A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

I've been on an Ashley Poston kick lately, as seen by my previous post on The Seven Year Slip. I've also been reading the Once Upon a Con series - I read Geekerella back in 2016, but wanted to re-read it and then finish the series. I also have a post on The Dead Romantics coming soon.

But I think A Novel Love Story kind of ruined me. In the best way! This book sucked me in immediately, probably because I love escaping into fiction, and that literally happens in this story. Plus there are some books and shows I love so much that I'd kill to "live" in that town for a few days. (I kept thinking of the Gilmore Girls tours and Friends experiences as I read this book.) I started reading this book one evening and couldn't put it down - I even dreamed about it that night! I woke up excited to finish it, and did finish it that day, though I wanted it to stretch on forever.

I think what struck me most about this book was that Poston wasn't just writing the story she wanted to write, but also created this back story of another author and her series! It was really engaging and, as a writer myself, I can just imagine all the ideas and characters she was juggling and how they tangled together.

I love how the story came together, though the resolution kind of bothered me a bit. Soft spoilers...

When Anders wanted to stay behind for Bea, that kind of shattered the illusion for me. I understand that Elsy was okay with it because that was the character most like Rachel, and if stayed there with her, I might have been okay with that ending. But when he came back for her and she accepted him, I was kind of bummed. Her whole issue was not feeling like she's enough, and she tells this man she loves him and he decides to stay and try with someone else... then come for her when that doesn't work out. So it sounds like just more of the same, and I'm not sure I believe they'll have a happy ending. I wish he had stayed in his fictional world with Bea, honestly, but I guess that's not the happy ending a romance novel needs.