⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Tropes:
✨Slow Burn
✨Small Town Romance
✨Magical Realism
✨Grief|Healing
✨LGBTQ+

•Eileen loves to get lost in her favorite romance novel. It’s her comfort book. Bound and determined to have a yearly vacation even if her friends can show this year.

•Elsy’s car breaks down after almost running a broody, handsome stranger over in a small town. A town where there is only one way in and one way out.. the town that she’s read about in her favorite incomplete novel series..

•All the characters.. the food, the menus, the waterfall.. it all matches the books. How can this be real?! It isn’t.. but the man, the one she can’t stay away from. He definitely has to be the reason she’s here.. to help him get his ending, to find his true love and then she’ll be on her way back to reality.. right? 😉

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

💬 This was a very out of the normal book for me. I love a good romance novel. But this one took me on an unexpected journey. I wasn’t sure how I felt through much of the book.. but it kept me drawn in. The message of this story is beautiful, the characters.. so fun! The ending.. exactly what I hoped for. Overall.. this book was very interesting and I dare say fun to explore.

Honestly got so confused in a lot of parts of the book. Not sure if the town is real or not. Still, I enjoyed the tension and chemistry between the main characters. I would still read Ashley Poston’s backlist.

A love letter to all romance readers, Ashley Posten captures the essence of what books mean to our souls in her newest novel, "A Novel Love Story"

In her signature magical realism style, Posten takes us into the fictional universe of our main character's favorite book series. There is incredible self exploration, lots of laughs, and most importantly, ROMANCE! So often the romance genre is overlooked, or even worse, looked down upon. "A Novel Love Story" is a perfect display of why this genre may very well be the most important of them all!

As Katherine Center would say, "Come over to the fun side"!

This is the third book I’ve read from this author. They’ve all been so different from one another but similar in that they are all quirky rom-coms with ordinary people who find themselves in supernatural circumstances. I loved them all, especially this one. It was so “meta” in its reference to romance novel fandoms and the cutesy cast of town characters that so many book series feature. I wish I could read the fictional fiction book series about Eloraton (such a weird name, LOL). I loved the grumpy book boyfriend here, and Elsy (also a weird name, short for Eileen) was flawed but relatable and non-annoying. I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Poston, oh how her books deliver such amazing premises with a dash of magic and a whole dose of emotion. A Novel Love Story has to be my favorite setting to date from her books.

A Novel Love Story begins as a romance-reading woman decides to go on a yearly cabin retreat even though her bookish friends cannot join this time around, When she gets lost along the way, she finds herself plopped right in the middle of her favorite book series's small town.

This cozy little read packs a punch with discussions about self-discovery and loss. I was head over heels for being in a small town that felt like home to me too. This book is a reader's dream.

Thank you Berkley for my gifted copy.

4.5

Thank you Berkley romance for my digital ARC!

"I think you can do whatever you put your mind to, Eileen.You're terrifying that way"

A Novel love story is truly a novel approach to write a romance as the name suggests, it is a love letter to all book lovers especially to the hopeless romantics and the dreamers. This is a beautiful book with Ashley Poston's interesting touch of "unfeasible! but what if?" which I always enjoy, I am a fantasy +romance reader so these kind of stories are like a treat. Elsy(Eileen) is going through a tough chapter in her life, when the virtual book club chat leaves the chat for an in-person getaway she is almost certain that will cure the chaos.However, life happens and everybody cancels in the last minute but that doesn't deter Elsy because she needed this time away

On her way to the cozy cabin imagining a week full of wine and fictional adventures, Elsy gets in trouble because of sudden downpour on the road and veers off on to a bridge and eventually ends up in a small town but here is the catch- it is not any town, it's her favorite fictional place ever! she is going to live every book reader's dream by literally falling into the pages of her favorite book. She knows these characters and found comfort in them plenty of times but would it be too much to hope that they would bring her similar comfort in the reality as well? or will she ends up causing a shift in their stories somehow? I really really loved this part, after first couple chapters of adjusting to the idea, I literally couldn't stop reading

There is of course romance and an ideal grumpy book boyfriend Charlie, he even owns a bookshop! like what? Elsy's search of happily ever after might have inadvertently intertwined with that of Charlie and the whole town. She heals herself as she starts softening the ripples she caused in the plot and for these characters. Another warm, cozy and hearty book by the author

This might be petty but the reason for knocking down half a star is merely because of the ungodly amount of times I had to read descriptions like "Minty eyes", "Minty gaze" and "He smelled like black tea" I think the book needed a little refinement with this redundancy

I loved the meta aspect of the story. It was so creative to have the main character of the story be the main love interest in the fictional world. I loved how the author played into the fantasy of Inserting oneself into your favorite fictional world. However, I was not sold on the romance. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Anders and Elsy. I loved every single part of the story except that.

