Hovering between a 3/3.5 rating, but leaning towards the lower end due to its deviation from Poston’s usual captivating style, which has consistently been a favorite over the past couple of years. While I’m disappointed, I remain aware of her potential to deliver exceptional work, making this missed opportunity even more disheartening.

The aspects that fell short for me primarily revolved around the portrayal of the town and its inhabitants. Our protagonist’s enthusiasm for being immersed in her favorite story with cherished characters wasn’t mirrored in my experience, as I lacked the necessary connection to care about these figures. This initial disconnect hindered my engagement from the outset.

Then there’s the romance. I typically adore Poston’s romantic narratives and her ability to intertwine real-world dynamics with the enchantment of a blossoming relationship. However, in this instance, the progression felt disjointed. Despite the promise of an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine dynamic, the evolution of the romance felt abrupt and underdeveloped. Their sudden shift from animosity to affection lacked the depth necessary for me to invest in their relationship.

Nevertheless, the ending managed to evoke tears and provided a satisfying conclusion that made persevering through worthwhile. Despite my reservations, I remain loyal to Poston’s work, as her ability to infuse emotion and surprise into her storytelling is undeniable.

Recommended for those who enjoy:
❣️ Romance novels
🤓 Book club discussions
🫂 Depictions of friendships
🏘️ Small-town settings

Despite not loving The Dead Romantics, I wanted to give this a try because the premise sounded so intriguing. I was along for the ride until -redacted- stays in Eloraton. It made me mad AND sad and tanked my feelings about the rest of the book. Girl, you spent so much time hung up on the fact that your fiance left you for another woman only to end up as the second choice for someone else and you're ok with it?? Couldn't be me.

Could this be my favorite book of 2024, yes it can be! This book is so amazing, the writing, the characters, the “laugh out loud” moments, and the romance, this book has it all!

Eileen is going on a trip by herself, takes a wrong turns and ends up in the town of Eloraton, which is a town in her favorite romance series. The author of this series died before the final book was written, and Eileen wants to know how it ends.

“You’re obsessed with a fictional book series. You’re alone and you don’t want to leave.” “It says desperate to me. You want something so badly you’re willing to cling to it, to give everything up for it.”

Life—like works of art—was transformative. It persisted.

It wasn’t the end that mattered, but every word to it.

This book is everything! Emotional, Romances and Fantasy! 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! I loved this book so much! The release date is 6/25/24.

I was so obsessed with concept of this book and Eileen being transferred into the fictional town of her favorite book series, but I just did not enjoy my experience reading it. I never connected to the characters and I honestly had no clue why Eileen and Anders were even into each other cause they had zero chemistry. I’m not the biggest fan of magical realism either, so when these scenarios are not questioned it comes across as bizarre to me. I didn’t like Eileen and felt like she was too passive and Anders had the stalest personality ever. I can see a lot of other people liking this and the love of books is something all us readers can relate to.. but this book was not for me and I was honestly so bored the whole time I read it sadly.

(3.25) Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for me to review, all opinions are my own

Yet again, a beautiful idea from this author but the execution was just okay. I can’t quite put my finger on it other than the feeling you get when you think a song is going to have an amazing beat drop and it never comes. That’s how this book left me.

Definitely would recommend this book to someone who wants a quick read, cozy vibes with a bit of an emotional punch (deals with themes of grief), romantic clichés and a woman discovering what she truly desires in life.

Though there were times when I felt things were drawn out too long, especially when we would get a glimpse into the heroine's past, I know it’s necessary but I wish it was somewhat edited down seeing that it dragged on for too long and I kept waiting to go back to the present.

I absolutely adored the hero, but the heroine was quite bland and naïve. Their banter though.. I was eating it up. Ashley Poston KNOWS how to write some good banter. But something was just missing for me. It was a fun read, I giggled, some tears may have been shed, but I probably won’t remember this by the end of the year. I was really hoping this one was going to be an Ashley Poston book that clicked with me, since they always seem right up my alley until I read them and something just doesn’t go correctly.

