I gave this one a go after reading The Seven Year Slip – I enjoyed it, but I was a little annoyed by it and I wanted to see if I'd like another Ashley Poston novel more. I actually liked this one less tbh! Although I don't think it was a bad book, small town romances are never my thing, I never really vibed with any of the characters, and it was way too earnest and insta-love for me. Glad I gave her another go though!

‘He taught me things about myself that I had yet to know, and I taught him things, too, and that was love. Love was patient and meticulous and it never ceased to surprise me.’
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Honestly, Ashley Poston, never stop writing 😭 This book was everything I wanted from my romance and I got it.
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Eileen finds herself lost on her way to a one week stay at a cabin, but as it happens, she stumbles upon the fictional little town from her favourite romance series, Eloraton. Sure, it takes her a while to realise that and then she’s doing her best not to influence the lives of the friends she’s making aka the characters, but living in a fictional town with no script is not easy!
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I loved how, on the surface, it's a very cheesy novel full of insta-loves and those cute little moments that make you say, 'of course this is happening.' However, it’s actually so much more. In the middle of all that chaos, Eileen finds herself. She’s finally taking time to think about what makes her happy in life and the type of relationships/people she wants to surround herself with. And then, we all need someone to warm our hands when they get cold, even though we can do it ourselves.
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Who’s your favourite romance author? Ashley Poston has been one of my favourites ever since I read 'The Dead Romantics.'
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Thank you @hqstories for the copy, I loved it! 💗

Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

There was a lot I like about this book. I think AP is a very clever author. The twist that she makes on a traditional romance trope, in each of her books, to make it slightly other-worldly has fascinated me every time. I deeply admire her creative mind and will read as many different versions of this as she chooses to make.

In this instance, her main character finds herself inside the fictional town of her favourite, unfinished romance series. It really does feel like a dedication to the fans of the genre - for so many, romance is belittled and dismissed, but Elsy and the writer who created her are firm in their championship. They acknowledge the comfort and happiness that a good love story can bring, that the happy ever afters really mean something to the reader (whether realistic or ultimately perfect after the story has ended.)

The fictional town of Eloraton is charming, described with a warm familiarity, as the characters who live in it are. Though Elsy is deeply enthralled with meeting each of the people she knows from the books so loves, I did find it a little hard to connect with those characters, to feel the same excitement for them. There are several subplots where Elsy tries to fix problems emerging in the town, so a lot of the book is spent with them.

Elsy's love interest is Anders - owner of Eloraton's thoroughly inviting bookshop. Elsy believes him to be fictional and the love interest of the final book that was never finished due to the author's death. They have a rocky start, bickering and untrusting of each other until their boundaries start to melt away and they give into their attractions to one another. The beginnings of their romance is charming. I did manage to figure out Ander's connection to the stories, not as a character but as the author's fiance before her death - I liked the subtle clues left, like him seeming so familiar to Elsy because his mannerisms and attributes and scattered throughout the books, pointed out to him in a very heartfelt conversation once Elsy discovers who Anders really is, as well as her recognising his initials because they featured in the book dedications. I didn't enjoy so much the fleeting introduction of Bea - the character most similar to the author who Anders is fascinated with. It felt like it came very late, and far too swiftly concluded. It was nice that it allowed Elsy to overcome an issue she'd had with letting someone she loves go, but it felt a little stilted and very quickly resolved by the end of the book. I think it could have been explored a little more deeply to create a more meaningful impact.

There was some lovely descriptions, though a bit repetitive in places. The truest love story of the book was Elsy and her best friend Pru, and of course their love for books. I enjoyed Elsy's character growth throughout the book.

An overall enjoyable book - not my favourite Ashley Poston but I will still be looking forward to many more books from her.

This book was such a good concept and it was Ashley Poston writing, so I thought that it would be amazing but unlike her previous books, I didn’t feel the romance in this one or any true empathy with the main character which was such a shame. I think this was down to how it was written because, while were told by the author that everyone was enamoured with Eileen and that she was the only one who could solve the “problems” of the unfinished fifth book – I just didn’t see it on the page. What she did for each of the couples to give them their happy ending felt minimal and low effort and we were told a lot as an audience this time, rather than have anything shown to us.

When I originally read the blurb of the book, I thought this was going to be a groundhog day situation where the two were spending every moment together – replaying the same day, her trying to fix the issues, him trying to undo it, then reluctant allies perhaps… but none of that happened.
The initial meeting between the two was great and I felt so much potential in that moment thinking he was going to be an amazing new love interest but all the sparks I felt in that initial moment never amounted to anything more.

Whilst I enjoyed reading this book and didn’t want to just give up because some descriptors were nice and the overall concept was good the book just didn’t improve like I’d hoped.

