Ashley Poston’s ‘The Dead Romantics’ remains one of my favourite romance books of recent years; the combination of swoony romance, charming settings and a really fun magical realism twist make them really stand out in the romance market and I think they’re pretty special. While I enjoyed ‘The Seven Year Slip’ a lot, it didn’t quite hit the heights of ‘The Dead Romantics’ for me, ‘A Novel Love Story’ was right back on the top.

This is a book written for book people, and I am book people.


Have you ever found yourself lost in a good book … literally?

Eileen Merriweather loves a good love story. The fictional kind, anyway. After all, imaginary men don’t break your heart.

That’s why she’s so excited for her annual book club retreat – instead, when her car breaks down en route, Eileen finds herself in Eloraton. A town where every meet is cute, the rain always comes in the afternoon, and the bookshop is always curated with impeccable taste.

It feels too good to be true … because Eloraton is the setting of her favourite romance series. And Eileen is sure she must be here to bring the town its storybook ending.


But there’s one character she can’t place. The grumpy bookshop owner with mint-green eyes, and an irritatingly sexy mouth. He does not want Eileen to finish this story, but how else can she find her happily-ever-after?

It’s like book people catnip.

I think that you’d be hard-pressed to find a reader that hasn’t wished to step inside their favourite books and meet the characters, explore the settings and help to right some wrongs of the novel, and Elsy gets to do just that. I loved the way that she occasionally slipped up, revealing way more than she should know about the inner-workings of the town and the characters, and the focus on the power of books and stories that we love. Elsy is a firm believer that books can change your life and they do change hers.


There’s a lot of focus on this as she recovers from heartbreak and learns to be a full person on her own again. There’s a passage on this topic that really resonated with me as a single woman in her 30s who lives alone and it made me feel a bit emotional seeing it written down in that so I’m going to be a bit vulnerable and share that in case it’s something that you’re grappling with too:

“You don’t realize how much of life is built for relationships until, newly single, you find yourself with a broken ankle, cooped up on the couch in your one‑bedroom apartment, and you need to go to the restroom. The problem is, you’ve knocked your crutches over and the pain prevents you from moving too much at all. You go through the Rolodex in your head of whom you can call, and every one of them has someone more important than you in their lives to take care of. You have to weigh how much of a bother you’re going to be, and how much you can rely on them. (Obviously you can rely on your friends. Obviously I’m not saying you can’t, but there is always a limit of how much before you’re a burden.)”
— 'A Novel Love Story' by Ashley Poston, p96-7
Ashley Poston did that same gut punch with grief in ‘The Dead Romantics’ too. The emotion is so vivid and real in her novels and she writes characters with such care and depth that they become very real. That focus on characterisation did potentially come at the expense of the romance a little in ‘A Novel Love Story’ as while I really enjoyed Elsy and Anders’ relationship, it felt a little rushed at times and their chemistry didn’t jump off of the page in the way that I have come to expect from Poston’s novels.

Absolutely nothing was lacking from the setting, however. Eloraton is perfectly rendered; it’s a Hallmark movie town and setting, and I fell for it completely. I already know that if these Rachel Flowers novels existed, I’d be obsessed with them. It has all of the tropes: the small town inn being renovated, the charming cafe that everyone flocks to, the product or industry that sets the town apart, the friendly rivalry - it’s all there and it’s utterly charming.


Ashley Poston’s swoony, emotional, funny romances have become auto-buy for me and I’ve already trawled the internet looking for any murmurings of what’s next from her…

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the review copy.

Written by Sophie

This is a sweet and romantic read that takes you right into the pages of your favourite romance - literally! Eileen’s taken a solo road trip to a cabin retreat when her book club all bail on her, but after taking a wrong turn somewhere she finds herself in the fictional town created by her favourite author. It was a really fun concept and I enjoyed seeing Eileen’s excitement meeting the various people in town that she knew from her beloved stories, and the puzzle of Anders added a layer of intrigue to keep us guessing. Overall, I enjoyed this but I did feel it was missing a little something for me, but having loved Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics I can safely say it isn’t her writing in general but perhaps more plot based. I liked Eileen and Anders, and the side characters, though I did find it confusing keeping track of who was who, but maybe a book inside a book isn’t quite the right story for me. Still, I enjoyed reading it and know that plenty of other people will adore this unconventional story.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This was my first Ashley poston book and it didn’t disappoint. It took me longer to get into the meat of the story than I thought it would but it was a very unique concept that I have never seen done before. The ideas played really well and the crossover was excellently done.