Why was this so boring?
In theory it was everything I should have loved, but it was just so flat and shallow. I was never invested in any of the characters and the romance was so forced and awkward. Bummer.

first off, thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc! this was my second ashley poston book and i def will be reading more of hers to come! this story was just the definition of bookish and it was a fun and easy read! it was fun to escape to the book filled magic and the ending had me tearing up. def recommend for those in a cheesy romance mood

I am a huge fan of Ashley Poston's other novels, The Dead Romantics and the Seven Year Slip, but this one ended up not being quite for me, to my dismay.
I really enjoyed the magic element, but when I first started, it really took me a bit to get into the story because I was having a hard time with our MC's narration- she was feeling a little bit millenial cringey to me for some reason at first, but, that feeling went away when we got to know her better and learned more about her backstory and why she was hurting- after a couple of chapters the narration settled in for me and that feeling left me, but at first that was a little unexpected. Then I felt as though the romance aspect of the plot between Elsy and Anders was underwhelming due to my feeling of sparse chemistry beyond the surface level in their interactions. The chemistry was very lacking of that tingly spark for me, I am also not entirely sure how I feel about the third act reveal and, additionally, the time passage and what Anders was up to at the end. I know they did not have that much time to get to know each other, and the circumstances were special, etc, but this time, it was not enough for me to be able to suspend my disbelief and I did not feel the swooning electricity.
What I really loved about this story, though, was being in the world of Eloraton and the characters from Elsy's favorite books. I thought that part was very enjoyable, and I loved reading about them and the town, and how Elsy interacted with them.

Thank you for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one is for the romance book girlies, especially those of us who have daydreamed about visiting our favorite fictional small town in real life. I adored the unique and magical premise naturally, the author always writes the most whimsical and charming romances and this was no exception. At first it seems like a dream come true for Elsy to be stuck in Eloraton but can she really leave her real life behind in order to stay in this sweet little town? This series is so special and important to her, it got her through some of the worst years in her life so abandoning it seems crazy to her. The magic and power of books is the overarching theme here and I think this made the romance take a bit of a backseat but I didn’t mind. I was so charmed by the quirky town and Elsy’s personal journey the romance as almost a secondary plot point made sense for me. Another delightful read from a trusted author, a true escape in the sweetest manner.

I was wavering on whether to give this book a three- or four-star rating, but when I thought about how this book low key broke my heart and put it back together again, I knew I had to go with a four.

I loooove the premise of this novel. Who wouldn’t want to literally go into their favorite book series and hang out with all the characters they know so dearly and eat from the local diner?! And books about books will always have my heart.

Elsy was on a self-discovery journey post-breakup, and I enjoyed seeing that unfold, but I also wanted more of it. All the characters in this book are delightful, but the development and arcs were a little lacking imo. I also wanted a bit more of the magical realism element!

Fans of Ashley Poston are going to adore this one. I liked it a lot, but I think it’s missing just that little zing, that little something something that made me LOVE The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was delightful. I loved the idea of stumbling upon a real life setting of a book within your favorite series, where the cast of characters are the same AND they become your friends! That’s a book lovers dream! Or maybe a nightmare? Depends what setting you’re dropped into. I like the idea of a quaint town like Eloraton, where everyone knows everyone else. I don’t think I could stomach the hockey puck burgers, but if it meant living in a loft in a bookstore, send me out in a rainstorm, on the chance that I stumble upon my favorite book setting, please!

While this story had plenty of whimsy, I appreciated the character journey. (Come on) Eileen is going through some rough life changes and this town distraction, not to mention with a certain bookstore owner, was a deflection to dealing with her traumas directly. I appreciated the care in that her story was handled.

A NOVEL LOVE STORY is wonderful with a lot of heart, and brings forth the question - what book setting would you like to live in?

