ashley poston has done it again with her latest novel, weaving a heartfelt and enchanting love story that seamlessly blends emotional romance with magical realism. from the very first page, i was captivated by eileen merriweather's journey and the quaint, mystical town of eloraton.

when life hits rock bottom—pain from a breakup, a job you despise, and feeling left behind while everyone else finds happiness—who wouldn't crave an escape to a fictional small town created by their favorite romance author? that's precisely what happens to elsy, albeit accidentally, and it's the beginning of a tale that's as magical as it is moving.

poston's storytelling shines with its emotional depth and lighter tone, focusing on self-discovery rather than the heavy grief present in some of her previous works. this shift doesn't detract from the story; instead, it offers a refreshing exploration of healing and finding one's path after loss. elsy's character is wonderfully relatable, embodying the struggle many face when trying to move forward after an unexpected life event. her journey resonates deeply, whether you're grieving a relationship, job, or friendship.

the town of eloraton itself feels like a character, with its charming quirks and timeless atmosphere that reminded me of stars hollow but with an extra touch of magic. poston's attention to detail is evident, as every aspect of the town and its inhabitants serves a purpose in elsy's journey. the side characters add richness to the story, creating a vibrant small-town romance vibe that i absolutely adored.

initially, i hesitated to give this book a full five stars, wishing for a deeper exploration of anders, the grumpy bookstore owner. however, once his backstory is revealed, it brilliantly ties together his closed-off demeanor, adding depth and understanding to his character. this revelation was a turning point, fully developing anders and solidifying my love for the story.

while i noticed some repeated descriptions, this is an arc copy likely undergoing further revision, and it didn't diminish my overall enjoyment. the themes of healing, self-discovery, and finding home are beautifully interwoven throughout the narrative, making every detail purposeful and impactful.

ashley poston has crafted yet another masterpiece that left me both heartbroken and hopeful. this novel is a testament to the power of love, the magic of second chances, and the importance of finding one's own path. i wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in need of a magical escape and a heartfelt, emotional journey.

thank you to berkley publishing, ashley poston, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

BEST CONCEPT EVER!!!!!!!! Literature professor stumbles into the town from her favorite romance series and needs to help bring the town to it's storybook ending, enough said!!!! I absolutely loved Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston and knew that this one would be a slam dunk as well, I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much but that's more to do with how much I loved Dead Romantics rather than this book failing in any way. Basically the town is stuck in a never ending loop and when our heroine Eileen crashes into town everything starts to move forward. She's in the final manuscript that the author never finished because she died a couple years previously, so what else is a girl to do but help guide everyone in town to their HEAs! This is a grumpy/sunshine romance, Eileen finds herself at odds with local bookstore owner, Anders, who wasn't in any of the previous books! He sees the ripples she's causing in town and doesn't like it one bit, but Eileen won't let that stop her from saving him! It was just such a beautiful story, as I've come to expect from Poston, easily one of the best books of the year!!

Eileen Merriweather is a huge romance reader and loves to get lost in the pages of her favorite small town series. She's been looking forward to the annual retreat she goes to with her romance reading friends. Except...everyone seems to have plans this year and Eileen is the only one going. She gets in her car to head up to the cabin only to find herself lost when her car breaks down in a charming small town.

Eileen soon finds that the town is none other than the fictional town in her favorite romance series - Eloraton. She knows all of these characters except for one...a grumpy bookstore owner named Anders. Who is he and why is he in the small town she knows?? Was he part of a love story that was left incomplete when the author of Eileen's favorite books passed away tragically in a car accident. Eileen tries hard not to meddle in the characters lives, but when they ask for help she has a hard time saying no. When Eileen finds herself getting closer to Ander it gets harder and harder for her want to leave. Does she want to live in a fictional world for a little while longer or get back to the real world that's full of heartbreak?

A Novel Love Story had a really slow start for me. Unlike Ashley Poston's other books, I couldn't immediately get into this one. I do feel like this story was maybe a bit more lighthearted as well. I'll be honest - I didn't really feel the connection between Anders and Eileen until like the last quarter of the book. The romance in A Novel Love Story is definitely a subplot, although I did like the way it played out in the end. The storyline itself felt a bit disjoined and the pacing felt off. Still I connected with Eileen as a romance reader - I felt so much of what we got to see her meeting her favorite author or talking about a romance book she absolutely fell in love with.

Overall, I would give A Novel Love Story 3.75⭐️. Not my favorite Ashley Poston book, but still enjoyable!

the premise (like all ashley poston's adult speculative romances) drew me in immediately! it's every book lover's dream to find themselves inside their favorite book and then have their own romance story evolve from there. so to say i was excited was an understatement!

but sadly this was not the win i was expecting.

i think if i didn't love the dead romantics and the seven year slip so much, this book would have been so cute and magical. BUT bc i love those books so much, i was expecting the same feelings those two books evoked from me, and it just fell short.

now that's not to say i didn't enjoy this book! putting aside my own expectations and history with poston's work, it was well done! i loved the small town aspects and the foundation built between the main romance, and of course the magical elements. she also really captured the spirit of being a book lover and loving romance and HEAs, but there was just something missing for me.

i think if this was the first book i read from her or if it was written by someone else entirely, i would have loved it more. this is my own problem, but this book honestly just doesn't compare to the dead romantics or the seven year slip for me!! this is very much a pp (personal problem) and i think majority of readers will love this book.

overall i enjoyed this book but i just wish i loved it more

thank you berkley romance for this earc! it comes out 6/25!