I would highly recommend this book!

I was very excited to be approved for a copy of A Novel Story as I have heard nothing but good things about Ashley Poston books. Unfortunately I was disappointed by this book.
I loved how it started off and the cosy vibes of the bookstore but it quickly went downhill. I found the magical/fantasy element of the story, the fictional town the main character ends up in to be a bit confusing and hard to follow. The romance between the two main characters was very hard to believe, there was very little chemistry between them and when there was finally a spicy scene it was completely skipped over. The whole book felt very long winded and I don't think it was necessary for so many descriptions of Anders 'minty' eyes.
I loved the premise for the book and the blurb is what really sold me but this story just did not work for me, sadly!
I do already own the authors previous books and will definitely pick them up at some stage.
Thank you for the advanced copy.

This was cute, but unfortunately wasn’t entirely for me in the end.

A Novel Love Story was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, having read The Seven Year Slip last year and adoring it. I have to say that I absolutely love the magical realism elements Ashley Poston adds to her romances, which definitely give them an edge in comparison to other contemporary romances.

The idea of this one sounded so intriguing and honestly genius, and I did thoroughly enjoy the set up of this. Essentially, we follow Elsy (or Eileen) as she ends up finding herself in the fictional town in her favourite romance series, where she meets Anders.

Where this didn’t work so well for me was in the character development. I didn’t love our main character, and found a lot of the characters to be somewhat lacking in depth. There were so many exciting directions this book could have gone in and didn’t, so it ended up falling a little flat for me personally.

I still enjoyed this and will 100% be reading everything Ashley Poston comes out with, because I think her ideas are so unique and brilliant that I couldn’t possibly skip them.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not a favourite. That being said, I would still recommend this if the premise sounds interesting to you!

I have adored all of Ashley Poston’s books and this was no different.

I’m not a huge contemporary romance fan - I often find them cringey (and yes, I do see the irony of this comment on a book where the main character wholeheartedly loves romances of all shapes and forms) - but the magical twists that Ashley Poston puts on them never fail to draw me in despite this.

Elsy feels left behind. Her best friend is off to, probably, get engaged. Her fiancé left her several years ago because she was always fitting herself around his life. Her book club friends have all backed out of their annual cabin trip to read and spend time together. So here she is… alone.
She decides to take the trip by herself anyway, much to her friends chagrin, but along the way she discovers something she never could have imagined.
A tiny town, that doesn’t exist, except in the pages of her favourite book series. It’s impossible. And yet, she’s in Eloraton. Surrounded by her favourite characters, and one mysteriously grumpy bookstore owner who she’s never seen in the pages of her favourite books.

I do adore a grumpy x sunshine romance done well, and this was such a wonderful example of that. Elsy’s sunny nature - despite feeling stuck and lost and alone - in contrast to Anders sullen countenance was a dynamic I really enjoyed.

The writing felt very self aware - almost breaking the fourth wall at times to bring in the audience - and witty, which I appreciate.
All the characters were fabulous, and I absolutely loved how Elsy herself was able to see that some of them seemed stuck where their author had left them before her tragic death, and how the presence of someone else in town kick started their stories and gave them the opportunity to fill the plot holes and empty spaces for themselves.

Overall, if you enjoyed either of Ashley Poston’s previous adult romances, this is a must read, and if you love romances in general (or honestly, even if, like me, you don’t particularly) I would highly recommend giving this one a shot.

An adorable, witty romance with a magical twist.

If you’re looking for a good cosy romance book then this is for you! Really enjoyed it and felt all mushy! Thanks Net Galley

I couldn’t contain myself when I was approved for this one, I had to dive straight in. I love books about books so this one ticked all of those boxes and the romance was cute too. Just not enough of it for me, I felt I wanted more. Would definitely read more by this author, read with a mix of Audio too the narration was fun to listen to. Would recommend reading or listening.

this was a great summer read for me and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!! I have seven year slip which is also by this author and I'm looking forward to reading that this summer too!

I liked the author's writing style in this book, and thought that for the most part the character development was solid. the premise was fun and I enjoyed the personality of the characters coming to life throughout!

I would've liked a bit more development in the romance aspect of this story, but still enjoyed nonetheless.

thank you so much to net galley for this e-arc!

First I would like to say thanks to Netgalley for giving me early access to this book prior to release. All Opinions are my own.

