Lindsey Kelk can do no wrong in my book (pun intended) and this is one of my favorites of hers. I love books about writers and this was such a fun look behind the scenes of publishing, and in particular, romance publishing. Also, I want to be Charlotte when I grow up.

Love Story is an ode to the romance genre. It's a self-aware delight that acknowledges the various romance tropes, highlights favorites, and makes the reader fall in love with the genre. I laughed several times and just loved this book! It's perfect for readers who loved "The RomCommers" by Katherine Center. Kelk has gotten better with each book she has written, and I think this is her best yet.

I really enjoyed this book. It was really funny at times. It was so witty. I loved the interactions between the siblings. I’ll be thinking about this book for some time. Loved it.

This was really cute. Loved the storyline, good humour and I just had so much fun. I highly recommend it

This book perfectly encapsulates why romance readers adore love stories. With Sophie being a romance reader and a majority popular romance author, but under a pseudonym, it brings so much fun and relatability to book. I loved how other romance authors were named and tropes and trends were discussed. This book felt like being in the bookish community while still understanding why romance isn’t always accepted into the greater literary world. However, I found that Sophie explained so well why romance is such an important genre and how it’s more than just smut that some people see it as. As for the actual love story within the book, I loved how Sophie and Joe met and how they ended up connecting later. I love how Joe supported Sophie, but when that twist was revealed! My goodness, it was so perfect! I like out both Joe and Sophie were flawed people, but their chemistry felt dynamic and tangible. This took the trope of instalove and made it feel like something that could actually happen. There were so many layered nuances in this book that I loved, and the supporting cast of characters was *chefs kiss.* Give me more William and Charlotte literally any day of the week. I absolutely fell in love with this offer over this book and I cannot recommend enough for anyone who loves romance. I was in a massive slump and started this book one evening and stay up past 1 AM finishing it because it is that level of perfection. 5⭐️, 2🌶

I loved reading this book especially the depictions of sibling relationship. I thought that the characters were very realistic and loved everyone of them. This book was very cute and I loved the story. As a teacher and a part-time writer, I especially loved the female main character and could connect with her and her story. Thank you so much for the ARC.

Love Story **review**
I absolutely LOVE this book. This is my first book by Lindsey Kelk, and I can 100% say I will be reading more of her books. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Before I get into the main characters, I need to say that her references, were on POINT!
If you're a swiftie you will love this book. I loved all the references, from mentioning my favorite authors, to being so transparent on what's being talked about currently. I just loved the Taylor references; I loved the mentions of books and authors.
Now, to the actual story, OMG!!!!!
I devoured Sophie & Joe relationship, I thought their connection was perfect, the fighting hahah was awesome, their moments with each other were more than what I could ask for, and I can definitely say that they're one of my favorite couples!
(I would love to describe everything, but I do not want to give any spoilers)
Now, the reason why I did not give it a 5 stars... Charlotte :( I could not stand her the WHOLE book until the last chapter :)
I understand her personality, which was great, but OH MY GOD there were some things she did, that I just could not believe. I am so grateful I only have one sibling, because Charlotte was just testing my patience the whole book. However, I did love her the last chapter, but I wished Charlotte had apologized, that's what I thought would have redeemed her for me. However, this is my opinion, and no one is obligated to agree with me:)
Overall, please read this book!!! it's more than what you can think of. I love you Lindsey and cannot wait to read more of your books.
One last thing, Thank You Net Galley for allowing me to get an ARC, as well as whoever is in charge of approving it.

Great story and plot for a contemporary romance. Love the dynamic of the characters. Super quick read. Recommend for everyone

This was so good!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ark! I enjoyed the read and will be purchasing a hard copy!!

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk: A Campy, Self-Aware Romance with a Few Flaws

Overall Impression: Lindsey Kelk's Love Story is a fun, campy read that celebrates romance author and reader culture. While it has its moments of brilliance, it ultimately falls short of delivering a truly satisfying love story.

What I Loved:
The Campy Tone: The book's self-aware humor and over-the-top moments were a delight. Kelk clearly understands and appreciates the tropes of the genre.
Secondary Characters: William and Sarah were standout characters, offering comedic relief and heartwarming moments.
Romance Culture References: The book's nods to romance novels and authors were a treat for fans of the genre.
Fun Moments: There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments throughout.

