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booksbytheglass's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ashley poston knows the strings of my heart and yanks them every single time đâ¤ď¸ every time I think she canât possibly write a book as good as her last, she surpasses herself again and again!!!!
I once again completely relate to FMC elsy, who feels like sheâs being left behind in life with nowhere to turn to. on a solo trip to a remote cabin (which she normally takes with her bookish friends but theyâre all too busy this year đĽ˛), she gets stranded in a small town that turns out to be ⌠the small town of her favorite book series⌠which is seriously every romance readerâs dream I swear đŽâđ¨đŽâđ¨
while the cast of characters is quite large and overwhelming, seeing elsyâs joy at meeting her heroes was worth every bit of confusion 𼚠she kept it wayyyy cooler than I would be letâs just say
and while I absolutely knew this was a budding romance between her and bookshop owner anders (because who doesnât love an enemies to friends to lovers come ON), my heart shattered into a million little pieces at the last 20% oh my goodness just when I thought ashley couldnât make me cry AGAIN đđ
and while the characters broke my heart and put the pieces back together again, I completely love the message ashley sent about finding your own adventure and destiny đĽšđŠˇ it is such an important concept and I loved seeing how elsy was able to find her true love within herself first
plus can we talk about those cameos?? I screamed so hard because I fully live in a delulu world that this could happen to me too itâs fine
will this follow the trends of the dead romantics and the seven year slip and become my book of the year? TBD
thank you a million times over to berkley and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!!!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: niagara on the lake vidal ice wine
I once again completely relate to FMC elsy, who feels like sheâs being left behind in life with nowhere to turn to. on a solo trip to a remote cabin (which she normally takes with her bookish friends but theyâre all too busy this year đĽ˛), she gets stranded in a small town that turns out to be ⌠the small town of her favorite book series⌠which is seriously every romance readerâs dream I swear đŽâđ¨đŽâđ¨
while the cast of characters is quite large and overwhelming, seeing elsyâs joy at meeting her heroes was worth every bit of confusion 𼚠she kept it wayyyy cooler than I would be letâs just say
and while I absolutely knew this was a budding romance between her and bookshop owner anders (because who doesnât love an enemies to friends to lovers come ON), my heart shattered into a million little pieces at the last 20% oh my goodness just when I thought ashley couldnât make me cry AGAIN đđ
and while the characters broke my heart and put the pieces back together again, I completely love the message ashley sent about finding your own adventure and destiny đĽšđŠˇ it is such an important concept and I loved seeing how elsy was able to find her true love within herself first
plus can we talk about those cameos?? I screamed so hard because I fully live in a delulu world that this could happen to me too itâs fine
will this follow the trends of the dead romantics and the seven year slip and become my book of the year? TBD
thank you a million times over to berkley and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!!!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: niagara on the lake vidal ice wine
kathyreads_'s review against another edition
5.0
âBecause even after the people were gone, there were still stories. There were always stories.â
Ashley has done it again. This book was absolutely beautiful. The writing, the plot & the characters were everything.
This book is for the book lovers. For the ones who want to escape from reality and into words of their favorite book/series.
Elsy & Anders have my heart. They had me laughing with their banter & I adored those moments they had together.
Once this book hits stores, Iâll be picking up a copy!!
Thank you to netgalley for this arc.
read this if you like :
- small town
- grumpy x sunshine
- magical realism
sammytvo's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
this book was written for the people who find solace in books and people who found their best friends through books
imagine youâre actually in the world of your favorite book where you get to meet and interact with your favorite characters ! well this is what happens to elsy. elsy has been down on her luck and she was hoping time in a cabin with the comfort of books will help her funk. however, on her way to the cabin, she ends up in a new town which feels all too familiar, as if she read about it before
ânot all love happens at first glanceâsometimes, it takes a reread at the exact right (or wrong) time in your life.â
i thought this story was quite cozy and comforting with a few unexpected moments/revolutions. however, it did felt like the story was dragging at times.
as for the romance, i wish there was more which is ironic since this book is basically an ode to romance readers. SLIGHT SPOILERS INCOMING âthe third act breakupâ wasnât my favorite. It was realistic in a sense but I did not read for realism. It just took me out of the romance. even when, the love interest returned for elsy, it felt very obligatory as a love interest instead of love. yes there was the love confession but it felt typical and quick fast. also felt like elsy was a second choice. glad that elsy got her happy ending tho
âlabyrinth by taylor swift
melsbookspace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mazmum's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
elysatiplady's review against another edition
4.0
âSometimes, a book can change your life.