This book follows a professor of literature Eileen Merriweather, who is so caught up in her work and wanting a happily ever after, that when she is on the way to her annual book club retreat and her car breaks down she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels straight out of a novel… Because it is.

I wish I loved this book as much as Ashley Poston’s other stories. This one just felt like something was missing throughout, I thought it was grumpy sunshine (which I love) but really it was grumpy depression because the main character is so self deprecating and wrapped up in her breakup from three years ago that there doesn’t feel like much character development. She won’t message friends because they have someone else who needs them more but seems annoyed when they don’t reach out to her either.

I agree with other reviewers that this felt like Ander’s story more than Eileen’s but it’s not dual POV so we are only ever hearing what Eileen feels or is experiencing, I think it would have been good to have a 2nd perspective as I was struggling to understand the relationship - especially as she slapped him at the 20% mark. And because we are only with Eileen for the whole book it made the story hard to get into at the beginning because I just didn’t really care if her life got better or she found her happily ever after. She also is a walking contradiction, claims she isn’t nosy but then follows this man to see where he is going when he says he doesn’t want to come home with her.

The magical realism that I love in Ashley’s books fell flat in this one, there were too many plot holes that it made it hard for me to like the ending. There was also a lot of repetitive phrases which took me out the story - we got it the first time his gaze is minty, I don’t need it 14 more times.

And I wish I loved the love story but I just couldn’t get onboard with it, a woman who had been pining over her ex for the past 3 years falls in love with a character from a book in the space of a week. I get that she had read the books before but I didn’t get the spark.

Overall people will love this book but this one just missed the mark for me - 3 stars.

There was once a magical town, and it didn’t exist…

Eileen is a bookworm at heart. Her annual bookclub week away is on the horizon, but when her best friend books a last-minute trip to Iceland with her fiancé, and the other members bail last minute, Eileen decides to go on her own. However, with her car breaking down on the way, she ends up in a quaint little town. She then quickly realises that all of the town’s residents seem familiar, and it dawns upon her that they’re all characters in her favourite romance series. Except for one.

💫

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and sadly it has ended up being a disappointment. Whilst Poston ks know for expertly crafting magical romance novels, her latest has fallen flat on this front. Whilst still containing elements of magical realism, it felt more like chick lit than her usual romance. I was expecting something akin to Seven Year Slip, but sadly the romance didn’t feel genuine. The male love interest was one-dimensional and repetitive descriptions of his appearance felt tiresome. I did not particularly like the main character, either, and secondary characters could have been explored more.

I have given this book 2⭐️, which was disappointing especially as this was such a highly anticipated book for me!

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
I liked Ashley’s writing style.
He had great character development and I enjoyed the premise of the story, I personally found it enjoyable and fun.
I did find the romance hadn’t quite meshed enough for my personal taste.
It was a wonderful summer read and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future

I've always wondered what it would be like to step into the set of my favourite small-town romance novels, so this book was the perfect read for me. It's gorgeous!

Eileen (Elsy) Merriweather is on her way to her yearly bookish retreat when she takes a wrong turn in a storm and finds herself in the charming small town of Eloraton, the town of her favourite romance series. It's as wonderful as she thought it would be, except for two things: 1. It's frozen in time, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story; and 2. There's an unfamiliar character - a grumpy bookstore owner who does not want her finishing this book. Stranded in the town while her car is being fixed, Elsy soon realises the fate of this town might be intertwined with her own.

This was such an escapist, fun and comforting read. It felt like being on the set of the Gilmore Girls, while reading my favourite book. I love how Ashley Poston blends romance and magical realism, and this book was no exception. A lovely, feel-good read that I would highly recommend to any romance fan.

This book is for the romance readers. It has some many fun references throughout the book. It’s the perfect book to escape to. This is my first Ashley Poston book and it definitely would be my last. I feel you go through a journey of grinning and laugh out loud in this book.

The book follows Eileen who is attending a weekend getaway with her book club. She hates driving in the rain and stops in this town. There is no room at the bed and breaks so a towns person suggests stay at the local book sellers Anders loft. The next day her car breaks down so she is forced to stay longer.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

While it certainly had its sweet moments, I was not convinced by the magical elements of the story, nor its underdeveloped romance. This was such a shame, as I appreciated the concept and the author's adoration of the romance genre was clear.

The writing style was easy to read. It leant heavily into sentimentality, which created a cosy feeling. However, certain phrases were way too repetitive - you'll know them when you read them.