What I Didn't Love:
Lackluster Romance: The main characters' first and last meetings felt a bit underwhelming.
Taylor Swift References: While there were pop culture references, they didn't quite deliver on the Taylor Swift fan fare promise.

Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a lighthearted, fun romance with a healthy dose of camp, Love Story is worth checking out. However, don't expect a deep, emotionally resonant love story. It's a guilty pleasure that's enjoyable in its own way.

Rating: 2 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for this arc to read in exchange for my honest review!

Let me start off by saying I think Lindsey and I could be bffs if we met in real life, but in a not weird way.

Love Story is a modern Romeo and Juliet for swifties who read romance.
I’m obsessed with the banter between Sophie and Joe, sometimes laughing OUT LOUD IN PUBLIC (embarrassing) at some of the back and forth. ESPECIALLY when CJ was the victim. That guy sucks.
As for the other characters, the bff is everything you would want.
Sophie’s siblings are a chaotic mess, but who wouldn’t be with those parents? I love Will!!! Charlotte’s drive is inspirational but her selfishness in some parts stressed me out.

This book is so much fun and a sweet, door half-open (cracked? ajar? etc), love story.

It meant so much to me to read about a fmc with a love of romance novels who understands the stigma of romance readers.
“We’ve been trained to be grateful for what we’re given rather than ask for what we want,” THANK. YOU.
The fmc’s growth into celebrating her achievements (in writing a best-selling romance novel) instead of trying to hide behind a pseudonym is so beautiful to watch.

And while I did love to see some of my favorite romance authors name dropped, it kind of brought me out of the escapism I was searching for. Regardless, this book was such an easy and lovely read.

Also you know how if an actual man were to read you scenes from your spicy books you’d immediately call the cops? Well turns out if the man is fictional it’s actually hot. Who knew?

All the stars! This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Ms. Kelk is a true rom-com phenom. As in any great rom-com not only do we get a great love story of the two main characters but all the bumbling side characters and funny situations that come along with it. This was a fantastic love story for Sophie and Joe but it also was a love story to fellow rom-com authors and readers. Gone is the stigma that rom com’s are just fluff and sexy scenes. In today’s world when life is sometimes scary, overwhelming we need an outlet to just shut the world out and exist in happy moments. There is no shame in romance writing or reading. It’s one of the top selling genres. This wasn’t the first book I’ve read or authors have mentioned the criginess of Goodreads! With often being gifted of ARC’s I take in mind in my review that this is someone’s blood , sweat and tears put in their story along with their village behind them every step of the way. I am never rude and when I read another’s review as with movies they are entitled to their opinion but I have my own. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

Hilarious and fresh! I adored reading Lindsey Kelk’s delightfully entertaining latest, Love Story, an original take on the worthiness of the romance genre. The dialogue is snappy and often laugh out loud funny, but still manages to be insightful. I love the many pop culture references. The characters are interesting and well drawn. And Kelk is a fine storyteller to boot.

Highly recommended to fans of Katherine Center, Emily Henry and Christina Lauren and other intelligent, uplifting romances - and, of course, those who have enjoyed any of Kelk’s prior books. I also loved 2022’s The Christmas Wish, and 2023’s Love Me Do.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

I did enjoy most of this, but it wasn't my favorite. While I liked the enemies to lovers aspect, it was a bit insta-lovey and I couldn't understand why other than simply lusting after one another. There's also way too many pop culture references (tiktok, t swift, popular authors, etc.) There was decent humor and the spice was great as well. I think anyone who enjoys contemporary romance will love this. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

4/5 I received a free copy of Love Story by Lindsay Kelk for an honest review! Thank you @harpercollins360 for the ARC

I really enjoyed reading this book! It has a lot of modern references and I loved how involved the siblings were in this story. It’s a cute love story with a twist! I did think some parts were a little cringey but overall it was a good, quick romance read!

⭐⭐⭐.✨

Sophie is a school teacher by day and a romance writer on the side who’s kept her identity secret from her league of fans, because she’s written the steamiest novel with tons of fans who love it. She comes from a big literary family and isn’t sure that her parents will love that she’s the esteemed Este Cox – so she’s hidden this secret from everyone but her brother and godfather, both who helped her get Butterflies published. Joe Walsh instantly becomes enemy #1 when he bashes Sophie’s beloved book, but hilarity ensues when they end up at Sophie’s father’s weekend birthday bash and end up sharing a cottage together.

