A Novel Love Story, by Ashley Poston - Nicola
Like any good book nerd, I have always thought about what it would be like to live in the world of my favourite books, be it Forks in Twilight (don't judge me, I was young), Truham from Heartstopper, Sunshine Falls in Book Lovers, or on the set of a reality dating show like on The Charm Offensive. I've imagined myself there and even had my own conversations with the characters that live there.
Well, the main character in this book actually gets to live this dream!
Eileen is driving alone to a holiday cottage after a life-changing heartbreak; her car breaks down during a storm; she finds a local pub but has no mobile phone reception... I thought that I knew where this was going, and I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for the dripping-with-cheese romance that I thought it was going to be.
Despite my initial reservations, this turned into the type of book where you are still up at 2am because you are sure you can squeeze in "one last chapter" and not be a zombie for work the next day.
The character development was quite slow at the start, I think because there were so many of them, and since the main character was trying to understand where she was, the plot progression was slowed down a bit. But at about a third of the way through, the story really came into its own, and the world of Eloraton really came alive. The story, whilst somewhat predictable - it is a romance novel after all - had so many twists and turns, you really didn't know how things were going to end for Eileen.
This book is full of cozy small town charm. The air of mystery in the stagnant town is really well established, and you start to wonder if people are trapped in the town or there by choice.
A slow start, but turned into a really brilliant read, perfect for a rainy summer’s day.
Nic
