A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Summary from NetGalley:
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.
ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley for an honest review.
Confession:
This book is not just a romance, it is a love letter to all book lovers and to all of us who have ever dreamed of visiting a book world and the characters that live there. I really enjoyed reading this book and I think it is probably one of her best books yet!
Eileen, known as Elsy, is really feeling stuck in her life at the start of the book. She is unhappy with her job, feeling very unlovable, and now her friends have deserted her and cancelled their yearly get together in upstate New York. She was easily one of the most relatable characters I have ever read. She felt very real in all of her emotions and her desires. My heart went out to her and I wanted to give her a big hug almost instantly. I loved her reaction to finding herself in Eloraton, and to meeting all of her favorite characters. I also understood her need to help them all find their happily ever afters as well. The slow burn romance was also well done, and I totally got why she was so hesitant to have any feelings for Anders.
Anders was adorable. He is also vulnerable and emotionally broken in ways that are slowly revealed over the course of the book. He was another character that I instantly felt a connection to and wanted to give him a happy ending. He is coming from a place of grief and just wanting to move on with his life, but totally unable to.
The world building was magical. I loved all of the characters that we met in this book, and would love to read this fictional series. The writing is clever and delightful and so rich in detail that I almost wanted to look this town up on Google maps! I loved all of the themes in this story, such as Elsy’s coming to terms with her self worth and facing the decisions she has made in her life. Grief is also a big theme with both Anders and Elsy dealing with a the loss of people they loved. I also loved all of the references to the writing process that Elsy finds behind the garden. ln addition, I adored how the whole fictional boyfriend storyline worked out and the ending was perfect.
If you are an Ashley Poston fan, I think you will just love this one. If you are not yet a fan, this would be the perfect book to start with. If you are a book lover, especially a romantic one, then this is the book for you.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 
I’ve never read any Ashley Peston and I had ignored the ARC as it didn’t sound like a book that I would enjoy. Having read your review is making me wonder if I should give it a try. I’ll add it to my TBR and see if it turns up in a bookshop or the library.
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I think you will like it. It is such a good book and the spicy scenes were not too spicy and didn’t go on forever!😊
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Cant wait to read this!
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It’s Good!😍
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