It's hard to explain that to someone who doesn't read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books were a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak. I'd met countless stories by the time I read a book that changed my life.â
âLove was patient and meticulous and it never ceased to surprise me. It wasnât something that I needed, something that I deserved, that I was worthy of â love was what I wanted.â
If youâre wanting a small town cozy romance thatâs unique yet laid back Iâd completely and utterly recommend A Novel Love Story.
Itâs been years since I have been this immersed in a romance book. Ashley Poston is known for her unique love stories, so I was incredibly excited to see what angle sheâd take on this book. My gosh was it worth it. If youâre looking for something outside of todayâs standard romance Iâd definitely recommend this one. Postons writing has always felt like a warm hug to me, so paired with the small town setting and personable characters it had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life-like works of artâ was transformative. It persisted."
The plot seems fairly simple to begin with - an english teacher whose life is unfulfilling travels to her annual book club getaway, except this time she is the only one able to make it. On the way there she takes a wrong turn and ends up in a small town sheâs never been to that feels somewhat familiar. She quickly realises that the places and people in town are the exact ones from her favourite romance series.
side note: This book was written for the romance girlies and Ashley absolutely nailed it. A romance book about living in a romance book that isnât cringe? Sign me up!
The small town vibes and comforting characters make it a quick enjoyable read. I felt that the two main characters had great chemistry (itâs kind of a haters to lovers trope but they never actually hated each other). The pacing for some of the subplots was quite quick, but remembering that the fmc is literally âinsideâ a romance book for a total of about 5ish days I think itâs a non-issue.
I thought this book would be predictable and slightly boring based on the first few chapters, but I was quickly proven wrong.
While I guessed some of the plot points correctly, I was absolutely not prepared for some of the things that happened in this book. I was left feeling the type of shocked where your brain pauses for a few minutes trying to process. I spent right up to the last 10 pages still trying to figure out how things would end. With how things had gone I was trying to rationalise with myself that Ashley could end the book and leave me feeling heartbroken in complete disbelief, or, she could sew my heart back together and leave me feeling elated.
While the plot is well thought out I do have some criticisms:
1. It is not the most well written book. I love Ashleyâs writing tone, but her writing style has always fallen a bit short to me.
2. Kind of a sub-point to the one above is the character descriptions. The first time they were written out they were great⌠but then they got repeated, and repeated, and repeated. There is only so many times you can use the same description of a character before it gets annoying. You donât need to reintroduce the same information about someone constantly for it to stick.
3. A small plot hole that has me overthinking everything. It wasnât very well explained how the main characters entered the fictional world - it just is and we need to accept it. I wish there was a little more explanation because somehow the fictional characters could all leave town but then once our main characters left it ceased to exist?
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise of it seems a little bit out there at first but please stick with it. This is one of the most unique romance books Iâve read in years, and in a genre that doesnât have a lot of plot variety I give Ashley Poston so much credit. So read it please, I genuinely need you to so you can feel what I felt.
It's hard to explain that to someone who doesn't read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books were a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak. I'd met countless stories by the time I read a book that changed my life.â
âLove was patient and meticulous and it never ceased to surprise me. It wasnât something that I needed, something that I deserved, that I was worthy of â love was what I wanted.â
If youâre wanting a small town cozy romance thatâs unique yet laid back Iâd completely and utterly recommend A Novel Love Story.
Itâs been years since I have been this immersed in a romance book. Ashley Poston is known for her unique love stories, so I was incredibly excited to see what angle sheâd take on this book. My gosh was it worth it. If youâre looking for something outside of todayâs standard romance Iâd definitely recommend this one. Postons writing has always felt like a warm hug to me, so paired with the small town setting and personable characters it had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Nothing ever stopped. Nothing was permanent. Art lived and breathed, like love, like friendship. Life-like works of artâ was transformative. It persisted."