While I adored "The Seven Year Slip" by this author, this latest book missed the mark for me. I’m even shocked myself to give it this rating. But I could not enjoy this book simply because the romance was heavily lacking, there was simply no chemistry between these characters whatsoever. How did we go from them disliking each other to them suddenly acting all lovey and giving each other nicknames. Their feelings for each other just came out of no where. It might be because I love angsty books filled with tension, but this one just didn’t do it for me or deliver. Also the use of repetitive phrases got so grating. I think we got it the first 10 times that he has “minty eyes" Oh how I could I forget, He also smells like black tea and cedarwood!!!!

On the plus side, I did really enjoy the ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book explored intriguing themes! I absolutely loved the idea of being stuck in your favorite book series. However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and at times I felt the descriptions were very repetitive. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other romance readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

(3.5⭐️) This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and no one is more upset than me that it wasn’t a five star read.

I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t feel connected to the characters. It felt like we were introduced to too many at once, and though the MC Elsy knew these characters well, I as the reader didn’t, and it felt more like I walked into the middle of a story I didn’t know. Overall I just wanted to feel more for the characters and their situations, and I needed more chemistry between Elsy and Anders.

That said, I did really like the premise of the story. Who hasn’t wanted to stumble into their favorite book?! The small town vibes were high, and it felt very cute and cozy. I also liked how strongly Elsy championed for what she liked, and how much love she had for romance.

This was a bit of a miss for me, but I can see other people enjoying it more than I did.

I loved this book! I loved the setting and characters. I loved the slight mystery of who Anders is/was. I loved the change in Eileen and how she handled the 'break up,' which didn't feel like a break up. It felt so adult and was honestly refreshing. This may be my favorite Ashley Poston book to date.

4.5/5 stars rounded up.

This book was so cute!

I had never read any of Ashley Poston’s books before, but you can be sure that I will go back and read all of them now.

Although some elements of the plot were a bit predictable and the relationship progressed a bit too fast for my liking, A Novel Love Story was fun, hopeful and addictive. The characters were all loveable and, most importantly, the chemistry between Elsy and Anders was really sweet and believable. I also loved the element of a fictional town coming to life. Oh, what I would give to experience something like that!

I was so invested in the story that I couldn’t put the book down. In fact, I probably would’ve read it in one sitting if I hadn’t fallen asleep last night. And it left me in a great mood after I finished it. It was just the pick-me-up read that I needed after a couple of duds.

This would be a perfect addition to anyone’s summer TBR!

There was a lot I wanted to love about this book. I thought the surroundings and scenes were described so well and it was very easy to picture what was going on inside my head. However, I just felt like I couldn't like or relate to any of the characters? The character development slightly missed the mark for me. I will still continue to read Poston's books in the future though!

Ashley Poston has a way of sucking you into her books & wanting to live in them. This is a novel for romance lovers as it's set in a fictional romance town.
I will admit I didn't love this one as much as her previous books. I think I just connected to the other ones more. The romance I also didn't love in this one but as always Poston's books are whimsical, adorable and oh so romantic.

2.5 rounded up bc I still love you, AP but this wasn’t it 💫🫠

✨a book within a book…kind of
✨magical realism
✨an ode to romance books
✨small town / he owns the local bookstore
✨personal growth after loss

I TRIED to love it because I’ve loooved her other books but I was honestly just bored, the romance was bleh, the tension or chemistry just didn’t exist. There was never an explanation for anything unless I missed it?? 😅 the third act conflict didn’t make much sense, I never felt connected to literally *any* of the characters?

The premise behind this was SO cool! And there WERE moments that were good but overall I feel let down 🙃

A Novel Love Story turned into a "novel un story" as I continued reading Ashley Poston's latest novel. As a huge fan of her other works, I was so excited to dive into this newest and discover the whimsical town she created. However; I ended up "not finishing" this book around the 62% mark as I was not getting any real romance/love vibes from either character. I do feel this may have been a "wrong time" sort of read for me however; and may pick it back up at a later time.

📖 Stuck in a Book: Coming June 25 📖

A whole book about a reader getting magically transported into the idyllic setting of her favorite romance series?! SIGN. ME. UP.

@heyashposton knows just want my magical-realism-loving heart wants every single time. Elsy’s book retreat turned real life romance novel (like- actually) was both a dream and a look at why so many of us turn to stories that end in Happily Ever After, as she has to ask herself if being lost in happy endings has kept her from reaching her own.

*Stefon voice* This book’s got everything. Grumpy handsome bookstore owner, small town shops that sound straight out of a Hallmark movie, unexplored storylines, snarky best friend. If you’re a rom com person, this is a love letter directly to you.

