Alexa Martin never lets me down and BETTER THAN FICTION is no exception. This romance novel is hysterical and kept me cackling. There was excellent character development in Drew as she navigates being a new and unexpected business owner while also sitting through her grief. BETTER THAN FICTION is part love story and part Drew finding herself again after loss.

I have loved everything I’ve read by Alexa Martin and this book did not disappoint. The way she tells the story of Drew, trying to live up to expectations while weighed down by grief, feels so real life. And Jasper is a wonderful breath of fresh air for her. In the end, even their third act breakup/reconciliation feels earned and true to character- Drew is stubborn and sensitive, especially when it comes to her Grandma’s legacy!
Plus, Jasper sounds *hot* and it was fun to read about him melting over a girl-next-door.

A romance between a bookshop owner and a romance writer? Yes! Better than Fiction has all the witty banter and book-lover goodness that readers will love. Highly recommend!

I received this for free through netgalley for an honest review. I loved this love story so much. I love that they got together and were ok with expressing their feelings so quickly and easily. A very good and satisfying ending. I liked this :)

This was okay... I think I like Alexa's football romances more because I am interested in the setting and lifestyle more than I have been in her last two books. There were some cute moments in this and someone who loves reading about a bookshop romance would enjoy this.

This was a lovely read with so much heart and humor. I absolutely loved these two main characters and their love for each other. I loved Drew’s best friend, Elsie, and her sister Daisy. They had a super fun camaraderie that made me want to be part of their girls nights and yoga mornings. I also adored the Dirty Birds, a group of Drew’s grandmother’s best friends who lovingly meddled in Drew’s life. They were hilarious. The Colorado setting was beautifully written and I loved hearing about the Book Nook as well.

DNF, which was really disappointing since I've really liked Alexa Martin's previous books. I felt bored by the story and wasn't invested in the main characters. I would still pick up another book by this author since I've enjoyed her previous books, but for me, this one was a bit of a dud.

When book hater Drew inherits her grandmother's bookshop, the last thing she expected was the plot twist that is hopeless romantic and author Jasper Williams.

Alexa Martin is an automatic buy/an automatic read, and Better Than Fiction did not disappoint. I love books about books, so a bookstore owner and an author falling in love is right up my alley. 10 out of 10 recommend!

✨Book Review✨
Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin
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This book was very sweet. The story of Drew who inherited her grandmother's bookstore after she died, is a sweet story about family, love, and friendship. Jasper, the romance author who shows up to speak at a book club event at the store, is such a kind and loving character. I do wish there was less focus on how hot he is, but at least he also has a wonderful personality, and the relationship he forms with Drew is deep and meaningful.
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If you are looking for a cute easy read about bookstores and romance, this one is for you. I switched off between the e-book and audiobook, and I think the audio was the way to go.

Drew has just inherited her grandmother’s bookstore and she has given up her previous life to help run the store. She is working hard to keep it running and this is when she meets Jasper White, a writer who has a book signing at Drew’s store. The local book club meddles to make sure the two meet and sparks fly!

Drew isn’t a reader at all and isn’t interested in trying to enjoy them. But Jasper creates a book bucket list to show her what’s she’s missing. She also shows him the sites around Denver and they grow close while exploring together. They get stranded on one of these and have to *gasp* share the one bed! (I love this trope!)

The other side plot is that Drew’s estranged father is made that his mother left the store to Drew. He wants to sell it and he fights hard to get it. Drew fights back and stands up for herself. I liked this novel a lot! Drew and Jasper have instant chemistry and it’s fun to see their relationship grow. Jasper added so much levity and enjoyment to Drew’s life; she was so focused on living her Grandmother’s dream for the store.

Thank you to @berkleypub for my gifted ebook. Better than Fiction is out now!

