This novel takes place in a town called Sapphire Springs. Our main character, Hannah, is a very private author that moves away from her life in New York and seeks seclusion in Sapphire Springs. She leaves behind her cheating ex and the big city in hopes of keeping her identity concealed.

Her publisher has multiple copies of one of her novels shipped to the local bookstore for her to sign. She goes to the bookstore to sign the books, and is worried about revealing her identity. Instead, she meets the owner, George. Somehow she ends up with a job at the bookstore and begins to fall for George. All the while, she still hasn’t signed the books.

If you like romance in a small town then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, West Brunswick Press, and Elizabeth Luly for this ARC!

I honestly loved this book. "Novel Problems" by Elizabeth Luly is a captivating read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Hannah and George's character evolution was truly amazing to see. As a writer, I found myself relating to Hannah so much—her struggles, her triumphs, and her creative journey all felt incredibly real and inspiring. It took me a week to finish, but I wish I could have devoured it even sooner. This is a book that stays with you long after you've turned the last page. Loved it and highly recommend it to all!

A charming sapphic small town romance, while Novel Problems is the second in a series it does stand alone - you don't have to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one.

Hannah is a world famous author but no one knows that. She's come to Sapphire Springs from NYC to build a new life after her divorce from her former editor. George runs Sapphire Springs' indie bookshop/cafe Novel Gossip but is understaffed and overworked. When a misunderstanding leads to Hannah inadvertently taking up a job at Novel Gossip the two women grow closer, and have to decide if the risks of a relationship are worth taking again.

I really related to Hannah's instinct to inconvenience herself instead of get into complicated situations and hard conversations. And the hijinx that ensue gave me so much second hand embarrasment, but in an endearing way. Once the air clears about the initial misunderstanding I found Hannah and George's relationship to be incredibly mature, which I really enjoyed. While they have moments of misunderstanding they both approach them as adults, being willing to talk about things and grow. They both bring emotional baggage and hesitancies from their previous relationships but they find ways to talk about them and allow their own relationship to flourish with a strong foundation of care for one another.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book! I love a book with multiple POV's and I felt like I really got to know both Hannah and George with every page turn. I related to Hannah's anxiety and appreciated how the author explained her train of thought as I could picture myself in those situations. I loved how George was kind, understanding, thoughtful and patient with Hannah and I loved how their relationship blossomed. A great summer read that deals with relatable issues while still being lighthearted and fun (and a bit spicy!). Highly recommend!

ARC review thanks to NetGalley!

oar. my. goodness.
hannah and george’s story was absolutely adorable. the quiet town of sapphire springs truly stole my heart. i loved the way hannah was able to blossom into a much more understanding and approachable person in the end of the book. at the beginning she was very anxious and wasn’t able to speak up for herself and i think a strong female lead is needed so im glad she was able to work through her stuff. i didn’t get as much on george’s background as i would have liked but alas it was still a great story with an oardorable ending

Hannah and George each ended up in Sapphire Springs for a quiet, fresh start. While George has been around for a while and established her cafe-bookstore in the small town, Hannah is brand new in town fresh off a rough breakup, a little quiet, and too nice for her own good. Hannah is secretly a world famous fantasy author, who writes under a pen name to keep her identity secret. George loves her little cafe but it getting run ragged being short staffed. When Hannah's publisher needs her to sign special ordered copies of her soon to be released book, they end up sending them to the bookshop because her place is just too small.

When Hannah walks and tries to work up the courage to ask about signing the books, she accidentally ends up with a job because George thinks she's the barista who applied the week before. And so starts the series of ridiculous and endearing events between them, while they quietly simmer for one another, Hannah wiggles her way into the hearts of George's friends and their cafe patrons. The question is, can they survive their own histories and all of Hannah's quiet non-corrections?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

my second book by this author and it wont be the last... i really like how the characters are formed and how they come alive on the page plus the interactions with others makes this an interesting read

hannah taylor is in the middle of a crisis... she has writers block, she has moved to another place and shes getting divorced....and then she finds out she has to sign over 800 books before publications date and she doesnt have enough room in her new place to even have the books delivered to her new place

so when the books are organised to be dropped at novel gossip... a cafe come bookstore she now has to make herself known as the author so she can have access to the books

but as she walks into the cafe come bookstore george the owner thinks shes come for the job and offers to her on the spot as george is rushed off her feet....

and thats how things spiral out of control....

its funny in places and serious in others... but the canoe scene is the funniest i have read in a while

looking forward to reading more from this author

First off, I adored Hannah. Her character was just great and I also loved George. The plot was well written and the writing style was easy to follow. I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

I love this book! I really enjoyed the story and the characters. The plot was well written and interesting, and I related to the characters. The characters were realistic and interesting, and really felt like people you want to know.