Quick summary:

After the WORST year, Elsy ends up going on her book club’s yearly retreat on her own. Getting dumped a week before her wedding, an unfulfilling job, and seeing your friends move on with their lives means she’s escaping to a cabin with snacks, wine, and her favorite book series set in the quaint fictional town of Eloraton. Well- until her car breaks down and she finds herself there with the whole cast of characters she’s grown to love.

Big thanks to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the chance to read this in advance in exchange for a review! Pre-order your copy from your favorite indie bookstore through @bookshop_org , snag the audio on @librofm , or request that your local library gets a copy!

#bookstagram #readersofinstagram #newreleasebooks #bookish #bookreview #romancereader #romancebooks

I loved the last few chapters of this so it feels weird to give it a 3 (a fairly low rating for me in general)! But I just couldn’t seem to connect with the story or really any of the characters. I didn’t even buy into the romance until the end. This took me two weeks to finish because I just wasn’t all that jazzed to pick it up. Which was a real bummer because I love Ashley’s writing, and the premise of this was incredible! This truly is a love letter to books - romance books specifically. And I love that! But we just didn’t real vibe. I think it’s a me issue and not anything “wrong” with the book. I would definitely still recommend to small town, romance lovers!

Ashley Poston is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I wasn’t sure anything could top The Seven Year Slip; but this one is seriously close. Such a unique premise! Absolutely adored it.

Ashley Poston has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors. The way she weaves magical realism into her stories leaves you begging for more because they are so profoundly unique. I’d actually love to see all three of her books on the big screen. Hollywood is in need of some fresh ideas.

This might be Ashley’s most unique story yet. For me it was a love letter to small town romance books and the readers who get lost in them. 🥰 If you love small town romance books or the tv shows that bring us the quaint towns that you want transport yourself into (Gilmore Girls, Hart of Dixie, etc) then you are going to love this one!

Elsy literally one day stumbles into a small town on her way to a remote cabin. She quickly realizes this is no ordinary small town, however. It’s the fictional town of Eloraton, which is the setting of her favorite romance book series by Rachel Flowers who passed away two years prior before finishing the series. Is she here to help the characters find their happily ever after?

Ashley’s writing is just so whimsical, beautiful and deep. I don’t highlight much when reading books, but there were several lines that stood out to me. This book was not strictly a romance, so if you are looking for a heavy romance then you may be disappointed, but that’s one reason I loved it so much. My two reasons for knocking off half a star is that it did get a tad slow in the middle of the book, and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. It was a bit confusing at times.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️-I loved it!

⚠️Content Warning:
🤬: some language
🔥: 🌶️🌶️-two mild open door scenes

In A Novel Love Story, Ashley Poston has written a cozy romance within a book about a cozy romance. I've never felt cozier. A Novel Love Story never quite gripped me the way her previous work has, but I still finished it all in one sitting.

“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. ... The moment was so unassuming, so normal. Sometimes, that’s how it happens. Sometimes your favorite book just hits you out of the blue like a bolt of lightning.”

“Not all love happens at first glance - sometimes, it takes a reread at the exact right (or wrong) time in your life.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was an absolute delight. Tender, vulnerable, magical and both heartbreaking and heartwarming, A Novel Love Story was the ultimate summer comfort read. I laughed, I teared up, and I highlighted so many passages!! Finding myself in the setting of my favorite book series sounds like a dream, but I also appreciated how Poston acknowledged that simply living in the pages and keeping your heart guarded there, isn’t really living. As Elsy acknowledges, “But life moves on. Everything moves on. I want to move on. I’m tired of living the same page every day. I want something new.”

Books can be a comfort when you’re sad, lonely or brokenhearted, but I loved that both Elsy and Anders realized that true healing comes from opening yourself up to change, new beginnings, and potentially more loss.

“No, if you loved something - someone - sometimes you had to let them go. Love - true love - always came back.”

I not only loved Elsy and Anders, but also Pru, Jasper, and the characters of the Daffofil Dreams series that Elsy formed friendships with. I also loved how Eloraton functioned as a character in and of itself. Quaint and simple on the outside, it managed to house some important lessons within its slow summer days.

Most of all, though, I loved the pure magic embedded in this story and brought to life by @dorothydblue ‘s incredible narration!! It lit me up from the inside out, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Grab this one June 25th!

3/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

I’m so bummed. I loved The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, and I had such high hopes for this one. Alas, this one wasn’t the same. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and also didn’t feel the chemistry between the two MCs. Additionally, some of the descriptives were repeated over and over again (“minty gaze”) to the point of nuisance. I really loved the concept of this book - the idea of getting to live inside your favorite book is a dream but this just didn’t hit the marks for me. I was invested in the beginning, lost interest and skimmed quite a bit of the middle, and then got back invested towards the very end. Overall, unfortunately wasn’t a fav.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for this free e-ARC in exhange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

What to expect:
✨grump vs. sunshine
✨small town romance
✨rom com