I’m not going to give up on this author yet. I still have a bit of faith that I’ll love one… I hope :’)

This was truly an amazing novel. One about a girl who has been heartbroken and loves romance novels stumbles upon a fictional town left half written by her favorite author meets a grumpy bookstore owner who absolutely does not belong in this fictional and magical town, who from the beginning told her to not try to change anything and she believed he hated her and would ruin everything good when it reality all she did was change its course for the better. I am absolutely enamored by this novel, the story of Elsy and Anders falling in love and the pretense of this plot. Ashley Poston has broken my heart and glued it back together all within the pages of this book!

Ashley Poston has yet to disappoint, so I couldn’t wait to dive into A Novel Story. Eileen (Elsy) Merriweather loves a good romance—at least in her books; in her real life, she’s feeling lost, so even though her friends can’t come, she’s going on her annual book retreat no matter what, but when her car breaks down, she finds herself in a small town right out her favorite series… because it is, filled with her favorite characters trapped in her favorite author’s unfinished last story and Anders, a mysterious man she can’t seem to stay away from. This book is so beautiful and lyrically written. Elsy has been through so much heartbreak; she’s complex and looking for the bright side. Her wonder at being in the town of her favorite authors making is beautiful and just like a dream. The magical realism is so lovingly done. This is an ode to romance and stories. It’s just beautiful. I was able to predict the twist with Anders, and honestly I’m not 100% sure how I feel about it. I think I had a little trouble in the consistency of the romance between Elsy and Anders—I wanted more moments of them connecting. There were a lot of moments of Elsa avoiding him because of the story playing out in the town, even though he made it clear he was interested, but then there were a lot of moments of her being surprised he liked her. It didn’t totally pan out for me. But I think this is still a striking read. There’s so much heartbreak and love and beauty in the pages. It’s lyrical and about finding yourself and believing in yourself. While more a women’s fiction than an overall romance, A Novel Love Story is just really lovely.

I thought A Novel Love story was a great book. I really enjoyed the characters and setting. I just started watching Virgin River on TV and I pictured it to look similar to that small town. I typically wouldn't enjoy a book that had a fantasy aspect but was surprised to find myself glued to this book looking for the happy ending. And I did love the ending.

Hovering somewhere between a 3/3.5 rating but going lower because this one just did not hit like Poston’s other work, which has consistently been favorites of the past couple years. I’m so so sad about this but I know what kind of work she can put out and it could’ve been SO much better.

Imagine getting stuck in a storm and making a wrong turn and suddenly you find you’ve wound up in the world from your favorite book. I love this concept because I’d give anything to experience Velaris just once, so this book was the ultimate book for book lovers/readers.

The parts that didn’t work for me mostly consisted around the town happenings itself. Our main character was overly excited about winding up inside her favorite story with all her favorite characters, but we didn’t know this story or these characters. As a reader I couldn’t care about the people she cared so much about and that was a huge disconnect from the beginning.

There was also the romance. I LOVE Ashley Poston’s romances and how she weaves the real world into the magic of a relationship. But this one just did not make sense. It was semi-enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine but I never ~got~ where the romance came from. They were angry/irritable toward each other for 50% of the book and then suddenly they were kissing and confessing feelings. It didn’t feel fleshed out enough and so I didn’t care about the relationship at all.

Now, the ending actually had tears springing to my eyes and it was a pretty “worth it” ending to where I’m glad I finished (although I don’t think I could ever DNF an Ashley Poston). It was classically emotionally and surprising with just a touch of predictability. The last 15% or so really hit so good.

Read if you like:
❣️ romance books
🤓 book clubs
🫂 friendships
🏘️ small town romance

All this being said, I will be an Ashley Poston fan for life. But they can’t all be winners. 😕

okay so I want to start off by saying this is my second read by this author. I did enjoy reading this book. It was well written. I just think a few things were missing.

I didn’t really connect to both mmc I kinda felt like something was missing when it came to them both and it was the realization they both knew they were in the book. I wanted to see more chemistry and cute moments between them and sadly we didn’t get too many moments.

I didn’t like the fact that half of the book was the fmc dwelling on her past relationship. Her exes name is said 52 times!!! I also felt like the ending was a little rushed like where did he knew where to find her ?? Like those small details matter too. Their reunion should’ve been written in more detail.

