A Novel Love Story

Thirty-two-year-old English professor Elsy Merriweather’s life hasn’t exactly been going to plan lately. She was jilted by her fiance, her best friend Pru is going to Iceland with her boyfriend rather than on their annual Super Smutty Book Club trip to New York, and none of their other friends can make it this year either. It’s the 10-year anniversary of her late favorite author Rachel Flowers’ book Daffodil Dreams, though, and she really wants to commemorate it.

Her solution? Go alone, of course! Elsy packs up her green Ford Pinto ‘Sweetpea’ and hits the road. Unfortunately, her car has other ideas and she finds herself lost and stranded one rainy night in a little town off the beaten path. Where is this place?

To quote the opening line of Flowers’ first book:

There was only one road in and one road out of Eloraton, New York, and most people never took it.

Well … Elsy isn’t most people.

In a twist of fate and circumstance, she now finds herself in the story of her favorite characters and series - people and places she knows almost as well as if she’d written the books herself! One character she doesn’t recognize, though, is the guy she almost ran over in the rain her first night in town: Anders, the grumpy bookstore owner. Where was he in the series?

Elsy finds out that just because a story has been written, doesn’t mean it can’t change, and her presence in Eloraton has more effect on the characters’ lives than she OR they bargained for. The author may be gone now, but THE END hasn’t been written yet!

First, let me say that every time I see a new book by Ashley Poston, I get so excited because I know she’s going to bring her own unique magic to it. She’s a master at blending romance and magical realism - two of my favorite genres - and once again her vivid imagination has taken me someplace truly special. Eloraton is a charming place with diverse and entertaining characters … and even a haunted toilet. You’ll have to discover THAT one for yourself!

With so much going for it, I had high hopes that it would be a 5-star read, but some things did miss the mark for me this time around.  

The biggest issue is that I wanted more page time with the characters and story OUTSIDE of Eloraton. There was so much potential for fun with the members of the Super Smutty Book Club and with Elsy and Pru’s friendship, and I was bummed not to get to know them as well. While I was charmed by Eloraton and its characters, I found myself more interested in her real-life friends.

A minor but very noticeable issue was the REPETITION.  There was an irritating overuse of “minty-green eyes” in describing Anders, as well as abundant references to his “white-blonde hair” and him smelling of “cedarwood and black tea” or “old books”. No reader needs that many reminders! (Around thirty for his minty eyes alone, in case you’re wondering.)

The PACING within the Eloraton part of the story, which was the majority of the book, was a little slower than I prefer. It’s a small town, so the opportunities of interest were limited and had shades of Groundhog Day in the sense of certain things in the town always being the same.

Those aspects aside, I did enjoy the book and really liked the relationship arc with Elsy and Anders. There was a surprising sweetness and melancholy to the story, which are qualities I always enjoy. I’m hoping a future book revisits some of these characters - especially the Super Smutty Book Club friends (which includes Benji from Poston’s The Dead Romantics). They’re a hoot! 

Ashley Poston will continue to be an auto-request author for me. Her mind is a fun place!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley and author Ashley Poston for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now!