A Novel Love Story Review

Hello, all!

If you've ever dreamt of visiting your favorite bookish world, then you need to add A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston to your TBRs.

Pub Date: 6-25-24
Adult - Contemporary

There's nothing Eileen Merriweather loves more than a good love story, just not her own. Eileen has been in a rut ever since her fiance dumped her right before their wedding, and the only thing she's been looking forward to is the annual vacation she and her book club take to a cozy house in upstate New York. So when plans fall through, and no one else can make it, Eileen decides to take the trip alone. But when her car breaks down, Eileen begins to think she made a terrible mistake, but then she realizes where she is: Eloraton, the town from her favorite romance series.

Eileen has no idea how, but suddenly, she's surrounded by characters she's dreamt of meeting, and it feels like home. But the author passed before finishing the series, so everything about the town and its people seems stuck. Except for one character, Eileen can't place. Anders is the frustratingly handsome and grumpy bookstore owner and the only other person besides Eileen who realizes what's going on, but unlike Eileen, he doesn't want anything to change. Eileen is sure she was brought to Eloraton to help give these characters their happy ending, but she wasn't counting on finding her own in the process.

I've only read one other book by Poston, but I love how charmingly quirky they are. The way she weaves in magical realism elements is so fun, and this was my favorite because who doesn't dream about escaping into their favorite books? I found parts of Eileen to be super relatable, but others were frustrating. It was satisfying watching her finally open up about her wants, but getting there had me pulling at my hair. Her relationship with Anders was cute, and I liked their little snips at one another, but I wanted more chemistry. I could also tell who he was once he got introduced, so I was mostly waiting to see when Eileen would figure it out. It was fun watching Eileen interact with all her favorite characters and get to live out her literary fantasies, but it did get to be repetitious. Still, I read it in one sitting because the writing was so easy to devour, and I think it would be good to pick up if you're looking for a cozier romance.

Rating: 3/5