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mazmum's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
elysatiplady's review against another edition
4.0
“Sometimes, a book can change your life.
It's hard to explain that to someone who doesn't read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books were a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak. I'd met countless stories by the time I read a book that changed my life.”
“Love was patient and meticulous and it never ceased to surprise me. It wasn’t something that I needed, something that I deserved, that I was worthy of — love was what I wanted.”
If you’re wanting a small town cozy romance that’s unique yet laid back I’d completely and utterly recommend A Novel Love Story.
It’s been years since I have been this immersed in a romance book. Ashley Poston is known for her unique love stories, so I was incredibly excited to see what angle she’d take on this book. My gosh was it worth it. If you’re looking for something outside of today’s standard romance I’d definitely recommend this one. Postons writing has always felt like a warm hug to me, so paired with the small town setting and personable characters it had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life-like works of art— was transformative. It persisted."
The plot seems fairly simple to begin with - an english teacher whose life is unfulfilling travels to her annual book club getaway, except this time she is the only one able to make it. On the way there she takes a wrong turn and ends up in a small town she’s never been to that feels somewhat familiar. She quickly realises that the places and people in town are the exact ones from her favourite romance series.
side note: This book was written for the romance girlies and Ashley absolutely nailed it. A romance book about living in a romance book that isn’t cringe? Sign me up!
The small town vibes and comforting characters make it a quick enjoyable read. I felt that the two main characters had great chemistry (it’s kind of a haters to lovers trope but they never actually hated each other). The pacing for some of the subplots was quite quick, but remembering that the fmc is literally ‘inside’ a romance book for a total of about 5ish days I think it’s a non-issue.
I thought this book would be predictable and slightly boring based on the first few chapters, but I was quickly proven wrong.
While I guessed some of the plot points correctly, I was absolutely not prepared for some of the things that happened in this book. I was left feeling the type of shocked where your brain pauses for a few minutes trying to process. I spent right up to the last 10 pages still trying to figure out how things would end. With how things had gone I was trying to rationalise with myself that Ashley could end the book and leave me feeling heartbroken in complete disbelief, or, she could sew my heart back together and leave me feeling elated.
While the plot is well thought out I do have some criticisms:
1. It is not the most well written book. I love Ashley’s writing tone, but her writing style has always fallen a bit short to me.
2. Kind of a sub-point to the one above is the character descriptions. The first time they were written out they were great… but then they got repeated, and repeated, and repeated. There is only so many times you can use the same description of a character before it gets annoying. You don’t need to reintroduce the same information about someone constantly for it to stick.
3. A small plot hole that has me overthinking everything. It wasn’t very well explained how the main characters entered the fictional world - it just is and we need to accept it. I wish there was a little more explanation because somehow the fictional characters could all leave town but then once our main characters left it ceased to exist?
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise of it seems a little bit out there at first but please stick with it. This is one of the most unique romance books I’ve read in years, and in a genre that doesn’t have a lot of plot variety I give Ashley Poston so much credit. So read it please, I genuinely need you to so you can feel what I felt.
It's hard to explain that to someone who doesn't read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books were a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak. I'd met countless stories by the time I read a book that changed my life.”
“Love was patient and meticulous and it never ceased to surprise me. It wasn’t something that I needed, something that I deserved, that I was worthy of — love was what I wanted.”
If you’re wanting a small town cozy romance that’s unique yet laid back I’d completely and utterly recommend A Novel Love Story.
It’s been years since I have been this immersed in a romance book. Ashley Poston is known for her unique love stories, so I was incredibly excited to see what angle she’d take on this book. My gosh was it worth it. If you’re looking for something outside of today’s standard romance I’d definitely recommend this one. Postons writing has always felt like a warm hug to me, so paired with the small town setting and personable characters it had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life-like works of art— was transformative. It persisted."