There once was a town...or was there?
Poston's novel makes you postpone reality just for a little bit. All the romance tropes are in this one. Its cute, quirky, sassy, jalapeno spicy, and just doggone adorable. I loved all the book talk and nods to "romancelandia". This book is a love letter to readers and book lovers. Its about how an author's works can reach you and allow you to suspend your real life, if just for a moment. How grief affects us and how memories (and art) can live on with loved ones and fans.
A Novel Love Story is all the romance novels and movies you've ever read, all in one place sprinkled with magical realism. Its Hotel California meets Breakfast at Tiffanys with a sprinkling of You've Got Mail.
Should you follow the script, or follow your heart?

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

On her way to her annual book club retreat (that she is actually attending alone due to a series of conflicts), Elsy gets lost in a rainstorm and finds herself stuck in a small town. A small town, which she comes to realize, is actually the setting of her favorite romance series. But the last book in the series was left unfinished when the author passed away, and the town is stuck in time where the author left off. Can Elsy help finish the story, bring the town to its happy ending, and return to her normal life? And who is the bookstore owner who doesn't want her changing anything?

This was a cute, feel-good story. I will say that my advanced copy still had several errors that took me out of the flow of reading at times. And I read this at a point where I was in a reading rut and having trouble really becoming engrossed in books so I feel like I can't trust my own review. But I found the premise to be cute and unique and enjoyed how everything wrapped up.

Overall: 4/5

"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" - A Novel Love Story This quote encompasses exactly how I feel about reading. As readers, we love getting lost inside of a book; we read to escape and this is the kind of book you will want to get lost in.

Ashley Poston is known for writing books with unique concepts that contain a blend of magic realism and this one is no different. This book is whimsical and has that nostalgic feeling. It reminds readers why they fell in love with reading. I love the way Ashley Poston writes. Her writing is beautiful and filled with moving messages about life and love. This book seems like it was meant to be a love letter to the romance genre and to romance readers in general. During a thunderstorm, the main character Eileen (aka Elsy) finds herself trapped in a small town called Eloraton. But Eloraton isn’t a real town, it’s the fictional town of Elsy’s favorite romance series. Who doesn't want to wake up in their favorite fictional world? Every reader has their own version of Eloraton they want to get lost in. I will say, this is not going to be for everyone. If you’ve never felt a deep connection to a book series so much that you’ve connected to the characters and could’ve lived inside the story forever, then this may not be the book for you. This book felt like a warm hug and I wanted to savor every word. The romance in this novel is slow-burning and sweet, with a hint of tension between Elsy and the grumpy bookstore owner, who she can't seem to stay away from. Their banter and chemistry kept me engaged and rooting for them to find their own happy ending. The side characters were fun and I loved the little dramas going on in Eloraton. The town and people reminded me so much of Stars Hollow. I would even enjoy reading more about them and see where their stories went after the end of the book. There are definitely nods to “The Dead Romantics” and “The Seven Year Slip” and that made me smile. Fans of Katherine Center, Abby Jimenez, and Emily Henry will love this. Thank you Ashely Poston, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the arc, in exchange for an honest review! I look forward to Ashley’s next book!

4.25 cute and unique plot

Elsy is a literature professor and loves books (especially romance and happy-ever- after, although she doesn’t share that fact much at work). She’s also frozen in place after her fiancé left her a week before the wedding. Even the annual book club retreat to read and discuss romance books is a bust this year. No one else can make it. And to make matters worse, her best friend is going on a quick trip to Iceland and will likely get engaged there. This leaves Elsy sorely behind and still stuck.

So what’s a girl to do? She decides to make the book club road trip alone, from Atlanta to a remote upstate New York town in her not-so-reliable Pinto. As you might expect, she doesn’t get there. She gets lost on a rainy and misty night and ends up spending the night in a strange town that she’s never been to but somehow feels familiar.

Elsy finally figures out that she has somehow ended up in the fictional town that her favorite author created, Eloraton. I didn’t spend too much time trying to make sense of how this happened, I just enjoyed the ride! I would like a few fictional towns, but not all of them!

As Elsy enjoys meeting everyone and seeing the book characters come to life, she realizes that everything is stuck in place. The author tragically died before she could complete the series. Elsy spends the most time with the bookstore owner, Anders, and debates whether she should just stay in Elaroton forever. Her car needs to be fixed first, anyway.

This one could have gone in many different directions. I liked the uniqueness of the plot and enjoyed the story. This author works for me, and I need to go back and read all of her books.

WHAT IF?

