Item: A Novel Love Story
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Ashley Poston

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

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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.

Book Summary:

Eileen Merriweather adores love stories. More specifically - she loves the story side of things. Stories (books) are safe. They can’t hurt her, not really - not like real life. So after suffering a great hurt, that’s where she flees.

Well, the books are one place she flees. The other was supposed to be a nice cabin in the middle of nowhere, but her car sort of broke down on the way there. Now, she’s trapped in a little town that feels all too perfect…and familiar.

My Review:

So, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t read enough cozy romances. My bad. But the premise of A Novel Love Story (particularly the book-about-a-book element) really caught my attention, so I decided to dive right in, much like Eileen.

A Novel Love Story is a cute and sweet book. You can pretty much get a feel for the whole of the story within the first three or so chapters, minus a few details here and there. But that’s not a bad thing! There’s something so comforting when a book goes the way you want it to, you know?

This book gave me real Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) vibes, and I mean that in the best of ways. It’s totally because of the quaint town and love of books, but I don’t mind. I also loved the overall positive tone of this book.

Highlights:
A Book About a Book
Magical Realism
Contemporary Romance

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A Novel Love Story

by Ashley Poston

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Sep 8, 2024

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