This is a lovely, fantastical twist on getting lost in a good book (literally). Elsy takes refuge in romance novels as an escape from her own life, so finding herself in the town from her favourite, unfinished series is a dream… and also raises a number of questions. What happens to characters after the happy ever after; are they left there in stasis or does their story live on in the imagination of the reader? What does it take to move on? I developed a theory quite early about Anders (and his minty eyes, emphasised a little too much) which turned out to be mostly correct, but working that out didn’t spoil my enjoyment of Elsy’s discoveries about the town and about herself. The side characters are well drawn, with clever distinctions between Eloraton and the real world, and I liked the nod back to The Dead Romantics. Definitely one for lovers of romance novels.

Loved the escapism and the premise, but the romance was a little too instant for me. It felt very similar to one of my favourite TV shows, Once Upon A Time

WOW! I have loved Ashley's other books and she's done it once again with A Novel Love Story. This book felt like a love letter to romance readers, and it was just such a clever take on magical realism combining real life with the world inside Elsy's favourite book series.

I absolutely loved both Elsy and Anders as characters, as well as the other characters from the town and seeing how their characters started to develop more as Elsy interacted with them. I guessed early on who Anders was, and although it didn't then come as a surprise, the way the ending played out was just so perfect - I cried!

This is going on my re-read pile as soon as I get my hands on a physical copy.

3.5 rounded up!

*thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review*

The premise of this one had me instantly intrigued- imagine waking up in your favourite book!!

Like with the Dead Romantics, one of the main things I loved about this was Ashley’s writing, it just feels like a warm blanket on a rainy day! The plot was very Hallmark movie and full of cliches but that’s one of the reasons I loved it.

The reason this wasn’t 5 star for me was the pacing was a little off, we jump between book life and normal life , past and present and for me it just felt a little clunky at times, with the pace being quite slow at the 50% mark.

I also didn’t really feel the chemistry in the romance as much as I would have liked but did enjoy the MMC as a character.

I loved the friendship aspect in this one, and feel like it carried the narrative for me.

All in all this was a fun fluffy romance read, and if you like a hallmark movie and the series once upon a time, I think you’ll like this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝟰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀!

Ashley Poston does it again with this book, a love letter to every bookworm, no matter the genre - imagine falling in to your favourite romance novel, meeting the characters you love, and being in the familiar surroundings that make up those tear soaked pages of your favourite book! Magical realism, at its finest!

I fell in love with Poston’s writing in The Dead Romantics, and A Novel Love Story did not dissapoint - I also LAPPED UP all the subtle little links to TDR. You have to go in to these books and enjoy them for what they are, suspend all disbelief, and just sink in to these magical stories.

I was absolutely ready to launch this book through the window toward the end - but Poston pulled through, as she always does. The repetitiveness of some descriptions would be my only criticism, but overall I had such a fun time and was tearing up by the end - and that authors note!!

"𝗜 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘁｡ 𝗜𝘁 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲｡ 𝗜𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆｡" ~ 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯

This is such a unique book! The premise was so intriguing and it kept me questioning what is happening! Ashley Poston is literally the queen of writing books with fantasy realism!

What a dreamy story to fall in to. I think we as readers, would love nothing more than to stumble in to our favourite fictional world, right? And what's better than a small town with the strangest quirks, the sweetest romances and an unwritten ending?
The Seven Year Slip still remains my favourite but this one felt like a yummy, summer treat. Rolling down car windows, sweat drying on your skin, Stevie Nicks' voice hollering in the background
I thought the plot was simple and enjoyable- incredibly relatable - if you've ever felt lost or stuck in life, like everyone is moving forward and you're trying to just stay afloat, this is a book for you.
Themes of grief, healing, self love and self doubt were prevalent throughout and always make Ashley's books so special.
I desperately want to read the series mentioned in this book because it sounds hella cute.
I had a great time and hope other readers find what they need in Eloraton, in the same way that I did

I enjoyed this book it had me smiling and kicking my feet :) I loved the concept and the story telling. I loved the plot and the characters in the book I felt like I knew them. This book is amazing for book lovers as it is relatable.

