A Novel Love Story
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction . . . literally, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics.
Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.
But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel . . .
Because it is.
This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.
Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.
Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.
Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.
Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.
But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel . . .
Because it is.
This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.
Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.
Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.
Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.
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Community Reviews
I absolutely devoured this book. I'm a sucker for a book about books. A Novel Love Story was the perfect mix of whimsy, Gilmore Girls, and coziness. We've all imagined what it would be like to end up in our favorite books, right? I'm not big on contemporary romance, and while this bordered on that.. there was so much more to it. It was a speculative fiction story about finding oneself, about the magic that exists where we least expect it, and about believing in love and life. I loved every single character, I loved the romances, and most of all, I loved Eloraton. I will miss these characters and their adorable, whimsical little town.
“Because even after the people were gone, there were still stories. There were always stories. Other people took the heart of her books, and kept them close, and nurtured them and grew into something new, because nothing could ever stay in stasis. Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life—like works of art—was transformative. It persisted. And through them, so did we.”
I am obsessed with this book and Ashley Poston! I think I need to pick up every one of her books at this point because I love the way her brain works and the writing style she provides. She takes the formula of a typical romance novel and twists it to be something so unique and so special it really is a thrill to read. This book gives us a story within a story and I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to experience something similar. Elsy is a relatable character and I feel I would be the same way if I found myself within the pages of one of my favorite books. So much of this story displays how much a book can mean to a reader and someone who doesn’t read will never understand that. I adored Anders and was taken through so many different emotions for their relationship. One of my other favorite parts was that it wasn’t a typical “happily ever after.” It didn’t feel like a given fact which was nice to not have everything be so predictable. I cannot say enough good things so all I can say is, read the book!
Loved the storyline it, especially for romance it kept me hooked throughout the book, and my toes would literally curl up at all of the romantic scenes. Even the dialogues were very well written.
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