Book Review: A Novel Love Story

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Quote:  

"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."

Blurb:  Eileen Merriweather loves a good love story. The fictional kind, anyway. After all, imaginary men don't break your heart.

But when Eileen's car breaks down en route to her annual book club retreat, she 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 favorite 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?

Book Tropes: 

• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Sweet Romance
• Small Town Romance
• Magical Realism
• Fantasy
• Fiction
• Contemporary Romance

My Personal Views:  I loved everything about this—the story, the plot, the characters—everything! Okay, maybe except for one thing, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Eileen Merriweather is a big-time book lover. Her best friend is practically a sister, and her favorite author is Rachel Flowers, who sadly passed away a few years ago. In search of some peace and quiet from both work and life, Eileen heads to a cozy cabin she usually visits with her group of book club friends. But on her way there, she somehow ends up in a town called Eloraton—a town that shouldn’t exist, because it only exists in her favorite book series by Rachel Flowers.

While trying to figure out how to escape this fictional world, she meets Anderson—a grumpy guy who always seems to have a frown on his face. At first, Eileen is confused, since she’s pretty sure he wasn’t a character in any of the books she’s read. But soon, she finds out why he's so desperate to send her home.

I loved every freaking minute of this book! Ashley Poston—what do you put in these books?? I usually don’t read multiple books by the same author unless it’s a series, because I always end up disappointed. But Ashley Poston has never let me down. She's definitely become a favorite of mine because of that.

Coming to the book—Eileen lived my dream life for a few weeks. I mean, which reader wouldn’t want to literally travel inside their favorite book? I absolutely loved the concept.

While the side characters didn’t stand out much for me, the main characters were a big hit. I felt so close to Eileen, and I saw so much of myself in her. It’s like Ashley Poston writes her female main characters with me in mind—even though we’ve never met. 

And let’s talk about Anderson: he was everything you could want in a love interest. A guy who reads and wears glasses? Yes, please. Their chemistry wasn’t off-the-charts intense, but it was sweet and charming—very cute.

Now, the one thing I didn’t like? That last scene before the epilogue. When Bea returns to the town and Anderson just kind-of leaves Eileen to go with her? That was so stupid. Honestly, it didn’t feel like the Anderson I had fallen for throughout the book. That move was completely out of character and such a asshole-y thing to do.

But the rest of the book? Adorable. One of the best small-town romance stories I’ve read.

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Until the next read,

Aditi