Thank you HQ (Harper Collins UK) and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this super cosy romance! I have had such a great time reading this book, which was the perfect mix of bookish, easy to read and intriguing. I always love books about books and A Novel Love Story didn't disappoint! This book is perfect for fans of small town romances, cosy books, and books that are a bit quirky or paranormal. This is a great book if you want a cosy escape from everyday life. I really enjoyed getting lost in the small town of Eloraton, which this book is set in. Ashley Poston's writing made me feel like I was really there, savouring sweet taffy and sitting back in the sun. There is also a bookstore cat which has to be one of my favourite things of all time! A Novel Love Story was a bit repetitive in parts and it took me some time to connect with the main character Elsy, but once I did I was sooo enthralled in her story and fully rooting for her. Please note, while the romance is an important part of the story, this book also deals with other themes - so if you prefer a book that's exclusively romance you might not like this one as much. I am more of a romance-adjacent type of person so I appreciated the interspersed sprinkles of romance!

I’m not sure how to categorise this book - maybe cosy fantasy - which sees the heroine, Eileen, taking a wrong turn on her annual trip to her book club’s cabin and finding herself in the fictional town of Eloraton, the setting of her favourite book series. What’s more, it’s populated by the characters of that series, except for Anders, the enigmatic man looking after the book shop. The book combines a number of original ideas; for example that there is an alternative universe created from an author’s imagination and that a story that is unfinished at the time of an author’s death is somehow in limbo. Ironically however, and unlike the heroine who was completely and literally absorbed by her favourite book series, I did not fully engage with the characters and their interactions. It still gets three stars for originality though.

3.5 ⭐️ | a cute romance for book lovers, but didn’t like the main character

I had really mixed feelings about this book - the world of Quixotic Falls was cute and felt straight out of a romance book, and I loved the little details like menus and books being blurred as they’re not fleshed out by the author. The characters from the series were sweet, and Anders was lovely. Despite some reviews I’ve seen, I actually liked his reaction to Bea - it felt realistic considering everything he’d been through, and gave Elsy time to grow into herself.

I didn’t like Elsy as a character - she felt like a knock off of Elsie from Love, Theoretically, Twilight references and all - and since it’s written in first person, this did impact my enjoyment of the book a lot. She also acted much younger than she was and was oblivious to much of what was going on until the end, which is frustrating as a reader when it seems obvious. I would have loved for the graveyard to be explored a bit more too as this was such an interesting concept! It also felt less like a romance and more about Elsy finding herself, though this is less of a problem with the book and more about the marketing.

Overall a cute summer read - thank you to NetGalley & HQ for the ARC! 💗

Full disclosure. I love stories about books, so I was probably always going to love this. Eileen Merriweather is an academic, who finds a perfect escape in a series of romance novels, set in a cozy, sleepy town called Eloraton. These are books that she has read so many times that she knows them inside and out. They are like old friends. She is a member of an online book club whose members are all fans of the same series and once a year they meet up at a cabin in New York state to drink wine and read the collected works of Rachel Flowers. This year, however, no one is able to make it, so Eileen decides to go on her own. On the drive up, she gets lost and finds herself in a small town, whose inhabitants are alarmingly familiar, except for the slightly grumpy bookstore owner. Inexplicably, she is in the fictional town of Eloraton, surrounded by the characters that she knows so well. Will her being there change the stories of the characters? Will the bookstore owner's grumpy attitude change? This was a fun, romantic read. Very enjoyable!

Ashley Poston never disappoints! After diving into The Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics, I was beyond excited to receive an e-ARC for review! The plot of this book was so intriguing and this ended up being a bookworm's dream. The writing was just as beautiful and lyrical as always and I loved getting lost in this book world within a book world, because really who hasn't wondered what it would be like to slip between the pages of your favourite book series? 💗 Ashley Poston has cemented herself as an auto-buy author for me and also, not related to the story, but can we take a second to appreciate the phenomenal cover. Stunning.