The plot seems fairly simple to begin with - an english teacher whose life is unfulfilling travels to her annual book club getaway, except this time she is the only one able to make it. On the way there she takes a wrong turn and ends up in a small town she’s never been to that feels somewhat familiar. She quickly realises that the places and people in town are the exact ones from her favourite romance series.
side note: This book was written for the romance girlies and Ashley absolutely nailed it. A romance book about living in a romance book that isn’t cringe? Sign me up!
The small town vibes and comforting characters make it a quick enjoyable read. I felt that the two main characters had great chemistry (it’s kind of a haters to lovers trope but they never actually hated each other). The pacing for some of the subplots was quite quick, but remembering that the fmc is literally ‘inside’ a romance book for a total of about 5ish days I think it’s a non-issue.
I thought this book would be predictable and slightly boring based on the first few chapters, but I was quickly proven wrong.
While I guessed some of the plot points correctly, I was absolutely not prepared for some of the things that happened in this book. I was left feeling the type of shocked where your brain pauses for a few minutes trying to process. I spent right up to the last 10 pages still trying to figure out how things would end. With how things had gone I was trying to rationalise with myself that Ashley could end the book and leave me feeling heartbroken in complete disbelief, or, she could sew my heart back together and leave me feeling elated.
While the plot is well thought out I do have some criticisms:
1. It is not the most well written book. I love Ashley’s writing tone, but her writing style has always fallen a bit short to me.
2. Kind of a sub-point to the one above is the character descriptions. The first time they were written out they were great… but then they got repeated, and repeated, and repeated. There is only so many times you can use the same description of a character before it gets annoying. You don’t need to reintroduce the same information about someone constantly for it to stick.
3. A small plot hole that has me overthinking everything. It wasn’t very well explained how the main characters entered the fictional world - it just is and we need to accept it. I wish there was a little more explanation because somehow the fictional characters could all leave town but then once our main characters left it ceased to exist?
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise of it seems a little bit out there at first but please stick with it. This is one of the most unique romance books I’ve read in years, and in a genre that doesn’t have a lot of plot variety I give Ashley Poston so much credit. So read it please, I genuinely need you to so you can feel what I felt.
readwithgemma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Ashley Poston has done it again! This is another fabulous romance book with a bit of a twist!
I love the idea of falling into a small town where my favourite book is set.
Ashley Poston's writing always makes me smile, and i especially liked when we got all the previous cameos from her other romance books! These always make me happy!
This book made me cry! When I had a feeling what was going to happen I cried and then 10% later I was sobbing on a red eye flight when everyone was sleeping around me!
I love the idea of falling into a small town where my favourite book is set.
Ashley Poston's writing always makes me smile, and i especially liked when we got all the previous cameos from her other romance books! These always make me happy!
This book made me cry! When I had a feeling what was going to happen I cried and then 10% later I was sobbing on a red eye flight when everyone was sleeping around me!
cozyinthenook's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lollilinds's review against another edition
3.0
3⭐️
After suffering a broken heart, Eileen and her friend join a romance bookclub where their favourite topic are the books set in the little town of Eloraton. They have annual meet ups a a cabin but this year nobody is able to attend except Eileen. So she decides to go there by herself.
On the journey she gets lost and finds herself in a small town that is very familiar. She feels like she knows the people already apart from the mysterious grumpy bookshop owner.
Has she managed to find herself in Eloraton? Who is real and who is the man with the minty eyes?
This is a nice romance book which unfortunately did not grip me the way others have done in the past.
The repetition of certain phrases really began to annoy me towards the end. The phrase “minty eyes” was used 19 times, although it felt like a lot more. (We get it, his eyes were green)
I did like the concept of the book but there were a lot of characters to keep a track of, I felt like I should have read the fictional Rachel Flowers books first to understand everything that was going on.