It's a book lover’s dream, literally. Eileen, aka Elsy’s trip north for a solo stay at a cabin in the woods, hits an interesting snag when her car unexpectedly breaks down, and she finds herself stranded in a quaint little town that’s eerily similar to the one in her favorite romance series. Spoiler alert, but not really: that’s because it is the small town—the weather, businesses, and people just as her favorite, late author described them in her books. I’ll be honest; I thought Elsy was on something. I could not figure out what was happening, though I kept reading (at lightning speed) because the dynamics between Elsy and a grumpy bookstore were too good to stop. And as things finally came together, my heart swelled.

Mark it on your calendars, romance readers. The summer of 2024 belongs to a new queen of romance, and her name is Ashley Poston. A NOVEL LOVE STORY is the first book by Ms. Poston that I have ever read. Let's just say, she now has a new devoted reader.

Poston's latest is a novel AND a dissertation. The subtext, which gradually becomes text, assures the reader that they can read and appreciate serious "Literature" (with a capital L) AND genre books, a.k.a. romance. Another way of putting it is — The reader can be a "serious" feminist AND love to escape into books with a happily ever after ending. Fictional characters can violate the Bechdel test AND still be three dimensional individuals who want more out of life in addition to love with the right partner.

Eileen (Elsie), the protagonist, is an English professor whose job involves discussing the canon with her students and analyzing post-modernism with her colleagues. The problem? Elsie is an English professor who loves romance novels -- the smuttier the better -- and her favorite books are part of the Quixotic Falls series by Rachel Flowers. She cannot discuss her favorite genre with anyone at the university because they will judge her. Yet she craves to be among her "people." The solution? Join an online book club called the Super Smutty Book Club with her best friend Pru. Upon joining the club and quickly becoming best friends, the group takes a long vacation in a cabin in upstate New York once a year and spends the week reading, reading, and reading -- nothing but romance.

Except this year, no one is available for the annual getaway. Elsie flees to the cabin anyway because she needs this vacation. It's been a rough year for her. However, a bad storm and a half dead car prevent Elsie from making it to the cabin. Instead, she winds up in a small town where she nearly runs over Anders, the local bookshop owner, who winds up letting Elsie stay in the loft in his store.

When Elsie starts to explore the town, everything looks familiar to her. She knows the people who live there; she knows the town’s layout. And then she realizes, she is in Eloraton, the setting for her favorite romance series by Rachel Flowers.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because I want readers to fall in love with Poston’s world without any interference. Yes, the magical realism does rely on a familiar plot device — see Brigadoon and Pleasantville —but the author makes it her own. Elsie’s biggest character flaw is that she believes she is destined to be the secondary or tertiary character in her own story, always deferring to everyone else’s wishes or needs. Her development over the course of the book is not rushed, thankfully. And the climax of the story will shock you to your core.

I think the most beautiful part of Ms. Poston’s novel is the prose. With sentences like — “This man was made with tweed and argyle, and sewn together with an Oxford comma” and “He was close enough that I could smell him — cedar and black tea and, faintly, the subtle scent of a well-loved paperback. Familiar and yearning” and “The store wasn’t big, but it was intricate and tightly packed. He had to angle himself sideways a little bit so his shoulders didn’t brush the spines of the books on the shelves. It should’ve felt suffocating and small, but the store just felt cozy — like being trapped under a warm blanket” — I fell in love with Poston’s words just as Elsie is in love with words. These are just a few of the sentences I highlighted over the course of the entire novel.

I know it is much too soon in the year to make this announcement, but there is no doubt in my mind — A NOVEL LOVE STORY is my favorite romance of the year.

3.25 rounded up!

