A solid 4/5 read. I think it’s more of a general fiction book than a romance because the romance is weak but I loved it anyways.

Thank you for the ARC! I adored this book! After reading The Seven Year Slip, magical realism has become one of my favorite sub genres. I flew through this story and enjoyed every minute. This is a story about a heartbroken girl who finds comfort in the pages of her favorite series, but the author passes away without finishing it. She gets lost on a trip and somehow ends up in the fictional world of that series, where she knows all of the town’s citizens and knows their stories. She eventually learns to create her own story and it is just SO sweet. A perfect, quick, Hallmark-esque read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
🌶️🌶️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🏡 Fictional small town
🥰 Cozy vibes
📘For the book lover
🪄 Magical Realism

No one does magical realism better than Ashley Poston. It is every book lover’s dream to find themselves inside their favorite book and Elsy is no different. Surrounded by characters she loves, and one she doesn’t recognize, she finds herself spending her vacation in a place she never thought was possible.

During her time in Eloraton, she reflects on her past and starts to finally be able to move forward. There isn’t much more I can say without spoilers but just know that this one is filled with a slow burn romance that tbh, isn’t the main focus of the book.

There are plot twists, self-growth, the best side characters and a grumpy bookstore owning hero.

The Seven Year Slip might still be my favorite Ashley Poston book but this one will give you all the magical and cozy vibes you need.

3 stars


Overall the premise and plot are different and intriguing you can’t just help wanting to read this.
I had a fun time reading this until I didn’t . It was different and i enjoyed it for the most part. At first it was a little hard to get into this, it started a little slow but after a while it picks up. I really, really wanted to love this more but it was just “okay”. There’s three main things I didn’t quite like which was…
1: the romance seemed kind of bland ? It felt like the two main characters were missing a connection, they were basically in love after a week of meeting each other?
2: there were quite a few typos/grammar errors. I’m usually not picky but after a while of missing words and letters it got frustrating and confusing. (hopefully they fix this before the release date)
3: Repetitive descriptions. “His minty gaze” or “he smelled/tastedlike black tea” and not just that but a lot of other descriptions were being repeated that I was silently saying “please we got it the first 5 times”.


Things pick up the last quarter of the book and I really enjoyed that but thinking back at how hard it was to read this in the beginning of the book made it hard for me to rate this higher.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🫶🏼

I loved this book. The idea was very fun and felt original. While the connection between Anders and Rachel Flowers was predictable, I found how everything unraveled and the explanation of how everything was connected to be heartbreaking and interesting. The magical realism was also a lot of fun and the entire idea of ending up in your favorite book was a fun prospect for any book lover. I highly recommend this book.

This magical, slow burn, sunshine and grump story is a dream that booklovers share – visit the setting and characters of the books you love most. Written with Ashley Poston’s usual deft touch weaving heartache and loss with humor, swoony moments, and the power of storytelling, A Novel Love Story is sheer perfection. The author proves while fiction can offer a powerful escape, it can also serve as a bridge to connect us with something real and profound.

Ever since Ashley Poston woke up one day and decided to write romance with fantasy elements, I haven't known a moment of peace. This really proved that if I were to one day wake up in my favorite romance novel, I would be thriving. Getting to know both the world of this book as well as the world of the book that Eileen is in, As always, A NOVEL LOVE STORY was filled with such heart and emotion as well has being very very romantic and filled with yearning. If you've loved her past novels, you will also love this book. You get to live vicariously through Elsy as she falls in love with a book character, a reality that we all wish we were living.

There's always something... impossible and magical about Ashley Poston's books! They're so unlike any other romances I read and I get so attached to the story and the characters! This one still needs a little bit of editing though I will say... some instances of repetition throughout!

At its heart, A Novel Love Story is a sweet and cozy love story about two main characters learning to own their future and their lives in a new way. I found the premise really fun and I enjoyed getting to see romance tropes and the genre played with while in the context of a larger romance novel storyline. I would've loved to see a little more development of the love interest (and his "minty eyes" lol) but all in all, I thought this was a fun read and I did enjoy it a lot. I continue to love Ashley Poston's string of characters and how they always get their HEAs with their impossible love interests and this one fits right in with that. For those who love the romance genre and heroines who also find comfort in this literary corner, you'll find this to be a great read!

**Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Another delightful romance from Ashley Poston. I've often wished I could visit the settings of my favorite books and I loved the chance to experience this through Elys. The tie-in to a previous novel was much enjoyed.

