A Novel Love Story

By: Ashley Poston

Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ 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.

©2024 Ashley Poston (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“She's making all our biggest book dreams come true…yes, you're totally going to wish that this plot was happening to you!”—Cosmopolitan

"Ashley Poston has written another clever, emotional love story part fantasy, part romcom—perfect for passing a day or three by the pool."—Harper's Bazaar

"I love a romance with a touch of magical realism, and Ashley Poston’s latest fulfills every reader’s dream: actually getting to live in the world of a book...This is a grumpy-meets-sunshine tale with plenty of book-lover tropes sure to delight."—ELLE

Absolutely loved this story

Story was great. Love scenes were tasteful. Fantastic story and narration was absolutely great too

A novel love story

I love this book I like how it’s written and the story how you can fall in love all over again

Cute, cozy read

Anders, the love interest, grew on me. I enjoyed how the lesson learned was that you need to love yourself first. A lovely read.

Read the book!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration- I read the book instead and it was six million times better.

What was isn’t

I loved the building of an ironic story of a story. It only took a moment to make the decision to go on this journey with the romance-seeking young woman who takes a wrong turn that turns out to be oh so right. She is following a deceased author whom she adores but who passed away while in the midst of a series in upstate New York. The story and journey builds on itself in a way that forced me to continue along the way and although it didn’t seem like it would have a happy ending, did indeed.
I love this author and hope to find each and every one of her books and read all of them!

LOVED- but

OOF this bit for me but if you want a book that focuses only or mainly on the main romance then this is not it.

But I loved it. Loved

Love of books with friends!

I enjoyed the escape to book world and the story of friendships that build in a book club. Beginning was my favorite getting lost in a town.

Just when I thought it was finished

Great story line. Towards the end of the book. I thinking ok that’s a good ending.. then comes another chapter and surprises.

Narration ruined the story

I couldn’t get over how much I disliked the narration of this book. I loved Ashley Poston’s other romance novels, but the narration made this one almost unbearable. Skip it and listen to The Seven Year Slip or The Dead Romantics again and again instead.

Everything

I loved the narrators subtle voice changes for characters which weren’t so abrupt that you were distracted. Her slight southern drawl was so alluring and kept me wrapped up!