A Novel Love Story is an enchanting read. It's so so well written and has the element of magical realism that I love. Our fmc is a bit lost in life with her life appearing to fall apart so the annual trip with her book club would solve it right? That too gets cancelled but our lead is determined to change it around. The MMC is moody and broody and all we want from us romance readers, I fell so in love with them both. The chemistry was so good
I love the concept of the story, its funny but reminds me how a romance reader truly are. This book could define a romance reader in a dictionary. The pacing was slightly off for me, and the miscommunication was slightly frustrating but I can't wait to read Ashley Poston other books!

I loved the premise of this book and was hooked from the first few pages. It's a nice, cozy, easy to read romance with a friendly FMC.

The idea of the town and characters existing was what everyone dreams would happen with their fave book series and I loved it.

A niggle for me was that the spice was just spoken about in abstract terms or faded to black. I wanted more.

The twist was just twisty enough, that I hadn't fully worked it out. Also, I was confused and upset that it seemed the book had gone in a different direction than I wanted at the end. But I held out hope and was rewarded.

When Eileen decides to go on the annual book club trip alone, she certainly does not expect to get stuck in an oh so familiar town. From the cute little cafe, to the bar that only serves burnt burgers - Eileen knows this town. This is Eloraton, the town from her most re-read, favourite romance series by Rachel Flowers, the author that tragically passed away and never finished her series. Eileen certainly remembers the wonderful bookshop described in Rachel's books, but she definitely doesn't remember Anders, the handsome owner with the minty green eyes.

My first novel by Ashley Poston and certainly not my last. You know when a writing style just clicks for you? This was it for me, I felt hooked on the story within about 20 pages and think that the writing played a big part in that.

This was such a sweet story and I loved the references to the smutty romance book club, romantasy and all the other little references that us book lovers will have a smile to. A unique love story that takes place within a fictional town, it captured my heart and was the perfect low stakes, quick romance novel that I love - a perfect holiday read!

My only criticism would be the over use of the description "minty eyes", it was used about 30000 times and it really did start to grate on me unfortunately.

3.5 stars rounded up.

A Novel Love Story was kind of a .. weird experience. It gave me a feeling of being lost in a Jumanji adventure, and I HATED that cartoon. On the other hand, the story was interesting enough to keep me engrossed for hours.
I truly do not know how to feel about it. I liked it, but also it wasn't a favorite, and not one I would read again. My brain is having a hard time with the concept, even though I KNOW it's fiction and I have no problem with Marvel movies (ie unrealistic). The writing is great, the characters are great. The love story between Eileen and Anders kinda takes a backseat to everything else, so I would have loved more of them.
I dunno, it was an adventure. It was entertaining, so I guess there's that.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

“I didn't need love. I didn't need to fall into it. I didn't need to find it at all. Not again. Never again. Because love stories were enough. They were safe. They would never fail me.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Book: A Novel Love Story
Author: Ashley Poston

This book felt like a love letter to the romance genre, and as a romance loving girlie, i appreciated it SO much.

Ashley Poston books are always going to tug on the heartstrings, this is my second book of hers so far and it’s definitely my favourite. I loved The Dead Romantics but just connected to this one more. I have never read anything like it, it is such a cool concept! 🥹

The best way that I can think to describe this book is The Wizard of Oz meets the romance genre as a whole; All of Elsy’s friends cancel on their yearly book club meeting, so she decides to take the vacation on her own. But on the way her car breaks down and she finds herself in Eloration, the totally made up town from her favourite romance series, where she finds a tall, good looking, grumpy bookstore owner with bright green eyes. But she can’t fall for a fictional character… right?

The only reason that this wasn’t a 5⭐️ for me was because we were told about Anders “minty green eyes” way too often, but that’s just a personal gripe. Other than that, i loved this story. it was such an adorable adventure and the characters were so loveable.