Book lovers will love this sweet romance story, with a novel twist. Ashley Poston has once again proven that she is the queen of magical realism and that she comes up with the most original and intriguing plots! I will admit, romance is not always my first choice in a book, but there are certain authors (AP) that I will always check out their stuff!

Things I liked:
- Very original concept for a story,
- Poston's beautiful prose that you can just lose yourself in!,
- Secondary characters were full of life and their sub plots were interesting,
- The FMC's character development,

Things I liked less:
- I will never forget that the MMC had minty green eyes and smelled like black tea (if you know you know),
- Parts of the story felt repetitive and slow moving (the middle),
- The romance went from 0-100 realllll quick!,

Overall definitely worth checking out if romance is your jam.

Read if you like-
- Grumpy x sunshine,
- Magical realism,
- Bookish characters,
- Found family

I have always enjoyed Ashley Poston’s magical storytelling, and this book was no exception!! The bookish main character stumbling into the town of her favorite author’s series makes for a great premise, perfect for readers of romance (and otherwise!).

Elsy has had some setbacks lately that leads her to burrow into the known comfort of books and familiar routine. When she decides to go on an annual book club trip on her own and her car breaks down, she stumbles into Eloraton — the setting for her favorite romance book series. Cue familiar characters, unintentional meddling, and falling in love.

I enjoyed the book because Elsy’s beliefs are challenged regularly throughout the story, making her rethink if her familiar routines are truly what she needs at this point in her life. The big fight and subsequent debrief between her and her best friend felt real, and their relationship (though minor in the story) was my favorite part of the book. My only qualm about this entire book would be that I really disliked the name “Eloraton” haha. But I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a lighthearted fantastical romance this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is a love letter to book lovers everywhere. I loved the premise and the execution – a very creative women’s fiction with a twist. This one will be a big hit.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was okay. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, making the main character seem annoying at times. I did enjoy the twist and the ending.

I really wanted to love this more but I struggled quite a bit with the pacing and the romance. Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy!

This novel is every reader's dream scenario and beautifully encapsulates what it means to be a book lover. Poston's ability to create such a vivid and immersive world, where readers can easily get lost in the pages, is truly remarkable. I really related to Elsy as a reader and as someone who values a strong sense of community so much. There were some very amazing moments and quotes that book lovers will eat up!

While the pacing did slow down at times and the romance took a backseat, the heartfelt moments and poignant quotes sprinkled throughout the story more than made up for it. Elsy's journey to self-discovery within the world of her favorite book is both relatable and inspiring. I would have liked to see more development in the romance, especially given the title of the book, but the way everything wrapped up left me satisfied and with tears in my eyes. Poston has an incredible talent for storytelling, making this a must-read for anyone who appreciates getting lost in the pages of a book.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

ASHLEY! Omg!!! This book was adorable! I’m such a fan of hers- she knows how to write great chemistry between characters that you fall in love with!

English professor and romance novel aficionado suffers a devastating loss and suddenly finds herself in a town that seems like it could be straight out of her favorite romance series. It turns out this IS the town in her favorite romance series, complete with the couples she's read and shipped. Except this one annoying guy with the striking eyes; the one who knows she doesn't belong there.

If you like paranormal romance, or paranormal-adjacent romance, this is one to pick up this summer. I like how there is so much more to this than just romance, including Eileen's awesome relationship with Pru and her grief over the loss she recently experienced.

I’ve read the previous work by the author and everytime she’s blown my mind. Even though this time it took me a bit more to trust the process with the story, I ended up falling in love and wanting to cry. My heart was broken, but Ashley Poston always mends it. Another huge recommendation!

Elsy finds herself stranded in a town straight from her favorite books, the Quixton Falls series. She can place every characters story except for one, Anders.

The premise of this is fantastic, absolutely sign me up to get lost inside one of my favorite books.

I often found myself wishing I could read the Quixton Falls series because these side characters were amazing. It's truly sad to me these books don't exist because I need to know more of the details surrounding each set of characters and how they came to be. Poston did SO GOOD layering this fiction within fiction.

The only problem was I felt more drawn to them than I did Elsy and Anders. I was invested but more so to see what details she uncovers about the characters that may not have been in their book. Elsy and Anders both lacked the same excitement I felt surrounded everyone else. That may only be because Elsy's excitement for this town was contagious. I think it shifted my focus a bit too much.

It was a fun read with a bookish plot that I think this community will really enjoy!