REVIEW: Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin

 

OUR REVIEW:

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge Alexa Martin fan. Huge. I've read everything she's written and I'm constantly scoping out her social media to see what she's writing next and when it's going to come out. No lie. The second I see anything of hers on NetGalley, I'm hitting that request button like it's my job. 

In Better than Fiction we have Drew and Jasper. She's a bookstore owner who doesn't like to read and he's a writer. Match made in heaven, right? Welllll, eventually, yes. but there was a little work getting there. For one, Drew is grappling with some pretty deep grief with the loss of her grandmother, the prior owner of the bookstore and one of Drew's favorite people in the entire world. Not only is she grieving, she's also grieving the loss of her dream, while trying to do a job she never really wanted. And if that's not enough, she's also dealing with one of the worst dad's ever. He's truly awful. That's all yuck, right? Enter Jasper, an Adonis of a writer who is doing a book talk at her store, due to some wonderfully meddling Dirty Birds (her grandmother's friends, master meddlers, and book clubbers). He's the kind of guy who causes the room to stop and stare and ....drool. 

After he book talk, he's encouraged to ask Drew for some help with research for his next book, which is right up her alley, so while she's hesitant, she decides to do it. There's one condition though. If she's taking the time to do this for him, he wants to do something for her. So he decides he's going to try to help her find the joy of reading; her excursions may be for book research, his will be to compliment the books he chose for her to read. Best set up ever. Their excursions allow them to get to know each other, connect, and fall for each other and we get to watch it happen in real time. 

I loved how much Drew loved Colorado and now that I've read this book, I'm definitely going back to explore it more. I also loved the love story of Drew and Jasper. But I especially loved how Alexa Martin wrote the friendships between the women in this novel. It never fails that she not only gives us a love story between a couple, but also shows us a love story of friends. She always captures the banter and lives of women so well and it's one of my favorite things about her novels; Better than Fiction continues my love affair with the friends she writes. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping that she gives Daisy a book because I'm not ready to see these women go yet.

Better than Fiction blends grief, romance, and humor; you'll love Jasper and Drew and their journey of finding each other and love. 

BUY IT HERE.

BLURB:

Love isn’t always by the book 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 going river rafting to trying 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.