you if you enjoyed her other books or are looking for a good contemporary novel to read this summer!

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who has read this author before. I have a feeling this one is going to be in the top charts and libraries will want to order a lot of additional books for lending.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Y’all I would literally sell my soul for an Ashley Poston book, and I practically squealed when I got to read this one early.

Eileen (Elsy) loves to escape from real life in Romance books. And who can blame her? She’s desperate to get to her annual book club retreat in NY when her car suddenly breaks down, stranding her in the fictional town of Eloraton where her FAVORITE romance series is set. It seems impossible that the perfect small town exists, but it does, frozen in time where the author left off, and somehow Elsy has stumbled right into it.

Of course Elsy gets to meet all her favorite characters, but then there’s the grumpy hot bookstore owner that Elsy doesn’t remember reading about in ANY of the books (and she reread them A LOT). Elsy thinks she’s been brought to Eloraton to finish the story that was left unfinished by the author, but the grumpy Anderson seems determined to get in her way.

First off, I ADORED the Dead Romantics and the Seven Year Slip. FYI this book is set in the same universe as the Dead Romantics and the Seven Year Slip. I would HIGHLY recommend reading those first since there is a spoiler for the Dead Romantics and they’re amazing. Those books made me laugh and cry and resonated with me long after I read them. I think I had the bar set too high for this one, but it was still written with Ashley Poston’s sense of humor, quirky side characters and packed an emotional punch. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you’ve got a grumpy-sunshine romance and witty banter in this book, and who doesn’t want to escape to a fictional bookstore??!! With a bookstore cat!!! And Eloraton has a waterfall!!! What more do you need? Ashley Poston always manages to bring in her love of books, particularly romance books and I love her for that. And the way she brings in heartbreak and grief, it never fails to make me tear up, even in this one (it snuck up on me!). I really, really loved the scenes at the end and the strong female side characters.

I had some issues with this book, the plot of this book wasn’t really my jam (it kind of felt like those old Mary-sue fics where the American author crash lands into the world of Twilight/HP/LotR/etc. and becomes BFFs w everyone), and if she called Anderson‘s eyes “minty” one more time I was ready to put the book down. But I would still rate this a solid 4 stars for certain scenes that I won’t spoil and the way it made me feel. AND I would still sell my soul for the next Ashley Poston book. Thank you to Ashley Poston for once again giving us our own escape from RL!!!

I think we have all wanted to disappear into our favorite book and be friends with the characters. Ashley Poston takes that desire and makes it come true! I loved disappearing into this world.

The grumpy bookstore owner was perfection!! I felt like it was just magical enough to be believable. The backstories were great too.

The steamy scenes!! I needed more but love the ones we had!

Thank you for letting me enjoy this early! Such a pleasure!

i loved dead romantics and seven year slip so when i saw this on netgalley i was thrilled! i really loved it so much and couldn’t put it down. oh what a dream it would be to magically end up in your favorite fictional novel town. all of AP’s books are so unique and this one was too. thank you #netgalley for the ARC!

4🌟

was 100% invested into this story from the jump, a woman who was recently broken up with and feeling lost finds herself in her favorite book? sign me up!! all the characters were cute and quirky — definitely gave off stars hallow vibes💗

while it was fun reading Elsy explore the town she feels safe in, some parts were very slow. i do wish the main couple had more chemistry, i didn’t feel their connection. around the 60-70% mark, it was a bit slow for me but the plot twist got me! it picked right back up after that and i loved the ending, a bit predictable but nevertheless good! thank you netgalley for the arc!!🥹

This was a cute Hallmark romance. Simple with a straight forward premise that was still unique in its own way.
I thought the characters were interesting, but found the overall execution to be rather slow, pacing wise. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Elsy to show some growth.

I'm sure others will enjoy this one though

This is absolutely the book for all romance readers. For anyone who romance books bring you joy and resonate with you, this will make you feel right at home.

It's a romance book within a romance book. When Elsy finds herself accidentally in a small town that doesn't exist except in her favorite romance series, she is living every reader's dreams. Getting to see her favorite characters, town landmarks like the local diner and candy shop, and everything she's read on pages come to life. She quickly finds out it might not be as perfect when the series is unfinished by the late author. There's also a grumpy, cute bookstore owner she can't quite place from any of the books.

Overall this just felt like a big hug in book form. It's a low-stakes book that you feel for joy and nostalgia. Elsy feels she's too "real" to be the main character in a book which makes me connect with this so much more, it's such a realistic take on romance readers and the messiness of life.

I've loved every Ashley Poston book I've read and this one is no different. I want to just be swept away back into it!

This was a cute romcom—up to a point. I liked the whimsical magical realism and the sparkly vibes. Elsy and Anderson, the bookstore owner, had nice, understated chemistry, and I obviously loved his cat. The fantastical element will require you to put your brain in sleep mode. Otherwise, it's not going to work.

