Thank you to Berkley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

A Novel Love Story has such a unique concept, but the delivery ultimately left me wanting more.

Elsy, our female protagonist finds herself emerged into the world of her favorite romance novels, as she begins to question how this is even possible she also begins to wonder why she can’t seem to place Anders, the bookstore owner, and his relationship with this town and its people. Elsy’s love for this town is so clear and it also makes her question if she wants to find a way back to her reality or if she should just stay in the comfort of Eloraton. 

The parts of the book I loved most are the parts where Ashley Poston writes about books and the sheer magic they have on readers’ lives, the beauty and comfort that comes from finding a book/author that you feel completely connected to and seen by. 

While I did love this premise from the start, it was also what ended up causing a few issues for me and my reading experience. Elsy knows Eloraton and all of the people that live there, but for us, the readers, we only know them through Elsy, which made it hard for me to truly know and love them in the same way that she does. And I really really wanted to.