This my second Ashley Poston novel -- first being The Seven Year Slip -- and she will always draw me in with the magical realistic elements weaved within her plots. They're both so creative and add an element of mystery to the story that keeps you hooked. I also feel that while I'm not always in love with the detailed and purple prose common of her writing, it does paint a picture within the stories sometimes that gets the reader easily lost in it. I thought while the book had to take a few chapters to find its footing world building wise, once it did it was really interesting. I also enjoyed how this book skipped around in time when it needed to, and never felt necessarily jarring when we came back to the present. Additionally, as someone who has small town, romance comfort series of their own, I really loved how Eileen met all the characters that she'd read so long about. This book is also clearly a love letter to books, so as a reader I found myself smiling nostalgically when Eileen talks about how much they shaped her life in great ways. And lastly (while not to spoil yet) I didn't see the "twist" reveal at the ending coming -- the author of Eileen's favorite romance series -- despite some clues which was nice (I always appreciate being surprised until the end!).

However, this does bring me to a critique of mine, which is I felt that Eileen's obviousness was overdone, and by the third act of the book, became a bit grating. I think it's one thing for a book to be having what I enjoy and call a "secret conversation" with the audience -- where the reader can pick up on things the main character can't because we are privy sometimes to more information as a third party viewer. But, I didn't feel that that's what was happening here in regards to whether Anders was a character within the fictional series or not. This, as opposed to the author's identity, was something I felt should've been a very obvious conclusion that Eileen eventually came to before she actually did. I gave her grace, but then it became clear that her believing he was fictional needed to be a plot point to act as a matter of contention by the end of the story, which I understood but if was going to be the case should've been less of an obvious reveal. Additionally, the chemistry between Anders and Eileen. I honestly don't dislike what feels like "insta-love" as long as I'm given a reason to get behind it chemistry wise but it seemed like there was no development from Anders from being bitterly annoyed by Eileen to loving her. While that's explained a bit, I think my disbelief falls largely from how quickly they started flirting because while I found their mutual and budding friendship believable, intense love felt like a huge leap. This feeling tempered as they spent more time together, but then we're hit with the ending -- I honestly still don't know how to feel about it negatively or positively. While I thought it was a well-done reveal, it did feel like we had to see a lot of both Eileen and Anders's healing and self growth off page which felt a bit abrupt when they got together at the end. Also grief is a constantly changing emotion and I thought that was well-depicted through Anders's behavior. But the time between what felt like his re-appearance at the very end (months, but a chapter or two for the audience) and when he runs into a character that looked like his ex-wife felt like a lot to wade through. And lastly, this is very much a personal pet peeve as someone who thinks pop-culture references in fiction books should for the most part be used sparingly if not at all because of how quickly it ages the work, but the very modern ones within the book (such as the nod to Emily Henry) just felt too on the nose and a bit unnecessary to me.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this as much as The Seven Year Slip comparatively, but I do think that Ashley Poston hits the nail on the head with FMCs that feel human in their desire for something more out of life but now knowing how to, or being scared of, trying to reach for it. I would be curious to see what she releases next because I know an interesting plot is always going to be at the center!

The much anticipated next novel from the author of the beloved THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP! Like so many, I adored that book (plus her debut!) so was pretty excited for her latest. Unfortunately I think my expectations may have been just a tad too hight because I didn’t love this as much as I wanted, particularly when compared to her past work.

One thing I’ve really loved about Ashley Poston’s stories is how she adds some magical elements into the romance because it gives it a bit of a whimsical and special feel. This was no different as the premise revolves around our MC, Elsy, and who she finds herself living in the town of Eloraton from her favorite fictional romance series. In some ways, this felt like an ode to reading and how fictional stories, places, and people can really transports readers and influence them in many ways.

While I liked the idea of ending up smack dab in the middle of a favorite book / series, in some ways I wished for more develop in this story. I never really feel that connecting to the town and its characters and I just felt like there was so much more potential.

The other thing that I struggled with was the romance plot. While I liked the love interest, Anders (I mean he’s own a bookstore, come on!), and some of the mystery behind his role in Eloraton, I didn’t really feel the spark and tension between him and Elsy so I had a hard time fully buying into the romance. It was also very much a slow burn which probably didn’t help my feelings for it.

There was a tiny twist at the end which made things interesting, but I did still feel little unsatisfied with how things wrapped up and found myself craving more. Aside from all that though, I did appreciate the themes of the story about self love and discovery, and prioritizing yourself and your own happiness.

I’m sure others will still love this one and I’m very eager for more from this author!