Some of the plot didn’t quite make sense. I felt plopped into the fictional world, but not necessarily in a good way. I don’t think I ever properly orientated myself. I probably would’ve understood it better if I was able to read the book within the book, or at least given snippets. In a similar way, I was never certain of the logic of the fictional town. I wished there was at least one steadfast rule.

There were so many characters in such a small town. The ‘tight-knit’ community felt manufactured. Likewise, Elsy’s band of friends (who we never met in present day) didn’t feel authentic.

For some reason, Elsy and her love interest, Anders, were immediately annoyed with each other. I didn’t understand this instantly frosty dynamic, nor their sudden jump to ‘love’. Anders himself never felt like a real human. He could have been way more interesting if the story delved more into his history.

When all the questions started to get addressed in the final act, I wasn’t totally convinced by the answers. It didn't help that the characters' behaviour and their lack of urgency in the lead up to this was at times infuriating.

I liked the premise of the mfc literally falling into one of her romance books. The author did a great job of painting the picture of Eloraton and its unfinished story. The story did take a little time to get into and I felt Elsy’s friendships with the characters in Eloraton felt a bit artificial but I suppose given that she had fallen into the middle of a book series that she had so much love for it made sense that the made those connections so easily. Ultimately I enjoyed the journey Elsy went on and how her time in the town helped her to start moving forward. Anders was an interesting one, took a little time for me to warm up to him but I like what the author did with his story. The chemistry and romance between Elsy and Anders was a mixed bag but overall I did end up liking them together . Not my favourite from this author but overall this is worth a read. 3 🌟

I enjoyed this so much, I think we’ve all dreamt of being able to visit our favourite book series (or TV, looking at you Gilmore Girls!) and to be able to interact with the characters as if it were real life. To actually fall in love in this situation would obviously make things ever so slightly complicated.
I loved the concept, the characters and I was pretty jealous a lot of the time, but there were just too many repetitive descriptions that stopped this earning 5 stars.

After reading and loving The Seven Year Slip earlier this year, I highly anticipated Ashley Poston’s newest release.

A Novel Love Story follows Eileen, who gets stuck in the world of her favourite romance book series whilst trying to navigate a broken heart and a changing friendship. It is definitely charming, and should be an instant pick up for lovers of the romance genre, and anyone who loves to read books about books. It also has a whimsical quality to it, so is a perfect summer read.

Poston had to find a perfect balance between portraying the peripheral characters in this book as just that, book characters in (Rachel Flowers’) books, but also make them feel real enough that we could invest ourselves into them. Unfortunately, I don’t think that was achieved and left everything feeling very surface-level.

This extended to the hero and heroine too. I didn’t feel like they had a natural relationship progression, it was hard to visualise who they were as people, and as a result, it left me with a central romantic plot that I wasn’t rooting for.

This hasn’t dissuaded me from picking up another one of Poston’s books, but this wasn't my favourite of hers!

Ashley Poston is the queen of romance with a twist. This book is completely unique and fresh, I ate it up! I loved the concept of being stuck in her favourite romance. The characters were well thought out and relatable in a very genuine way. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance and wants to make their heart smile

This romance novel is a love story about love stories, and it won my heart. As somebody that doesn’t typically read this genre, something about its synopsis piqued my interest and I was delighted to be approved for a galley. Eileen is a romance reader, recently unengaged, en route her annual book club retreat when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, leaving her stranded in a quaint town that feels strangely familiar, as though it were straight out of a novel. Eileen finds herself in Eloraton, the town where her favourite romance series is set – it feels like home.

Books about books make my heart sing and this was no exception. Eileen – or Elsy, as she is nicknamed – is a little scatty and clumsy and her internal monologues are so believable and relatable. The author conjures up a gorgeously quaint world to phenomenal effect and the small details are excellent, it creates a cosy Stars Hallow ambience, where everybody knows everybody. And the romance is really sweet as well, Anders is a brooding, mysterious bookish guy, and their relationship develops in a semi-believable timeline. I adored the fantasy/magical realism element of ‘A Novel Love Story’, it kept my brain tingling and always looking for that elusive hidden thread. However, I found Elsy to be a tiny bit shallow in terms of character development, and I couldn’t cope with the ridiculous number of times that the author writes about how Anders smells (cedarwood and black tea appears on every. damned. page.) and the endless repetition of his eye colour. Still, an enjoyable summer read and I’m looking forward to reading the author’s previous work (since it’s supposed to be much better!).