**3.5-stars rounded up**

Elsy Merriweather has a few things in her life she knows she can count on: her best friend, Pru, their shared love of Romance novels, and their annual book club retreat. Elsy, a literature professor, loves getting lost in the pages of a happily-ever-after story, even if she feels like she'll never live one herself. Been there, tried that. But things are changing. Pru is on the cusp of getting engaged, her upcoming trip with her boyfriend unfortunately falling on the same week as the book club retreat. Additionally, the rest of the book club has sent their regrets for this years trip; everyone is busy.

Elsy needs the retreat though, whether or not anyone else will be attendance. She decides to go, solo-road trip it to the remote cabin, where she will drink copious amount of wine and read all the Romance. Honestly, this sounds like heaven to me too, so I was fully supportive of Elsy's plans. On her way there though, her car breaks down and she finds herself stranded in a quaint little town that seems all too familiar. It's Eloraton, the small town setting of her favorite Romance series! How the heck is this possible? Eloraton is a fictional place, yet here she is...

Rachel Flowers, the author of the series, passed away while writing the final novel, so the story was never finished. Because of that, Eloraton is trapped in time, where everything remains the same even as time passes. Elsy feels like that could be the reason why she's ended up here. To help the town, and thus all the people in it, find their perfect storybook ending. There's a character she doesn't know however, and wasn't counting on, a grumpy bookstore owner named Anders, with minty green eyes, and his own reasons to want the town to continue on forever just the way it is.

We follow Elsy, trapped in her favorite fictional town, as she meets the characters she has grown to love over the years of reading this series. It's so cute, because it's like she's meeting celebrities. Of course, they have no idea how infatuated she is with all of them, or why.

I really did love this set-up. It's so Poston, to have such a creative and quirky twist to an otherwise normal Contemporary Romance story.
I appreciate how unique Poston's style is now. She's really created a nice little niche for herself within the genre and her writing is so distinct. You could tell this was one of her books just from the writing and characters alone.

I did enjoy the dynamic between Elsy and Anders; their back-and-forth was entertaining and there was definite chemistry smoldering away.
The middle portion wasn't quite as exciting for me as some of Poston's other works. I found some elements a bit repetitive and there were times that I wanted more actual substance from her interactions with the townspeople. I wish it could have had some more drama in that regard. The highlight of this for me was the growth of Elsy's character over the course of the story. She comes to some solid revelations about her life while she's in Eloraton, and I especially enjoyed the exploration of her friendship with her best friend, Pru.

With this being said, this is still an amazing story. I am just comparing it, maybe unfairly, to The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, both of which I 5-star level loved. So, while this isn't my favorite of Poston's Adult Contemporary novels, it's still hella cute and enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend it to all Contemporary Romance Readers, particularly if you've enjoyed Poston's style in the past. There's just something so cozy and comforting about her stories. It's almost required to cuddle up under a blanket with a hot drink to read them.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me a copy to read and review. I always look forward to Poston's new releases and this didn't disappoint!

Ashley Poston’s The Seven Year Slip was one of my favorite reads last year, so you can only imagine how excited I was for A Novel Love Story — a story revolving around a fictional literary town come to life. Every year, Eileen looks forward to escaping her life and running away with her romance book club — which is why when the rest of the book club is unable to make it this year for one reason or another, she decides to embark on the trip by herself. Accompanied with a box of her most beloved books, a bottle of wine, and her overnight bag, she’s woefully unprepared when her car breaks down right outside of a small town that feels eerily familiar to Eloraton, the town in which her favorite romance series is set. And the town’s residents? The characters from that very same series, living out the same plotlines and frequenting the same haunts — bar one. The only exception is the town’s grumpy bookseller, Anders, who doesn’t seem to be a character from the books, and also is the only other person aware of, well, everything.

In a way, A Novel Love Story reminds me of Schmigadoon (or Brigadoon, if you’re familiar with the movie/musical), meets a town like Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow, with the characters in Once Upon a Time. And I adored it. The world that Poston has crafted is utterly charming; no wonder Eileen was so entranced by the town of Eloraton. And like all stories that involve a book within a book, Poston has to keep the reader invested in both stories, while also making sure that the reader isn’t overly invested in the other story. I personally think that Poston does a decent job of keeping the reader invested in the characters and plot line of Quixatic Falls without overshadowing the events of A Novel Love Story.

The townspeople of Eloraton was definitely a highlight for me, but I also just loved reading about how they interacted with Eileen, and more so, Anders. Anders was such a lovely contrast to Eileen, and I found myself more invested in his storyline and how he fit into the world of Eloraton at times, over Eileen’s character arc. While I loved the concept of A Novel Love Story, and found the love story between Anders and Eileen incredibly endearing, I felt quite disconnected from our protagonist, Eileen. By now, I’m used to associating Ashley Poston’s novels with themes of grief and self-discovery, but also found myself frustrated with the lack of growth for Eileen. I think the story got a little repetitive at times, and I just struggled to feel fully invested in A Novel Love Story.

Overall, I would still recommend A Novel Love Story — it wasn’t my perfect story, but I did still find my visit to Eloraton delightful, and hope that others can connect to this delightful world better than I could.

The first thing I did when I finished this book - like, the VERY first thing - was preorder a copy for myself. That’s how much I loved it. I had to purchase my own copy to flip through whenever I need to visit Elsy and Anderson and the town of Eloraton, NY. I don’t know Ashley Poston personally (only what she shares publicly), but I feel like she writes specifically for me. Each book feels tailor made to who I am and where I am in life right now. It’s life imitating art, I suppose, and I’m so grateful.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.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.