Blog Tour + Review - Off Book by Jessica Dall

About OFF BOOK: 

Twenty-year-old Eloise has learned all she can from the School, where characters live until joining their novels. No one knows genre and plot structure better than her, but despite her knowledge, she’s yet to be assigned to her own story. All her friends are off starting their lives with their authors—and if Eloise doesn’t get assigned soon, she’ll fade away, forgotten by all. 

When she is suddenly offered a job at the Recording Office, she takes the chance to write her own future. Suddenly living among the post-storied, Eloise meets Barnaby Fitzwilliam, a former romance novel hero who hasn’t lost any of his in-story charm. But just as their relationship begins to get serious, everything Eloise has been taught gets turned upside down when she’s sucked into a novel she was never meant to be part of. 

Now, caught where the only rules are made by the authors and truly anything is possible, Eloise must find her way back home—or else her life might end before she ever gets the chance to live it. 

Set in a world dictated by Authors, OFF BOOK explores the story beneath the stories we all know and love, taking readers and characters alike on an adventure just waiting to be written. 

Start reading today! 

About the Author

Jessica Dall finished her first novel at age 15 and been writing ever since. She is the author of such novels as Grey Areas and The Bleeding Crowd, the Broken Line Series, and a number of short stories which have appeared in both literary magazines and anthologies. When not writing, she works as a freelance editor and creative writing teacher in Washington, DC. 

Find Jessica Dall on twitter, facebook, and goodreads. 

 *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to REUTS Publications and Jessica Dall*

3/5 stars

Twenty-year-old Eloise lives at the School where characters are trained. Waiting to be assigned to a story, Eloise worries that she’ll never leave.

Then Eloise is offered a job at the Recording Office and she jumps at the chance. Her work colleagues are post-storied so Eloise pretends that she is too. She strikes up a relationship with Barnaby Fitzwilliam who was in a romance novel.

Things are going well until Eloise finds herself inside a story even though she wasn’t assigned there.

Will Eloise make it home?

Off Book was an intriguing read. It did remind me slightly of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde but the only similarities were that there is a book world where characters exist.

My favourite part was the beginning which grabbed my attention immediately. I did find my attention wavering slightly towards the middle and the end of the book but I did want to keep reading to find out what would happen. 

I liked the writing style and the plot was interesting. I didn’t guess the reason behind what was happening and I liked that the characters were taking things into their own hands.

Eloise was a good protagonist – she was stubborn, smart and relatable. I enjoyed her relationships with Columbine and Barnaby who were characters that I also liked. In fact, I don’t think there were any characters I didn’t like.

Overall this was an enjoyable, unique read.