For the rest of it, though, you might actually fall asleep. Why is there so much about Elsy's friendship with Pru? They spend 90% of the book physically apart, but Elsy thinks about her the whole time. That time should've gone to Elsy and Anderson, especially since she was so slow in figuring out who he was. She came up with only one theory and then ran through the tape with it, which maybe would've been less of an issue had she not then fussed over it for the rest of the book while daydreaming about Pru.

The second half was like a broken record: repeat descriptions, waffling about which day Elsy was going to leave town, and bemoaning the last time she dove headfirst into a relationship and lost herself. She marked this as a problematic personal flaw, so where was the lesson? Ultimately, I think this book tried to focus on too many things, with the result that it followed through on too little. Pru strikes again!

<i>“There was only one road in and one road out of Eloraton, New York, and most people never took it.” </i>

I’m really glad I gave Ashley Poston another shot. I’ve read books by her before and never really found a connection. <i>A Novel Love Story</i> I found myself overall really liking.

The concept of this book might not be super original, but it was done really well.
I really liked both the leads, Elsy and Anders. Elsy is a character I think most readers will find little trouble connecting with…. Since she’s basically living a fantasy we’ve probably all had lol. Anders was funny without being too much, but won't lie I wish we would have gotten a little more out of him.

My only issue(s) with this book is I felt it dragged a bit where the middle and end of the book met. Secondly this is a romance book that I felt lacked some romance. Yes, there is some, but I do think it needed a bit more to fully have pulled me in.

I think if Poston is an author you have liked in the past that you’ll enjoy this one just as much.

3.5

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ashley Poston for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!


Absolutely 5/5 stars Ashley if you made a book of your grocery lists I would read it oh my gods.
I just finished this book and I wish that I could go back in time to when I was Sam before reading, if only so I could experience it all again.
This is, hands down, a top book of the year and I feel so incredibly lucky to have found another book that I can hold so dearly.

"There once was a town, and I was so certain that it would feel like home if I ever made it there. There once was a town, and it didn't exist."

The story follows Elsy, a college English teacher who loves escaping into the warmth and joy of romance novels, but even more so after a heartbreak that leaves her listless and unsure. She clings to what she knows, and what she knows is her favorite romance series and her book club that meets once a year to talk all things angst and spice and book crushes galore. However, when she is the only person that can make it, she decides to take the trip, anyways, desperate for a place to just rest.
Instead, she ends up in a storm, in a town she doesn't know, and almost runs over an attractive and grumpy stranger. But as she begins to look closer, she realizes she isn't in a strange place at all, but the town of her favorite books.

"Sometimes a book can change your life. It's hard to explain that to someone who doesn't read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books were a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak. I'd met countless stories by the time I read a book that changed my life."

Ashley Poston wrote a love letter to books and those who love them with this one, and I truly believe that is one of the most special aspects of the whole thing. As book lovers, there are often moments when we wish we could escape into our favorite worlds and hang out with our favorite characters, and Ashley gave life to that idea and made it so meaningful and packed with emotion and pauses to reflect. She showed us so much character development with her characters, specifically Esly and Anders, and I just applaud the talent it takes to make a book so seemingly lighthearted filled to the brim with feeling and love and heartbreak.

"I'd be a chapter in his book- probably not even that. But hopefully a fun chapter, nevertheless."

One of my favorite things about Ashley's book is the sense of mystery that she weaves into the plot. As I was reading, I was constantly guessing as to what was going to happen, as there is often a predictability to romance books, but Ashley takes that predictability and skews it just enough that while you can almost anticipate what's coming, she sweeps the rug out from under you and hits you with a twist that, inevitably, leaves you sobbing.

"The fireflies danced around us, the wind winding through the trees, and when he set his eyes on me, I felt like the only story he wanted to read."

By the end, I was a mess over Elsy's bravery and dedication to her heart and her self, and everything was wrapped up in a way that was so satisfying and heartwarming and perfect. Getting there took a couple panic attacks (omg the angst), some (a lot) of tears, a ton of laughter, and a healthy dose of swooning (thank YOU ANDERS my goodness the mouth you have on you, sir), and that's the beauty of it. You never know what the destination will look like, but it's every step that gets you there that matters.

"... it's okay to not know how something is going to work out. If I've learned anything about being here, it's that it's worth taking the chance even if it's the wrong one. You're worth the chance. And so am I."

So, if you're reading this, you're worth the chance.
And so is this book.

Thank you for the eArc!
As with Ashley Poston's previous work, A Novel Love Story is an unconventional romance, with some really fun and different elements. I loved the concept of this novel, and there is something comforting about Poston's writing style that I really enjoy. Unfortunately, there were some things I didn't love about this novel as well and I think a bit more editing could have made all the difference. Overall, I liked it but really wanted to love it the same way I loved The Seven Year Slip. Solid 3 star read and would recommend