A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston Review

Title: A Novel Love Story

Author: Ashley Poston

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Magical Realism

Publisher: HQ

Pages: 384

Release Date: 25 June 2024

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Hello fellow book lovers! Today I’m sharing my review of A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston. And the Queen of romantic, magical realism has stolen my heart once again in this enchantingly tender, Schmigadoon-esque tale of heartbreak, healing and second chance romance that has me eager to reread it already!

Synopsis

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?

The next magical rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics!

Review

As a book lover I’m always wondering what it would be like to meet my favourite characters (or live in my favourite books), so to explore a story that does just that was soo much fun.

The whimsy of Ashley Poston’s prose, and the immersive charm of the small town setting was phenomenal. As was the detailed, nuanced and relatable cast of characters whose lives I wanted to bask in forever. With possibly haunted toilets, grumpy MIA possums and a community that perfectly embodies the meaning found family — I was pretty glued to my seat and rooting for each and every character to find their HEA. And if you loved The Dead Romantics, you’ll be pleased to know both Benji and Florence make short cameos.

Much like the quaint little village in Beauty and The Beast, the fictional town of Eloraton is a slice of life, Hallmark- movie lovers dream and I enjoyed seeing our protagonist, Elsy, finally begin to work through her personal struggles and confront emotions that’s she’s been bottling up for years.

Her emotional journey was incredibly cathartic, and one I know many people are bound to relate to. However, for me, it was her childlike joy at getting up close and personal with all her fave characters (and her reactions to them) that really won me over. I don’t want to spoil any of it but just know her actions are pretty much how I imagine we’d all respond if given the same chance.

The romance was pretty swoon-worthy too and the tense, chemistry-laden interactions with resident grump/ love interest, Anderson were soo good! Their earlier scenes were very enemies to lovers coded (and you all know how much of a sucker I am for that trope.)

Overall, this was a beautifully written and unputdownable read that pays homage to booklovers (their love of stories and the authors who create them) that fans of whimsy, and romance with a hint of magic should definitely consider checking out.

Also a huge thank you to HQ for the finished copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author

Ashley Poston started writing when she was in middle school, and never stopped. She graduated from the University of South Carolina and went on to work in the publishing industry as both a social media coordinator and then a marketing designer, before she became a full-time author.

Her young adult novels have appeared on the Indie NextList multiple times, and have been featured in Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly, Hypable, Buzzfeed, and in the Goodreads Choice Awards.

Her first adult novel, The Dead Romantics, was Good Morning America’s July Book Club Pick, Barnes & Noble’s Fiction Pick for July, an Amazon Editor choice, and one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Romances of 2022, and both a New York Times Notable Book of 2022 and a Best Romance Novel of 2022. It is also a USA Today and New York Times bestseller.

When not writing, she plays Dungeons & Dragons and reads copious amounts of fanfic. She bides her time between New York and South Carolina, and all the bookstores between