A Novel Love Story | Ashley Poston
"sometimes, a book can change your life. it’s hard to explain that to someone who doesn’t read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. some books are a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak."
When
everything in life sucks—still in pain after being dumped a week before her
wedding, stuck in a job she doesn’t like, seeing everyone in her life has already
found happiness, moving on with their lives while she’s living her miserable,
lonely life— Eileen Merriweather took a quick escape into the fictional small
town her favorite romance author
created? Well, not intentionally, of course, but accidentally.
After
each book club friend ditched their annual reunion, including her best friend
who decided to fly to Iceland with her boyfriend for a probable wedding
proposal, she decides to drive 18 hours to reach a cabin in the woods to drown
her sorrows, read romances and drink wine. But her plan fails when she takes a
wrong turn and finds herself in another small town, breaking her car by hitting
the brakes too hard to avoid hitting the gorgeous man appearing in the middle
of the road. That's how she arrives in Eloraton.
And
there's no place like Eloraton. Where a rain shower comes in the early
afternoon, though it clears up in minutes, the inn is always under renovation,
the burgers at Gail's bar are always slightly burnt, the honey taffy is always
sweet, and the starlings always make their nests in the eaves. Nothing changes,
and its fictional townsfolk, created by Rachel Flowers, live the same day over
and over until Elsy starts to create ripples in their universe. Things start to
move. She finds herself in the middle of a romance manuscript her favorite
author couldn't finish because she died two years ago, living her characters
stuck in an unresolved mess.
Eileen
is a English literature professor that found comfort in her favorite book
series especially when she needed it the most. One day she is traveling to the
cabin where she and her book club members meet up every year including her best
friend, Pru. However this year none of her friends could make it so Eileen is
going to be there alone. But she unexpectedly almost runs over a man and she
soon figures out that she has somehow ended in the small town that her favorite
romance books are set in. The way she sought peace, escapism, romance in books
when in reality life isn't doing so well was written perfectly. The way she got
so excited to see her favorite characters and world come to life was so
exciting to read.
The
man she was about to hit with her car arriving to town, the grumpy bookstore
owner, Anders is the only person who sees these ripples she’s creating, and he
doesn't like how Elsy has affected the townsfolk's lives. Anders is a
character that takes warming up to. He does come across as a grump with a cold
exterior but a total swooner at heart. I think his perception of roughness was
mostly because he was sad and lonely, and his story broke my heart. He's lovely
and kind and I love what he did for Eileen, how he reminded her that she was
strong and important and deserving of great things. And she in turn reminded
him that he was loved and that moving on with his life didn't mean letting go
of that love. It stays, love always stays. I loved how passionate he ended up
being when it came to showing Eileen love. He gets cute when he's jealous and
does a really good job at being Eileen's book boyfriend.
Elsy
realizes that Anders was not even a passing character in the books and is struggling
with the complex feelings for this man who denies his own HEA. Could she help
him with a sunshiny attitude to defeat his grumpiness, to save him and save
herself? What if helping the Eloraton people may also help her find her own
path, her own home that she needs to find? I was bothered from time to time by
her meddling in the other characters’ lives, but I did understand it too. I’d
probably do the same if the people I felt I knew so intimately were wandering
around with no direction, stuck in a half-finished sentence. And the mystery of
Anders was so interesting, I loved the way the breadcrumbs were laid out, Elsy just
had to pick them up.
This is a book written by a reader for readers,
because only someone who loves books so much could write such a poignant love
letter to the magic of reading. Ashley created my dream world, the idea of
getting lost in my favourite book is wonderful. Imagine meeting your favourite
characters, talking to them, laughing with them, walking side by side with them
in places you've only dreamed of? It sounds like a fairytale.
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