I absolutely adored this book, both characters were soooo amazing. I really related to Hannah and her anxiety and struggle to say what's on her mind and have hard conversations and I really love how she was slowly able to get better on speaking her mind. I really loved the storyline and the developpment between the two charachters and I didn't think it was rushed between their first kiss and the time they really decide they want to be together.
I also really apprecieted the fact that there was no third act break up.

This is such a cute small town romance!

While being the second book in the series, it’s a true standalone. Other than taking place in the same small town, there’s minimal overlap between the two books.

This book reminds me of Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Fall series, and any fans of those books will likely love these as well!

The characters are well fleshed out, there’s hearing loss rep, and the plot moves quickly.

I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Sapphire Springs!

Wow, what a good book. I enjoyed it so much. I can’t say enough good things about it, but most importantly, just read it!!

Reading this book was enjoyable and soothing! It was the ideal book to mark the official arrival of summer.

After her divorce, a hermit fantasy author relocates to a tiny town in New York in search of a new beginning. She by chance becomes employed at the town's bookstore/café and develops feelings for the proprietor.

I liked that this was a low drama book to read. Although there are instances of miscommunication or a lack of communication, the story clearly made clear how crucial it is to develop effective communication skills. George and Hannah talk about their parents, their relationship fears, and what each of them needs to feel autonomous and supported in the other. It felt so good to read that exchange!

This story also contained a fair amount of spicy scenes that were well written and fun to read!

I would really recommend this book as a great kick off to the summer season!

I loved this book... literally a 24 hour (or less) read!  Hannah is an acclaimed fantasy writer seeking solitude in the small town of Sapphire Springs, NY.  In her quest for quiet, she goes into a coffee shop/bookstore, Novel Gossip, where she meets George, the store owner.  Through a misunderstanding, due to Hannah's hearing loss, she takes a part time job in the cafe.  Hannah and George develop a great working friendship... but sparks start to ignite!  This book is sweet, funny and enough drama to make it difficult to stop clicking to the next page.  I highly recommend this one... especially for the beginning of #pride month!

I really enjoyed this book about best selling writer Hannah, who following her divorce has writers block and moves to a small town. There, due to a mis-understanding she ends up working for George in a cafe/bookshop. George cannot date her very attractive employee even if she does fancy her. This is well written, with an interesting storyline to keep you engaged right to the end. Good main and supporting characters, well worth the read.

I really loved this book and couldn’t stop reading it!
The story is so so sweet & lovely and like the first sapphire springs book, there’s no forced drama. All the problems and difficulties felt so reliable and both main characters were so authentic & likeable. I did love that there was a disability involved, even though it was only a little part of the story and maybe could’ve been more present.
What I really appreciate is the consent in intimate moments! This is so important and sensitive. Communication and the importance of it was indeed a very good topic in this book & the characters really changed and grew through the story.

All in all it’s a perfect summer vacation read, light to read, some spice and a lovely happy ending!

"Novel Problems" is an excellent addition to the Sapphire Springs series. It's full of cute and funny moments, and has a great cast of characters. I was particularly fond of George, she was a sweetheart, and her and Hannah made a wonderful pair. I also really related to Hannah's anxiety issues, and loved that they were addressed multiple times throughout the book. Overall, this is a very sweet, low angst, romance with plenty of banter and spice. Definitely recommend giving it a try, 5/5 stars.

I'm usually not one to read that list of, like, "features" for a book (list character traits at the top of a synopsis like you're being sold a car or something), but when I saw this one, I told myself, "I need to *at least* give this one a shot!" I'm glad I did! It was very cute. I've never read the other book in this series, but I found this one sweet and very engaging. Some of the goofy hijinks/misunderstandings felt very forced, but I wasn't looking for gritty realism here, so I guess that's okay.

When I found out this was a series, I was ready to fully back out, but I'm glad I didn't listen to my gut. This reads perfectly fine on its own. A fun read!

This book is everything I was hoping for, it’s silly and cute and just a little cringy in the way all good lighthearted romances are.
Two women are learning to find themselves and create lives out of the shadow of a previous relationship. They happen to find and help each other. The book is filled with the cutest little dates, frustrating but not over the top miscommunication, and a lot of really sound logic surrounding how to grow from trauma. My only complaint is that I could have used a little more spice, there were only a couple actual sex scenes, significantly more were just implied.
It’s a lovely light read I would highly recommend for a relaxing summer’s day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elizabeth Luly for the ARC!
This was the perfect start to summer read! I didn’t realize when I started this book that it was the 2nd in the Sapphic Small Town series, but it didn’t matter. This read wonderfully as a stand-alone! It was an adorable small-town romance that kept me hooked the entire time. The author wonderfully discusses and explores different situations (anxiety, hearing loss, divorce, LGBTQ relationships) throughout. Plus, a bookstore / café?! What could be better than that! Start your summer with a super cute love story!