I do love literary themed stories and this one hooks you with magical intrigue from the beginning; where we see Elsy becoming stranded in a fictional town, which has come to life from her favourite romance series; and she finds herself in the middle of an unfinished romance manuscript, which her favorite author died before completing. Elsy feels compelled to conclude the story, whilst at the same time seemingly falling in love with a fictional main character - which clearly offers its own set of challenges. The story is truly unique, whimsical and super imaginative and I loved everything about it. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for allowing me to get an early copy of this book, which is out June 25, 2024 - it’s well worth a read when it’s out, if you are looking for a book which is a romance, but not in the traditional sense.

Who doesn’t want to read book that
A) is written by Ashley Poston and B) is set in a fictional town?? No one I know. I had such high hopes for this one and especially after the first two books were so beautifully written. But this one didn’t hit the mark for me. I liked Elsy, she was brill. But I struggled with the insta-love with her and Anders. I didn’t feel much chemistry between them and really wanted a lot more.

It was a lovely idea and I think if the ‘series’ the town is based in had been finished, it wouldn’t have made the plot of the actual story feel so incomplete.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This was a DNF due to the extremely poor editing making it unreadable. There were numbers on every line marking the no of lines, but these were in the middle of dialogue, not just to the left of the words, which made it even worse and made the story unreadable. I would’ve persevered despite how painful it was to continue had the story grasped my attention, but sadly the first 3 chapters didn’t make me want to keep up the effort of coping with the bad editing

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

3.5 stars rounded up!

Ooo this was cute! This had moments that had me grinning like a maniac. All I really do know is thst I need an Andersm this was such a fun different romance story! I loved seeing how excited Eileen was to be surrounded by characters and within the town of her favourite book. The only thing I wanted was more scene of Eileen and Anders, but the ones we did get I really enjoyed them.

Cute, fun, had even a great discussion on grief and wanting love!

I really enjoyed this book. It’s just as fun as the synopsis suggests. I found myself also getting lost in this little town as the main character did. I do wish there was a little more build up with the love interest earlier on. It felt like we spent a lot of time being given the storylines of the side characters from the book series so that it was only really about 50% in that we started to get development with the love interest.

I think Ashley Poston is losing her touch. Interesting premise but I don't think she did enough with it.

I received an ebook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ohmygosh this was such a sweet, fun, heartwarming book that actually made me cry (in a good way). I enjoyed The Dead Romantics a decent amount, and was a little underwhelmed by The Seven Year Slip but I can safely say that this has been my favourite Ashley Poston book so far.

I'm a sucker for a small town romance trope, and this was no exception. It's the perfect escapism and I love the cosy and calm feelings that come with losing yourself in a small town like Eloraton. I also loved the author's take on small town romances in this book, and the exploration of what actually happens to these book couples after the last page. Do they continue their happily ever after? Do they break up? How do they deal with the life obstacles and relationship obstacles that will inevitably come their way? It was a really fresh and fun take on the genre and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If I'm being nit-picky, I didn't love the romance at the start and it did take me until almost the very end to really get invested in Anders & Elsy as a couple. It's grumpy x sunshine but in my opinion, Anders was mostly just being grumpy for grumpy's sake and the set-up of their (initially) antagonistic relationship was clunky at best. However, there is so much more to this story than just the romance and so there was more than enough to keep my interest until the romance finally clicked for me.

The magical realism elements this author weaves into her stories are so unique and well-done and are a big part of the reason I keep coming back to her books. I appreciate that they add something special to the story but that we don't get too bogged down in the how & why of the magic and instead just go along for the ride. I can't wait for this book to come out so everyone can get a chance to read it & I hope you end up loving it as much as I did!

On paper this book is my absolute dream but in practice it was... just fine. The premise is delightful - woman takes a wrong turn on a rainy night and ends up in the fictional small town setting of her favourite romance books. Inject it into my veins!

But the execution of it wasn't completely successful for me. Elsy was quite wet and a bit gormless (apart from you, a Real Person, there's only been one other visitor to town but sure keep believing that Anders, the one person who you don't remember reading about who works in the bookshop you don't remember changing hands WHO ALSO KNOWS THIS IS A BOOK, is a secondary character who needs to find his fictional lady) and I often wanted to shake her. And Anders felt like he was being grumpy because everyone knows the MMC in a romance must be grumpy rather than for organic/natural reasons.

The romance when it happened was perfectly pleasant, and I enjoyed the ending but overall Eloraton is not a place I'd particularly want to return to!

Thankyou so much for this ARC. I started it straight away. Ashley Poston is my favourite romance author - I love the fantasy element in all her books and this one was no different.

Although I was confused at first, it all came together by the end and I loved the make believe element of her landing in the fictional town. The descriptions of the bookshop were amazing, I felt as if I could picture myself there and I loved all the characters.