All in all a bit of a let down but I did enjoy the ending.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
pawsomereads2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
novelgossip's review against another edition
4.0
This one is for the romance book girlies, especially those of us who have daydreamed about visiting our favorite fictional small town in real life. I adored the unique and magical premise naturally, the author always writes the most whimsical and charming romances and this was no exception. At first it seems like a dream come true for Elsy to be stuck in Eloraton but can she really leave her real life behind in order to stay in this sweet little town? This series is so special and important to her, it got her through some of the worst years in her life so abandoning it seems crazy to her. The magic and power of books is the overarching theme here and I think this made the romance take a bit of a backseat but I didn’t mind. I was so charmed by the quirky town and Elsy’s personal journey the romance as almost a secondary plot point made sense for me. Another delightful read from a trusted author, a true escape in the sweetest manner.
miss_hart_stopper's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Like any good book nerd, I have always thought about what it would be like to live in the world of my books, be it Fawks (Twilight, don't judge me I was young), Truham (Heartstopper), Sunshine Falls (Book Lovers) or on the set of a reality dating show (The Charm Offensive), I've imagined myself there and even had my own conversations with the characters that live there. Well... the main character in this book actually gets to live this dream!
When I started reading this book i was concerned that it would turn into a traditional 'magical' 'roll you eyes' romance story ... the girl is driving alone to a holiday cottage after a life changing heartbreak ... car breaks down... there is a storm .... finds a local pub ... no mobile phone reception etc etc ... and I (mistakenly) thought that i knew where this was going and i wasn't sure if i was ready for the dripping with cheese romance that i thought it was.
Well, despite my initial reservations, this turned into the type of book where you are still up at 2ambecause you are sure you can squeeze in "one last chapter" and not be a zombie for work the next day.
The character development was quite slow at the start, i think because there were quite a few, and the main character was trying to understand where she was which slowed down the plot. But at about a third of the way through the story really came into its own and the world of Eloraton really came alive. The story, whilst somewhat predictable (its a romance novel after all) had so many twists and turns and you really didn't know how things were going to end for Esly.
This book is full of cozy small town charm, including a grumpy book shop owner and his cat, who we obviously are destined to fall in love with (cat or owner ... you decide) . The air of mystery in the stagnant town is really well established, you start to wonder if people are trapped or there by choice and at point it has you on the edge of your seat ... there is even a mummy possum and her babies who become integral to one of the plot points of the story.
A slow start, but turned into a really brilliant read, perfect for a rainy summers day.
Spoiler ... its not all a dream! I was genuinely concerned that this is where the story was going at one point and I would have been raging if she "woke up and realised it was a dream" ... thankfully it did not and it actually has an unputdownable ending.
anniekslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Picture this: you get lost on a long drive, and suddenly you find yourself in the Stars Hollow townsquare, watching all your favourite characters come to life. This is essentially what happens to the main character of Ashley Poston's newest romance, when she finds herself in the fictional town where her favourite romance novels are set.
I would say Ashley Poston writes romance for the Emily Henry fans who love a supernatural twist to their romances. Which describes me perfectly, so it won't be a surprise that I really enjoyed this!
This book is, I think, best described as Inkheart for adults. Who hasn't fantasized about visiting their favourite fictional world and meeting their favourite fictional characters? If you have, you're going to love your escape into this most comforting of comfort reads. Not only is the premise sooo promising, but it genuinely does have all the cosy smalltown vibes, all the love for romance novels, and an absolutely lovely grumpy x sunshine romance. There are even some mysteries in the town, which makes for a super engaging read that I wasn't able to put down.
I would say Ashley Poston writes romance for the Emily Henry fans who love a supernatural twist to their romances. Which describes me perfectly, so it won't be a surprise that I really enjoyed this!
This book is, I think, best described as Inkheart for adults. Who hasn't fantasized about visiting their favourite fictional world and meeting their favourite fictional characters? If you have, you're going to love your escape into this most comforting of comfort reads. Not only is the premise sooo promising, but it genuinely does have all the cosy smalltown vibes, all the love for romance novels, and an absolutely lovely grumpy x sunshine romance. There are even some mysteries in the town, which makes for a super engaging read that I wasn't able to put down.
ameserole's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
Anderson is beyond a dream book boyfriend. He's a goddamn book husband.