Read if you enjoy:
🩵 Romance novels
🩵 Relatable characters
🩵 Magical realism
🩵 Grumpy x Sunshine
🩵 Dislike to lovers
🩵 Books centred around books
🩵 Strong friendships
🩵 Banter
🩵 Single POV

(Thank you so much to HQ for the EARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻)

🧡

"There was only one road in, and one road out of Eloraton, New York, and most people never took it.'

I've been enjoying Poston's novels - The Dead Romantics, The Seven Year Slip - which take modern women in a romantic dilemma and put them in a setting with just a touch of magic or fantasy. Often set in the literary or publishing worlds they both fulfil and reference the romance genre, though also creating a background to that which allows things to be seen from quite a different perspective.

And they're all compelling, deeply readable and funny.

In A Novel Love Story, Eileen (don't, please, mention That Song to her) finds herself on a road trip to the remote (it's a 2 day drive!) New York State cabin where she will meet with her book group for a week's escape from a life with which it's clear she feels increasingly frustrated. Professionally she's stuck, romantically, she was dumped by her fiancé on the eve of their wedding. Book group has helped her get over that, up to a point, but as becomes clear, only up to a point.

So when Eileen gets lost in a rainstorm and drives into Eloraton she's perhaps more than ready - though she doesn't know it - for a slightly out of this world romantic adventure. Eloraton really is the perfect town, with sweet little shops, cosy cafes, a bookshop, a square and clocktower, and friendly residents. In Eloraton, it always rains in the afternoon, and the burgers in the Grumpy Possum Cafe are always overcooked (but redeemed by the town's famed hot sauce).

Best of all, Eileen knows Eloraton, and she knows the townsfolk, because it is the setting for her favourite series of romances, sadly uncompleted since the author, Rachel Flowers, passed away. Perhaps while she's staying, Eileen can discover what Rachel intended for the last book of the series, which she never finished? Or perhaps she can lend a little help to the characters from the earlier books, who seem, well, a little... stuck... since their creator passed on?

What she's NOT going to do, of course, is get involved with Anders, the man she nearly ran down when she arrived. The grumpy man who runs the town bookshop but who never appeared in any of the stories. No, Eileen has no interest in Anders AT ALL.

What follows is fun and funny and meta (Eileen knows the rules of these stories, the Happy-for-Nows, the happy-ever-Afters). She also knows much more about the background of everyone she meets than she dares let on, she's read the books, after all). There's a mystery to the Brigadoon-like Eloraton, a mystery which seems to be bound up with Anders. Who can Rachel have intended him to fall in love with, and how can Eileen make sure she doesn't interrupt that?

Because, once Eileen arrives things do begin to change...

I really, really loved this story. Eileen is a great character to spend time with. An academic, she's feeling stalled at work - she always get assigned to teach the 8am class - and is pleased to throw herself into sorting out the good poeople of Eloraton, who she thinks she understands so well. But knowledge is not wisdom and Eileen can be, perhaps, rather over direct in her ways as she tries to set people on their right path. Eileen is great to spend time with but also, perhaps, annoying at times. So it's not surprising when sparks fly between her and Anders. Poston sets about this central relationship with glee. Of course there are conventions to be met here but also, conventions to be subverted. Both Anders and Eileen are well aware of these, making their relationship even more spiky and even more funny (at times).

A satisfying book to read, pretty hard to put down and one where the keen eyed reader will spot some links to other parts of the Poston-verse.

i’m an ashley poston fan girl so this hurts to give 3 stars but .. here we are ..

if this wasn’t a romance novel or the love story didn’t go the way it did the premise and characters and personal development plot of the main character could have all gotten 10s but i just didn’t geel the chemistry or get butterflies or even want them together by the end ( because his reaction to bea … nah the entire thing should have been a control alt delete after that )

loved the little references to the dead romantics but yeah it just fell a bit flat for me in the end :( i will still be buying a physical copy because the cover slaps and i like to keep all of an authors works lol

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the earc