Interesting concept of what happens when you end up in the fictional world of your favorite book, but fell a little short with the main character's viewpoint. Elsy made a lot of assumptions and internalized everything, making for a somewhat frustrating read. Overall, the setting and the characters of the town are what made this book work.

Okay but I'd never leave if I was living in my favorite book series, sorry friends😂

The setting for this book is every reader's dream! I'd love to meet all my favorite characters and become friends with them. And that's exactly what Elsy gets to do! Granted, some upsetting circumstances lead her there and it's not all sunshine and happiness but still an overall fun, cozy time. This is the first book I've read by Ashley Poston and I definitely enjoyed it. It's an easy read with a little bit of romance but mostly figuring out how to move forward after certain setbacks. Both Elsy and Anders have to learn to come to terms with their grief and start living in the real world again. While I didn't find it to be a super romantic book, it was still a fun, unique story about self discovery with lots of moments and memories bookish fans will relate to and it's very well written. Plus, I love that Elsy and Anders are both bookish(:

If you like magical realism, romance books as an escape, forced proximity, kinda enemies to lovers, small town vibes and are looking for a sweet, cozy read, check this one out!

Thank you Berkley for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very soothing, immersive romance read - our protagonist, Eileen, ends up taking a wrong turn on a rainy drive and is shocking to realize that she has found herself in the cozy small town from her favorite romance series. Of course, there's a grumpy love interest there and Eileen is in for quite an adventure.

Ashley Poston has established herself as a genre author that does very creative spins on certain imaginative situations (time travel, accidentally entering the small town your favorite book is based in), and I find myself really looking forward to what she'll come up with next! This was yet another great novel from Ashley Poston!

Thank you Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

At this point, Ashley Poston can do no wrong in my eyes. I started with Geekerella and haven’t looked back. Her books have made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with her storytelling. A Novel Love Story is no exception, delivering a delightfully light-hearted romance that feels like a nostalgic fairy tale rom-com movie from the 2000s. (I keep thinking of a reverse Enchanted!)

In this charming tale, Eileen Merriweather, a literature professor with a passion for fairy tales, finds herself literally living inside her favorite book world. Stranded in Eloraton, a quaint town from a beloved romance series, Eileen discovers that the town is frozen in the pages of an unfinished story. She’s drawn to the enchanting, if not peculiar, setting and is determined to help the town find its happy ending.

The twist? There’s a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes and an irritatingly sexy mouth who’s not thrilled about her interference. As Eileen navigates this magical town, she realizes her own happily-ever-after might be intertwined with Eloraton’s fate.

This book is a perfect blend of whimsy and romance, wrapped up in Poston’s signature charm. I adored every moment of it and can’t wait to see what she writes next. Plus, Ashley is such a gem to chat with, her warmth and enthusiasm shine through in her work!

When Eileen gets caught in a storm and veers off the road she ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere. For some reason this town seems kind of familiar and so do the people. When she needs somewhere to stay for the night the grumpy, but cute guy at the end of the bar offers up the loft in his bookshop. The next day she realizes she is in the town of her favorite book series with all of the characters of her favorite books, but this can’t be real life, can it?

While I have never been much of a fan of magical realism books, there is just something about Ashley Postens books that sucks me in and makes me feel all of the feels. I just love them so much. I fell in love with The Dead Romantics and now the same with this. I just loved the story in the story and I loved all of the characters.

Also I was lucky enough to meet her and get my book signed a few weeks ago which was super cool!

I don't like fantasy that much and I don't like rom coms that much - but how in the world did this combo fantastical rom com hit just right? A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston is a book that I have been wanting for quite awhile. It was a sweet book that I breezed through and I am glad I had the opportunity to check it out.

This book was a bit of a miss for me. I thought the premise was so intriguing, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two love interests. I wish it leaned more into the magic of this town that's the setting of a book series. I just found some of the conversations to be really clunky and unrealistic. I wanted more from this one overall. It was a fun read and kept me interested while driving, but makes me nervous to pick up more from this author. 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars for me.

This is not what I was expecting at all; a sweet romance with deep emotions and a life lesson. Poston, with her last two books, had become an author I expect romances with fantasy elements and profound story lines that really make me take a moment of self reflection. That was not that.

But for what it was, I liked it. It was silly and over the top cheesy, but it also had a lot of heart.

It was, at first, frustrating that the whole situation (being in a fictional town with fictional characters) was never really explained…. But I actually had a good time, so I can try to ignore that.

It kinda felt like Barbie world to me. Theres really no explanation, it’s just there, and it’s magical!

"He tasted like mints and black tea."

I really wanted to love this book. I was so looking forward to its release. Who wouldn't want to get stuck in the small town of their favorite book series? This premise had all the makings for my next favorite book.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me. I struggled to get through this book. I even switched formats from audio to ebook hoping there was something missing in translation. There wasn't.

There were fun character interactions but the repetitive & cringe moments beat them out. One more mention of his minty eyes and smelling like black tea (even though Elsy doesn't even like black tea) and I would have cried. If this wasn't an Ashley Poston book & an ARC, I would have put it down. I kept hoping to find the quintessential great book spark, but for me it was elusive.