The plot seems fairly simple to begin with - an english teacher whose life is unfulfilling travels to her annual book club getaway, except this time she is the only one able to make it. On the way there she takes a wrong turn and ends up in a small town sheâs never been to that feels somewhat familiar. She quickly realises that the places and people in town are the exact ones from her favourite romance series.
side note: This book was written for the romance girlies and Ashley absolutely nailed it. A romance book about living in a romance book that isnât cringe? Sign me up!
The small town vibes and comforting characters make it a quick enjoyable read. I felt that the two main characters had great chemistry (itâs kind of a haters to lovers trope but they never actually hated each other). The pacing for some of the subplots was quite quick, but remembering that the fmc is literally âinsideâ a romance book for a total of about 5ish days I think itâs a non-issue.
I thought this book would be predictable and slightly boring based on the first few chapters, but I was quickly proven wrong.
While I guessed some of the plot points correctly, I was absolutely not prepared for some of the things that happened in this book. I was left feeling the type of shocked where your brain pauses for a few minutes trying to process. I spent right up to the last 10 pages still trying to figure out how things would end. With how things had gone I was trying to rationalise with myself that Ashley could end the book and leave me feeling heartbroken in complete disbelief, or, she could sew my heart back together and leave me feeling elated.
While the plot is well thought out I do have some criticisms:
1. It is not the most well written book. I love Ashleyâs writing tone, but her writing style has always fallen a bit short to me.
2. Kind of a sub-point to the one above is the character descriptions. The first time they were written out they were great⌠but then they got repeated, and repeated, and repeated. There is only so many times you can use the same description of a character before it gets annoying. You donât need to reintroduce the same information about someone constantly for it to stick.
3. A small plot hole that has me overthinking everything. It wasnât very well explained how the main characters entered the fictional world - it just is and we need to accept it. I wish there was a little more explanation because somehow the fictional characters could all leave town but then once our main characters left it ceased to exist?
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise of it seems a little bit out there at first but please stick with it. This is one of the most unique romance books Iâve read in years, and in a genre that doesnât have a lot of plot variety I give Ashley Poston so much credit. So read it please, I genuinely need you to so you can feel what I felt.
readwithgemma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Ashley Poston has done it again! This is another fabulous romance book with a bit of a twist!
I love the idea of falling into a small town where my favourite book is set.
Ashley Poston's writing always makes me smile, and i especially liked when we got all the previous cameos from her other romance books! These always make me happy!
This book made me cry! When I had a feeling what was going to happen I cried and then 10% later I was sobbing on a red eye flight when everyone was sleeping around me!
I love the idea of falling into a small town where my favourite book is set.
Ashley Poston's writing always makes me smile, and i especially liked when we got all the previous cameos from her other romance books! These always make me happy!
This book made me cry! When I had a feeling what was going to happen I cried and then 10% later I was sobbing on a red eye flight when everyone was sleeping around me!
cozyinthenook's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lollilinds's review
3.0
3âď¸
After suffering a broken heart, Eileen and her friend join a romance bookclub where their favourite topic are the books set in the little town of Eloraton. They have annual meet ups a a cabin but this year nobody is able to attend except Eileen. So she decides to go there by herself.
On the journey she gets lost and finds herself in a small town that is very familiar. She feels like she knows the people already apart from the mysterious grumpy bookshop owner.
Has she managed to find herself in Eloraton? Who is real and who is the man with the minty eyes?
This is a nice romance book which unfortunately did not grip me the way others have done in the past.
The repetition of certain phrases really began to annoy me towards the end. The phrase âminty eyesâ was used 19 times, although it felt like a lot more. (We get it, his eyes were green)
I did like the concept of the book but there were a lot of characters to keep a track of, I felt like I should have read the fictional Rachel Flowers books first to understand everything that was going on.
All in all a bit of a let down but I did enjoy the ending.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.