Eileen (Elsy) Merriweather loves to get lost in a good “happily-ever-after” . Reading romance novels helps her to cope with the heartbreak caused by her fiancé, Liam, who called off their wedding only a week before it was supposed to take place.

And, this year, especially, she is REALLY REALLY looking forward to going to her annual book club retreat, with her best friend, Pru, and the other members of the “Super Smutty Book Club”. She NEEDS her good friends, the cheap wine, and the grand romantic gestures found in fiction.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels eerily familiar-like it’s right out of her favorite novel-DAFFODIL DAYDREAMS-by Rachel Flowers.

But, how can that be?

In Eloraton, the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon, and lasts until midnight.

As, she begins to meet its residents, she realizes that she already knows who they are…all except for Anders, the grumpy bookstore owner with the “minty green eyes”.

Could she possibly, somehow, actually be IN the town written by the late author who unexpectedly died at age 32, before the could finish the five book series?

Could she actually be trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story? Was Anders going to be the MC of the final book, and if so, who was he meant to meet?

As it starts to feel like MAYBE it could be her, she has to wonder WHAT IF?
Is it possible to STAY?

For romance readers who have WISHED they could visit their favorite fictional small town, or WISHED they could actually date their favorite “book boyfriend”, this charming, delightful book is for YOU!! I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in Eloraton.

Do you believe in magic?

You just MIGHT after reading this book!

The only reason it earns 4 stars instead of 5 stars, is because we were TOO frequently reminded of the town’s charms, and of Anders “minty green eyes” which started to feel a bit repetitive-but that is just a very MINOR complaint!

4.5 stars! ⭐️

This was a buddy read with DeAnn and MarilynW. Be sure to watch for their AMAZING reviews for additional insight!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I feel like those people who go to museums and stare at a piece of artwork until they cry—you know those people, right? And then you ask why they're crying and they vaguely gesture to the portrait or whatever while tears stream down their face. That's me. I'm them. Just imagine me standing there sobbing horribly while wildly gesturing towards a framed picture of this book's cover.

Ashley Poston is a master at using magical realism to communicate deeper themes, and this one just hits DIFFERENT. At its heart its a book about the love we have for our favorite series and authors—but also a story about friendship, moving forward, grief, and what it means to have a happily ever after. I think any bookworm can think of a time where they've tried to envision themselves living in the world their favorite book series was set in.

Ashley Poston takes those late-night thoughts that every bookworm has and crafts them into a beautiful romance between a woman who's desperate for an escape and a man who hasn't figured out how to move forward. The cast of characters was charming, the romance tender and intimate, and the story comparable to a warm hug <3

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

What an interesting story. I had a lot of thoughts, questions, and "what the hecks" as I read the story but I mostly decided not to think too hard on some things and just enjoy the happenings. This is Eileen (Elsy) Merriweather's story, or at least it's about one of her favorite series except this time she is IN the story, a story that was started and never finished. A story that left the characters hanging, some more than others.

Elsy has been stuck herself. She thought life was pretty awesome when her fiancé asked her to marry him. When she made all the wedding plans and thought about her future married to the man of her dreams. But then something happened and it's as if Elsy's life sort of ended. Yes, she still taught at the university, she still went through the motions of living. But really, it was her best friend who pushed her to get out of bed, to go anywhere, to do anything. But now her best friend is getting married and leaving Elsy behind. Along with everyone else in their book club, even her best friend isn't going to be able to make their yearly book club get together.

Fine! Elsy will go to the remote cabin alone. Except Elsy gets lost. Not just lost but lost in the town of Eloraton, the fictional town in her favorite romance series, a series that was never finished, left hanging after the fourth book. Elsy knows almost everything about this town except for the grumpy book store owner who looks so familiar but who was very unimpressed by her accidental "meet cute" run in. Oops! Was he going to be the focus of book five? Does Elsy need to figure out how to complete the plot of book five so that she can get on with her boring, depressing life? Does she even want to leave this fictional town that she loves so much?

I'd never want to end up in a favorite series because I'm pretty sure I'd be the nameless nobody that get's murdered in the prologue...ha ha But Elsy likes it in Eloraton and she warms up to the grumpy book store owner. Plus she thinks she can "fix" some of the recurring characters, knock them out of their ruts in ways she never knocked herself out of her own ruts. I stopped my critical thinking and just let the story progress and I enjoyed it even though I'm glad I don't have to eat the famous burned burgers smothered in hot sauce, for which Eloraton is known.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.