This was such a cute read with some great characters and the perfect sprinkle of magic. The extra book element just made it even more attractive!

This was absolutely one of my favourite reads of last year. I was apprehensive about magical realism in a romance book but the way Posten writes, it was just magical. I will say the magical aspect really lent itself to romance, by adding much more of a whimsical feel. I thought. the creativity of this book was exceptionally well done - the small details of the town. It was such a lovely read and very unique.

This was fun but I did struggle a bit with the insta-love. It is not a trope I like very much. I think that the premise of the book was cute and really interesting. And I loved how unapologetic Elsy was about her taste in books and how she found a group of people who accepted and celebrated the same thing. Books clubs are great can confirm. I didn’t find Anders to be a super fleshed out love interest though until toward the very end. And maybe that was the point but I didn’t vibe with it. Overall - fun but not my favorite read.

Ashley Boston is one of those authors, whose beautiful, descriptive writing always transfers me to whatever place she’s describing.

This book was not an exception. The smell of that magical small town, the trees, the pancakes, the Daffodil inn, the bookshop… I could feel it all and I felt like I was a part of it. “Novel love story” was immersive, intriguing and really gripping for most part. I did want to know how did the main character ended up in a fictional town and why our male main character who’s name I cannot remember for the life of me was the only other self-aware person who knew about their…predicament. When Eileen found the weird cemetery on the outskirts of the town I was HYPED to find out what it all means. Even the people who dislike each other-to-lovers trope was quite well done and I did want our main characters to end up together because I loved their interactions so much!

I was so excited!

And then it all fell flat at the end. I am fully aware that Ashley’s Poston books are full of magic and are a perfect example of magical realism but for the love of all what’s holy and unholy: THIS ENDING MADE NO SENSE!
And no, I won’t be getting into why because I don’t want to spoil anything but If any of you have read this book I’m happy to have a discussion about the resolution of this book. I found it to be confusing and just…disappointing.

The big reveal did leave me shocked, I have to admit. I did not expect the guy to be…. If you know you know.

Anyway, don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed about 85% of this book. For this reason I’m giving it 4 stars and I WISH I could rate it higher but the ending ruined it for me.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this as an arc and MASSIVE apologies for only now reviewing this book.

I loved the concept for this book and found it very unique and emotional. I love everything Ashley Poston writes and cannot wait for her next book!

This was so cute! I loved the concept of a heroine landing in her favourite romance series, and thought that Elsy's reactions and relationships with all the characters were explored in a way that was both fun and surprisingly realistic. Some of the twists were fairly predictable but that did not spoil my enjoyment of the story at all and I still had a lot of fun seeing how it all came together in the end.

I went into this book with really high hopes because The Dead Romantics is one of my all time favourite romances.

Based in a fictional town the female main characters car breaks down and she ends up essentially stuck in this town until it comes to the end of their ‘story’.

The magical realism element therefore to this was really exciting. I mean imagine your favourite book series and then getting stuck in the town that it’s based; basically a dream come true right 😂

The only thing I didn’t like was that it felt a bit repetitive at times but this may be because they were essentially stuck between the pages of the book trying to get to the end.

One thing I love and you can guarantee about Ashely Poston’s books is that there is always; magical realism, a swoon worthy romance and a couple of chapters of spice.

My favourite scene was definitely by the waterfall but this is why I suggest to read this book in summer because imagining that scene in summer sounds like bliss!

The premise of this sounded so good with Elsy finding herself stuck in the small town from her favourite book series, but it fell a little flat. Not a lot happens the romance between Elsy and Anders felt rushed and the use of the word 'minty' was a bit grating and we didn't see enough of Elsy forming friendships with the other characters. I feel if more had happened between all the characters, I would've enjoyed this more. The writing was good and I did get sucked in to the story and i did enjoy that this book didn't contain a lot of spice, too. I would still recommend this as a cosy romance though.

So I dove into Ashley Poston's book and it was a mixed bag! 📚✨ The first 100 pages had me hooked, but then it kinda lost its spark. The romance felt a bit forced, which was a bummer because I was ready for that grumpy x sunshine vibe! Overall, I enjoyed it but wouldn’t rush to reread. #BookThoughts #FictionalWorlds #ReadingCommunity

I am SUCH an Ashley Poston fan and she did not disappoint with her newest romantic offering 💘 I adored The Seven Year Slip but I think A Novel Love Story has taken the number one spot for me! I know magical realism isn’t for everyone but it absolutely is for me and especially when it’s not heavily overdone and there are just little sprinkles of it here and there - something that Ashley has just mastered beautifully.

I would say that Eileen & Anders are the epitome of the grumpy x sunshine combination although I didn’t immediately warm to Anders! It took me a while to realise what an absolute sweetheart he is 🥹 the chemistry was sizzling and I very much enjoyed the slow burn attraction and intimacy.

There were a couple of minor scenes that I didn’t love, but overall this book was just sublime and it made my heart happy 🫶🏻 the ending made me VERY emotional and I had to specifically reread it a couple of times to get to grips with it! An AP stan I remain 🫡

The narrative follows Eileen “Elsy” Merriweather, a literature professor nursing a broken heart, who unexpectedly finds herself in Eloraton—the fictional setting of her favorite romance series. 

Poston masterfully brings Eloraton to life, infusing it with charm and a touch of magic. The town’s quirky inhabitants and timeless atmosphere create an immersive backdrop for Elsy’s journey.

The novel delves into themes of grief, self-discovery, and the transformative power of storytelling. Elsy’s quest to help Eloraton’s residents find their happy endings mirrors her own path.

