Synopsis

A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth, and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.

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Review

If you could escape to a fictional town and its characters, would you?

Elsy’s life has its ups and downs, and this year, her book club has all bailed on their annual trip. However, she decides to go it alone, and when her Pinto (amazing, it was still running!) breaks down, she finds herself in her favorite book town. This is both good and bad because she has read these books so many times that she knows the ins and outs of all the characters. All but one, the grumpy bookstore owner. She can’t place him and doesn’t remember his character. There is a reason for that, but to explain would spoil part of the story.

While Elsy is running away from her life, finding her favorite town creates its own issues since she cannot contact anyone. Overall, spending a week in this town was good for Elsy because it helped her realize what she wanted from life and work through her past relationship failures. I think it also helped her to see her friendship with Pru in a new light. However, she tended to meddle in the character’s lives because she knew more than they did about how things would turn out.

Then, there is the relationship between Elsy and Anders. They are attracted to one another despite several missteps, but something is holding each of them back. Could it be Anders’ previous relationship? Or is it that he doesn’t fit the mold like the other characters, but for a very good reason? However, once these two get past those moments, the relationship skyrockets. But what goes up must come down.

Sometimes, I pick up a book, and it is the right book for the right moment. That is the case here. I was looking for a bit of escapism, and this book provided it in spades. I loved getting to know these characters and watching Elsy’s interactions with them. I was also happy when Elsy discovered her true self. She needed this time alone to move forward with her own life.

I enjoyed this book, and now I wonder what book town I would want to get lost in, even if only for a little while. I’m going to have to think about that one.

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Ashley Poston is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling novelist who writes cozy and magical love stories. Her young adult novels have been nominated for the Indie Next List and the Goodreads Choice Awards and have been featured in countless articles and recommended reading lists. Her adult debut, The Dead Romantics, was named a Notable Book of 2022 by The New York Times Book Review, while her sophomore adult novel, The Seven Year Slip, has made grown men cry.

When not writing, she likes to go on adventures with her three cats—Moose, Muppet, and Beanie, tend to her perpetually-dying flower garden, and play tabletop games. She lives in a small grey house in South Carolina with too many pothos plants and never enough coffee.

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