Review: A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

After a broken engagement, literature professor Elsy would rather lose herself in a good romance novel, particularly the works of her favorite author, Rachel Flowers, than look for love in real life. So when everyone in her book club gets busy with their own lives and cancels their annual book trip, Elsy decides to hit the road alone. But on the way to the cabin, Elsy’s car breaks down in a quaint little town… which is inexplicably the fictional town of Eloraton from Rachel Flowers’ novels. After the author’s untimely death, Eloraton and its fictional residents are almost frozen in time, trapped in Rachel Flowers’ unfinished fifth and final book. While her car is being repaired, Elsy is determined to figure out how the series should end and give all the characters (even the new character, a handsome but grumpy bookseller named Anders, who doesn’t want Elsy to make a splash in the story) a happy ending… and maybe Elsy will find her own happy ending along the way.

A new love story is a contemporary magical realism romance with the tropes of “books about books” and “enemies to lovers”. This would be perfect for fans of magical realism or fantasy books like The wish game by Meg Shaffer, The house in the sky-blue sea by TJ Klune, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, or The top secret society of irregular witches by Sangu Mandanna as well as fans of contemporary romances such as Practice makes perfect by Sarah Adams, The wrong Mr. Right by Stephanie Archer, Book lovers by Emily Henry, Love and other words by Christina Lauren and Only and forever by Chloe Liese. A new love story covers themes and subject areas such as fantasy (or fiction) versus reality, past versus present, love and heartbreak, stories, fate versus free will, coming of age, loneliness and isolation, friendship, grief and lost love, self-esteem, and living happily ever after.

Adult romance readers of all ages will love this book! Elsy, the main character in A new love storycan live out every romance reader’s not-so-secret fantasy of literally escaping into their favorite fictional worlds and interacting with their favorite fictional characters (and maybe even a book friend) in real life. A new love story was overall very book-based (the main characters are bookworms and most of the novel is set in a literal fictional town), which I think many readers, like me, will enjoy; there are also a ton of great quotes from books in the novel that I can’t wait to write in my reading journal! Elsy’s experiences of finding solace in and escaping into fictional worlds, but also feeling left behind, lonely, and heartbroken are very relatable (and I think other readers will feel the same way). Also, her book club, the Super Smutty Book Club, sounded super cool and makes me totally want to join a book club in the near future!

A new love story had a very magical or fantastical atmosphere, and I found the plot very unique, as Poston almost had to write two books in one (Elsy’s story and Rachel Flowers’ story). The mysterious elements surrounding the fictional city of Eloraton (e.g. what was the author’s plan for the unfinished book 5 and how does the new character Anders fit into Rachel Flowers’ universe?) because they kept me hooked and guessing the whole time. I don’t want to give anything away, but I thought the ending of Elsy’s story was just perfect.

The only disadvantage for me was that A new love story could be long-winded at times and lacked action. Additionally, the chapters of flashbacks and Elsy’s inner reflections sprinkled in (although important) seemed to slow the pace of the novel somewhat.

A new love story is the first book by Ashley Poston that I have read and it definitely won’t be my last as it did not disappoint. A new love story is a must-read for any romance novel reader’s summer reading list!

A new love story will be available June 25, 2024 from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine booksellers, such as your local bookstore.

Will you pick up A new love story? Tell us in the comments below!

Summary | Goodreads

A literature professor finds herself in a fictional work… literally from the New York Times Bestselling author of The seven-year hatch And The dead romantics.

Eileen Merriweather loves to lose herself in a good happy ending. At least in the fictional kind. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you standing at the altar. In a book, she feels safe. At home. That might be why she’s so determined to go to her annual book club meeting this year – she needs good friends, cheap wine, and big romantic gestures – no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down, she finds herself stranded in a picturesque town that feels like it came straight out of a novel…

See also

Because it Is.

This place can’t be real, and yet…here she is, in Eloraton, the town from her favorite novel series, where the honey toffees at the candy store are always sweet, the burgers at the local bar are always a little burnt, and it always rains in the afternoons. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is convinced that this is why she has to be here: to help give the city its fairytale ending.

But there is one character in Eloraton that she cannot place – a grumpy bookseller with mint green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he not wants her to finish this book.

This is a problem, because Elsy begins to believe that the town’s happy ending might be linked to her own.