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.
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“She's making all our biggest book dreams come true . . . yes, you're totally going to wish that this plot was happening to you!”—Cosmopolitan
"Ashley Poston has written another clever, emotional love story part fantasy, part romcom—perfect for passing a day or three by the pool."—Harper's Bazaar
"I love a romance with a touch of magical realism, and Ashley Poston’s latest fulfills everyreader’s dream: actually getting to live in the world of a book . . . This is a grumpy-meets-sunshinetale with plenty of book-lover tropes sure to delight."—ELLE
“If you’re looking for a read filled with heart, humor, and love galore, A Novel Love Story may be your perfect pairing!”—Buzzfeed
“This one goes out to all of the magical realism lovers out there. If you aren’t familiar with Ashley Poston, you should be.”—theSkimm
“A romance lovers dream of a book. Whimsical, romantic and packed with charm, Ashley Poston is the queen of high concept love stories.”—Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Part
“Ashley Poston has done it again. I fell into these pages just as effortlessly as Eileen tumbles into Eloraton. Whimsical, emotional, and tender, A Novel Love Story is another enchanting romance from Poston."—B.K. Borison, author of Business Casual
“Stranger Than Fiction meets Virgin River in this incandescently clever meta rom-com from Poston. Poston gracefully walks the line between women’s fiction and romance—with just a hint of magic—providing an inspirational story of personal growth and second-chance romance alongside a fascinating exploration of transformative fiction, how readers and writers cocreate and share stories, and the value and purpose of escaping into one’s favorite novels. Readers will want to escape into this one again and again.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“This slow-burn love story from Poston is as much an ode to romance novels and friendship as it is about romantic relationships. Fans of small-town contemporary romance will sink easily into quaint Eloraton.”—Library Journal
Overall rating: 4.428571 / 5 from 21 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
A Novel Love Story is a New York Times bestseller that offers a magical realism romance with unique characters and a happy ending. Customers find the book to be a great escape from reality, with a compelling story that intertwines the protagonist's life with the town's narrative.
"Likeable characters with great chemistry and a sweet romance with a happy ending." — Hannah
"The characters and storyline was so unique but relation and magical all at the same time." — Ivyboundbooks
"A sweet and cozy romance!" — Hannah
Reviews
Unique romance
"I am a BIG fam of Ashley Poston! She writes beautifully, her descriptions and the way she unfolds a story is very engaging. I love her unique plot ideas as well, not your typical girl meets boy romance. I took this book on my tropical vacation just this past week and EAT IT UP!!! I postponed reading it on the way home on the plane because I did not want it to end. Picture yourself stumbling into your favourite book in real life. A book that has changed your whole life, this is what our FMC has done. Read this book! Fall in love with the characters and the author like I did:)"
— Lisa7788 (5/5)
Birthday Gift
"Bought this as a gift for my sister-in-law for her birthday she loved it"
— Michelle (5/5)
A sweet and cozy romance!
"Actual rating: 4. 5 stars I absolutely love Ashley Poston's style of gentle magic, beautiful romance with a lot of humour, and processing grief. Ashley Poston is absolutely an auto-buy author for me! A Novel Love Story is a quick and fairly easy read that you can get through super quickly, so it's great if you're in a slump! Likeable characters with great chemistry and a sweet romance with a happy ending."
— Hannah (5/5)
Great read!
"I love books about books, and this was a great one. Ashley Poston is really great at giving books that make you laugh but also make you think, and make you wait until those last pages for that happy ending, and this was no exception. A great read! Also super loved the cameo of the dead romantics!"
— Reader (5/5)
Unique Romcom!
"Another gorgeous, magical romance by Ashley Poston, and perfect for readers as it centres on an avid romance reader and bookshop owner. Whilst I did love this one, for some reason it didn’t hit quite the same way as her previous two. A great read, regardless!"
— AS (4/5)
Love a meet cute!
"A little cutie meet cute in a fictional place. Slow burn but still enjoyed reading it! Innocent girl meets a librarian grump"
— Jasmine B. (3/5)
The not-quite trilogy from Ashley Poston
"A Novel Love Story is the 3rd book I’ve read by Ashley Poston. Coming from the Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics, I wasn’t quite as pulled into the plot of this one. What I really loved about the Seven Year Slip is the back and forth personalities of Iwan and how Clementine fell in love with both of them. With this novel, I didn’t feel the same intrigue with the way they fell in love. Their love helped them move past their ghosts, as is the case with many other romantic book, but there wasn’t a particular moment where they choose to accept the pain left from the dead author, instead choosing to just keep going with the passions and aspirations. I did love the allusion to Benji Ador as a member of the book club as it created a new world by Ashley Poston for her loyal readers. Overall, with the cover and similar writing style, I would want to call this a 3rd book of a series that is no way a trilogy."
— Harman B. (3/5)
Potential but…
"It was a very cute magic adjacent type story but it was messy. Too many side imaginary characters. She believed it all too quickly. The male character was good but not fleshed out enough to be believed. Good potential but it didn’t follow through"
— Jill (2/5)
A Novel Story Indeed!
"OH MY GOD!! ♾️⭐️ I LOVED this book soooo much. This is easily my favourite Ashley Poston book so far. :pink_heart: Obsessed doesn’t even begin to describe it. The characters and storyline was so unique but relation and magical all at the same time. I cried and laughed and swooned my way through. The self growth. 💙 Ashley really wrote a character for every hopeless romantic reader to feel seen and understood. This one’s in the top 5 books of the year so far 💙:pink_heart:"
— Ivyboundbooks (5/5)
A novel love story
"This magical realism romance was cute i would recomend . I love the consept of ending up in the town of your favorite novel."
— Bd (4/5)
Q&A
Published date: Jun 25, 2024
Language: English
No. of Pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780593640975
Dimensions:
5.46" W x
0.81" L x
8.2" H
Ashley Poston is the New York Times bestselling author of A Novel Love Story, The Seven Year Slip, and The Dead Romantics. A native of South Carolina, she lives in a small gray house with her sassy cat and too many books. You can find her on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan fiction.
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