Better than Fiction by Alexa Martin: Drew Young was thriving as a travel photographer until her 
grandmother passed and she inherited her bookstore. As she tries to come up with ideas to help the bookstore, she gets a lot of help from her grandmother’s book club. The meddling ladies spring lots of ideas on her, but they take it a step further when they actually set up an author to do a signing. Feeling ill prepared is an understatement especially when it comes to a renowned romance author. When the author stops by early, she gets even more nervous when he is unbelievably attractive.
When Jasper Williams agreed to visit a bookstore for a signing, he has the backstory but isn’t expecting to be so taken by the owner. He’s taken aback by the fact that she hates books. Jasper plans on spending time in town to do intel for his new book, so he recruits Drew to show him some of the best places. In return for showing him places, he provides her of a list of books to read, and in exchange, he offers to show her places that remind him of the books she is reading.
As the two spend time together on their adventures, they get to know and start to fall for each other. When Drew receives information that makes her question everything she knew and loved, she has to regroup and decide what she wants in her life. Thankfully she has her sister and her best friend on her side to help her make her choice, but will she choose the bookstore or her new real-life romance author?
Drew might be my new favorite romance novel heroine. I loved everything about her. Her struggles were entirely too real, and I felt for her every step of the way. She was dealt a big blow in the death of her grandmother and left in charge of the store, but in the back of her mind she is convinced that it was the wrong choice. Since she was always the second best in her dad’s eyes, she has fought to make something of herself. With the bookstore, she isn’t sure whether she can handle it or not, but in the end she ends up really understanding the reasons why her life has taken shape the way it has and what she needs to do to make herself happy.
Overall, I loved that the story and how the focus stayed on Drew. It didn’t veer off into anyone else’s side stories enough to make an impact on her focus. You really got to know both her and Jasper as characters, but it was refreshing to see how much change she went through. Her best friend and her sister are the exact people that she needed to be surrounded with the make her grow as well, which was great writing on the author’s part. I truly loved every part of this book. It should be on everyone’s TBR list in my opinion.
Book Info:
Publication: November 8, 2022 | Berkley Books |
Love isn’t always by the books in this charming romantic comedy about a bookseller discovering how to be the main character in her story.
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best–meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From river rafting to local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.