Thank you Berkley and Ashley Poston for the gifted digital ARC!

This was a cute, light read, perfect for summer which is when it is going to be published. I admittedly was not as emotionally invested in this one as I was with her other novels, but that could very well be a case of "it's not you it's me."

I absolutely loved that the main character found herself stranded in the fictional town of her favorite book series. As an avid reader this was a really fun premise.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the number of times the male MC's eyes are referred to as "minty." I found it kind of distracting as it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. (21 times if anyone is curious).

A Novel Love Story pub date is June 25.

Ashley Poston is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is lush, vivid, and gorgeous overall. I will read anything she writes and I think the romance babes will easily love this one. A perfect summer read.

I had really high expectations for this book. The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip were both five star reads that i BINGED in a day and I went into this book expecting a new favorite. However, it just didn’t hit the same.

I’ll say first that i love the concepts Ashley Poston uses for her books. In this one, the main character (Eileen) finds herself in the fictional city of her favorite book series, which was never completed due to the author passing away. There, she finds Anders, whom she doesn’t recognize from the book. I thought this was such a fun concept and was curious to see how it would be executed. I also find Poston’s writing style so comforting and I can never get enough of it.

What I didn’t enjoy, on the other hand, was the main character. I found her annoying at times, and I felt she was out of place in many occasions. Like what do you mean you’ll tell the waitress (Ruby), <b> WHO HAS NEVER SPOKEN TO YOU </b>, that she doesn’t need to “settle” and should chase her dreams. Ngl I can’t blame Ruby for telling her to fuck off😭 I felt like Eileen kept trying to be the main character of the story delivering the big speech that unlocks the answers to everything.

Anyways, though this wasn’t my favorite book of Poston’s, I’m still super excited to see what she comes up with next🫶 Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I think this is a generous 2.5, which I had initially rounded up to 3 stars but it just honestly... doesn't quite deserve that.

I was disappointed with this book. I loved Dead Romantics and while I haven't read the seven year slip yet, its gotten SO MUCH love, that I anticipated this book being a smash. Its... not. The book, overall, feels rushed, like all involved with it were running to get this out while love for SYS was still in the booksphere. That is to the book's detriment. It feels like, and reads like, it needs a couple of more editing passes (which, to be fair, could still be happening or have happened to a version of this book that is not the epub I read). It needed time to decide what was going on.

Poston once again dives into a bit of magical realism, which as a premise in this book is very cool, but the execution leaves me with more questions than anything. The main characters of Elsy and Anders, especially Anders, feel unfinished and while that could be the point, it, once again, is not executed well. Anders in particular is very jarring and I really can't tell what kind of MC Poston wanted him to be. He's devoid of much emotion at one point and suddenly calling Elsy sweetheart in another. Its... hard to take.

There is a lot being said about romance novels in this book and honestly, it got a little preachy at times. There's a lot being said about not losing yourself in another person (or book) and finding your path, but it never QUITE gets to the point without once again sort of preaching at the reader.

Overall, disappointed in this offering, but it was a sweet premise and I'm sure a lot of people will truly love and savor it.

“A Novel Love Story” is a very comforting romance read. There were some slower paced chapters in the middle of the book, but I loved the concept. I wish Anders’ courtyard had been slightly better explained. I still don’t understand why it was the only place in town that had cell service. Throughout the book, I inferred that Anders was truly the author of the Quixotic Falls series, writing under a pen name. It was unexpected to find out that Rachel Flowers was actually his fiance. I wish that Anders had never backtracked on his commitment to Elsy when Bea came into town. It made me lose some respect for his character, and somewhat weakened the impact of the final scene that Elsy and Anders share in her new book store. I appreciated how easy it was to visualize every scene of this book, especially the waterfall.

I think the writing in this book was incredible, the use of imagery completely transported me into the story and it was by far the best part. I did not connect with any of the characters or the romance so I did find myself bored at times and I didn't always want to pick It up. The concept was incredible and I think it was well executed I just couldn't mesh with the characters. I would've liked a different ending, maybe if the book was more of a fiction story than a romance but overall there were good and bad elements.