A Novel Love Story celebrates the magic of books and the journeys they inspire.

I enjoyed reading Eileen's story, a fun take on the enemies to lovers trope. The premise was completely out there but I actually liked that in this book. There were a few moments where I think the writing could have been more concise/edited down, but overall I enjoyed the writing. 4 stars

I want to preface this by saying how much I adore this author's previous books, especially dead romantics which I truly think about on a monthly basis at least! That said, while I went into this one wanting to love it, I really struggled to simply get through it. I almost DNF'd it but opwered through. It was a nice enough read in the end but the pace was so slow without adding anything meaningful in my opinion, that it was not a memorable read, even with the interesting premise and the magical realism that I would normally eat right up. Something was just off for me but I will still look forward to and give any future work a try. I think this particular novel was not for me.

This book was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know what magic Ashley Poston puts in her books but I am here for it. I enjoyed this book more than Dead Romantics and even that book was like 6 star story for me. The beautiful writing and unique storylines interwoven with magical realism make me obsessed with Poston’s books.

This story follows Eileen who loves her romance novels, especially the small-town romance series set in Eloraton. She uses the series as escapism from her not-so-perfect real life. She doesn’t like her job and her fiancée just left her 2 weeks before the wedding. Eileen feels lonely and stuck watching everyone she knows getting their happily ever after. However whilst driving to a cabin in the woods to escape her monotonous life, her car breaks leaving her in a small town in the middle of nowhere...Soon she realises that she is in fact in the town of Eloraton, with all of her favourite characters from the book. She also notices that things start to change when she arrives in the town, and storylines move from the original ones written in the books. That and the fact that the grumpy and mysterious bookstore owner is not in the original books either…

I really enjoyed the magical realism aspect of this book as even I sometimes wonder what would happen if I ended up in the universe of my favourite book or TV series, and it was refreshing to read that in a romance book. I liked how Eileen grew in this book and how her character developed and moved the story forward.

My only negative point would be that Eileen and Anders didn’t have much chemistry. They developed a great friendship, yes, but I wouldn’t call it romantic chemistry. Maybe it was because there was not much depth in the Anders story, as the story mainly developed Eileen as a character. That said, it is a minor thing that I have overlooked, and I still loved this book, nevertheless. Also, it was at times a bit too repetitive and felt long but again that didn’t impact my enjoyment as much.

Overall: I loved the concept, adored the writing and this book and it felt like a cosy and warm hug. I also really loved the message that this story had about love and happiness. It was a different and unique romance book and that’s why I loved it. Can’t wait to read more from Ashley Poston.

Wow! Absolutely loved this one from Ashley Poston!
Whimsical, magical and just so much fun! Once I let myself become fully immersed in this story I was totally hooked and flew through it in 2 sittings.
I think it could’ve possibly been around 50 or so pages shorter, and it took me a moment to get into it but overall highly recommend and loved!
Thank you net galley!

I didn't have the slightest inkling of just how much I'd love this book before I picked it up. Poston's work has been a bit hit or miss for me, but this one was perhaps her most delightful yet as far as I'm concerned.
Simply scrumptious and I gobbled it up.

Ashley Poston has become an autobuy author for me - she masters the fantasy-adjacent contemporary romance and this book was no different.

A romance set in the magically appearing world of the protagonists favourite romances? It was the romance readers version of that tv show Once Upon A Time.

Elsy and Anders are a great couple but I also really enjoyed Elsy's quest to live in her favourite stories and help her favourite characters.

The book felt 70 pages too long but otherwise this was a great one.

I was slightly doubtful about this going into it - as much as I have thoroughly enjoyed Poston's previous novels, I worried that this one would be a bit too whimsical for my liking. However, I have to say that once I let myself be fully immersed in the novel town and all its characters, I enjoyed it so much!

I am a huge Ashley Poston fan and went into this with high hopes! I love her brand of slightly fantastical contemporary romance so much, and her writing always makes me smile (and often cry 😂).

That said I think the hype worked against me here a little (it still got four stars lol). I felt I didn’t connect with the emotions as much as in the dead romantics or the seven year slip. I came out of it a little disappointed as a result, so I gave myself a couple of days before I wrote this. Now that has faded I can happily talk about why it’s still a four star book!

I love the concept so much - who wouldn’t love to find themselves in the town of one of their favourite romance books? (Definitely not one of my fantasy ones though 😂) And Elsy’s fangirling reactions to all the characters was so funny. I also really connected with a lot of Elsy’s pre trip experiences in terms of being hung up on something more than the person and feeling left behind by people.

I will say that while I liked the romance it wasn’t my favourite part, especially towards the end (liked the ending but not the right before). I do think it felt a little more surface level than I’m used to with Ash’s books. But I had a great time on the journey which I think is more the point on this one. It’s a love letter to bookish people and fandom and books and I always love that.

Definitely give it a try if you enjoyed her other adult romance, just know it’s not quite the same :)

-i received this book as an arc from netgalley in exchange for and honest review -
i honestly don’t know how i feel about this book.
it was written beautifully and it was easy to read but i felt myself getting bored and frustrated with the main character - she was the definition of a meddler. but as the story went on, she grew on me and those aspects of her personality started to make a lot more sense.
I loved how sweet the romance between anders and elsy was and how subtly they showed their love for eachother.
i definitely loved the last 25% a lot more than the beginning - i felt a lot more attached to elsy & her story.
I love the writing in this book & definitely want to read more by this author.
-Thankyou Netgalley & HQ for the e-arc! -
3.5 stars