Thank you PRH Audio & Berkley for giving me the ARC. I was so hoping this honest review would turn out to be different.

How would you react if you could be trapped in your favorite novel? This book explores this idea which I found to be an adorably cute concept.

This book was a decent read, but not one of those romances that you just get lost in. It was a bit slower in parts where there was a bit of repetition, but overall I found it enjoyable. I wish there had been less description surrounding the way he smelled/tasted/looked, but I realize that's totally subjective.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc copy.

I really liked Ashley Poston's first book, and I was somewhat a fan of her second...but this one just didn't do it for me. I don't know if it was me or it was the story, but I was not invested in this from the first chapter. I stuck with it because I'm normally a big fan of this publisher, but I just didn't like this book much at all.

I do think Ashley Poston is a wonderful writer, though, and if you were a fan of her first two books (or just love her), then you will probably like this one! It just wasn't for me.

Oh, how I adored this rom-com! Ashley Poston is a new favorite and this one was such a delight. I loved all the talk about books and storytelling and thought that the setting in a fictional town was so clever. I just wanted to crawl right into the town (and/or find a series I'm obsessed with to read, just like Elsy). I thought Elsy and Anders were quite cute together, and I enjoyed the pull of mystery about how things were going to play out that kept me turning pages.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC of A Novel Love Story. I fell in love with Ashley Poston through The Dead Romantics but she solidified herself as an all-time fave with The Seven Year Slip. Of course, that meant that I had super high expectations for A Novel Love Story, which then became its downfall. It had the classic Ashley Poston in it, but it just didn't have the fully charm and romance that only Ashley Poston could nail from the first two books. It was disappointing but still a good read overall.

Romance & magical realism unite with a love story that blurs the lines of reality and captivates your heart.

I am a sucker for Ashley Poston’s stories and how seamlessly she weaves magical realism and fantasy into romance. Both of her previous books, The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, were in my list of top reads the year they published. i couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book where the characters were living in a book setting brought to life. It was reminiscent of the TV show Once Upon a Time & honestly, isn’t that a bookworm’s dream? It’s definitely one of mine.

Eileen is at a crossroads in life after being dumped a week before her wedding. She wants nothing more than to enjoy her annual book retreat. Unfortunately, all her book friends bail at the last minute so she decides to go alone to drown her sorrows by losing herself in book boyfriends and HEAs. Her plans take un unexpected turn when her car breaks down and she finds herself in Eloraton - the fictional town from her favorite book series.

Add in a dramatic “meet cute” with Anders, the town’s grumpy bookstore owner when she almost runs him over, and a cast of side characters that she already feels like she knows and loves from having read the series. But, Elsy soon finds herself creating unexpected ripples in this fictional world with her presence and advice.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and living out the fantasy of being dropped into a book through Elsy.

I don’t know how Ashley Poston does it, but she just whips out one epic book after another!

The book follows Eileen (who goes by Elsa), who’s still trying to heal after a breakup - and after her friends bail on her get-away reading weekend, she decides to do it by herself because there’s nothing like falling into a love story.

On her way to the air b&b, she finds herself in a town that seems familiar. And realizes that she’s in her favorite series and she meets a grumpy bookstore owner: Anders. Except, he doesn’t belong in the magical little town of beautiful characters either.

I am obsessed with Ashley Poston. I would read her grocery lists. This book absolutely lived up to my expectations. Just the coziest of fantasy romance with that signature realism that makes it all seem very possible. And setting a book within a book?? A readers dream, honestly.

I loved parts of it, and didn’t love parts of it. 3.75 stars. Because I love Ashley’s writing and poetic storytelling I saved about 20 quotes from the story. The idea of the book is so lovely, but overall the story fell a bit flat for me and I ended not really rooting for the two main love interests to be together.

4 Stars!

This was essentially a love letter to romance books. I loved it so much! Like who wouldn't want to live in their favorite romance novel?!

What I liked most was the magical realism. I think Ashley does a really good job at this! I enjoyed the side characters and Elsy's character development as well. She figured out her purpose and that it was nice to see it come to fruition.

I absolutely loved that Anders was Rebecca's first love. You could see his love for her and his grief led him to Elsy! Highly recommend.

I am so sad right now. This one was a dud for me. I feel like the ending to this book was literally the worst case scenario for a romance. As a romance lover, I did not believe in the romance in this one, because it was so easily thrown away by our hero. As much as I thought I would love this, I was instead sad and upset, because our heroine deserved better, even though I found her insufferable half the time. I won't get more specific here, but I am big sad about this one.

Although I loved the idea of the story, a mix of Shanghai-La and your favorite book setting, at times it really stretched the imagination. After her broken engagement, Elsy retreats from life, except for her romance book group and her best friend, Pru. On the way to her annual book retreat in the Catskills, Elsy gets lost and ends up in the town that is actually the recreation of her favorite series. The characters are just a she imagined them, and the temptation to stay gets greater. I didn’t love the book, but could see romance lovers with a touch of magical realism enjoying it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.