This book is a love letter to book lovers everywhere. I loved the premise and the execution – a very creative women’s fiction with a twist. This one will be a big hit.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was okay. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, making the main character seem annoying at times. I did enjoy the twist and the ending.

I really wanted to love this more but I struggled quite a bit with the pacing and the romance. Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy!

This novel is every reader's dream scenario and beautifully encapsulates what it means to be a book lover. Poston's ability to create such a vivid and immersive world, where readers can easily get lost in the pages, is truly remarkable. I really related to Elsy as a reader and as someone who values a strong sense of community so much. There were some very amazing moments and quotes that book lovers will eat up!

While the pacing did slow down at times and the romance took a backseat, the heartfelt moments and poignant quotes sprinkled throughout the story more than made up for it. Elsy's journey to self-discovery within the world of her favorite book is both relatable and inspiring. I would have liked to see more development in the romance, especially given the title of the book, but the way everything wrapped up left me satisfied and with tears in my eyes. Poston has an incredible talent for storytelling, making this a must-read for anyone who appreciates getting lost in the pages of a book.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

ASHLEY! Omg!!! This book was adorable! I’m such a fan of hers- she knows how to write great chemistry between characters that you fall in love with!

English professor and romance novel aficionado suffers a devastating loss and suddenly finds herself in a town that seems like it could be straight out of her favorite romance series. It turns out this IS the town in her favorite romance series, complete with the couples she's read and shipped. Except this one annoying guy with the striking eyes; the one who knows she doesn't belong there.

If you like paranormal romance, or paranormal-adjacent romance, this is one to pick up this summer. I like how there is so much more to this than just romance, including Eileen's awesome relationship with Pru and her grief over the loss she recently experienced.

I’ve read the previous work by the author and everytime she’s blown my mind. Even though this time it took me a bit more to trust the process with the story, I ended up falling in love and wanting to cry. My heart was broken, but Ashley Poston always mends it. Another huge recommendation!

Elsy finds herself stranded in a town straight from her favorite books, the Quixton Falls series. She can place every characters story except for one, Anders.

The premise of this is fantastic, absolutely sign me up to get lost inside one of my favorite books.

I often found myself wishing I could read the Quixton Falls series because these side characters were amazing. It's truly sad to me these books don't exist because I need to know more of the details surrounding each set of characters and how they came to be. Poston did SO GOOD layering this fiction within fiction.

The only problem was I felt more drawn to them than I did Elsy and Anders. I was invested but more so to see what details she uncovers about the characters that may not have been in their book. Elsy and Anders both lacked the same excitement I felt surrounded everyone else. That may only be because Elsy's excitement for this town was contagious. I think it shifted my focus a bit too much.

It was a fun read with a bookish plot that I think this community will really enjoy!

A little bit fiction, a little bit magic...this is a sweet love story - and not just love between two people, but the love of books and the escape you can find in them. Enjoyed this one!

Ashley Poston once again spins a story that slips over into the supernatural, much like her last two adult romances. In A Novel Love Story she presents us with a heroine who is broken, stuck, and metaphorically lost. She becomes physically lost and ends up in a manifestation of a fictional town from her favorite book series. This story explores the relationship between writers, literature, and the readers, as a living, breathing creative art. It's sprinkled with thoughtful academia, framed as debates Elsy/Eileen has with other professors and characters, as well as the interaction of the fans (Elsy & Pru) with their favorite author. There is a lot of thoughtfulness woven into the story and while it is a romance and has a romantic male love interest, readers should not overlook the true story of love and friendship that Poston is giving focus to - perpetual best friends Eileen (Elsy) and Prudence (Pru). The story rabbit trails all over the town of Eloraton, with the fictional characters and the love interest, but she makes her way back to this story of friendship, loyalty, and love the last 25%. I am an Ashley Poston fan and loved what she was "speaking to" in this story. It leans more towards 'women's lit' than swoony, book boyfriend driven romance, so just be aware.
Thanks so much for the ARC!!

I didn’t *love* the end of this — felt like maybe a bit more of a “happy for now” than a “happily ever after” — but overall I enjoyed it! Definite Brigadoon vibes.

Eileen Merriweather is in a rut. Her fiance dumped her one week before their wedding. Eileen is having a hard time moving on and is comforted and escapes by reading romance novels. She is in an online romance book club with her best friend. Every year the group gets together at a cabin to eat and drink and discuss all things romance. This year no one is able to make the trip. Eileen decides to go away anyway by herself. On the way there she ends up in a town called Eloration, which happens to be where her favorite novels are set. This is how Eileen finds herself smack dab in the middle of her favorite novel, in a town populated by her favorite characters.

If you are a fan of Poston's previous works, you will love this one which features a character on a journey and a touch of magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this fun book!

A Novel Love Story was truly a book I wasn't sure how I would feel about! I have loved Ashley's other work with the plots including supernatural style themes being intriguing to me. The Dead Romantics was such a win for me and while I did really enjoy Seven Year Skip I did find it slightly underwhelming in comparison. Now when it comes to NLS - I LOVED the synopsis. Who doesn't want to live in your favourite book's plot?

In the beginning, I was unsure how I would feel about the book. I originally found Elsy to be a bit annoying. She was a bit too quirky for me. However, that changed for me as we got to know her backstory. Her reason for taking the trip to begin with. She needed an escape from her life, which is something I relate to immensely.

The secondary characters were so much fun, and I liked how the town is not what it seems. Elsy sees it as this perfect place, a place of happiness and no conflict- but as we see that is not the truth.

