Book Review: How the Story Goes

If I hear about a contemporary romance where two people have to write a book together, you cannot rip it out of my hands! How the Story Goes by Andrew Forrester follows a slow-burn romance between Whit, a widower and mystery-writer who is tasked with finishing his wife’s children’s fantasy series, and Merritt, a new-in-town children’s author who is looking for inspiration.

Merritt Pryor is an aspiring children’s book author, but she’s currently in the phase of being a writer where she doesn’t feel like writing. The day she meets a handsome, disorganized single dad while subbing at the school library, she doesn’t know this meet-cute will lead to a chance to write the final book in her favorite children’s fantasy book series.

Merritt has moved in with her mother in a small New England town, which is extremely cute, giving Gilmore Girls’ vibes with its adorable coffee shops and bookstore. She is working part-time in a bookstore while figuring out what to do next. She has lost faith in her writing after dropping out of an MFA program. To make things worse, her ex-boyfriend and former professor has written a literary bestseller in which the main character is a thinly-disguised version of her.

Whit is still struggling about a year after his beautiful genius of a wife has passed away. Helen was the author of beloved children’s fantasy series, but she could not finish the final book before she died. So she left the task to Whit to finish my any means that he deemed necessary. He tries to write the book himself, but months pass and he makes almost no progress, as he navigates life as a newly solo-parent of his eight-year-old daughter.

When he ventures to the local bookstore, looking for one of his wife’s rare books, he meets Merritt again and with her knowledge of the Greenwood Castle series, he knows he should take a chance and ask Merritt to help him write the book.

My Thoughts

If you want to read a sweet, bookish romance set in a small town, overcoming writer’s block, finding your voice as a writer, you will enjoy How the Story Goes! I liked the characters, the romance was cute, and there were some funny moments, too. I thought the dialogue and writing scenes were well-written. Overall, this was a fairly light read, even though it dealt with grief.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.