I love a bookstore romance, and the two leads were good and the cast of characters was also enjoyable

Drew Young, doesn’t like to read. She has never liked to and yet her Grandmother owned a book store, that she always went to. The bookstore was like home, comfortable and safe. Besides the books, it’s her favorite place. Drew’s grandmother passed away and leaves her The Book Nook. Drew can’t believe it, why would her grandmother do this? How is she supposed to run a bus we based on a hobby she hates? She meets all kinds of people at the bookstore, including Jasper Williams. With the death of her grandmother, her owning the bookstore and Jasper, Drew’s head starts to spin. She can’t figure out how to handle all the changes. Then out of no where her father comes looking to contest the will and Drew is at her breaking point. This was a cute book. It was a bit predictable at points but I did want to see how it ended. It seemed like so much was going on.. maybe a little to much. Overall this was a three star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and Alexa Martin for my copy of Better than Fiction, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book.

Lots of fun! Always going to read Alexa’s books. And I love the main characters reckoning with herself, the business, and her relationships with sister and grandma. And an adorable love interest!

I couldn't put it down and I didn't want to. This book lived up to every ounce of hype that I had experienced for it. This book is beautifully written; a gripping storyline with strong characters. It ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to others.

This book is a sweet, accessible romance. Nothing terribly original about it. Nothing terrible about it. It is a pleasant read for book lovers that I would recommend to bookish romance readers.

Yes. Yes. So very much yes for this delicious new romance from Alexa Martin. If I had to describe Better than Fiction in 3 words? Easy: cozy, heartwarming, steamy, and deliciously sweet. Was that four? Oh well. I love books that center around bookstores (can you say meet cute or what?), and the tenderness of our main character Drew inheriting the store from her grandmother and keeping it running with the (frustrating, intrusive) help of her grandmother's doting friends was the icing on the proverbial cake. Drew was relatable, Jasper was charming, sweet, and HOT, and the meddling grandmothers were every bit the fun you'd expect. I breezed through this one, and my only note for others is to savor it because I ate it up like a plate of nachos at Monday night bar trivia.

2.5...I know, I'm a monster. This book felt very lazy to me. There was a lack of passion. The trope was too stereotypical. No surprises. The climax was lackluster. The conversation was boring. The only part that I liked was the fact that she inherited her grandmother's bookshop. I didn't even care for the "forced dating." I received this as an arc for an honest review, otherwise, I would have abandoned.

Thank you #netgalley for the arc for an honest review.

3.5 stars. Better Than Fiction is a super cute romance between a heroine who inherits a bookshop but doesn’t read and a romance author hero! I grabbed the audio of this from the library and it was a delight!

Drew inherits her Gran’s bookstore, the Book Nook, after her Gran passes away. Drew was a travel photographer before and never really into books or reading, so she’s a little beside herself with trying to figure out how to manage the bookstore. But she wants to keep it going since it is her last connection to her beloved grandmother. The local book club ladies, known as the Dirty Birds, end up playing matchmaker and setting Drew up with Jasper Williams, a romance author they’re obsessed with! Jasper stops in at the bookstore one day for the book club and to sign books and when Drew finds out he wants to do some research while in Denver for his new book project, she finds herself playing tour guide for him. Jasper asks Drew to be his travel guide and show him around Denver and he says in exchange he’ll make her into a book lover and even gives her a list of books that will pair into the activities they do/see together.

I always have fun reading books about book lovers or bookshop owners so this was a fun one since the bookstore owner didn’t enjoy reading. I liked the setting in Colorado and how the hero was the hopeless romantic. This is only told from the heroine’s POV, so it would have been nice to see some of his thoughts but I get why it wasn’t shared too. Drew has a complicated relationship with her father, and I liked seeing her relationship grow with her half sister Daisy, who is 5 years younger and surprises Drew one day by showing up. This was a good blend of character growth and a sweet romance too.

I loved this book soo much!! I’m hoping for a number two? The characters were awesome. The whole book was just amazing

Delightfully predictable, saucy and amusing. There is a lot to fall in love with here.

For Libraries: Are you going to pass on a book-centered romance? Come on?!