A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Contemporary Romance/Magical Realism/Women’s Fiction
June 25, 2024- Berkley
ARC

Review by Angela

I went into A Novel Love Story with an open mind, as I do with any Ashley Poston novel. This author’s books are so very unique, I’m not even sure how to categorize them when I’m writing my reviews. So far she’s tackled main protagonists who can see the dead (and fall in love with them), slips back and forth in time, and now a book about getting stranded in the setting of a beloved romance series.

First let me say, I wouldn’t necessarily say this is 100% romance, but more a mixture of romance and women’s fiction. Eileen Merriweather is a dedicated romance reader who has recently gone through a terrible breakup. Her coping mechanism lately is to get lost in her books and hide from the rest of the world. As a member of a book club dedicated to one specific author and series, she supported by a group of likeminded people. When everyone drops out last minute for their annual retreat, she decides to go alone. And ends up in the last place she expected–the lovely small town of Eloraton– the setting of her favorite romance series.

It takes Elsy a bit to realize exactly where she’s ended up. Everything feels so familiar, but it’s not until she starts meeting the real-life versions of these characters that she begins to understand, and she decides to stay for a bit, even though the proprietor of the local book shop seems to be in hurry to get her to leave. But things don’t seem to be as perfect as they are in the novels she loves so much, and her favorite couples are stuck in time, frozen just where the author left them in her series arc, before she passed away and left the last book in the series and the conclusion unfinished. So, she begins to “help” where she can, and give advice, but it seems that she’s also messing with the characters relationships and the town itself, and the only person who understands the ripple effects is that grumpy bookstore owner, Anders.

I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book and its execution. As a romance reader I loved the entire premise of getting stuck in the setting of your favorite romance series. Meeting the characters, discovering their motivations, and helping them make decisions along the way. I liked that Elsy eventually came to the realization that her happily ever after was entwined with the towns. I didn’t think the romance aspect was particularly strong, but then again, the revelations about the identity of Anders didn’t really come to the very end, and I understand why this story and romance played out the way it did. Just as an FYI, as with this author’s other novels, this is very much a grief book. I don’t want to give too much away, but grief and the stages of grief do play a big part in the overall story arc.

There was one thing that did irritate me a bit and that is the use of one specific descriptive when talking about the MMC’s eyes. The word mint was used 33 times and it about drove me crazy. My brain kept telling me there has to be a reason why this word is used so many times…like maybe it will come back to mean something later on, and I was kind of correct for thinking that, but for me to actually do a search to find out how many times the word appears should tell you how it stood out to me.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read. The premise is so different, and I can’t help but be swept into any story this author pens. I’m also always happy to see easter eggs from her other novels appear. I had a few quibbles, but those were negligible to my overall satisfaction.

Grade-B