In which you wonder, what would it be like to live in a book?
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Potson
Stars: 4
Spicy: PG-13
52 Book Club Challenge #22 - A Plot Similar to Another Book
Perfect if you like:
Magical realism
Grumpy sunshine
Ever wanted to live in Stars Hollow for a few days
Bookstores
What would happen if all of a sudden you crossed a bridge in your beat-up jalopy and found yourself in the small town of your favorite romance series? And then if said beater broke down, you would be stuck in this charming place, staying in a beautiful studio over a lovely bookstore? You would be like, leave me here right? Yeah, me too.
Eileen is having a tough few years, the man she loved broke up with her right before their wedding, she hates her job, and none of her friends can make their yearly week-long book club meeting in a cabin in the mountains. So Elsy decides to go herself, to spend the week reading romances and forgetting the outside world. But instead she finds herself in the fictional town of her favorite series, with all the characters she loves. Except for one grumpy bookstore owner she can’t quite place. A cute bookseller she is starting to fall for, but can she stay inside the story forever?
I love that so many romance novels are approaching heavy topics, of life and death, and what happens after you find your happily ever after. Life isn’t static, it moves and we move and change with it. Potson excels at creating stories where the main characters can see their happily ever after, but because of some weird time/space glitch (very technical term) they might not actually get it. And they are ok with, heck I’m even ok with it. Because life is about the journey and the people you meet along the way.
This is fulfilling a 52 Book Club prompt - a plot similar to another book - and this one reminded me of Prime Time Romance by Katie Robb. Both feature a heroine who finds herself amongst the fictional characters she loves. In Robb’s book it’s an iconic 90s teen show and in Potson’s book it is a beloved romance series. At first both are thrilled to be in these places but it is soon apparent that they might not want what they thought they did. You know, be careful what you wish for and all that. Both are excellent and as I reader, I love that premise, and I loved both books,
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