Overall, I enjoyed this book – there were multiple laugh out loud moments and definitely had screwball comedy vibes – but I couldn’t really get into the story and couldn’t really get behind the animosity/enemy current between Sophie and Joe. If you’re a fan of instalove, then you will likely enjoy this book, but also I didn’t really feel the instant chemistry. Although it was “instalove” it gave off slow burn vibes. I do enjoy Lindsey’s books, and this one was definitely filled with lots of humor.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Lindsey Kelk and Harper 360 for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Amazing plot concept but sadly didn’t do it for me…

I’ll start with the good. I did love the overall plot of the book and the romance was super cute and goofy! The banter between our FMC and MMC was amazing and I loved the way they spoke of love.

Now I had a lot of issues with this book. The biggest issues being the constant name dropping and our characters personalities.

There were pages with MULTIPLE real authors names, talk about social media, and so many references to real people and news. It felt like our author scrolled through tiktok and decided to write about every topic she found. It was way too much for me and felt too much like she was trying to include as many references as possible to seem relatable.

Now our characters were insufferable. None of them felt authentic or like real people. Almost every side character was just an asshole and said some of the rudest things to our FMC. There is an 18 year old who genuinely acts like a 12 year old and literally whines to her parents about something every other page. She quite literally rummaged through our FMC’s bag and stole a $4,000 purse and refused to give it back. The end of the story is supposed to have this resolve for the sister but it’s just “don’t change” and she doesn’t apologize or return the bag. Just annoying.

It also felt oddly like a sitcom… Our main characters found a convenient random ice cream truck. Then when they were in the middle of nowhere suddenly a random girl appears when neither noticed her approaching… Our FMC’s dad quite literally dressed as a clown for his birthday party? Man I don’t know… just weird shit that I found myself having to read multiple times to understand why it was happening.

I am interested in reading more from this author as I do enjoy the romance but this one just didn’t work for me…

3 stars
2.5/4 spice

Thank you to HarperCollins and Net Galley for this ARC.

Some novels about authors and publishers can avoid being self-aggrandizing. This is not one of them.

There were so many name drops and pop culture references, it was distracting. Also, early on the FMC/narrator mentions reading a book that makes you feel like it's blaming the reader. I couldn't understand how a book could do that until I kept reading. I didn't enjoy what I was reading, but I felt guilty about it.

The flow is fast and I loved the brother, William. Maybe it's because he's the only calm and reasonable one in the whole book?

This one didn't click for me, but I can still appreciate that it's well-written and really went for it.

I am truly grateful to Netgalley for providing me with my first ARC from them. The book looks promising and I gave it a go! However, I was at 25% when I decided that I was going to DNF this book.

It started off slow and prolonged discussion between Mal and Sophie in which I found dragging as start off. A couple of chapters in, Joe comes in, in which his character comes off as rude and arrogant. Further onto the interactions between Joe and Sophie, I somewhat find Joe attractive with his remarks even though Sophie’s description about his looks did not resonate to me as a reader. And as a reader, I did get the idea that he was attractive. Definitely their interaction in the beginning were very entertaining to read and did make me laugh. From there, I saw the story coming along!

As the story goes along, Sophie was reunited with her family and that’s where the family dynamics started to unravel. Sophie’s family was a hot mess, chaotic and toxic, it was pretty intense! Every turn of the page I felt like Sophie did not even catch a break from her family. They were very insensitive people and I do feel bad for her even though I could see she was a people pleaser. At this point, it was too much and tough to get through. Even I, as reader could not even catch a break seeing how Sophie was being treated by her family.

Honestly, I could tell the story can be cute and has all the potential. I was expecting this as a typical enemies-to-lovers type of story which was the idea of what the blurb was. However, it literally revolves around the family drama, chaos and toxicity that potentially led to Sophie and Joe’s love story. This was a hot mess story and had my mind reeling.

This book is so hard to rate. There was a lot I enjoyed but there were some things I didn't enjoy.

Things I enjoyed:
- This book is nod to romance writers even mentioning some that I love as well. I think this book really highlights how so many still feel romance books are fluffu and still not a real book.
- Great banter between Sophie and Joe
- Sophie's family was a hoot

What I didn't like:
- This was a total insta love and the author pokes fun about it as well
- As an insta love story, there's no real relationship development. I need the chase.
- Some of the characters were way over the top for me that it felt unrealistic

Overall, it was a fun read and I enjoyed it.

Thank you @harpercollins360 for a copy of this