I did figure out the plot point of Anders rather quickly, but that did not make me enjoy his character or the plot less. Anders is the PERFECT book boyfriend. He is moody, but has such a deep backstory which made me enjoy him. Don't get me started on him wooing Elsy - there is one quote I cannot get over:

"I could serenade you with words," he supplied, taking my hand and kissing the palm of it, never letting his gaze leave mine. "If I was a poet, I could liken love to your eyes. If I was a gardener, I could plant a kiss on all the places you despise on yourself." slowly, he pulled me down on top of him, pressed against him. "If I was a writer, I could write epics to your lovely lips." He kissed me again, and his words were hot against my mouth. "If I was a painter, I could explore every bend and curve so when my eyes failed me, I would paint you by memory." His hands slid along the length of my sides, dusting softly against my thighs."

If someone said that to me, I would simply pass away. Their relationship was beautiful to see and the ending made me so happy for both of them. Healing and very much an adult relationship.

Bravo to Ashley for another fantastic read. 4/5 Stars

More than anything else, A Novel Love Story is a love letter to Romance Novels and Romance readers. This charming love story is enhanced by the use of reading Romance Novels as major plot points. Woven in the story is the way these books can allow for escape, self expression, healing, and connecting with others.

When Eileen, called Elsy, decides to go on her Book Club's yearly trip solo, she ends up stumbling across the small town from her favorite Romance series. A town that shouldn't actually exist. There Elsy is surrounded by her favorite characters and locations she's read about a hundred times. But the town seems stuck.

As Elsy meddles in the lives of her favorite characters in order to move their stories along, she may just find a way to restart her own story.

Minimal spice. Not quite fade to black, but not detailed in the scenes.

Ashley Poston is now a must read for me. This is her third book that I've read, and they all have a creative plot. If you are looking for a romance that is not your typical romance, then this story is for you. It kept me guessing as to how it was going to all turn out! I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Poston, and Berkley Publishing for my digital ARC. After a literary professor’s car breaks down in the middle of a small town, she finds herself stranded in the middle of the fictional stories that she reads! Trying to be patient while waiting for her car to get fixed, she’s forced to stay in the town she’s read in books with her book club girls who she was meaning to meet up with. But while she waits, she sees all the characters she read in the romance books come to life & isn’t sure what to do with a man who’s still trying to find his own love story. Okay I LOVED the storyline idea of the FMC practically living in the romance novels she read with her book club. I feel like with AP’s writing, I like it, but I feel like I need a little more “oomph” to get me over to five stars. I think a ton of us book lovers will enjoy this!!!!

This was such a fun addition to my Poston shelf! The premise—a romance reader falls into the small town fantasy she's always read about—is just delicious, and the way it plays out is surprisingly unexpected but with plenty of tropes to deliver on the goods. A fun, escapist, cozy, and heartwarming read. Loved it!

Ashley Poston is such a lyrical writer. I loved seven year slip and i knew this one was going to be amazing. I had to no idea what to expect going in because i don't normally read the blurbs of book i like to go in blind, and wow did it live up to my expectations! It is simply perfect for book lovers, i loved being immersed in this little world so much. Highly recommend!

I loved the premise of this book. A romance reader/lover is headed to a book club retreat but stumbles upon the fictional town her favorite book series is based off of. She meets all the characters she’s so familiar with and a new character who feels familiar but can’t quite figure out who he is. I enjoyed many aspects of the book however at times, the story fell flat for me. Like it was missing something to truly have my attention grasped. I did love all the quotes and parts that truly described being a romance reader and lover. It really made me feel seen in a special way. I liked Elsy’s character— she felt v relatable esp the parts where she was like “I can find romance in books so I don’t need it irl right?” hahaha mood!!!

I thought the characters in the town were all so cute and quirky in their own way which added excitement to the story. I do feel like the last 15ish% of the book was my fav bc it really picked up at that point. But leading up to that point— there were many moments I felt the story was too slow for me. It makes me sad I didn’t adore this book bc the seven year slip is one of my fav books of all time but it’s ok i’ll survive!!!!!!

tysm to berkley romance and netgalley for the arc!!!

I love a good fantasy, and I love a good romance. Which naturally means I am attracted to Ashley’s romance books due to her dose of magical realism she loves to throw in there. There is also something comforting about the books that she writes. Finishing her novels feels like coming home. And this one was no different. Also... what book lover wouldn’t like to escape the real world and live a few days in the books they love so much? While I did expect slightly more romance from this one, I understood the message to be not that of a ‘small town romance’. But one more so about a girl who is finding herself and recognizing that often times you must let go of the past to move forward. And sometimes you just have to take chances, even if they are the wrong ones and even if they’re scary. It’s an exploration of self-worth and self-love. I loved this theme in the novel. And the ending had me feeling the feels.

Sadly, some things did fall short for me. While I understood this books focus to not solely be the romance story, I still think the romance that was there could have been better. I just didn’t feel the connection between the characters for a long time. It felt a little weird. Then suddenly it was something. The first 60-70% of this book also seemed to drag on a bit. I wanted more to come out of Anders and Elsy’s relationship sooner. I wanted to know more about Anders. I also could understand that the friendship between Elsy and her friend Prudence was strong, but somehow their storyline just did not do it for me. I think there was just a lack of depth with some of these characters that made it hard to connect with them. The flashbacks also were sort of random it felt like at times. Or I was confused as to what was happening when it would randomly jump to a flashback for a bit. This book is probably my least favorite of hers that I have read so far. I absolutely LOVED The Dead Romantics. There was so much to that story that just stole my heart and had me in tears, the good and the sad, and so much that I could personally relate to. Seven Year Slip was also great. So naturally I loved the easter eggs tied into this book. The last 20% though is what rounded this up to a 4 Star read for me. It all came together at the last moment and made pushing through completely worth it.