It was somewhat predictable towards the end but it didn’t take away from the story at all. It ended the way I wanted it to and it was a lovely comfort read. I will definitely recommend this to my followers.

this was such a perfect premise because let’s be real what book girlie doesn’t want to be in the world of their favourite book series. But for some reason this fell flat I just feel like the romance was a sub plot and it was focusing more on the other characters lives than the romance between the two mmc’s. I did still enjoy the way the story panned out and was really rooting for the two mmc’s to find their happily ever after.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this arc. I was sold completely off the description and I do feel the concept was there. I'm not sure if it was how the arc was laid out but I did have take a break throughout reading this. Although I wasn't overly a fan of the end product I do think it wouldn't put me off reading others by Ashley Poston

‘A Novel Love Story’ by Ashley Poston is a magical, beautiful and intriguing homage to romance novels with loveable leads and - as always with Poston’s books - huge emotional depth.

We meet Eileen as she is driving from her home in Atlanta to her annual book club meet-up in a cosy New York State cabin with a trunk full of books… sounds idyllic, but we soon learn that her friends from across the country have all pulled out of the trip. The group (which includes at least one familiar face!) bonded as fans of late author Rachel Flowers and her prematurely stalled Quixotic Falls series, and still meet virtually to discuss spicy reads, but Eileen feels like the others’ lives are moving on while hers is standing still. Something else is standing still - her car, which breaks down en route, almost hitting a man and trapping her in a small Hudson Valley town.

As she sees familiar cafés and businesses and meets characters whose quirks and stories she recognises, Eileen realises she has somehow ended up in the setting of her favourite series. The only unknown face is the man she almost ran over, a mysterious and handsome bookshop owner called Anders who seems to have become part of the Eloraton furniture…

I adored the sparkling magical realism of this novel and the small town vibes, as well as the exploration of happily ever afters. At its heart, it’s a tale of loneliness, kindness and the life-changing healing powers of books. There are so many wonderful moments of joy - the waterfall, the possum, the book re-binding - but for me it was the relatable, raw scenes about Eileen’s past and current doubts that were the most impactful.

This was a five star read for me, and any romance fan who wants to be reminded why they love reading should pre-order immediately!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher HQ via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This wasn't my favourite book by the author and about 25% in, I was a little confused about where it was heading but I kept going and am glad I did. The mystery of who the Anders character was kept me hooked.

So here's the things that I liked:
- The author's humour and style of writing flows well/is easy to read
- The mystery of the unknown character
- Unexpectedly dropping into the setting of a favourite book series? Yes please!

And the things I wasn't feeling:
- The book was kind of repetitive at times (description of settings, how the mmc had a penchant for glowering and how the fmc couldn't believe she was there, knew the town by heart gush gush etc) these are the things that really kept jumping out at me
- I didn't really care much about the two love interests until over 90% into the book🙈 I felt more invested in side characters if I'm being honest and only cared about the main characters to find out who the mmc was.

I feel like I could have adored some of the side characters if we'd seen a little bit more of them. I love small town reads but the relationships between the fmc and other characters were all a little fast for me and quite surface.

I still liked this overall and will read more by the author in future. The thing that I probably loved most about this book was the love the author clearly has for reading/books/the romance genre and the dedication seemed so special and heartfelt❤

3.75⭐ rounded up to 4 for rating

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Firstly, what an interesting premise for a book! At times this book was a love letter for the power of reading which I personally thought was a nice touch. Unfortunately the execution was just a bit off for this to be as impactful and memorable a book as I’d hoped. There was a lot of repetition of cliches (tasted like black tea, his minty gaze) which I understand is probably due to it being a romance book within a romance book but it got quite tedious and unimaginative due to the sheer number of times they were used. The romance was a slow burn which I personally like but fell a little flat for me near the end. I think I just didn’t really know the characters enough to properly emotionally invest in how they find happiness.


Overall a decent read and a nice attempt at something a little different in a romance book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I devoured and thoroughly enjoyed Ashley Poston's first two romance books and was really excited to read A Novel Love Story. The premise was excellent - absolutely original and fun and unexpected. The main characters, Elsy and Anderson were great, I really enjoyed their chemistry, but it was the rest of the town that fell flat for me. The people were just 'too sweet' and not realistic. The ending was really good and I liked Elsy's overall journey and character development. I love Poston's writing and how much she cares about books and stories, so will definitely be on a look out for her next book.

Also - nothing to do with the book - but the formatting of this e-ARC was appalling. Each page was a mess with random words and numbers thrown around, which made it really hard to read. Luckily, Ashley Poston's writing is so good, I got through it really quickly and enjoyed it despite the mess this e-ARC was, but it could've affected the reading experience in a bad way.

I love reading about magical realism and this book had the perfect dose of it. Romance concerning women and their struggles are truly my kryptonite. This book was all sorts of magical , romantic, and heart-warming. I have heard of Ashley poston but i never checked out any of her releases so this really lived up to the hype.

Thank you to netgalley and HQ for providing me this arc in exchange for my honest review.